Ever since I read one of my favorite books, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, I have been searching for the next romcom to make me excited to read and read and read. Honestly, I figured that I would have to wait until her next book came out, stranded in a reading desert wasteland until then, but then came along The Kiss Quotient.
Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases--a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice--with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan--from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...
Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...
From the first page I started reading one late late night, which was a very bad bad idea, I was hooked. Right off the bat, the characters were so perfect and sweet. Our main character, Stella Lane was perfectly unique and held a voice that I had yet not heard when it comes to a perfect romance such as this as she attempts to teach herself all she needs to know about relationships and sex. Since at age 30, at this point practice is what's going to make perfect, right? Thus, brings in our heroic Michael who also happens to be the occasional escort who is propositioned to help her out.
Of course, these lessons that Stella has in mind aren't all that simple. As they begin, a friendship and love interest quickly forms between the two that felt tangible to my the moment they were introduced, and only increased from there, making me root for Stella and Michael no matter how many cringe filled moments came by. Sometimes so cringey that I had to put the book down and take a deep breath for my secondhand embarrassment to subside.
In the end though, through the cringes and the laughs and all the emotions that brought this book together in a way I absolutely needed in this point and time; this book was about love and acceptance and I loved it.
I cannot wait to see what Helen Hoang writes next. Bring on the romance and the fluff and all the goodness.
...and the sweet Michael Phans of the world.
About the Author
Helen Hoang is that shy person who never talks. Until she does. And the worst things fly out of her mouth. She read her first romance novel in eighth grade and has been addicted ever since. In 2016, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in line with what was previously known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Her journey inspired THE KISS QUOTIENT. She currently lives in San Diego, California with her husband, two kids, and pet fish.
336 pages - Berkley Publishing - June 5, 2018
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