The Kiss Quotient Kindle Edition

Wow was this a fantastic book!! I did as a Buddy Read (see below) with Teresa, my fellow Bookstagrammer—we did a check-in at around the midpoint (39% or end of Ch13) and a final wrap-up ... we had planned to do more, but the book was too addictive and we didn't want to stop until we were done. Leaving out the midpoint check-in from here, and just including the end musings (see my GR review if you want to see the full back-and-forth).BUDDY READ WITH TERESAJuliana: So: wow. This was such a fantastic book, I kind of don’t even know where to start. I finished it with one of those stupid-silly grins on my face that I couldn’t get rid of and I think I fell asleep that way. After our mid-point check-in I had to read the rest straight through and stayed up until I finished; it was just so good!Teresa: Agreed! If we hadn’t had a mid-point check-in this would have been a one sitting read for me. Honestly, I am a little surprised I loved the book as much as I did. The premise isn’t one I am big on, as I mentioned before, prostitution is usually a romance no-go for me, and the hype about this book was a little overwhelming so I had sky-high expectations. Luckily, Hoang is a genius and this book checked all of my romance reader boxes. Ditto on the silly smile!J: I didn’t have the potential-disappointment factor, since I didn’t really have any expectations, but what I was unsure of going in was how much of a romance it was. It’s not a mass market paperback and so I didn’t know what mindset I should have. Fortunately, it delivered on all fronts on the romance side, but I also think it could attract mainstream non-romance readers … granted, it has more sexy times than the average “mainstream” fiction, but I’m definitely not going to complain about that (the chemistry was SIZZLING!!).T: The chemistry and sexual timing was perfect. I agree that this was a lot of sex for a mainstream audience. I loved it. I think each sexual encounter (idk what else to call it!) furthered the character’s emotional connection or furthered the plot in some way and that is what I look for in a great romance novel. I worry that a mainstream reader would get caught up in the graphic parts and not see the beauty of the character’s sexual connection.J: I think you hit the nail on the head—I completely agree with the progression, and “regular” readers could be caught off guard if they’re not used to it. I think that’s why it’s all the more fascinating that it was chosen as one of the Book of the Month selections; I doubt they’ve ever chosen one of our types of romance books before, and I’m curious to see what the reaction will be. For me, The Kiss Quotient delivered on all romance fronts: fantastic leading pair, real character development for both, laugh-out-loud moments, great supporting cast, really sweet and romantic exchanges, and terrific chemistry. I honestly don’t think there’s a single thing I would change about this book.T: I hope people go into this book with open minds because that is what a book of this caliber deserves. Hoang tapped into so many important aspects of the human condition with both Michael and Stella. The fact that she was able to portrayed such beautifully flawed characters and a well constructed and believable happily ever after was awe inspiring. I was overjoyed, charmed, and delighted by The Kiss Quotient and the fact that I have to wait until May of 2019 for the next book is cruel and unusual punishment. I loved this book and I want to recommend it to all my friends regardless of genre preference.J: [Stepped aside for a moment to do just that!] I completely second that; I feel like this could be one of those romance books that challenges people’s (horrible and unfair) impressions about the genre. And I love that it’s being done through such a strong heroine who is on the Autism spectrum. I cannot WAIT for Khai’s story next year, where we’ll get to see some of the same struggles, but through the male perspective. All I can say to everyone is: read this book!T: I second that statement! Hoang is an instant favorite author and I know she will do the topic justice. Also, dibs on Quan!

I give this a 4/5 and I’m a tough grader. This is a great romance book with just enough sexy content. The dialogue of internal thoughts of feeling vulnerable and awkward at times from both protagonists is honestly refreshing and butterfly inducing. Stella is a beautifully complex character who does not want to be identified by her Autism. Michael is more than his surface level occupation as an escort. If you are looking for relatability to character thoughts and feelings, this is a perfect read. If you are looking for physical relatability, it is unattainable (very physically and sexually appealing lead body types); but that is often the fun of reading these types of stories. That is my only complaint. I loved this story, the characters, the representation (both for people on the spectrum; especially women; and Asian culture), and consumed it in 2 days! I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this amazing author; including the follow up story called The Bride Test that is included at the end of this book in the form of a prologue.

I heard about this book from many #BookBesties... and all of them had nothing but praises to say about it... and since it sounded unique and very interesting I decided to give it a try... technically it's the first book in a series, but the second one will be about a completely different couple... the hero appears here very briefly, so I assume the same secondary characters will be present throughout this series :) we shall see ;) so before I get into all my thoughts and feelings about this novel, let me tell you a bit more what it's all about :)What originally drew me to this book was the fact that Stella has Asperger's syndrome... she's authistic and I was really interested to read a romance story with a heroine like that, especially since the author herself is also diagnosed with it... I was looking forward to reading an own voices book like that :) Stella is in her early thirties and very successful at her job... but she struggles when it comes to relationships... when her parents, and by that I mean her mom, start talking more and more about her settling down, starting a family and such, she decides that she needs help... so she figures out who would be better to help her overcome intimacy and relationship issues than a professional... an escort... that's how she meets Michael... and I know how that may sound, but bear with me :) I don't really want to say too much about how their relationship progress... how one meeting change into three... and then into more... I want you to be able to form your own opinion about this novel, and I will explain why in a second :) but I definitely enjoyed their story and I think it's worth giving a try :)Ok, so now for the biggest reason why I don't really want to say too much about it or hype it too much to you guys... because before I gave it a try, I heard about this story everywhere... all my #BookBesties were reading it and loving it... so it was hyped to epic proportions in my mind... and I think it actually turned into a bit of a disadvantage for me... because I built it up soooo much in my mind before I even started it... my expectations were insanely high for it... and in the end I was left... not really disappointed, because it is a wonderful story, worth the praises, but... it wasn't as amazing as I built it up in my head... which is not really surprising based on how high I was hyped... :) so yeah... listen to all the hype, but not too much ;) it's better if you get into this book with an open mind and fresh perspective :) I think from all the reasons why I loved this story, the biggest one is the writing style... it was amazing, especially if you take into consideration the fact that it's a debut novel... :) I am seriously impressed :) it's a very diverse cast of characters, and I loved it :) both the main couple and the secondary characters are complex and flawed, which only make this novel that much more interesting to read... I inhaled it in one day... I knew I would want to finish it once I started it, so during one weekend, this book was my sunday :) it was a beautiful mix of funny, emotional, sweet and serious moments, that blended together perfectly into this heartwarming story that gave me all the feels... I definitely recommend you guys this gem... give it a try :) now that I read it, I'm gonna impatiently wait for something else published by this author :)

HIGHLY RECCOMEND READING THIS BOOK! This book is amazing I'm so glad it exists. It was such a good read, there really wasn't a dull moment!The story of a woman with autism navigating the world of relationships and sex whilst having sensory sensitivities and difficulties in certain social areas, (all varying depending on where you are on the spectrum and who you are as an individual), is a real life struggle for people who have autism. It is so important that society becomes less stigmatized and stops alienating people with developmental disabilities. People with a developmental disability have a right/need for love just as any neurotypical person does! It's great to see a story including someone who is neurodivergent, written from their perspective, and on top of that written by an author who is autistic herself, who's has done further research on autism, and other women's experiences to help form this story. It just makes the book that much better; it's more authentic.As a DSP just starting in the field, seeing change in society around stigmas with such developmental disabilities is a passion of mine and this story was so cool. Normalizing life experiences specifically around romantic experiences for people who have a developmental disability is really important and I look forward to a day where society isn't so harsh on uniqueness.It's important to understand that every human being has a right to relationships and every other right a person may have regardless of neurological state and especially if that person is an adult.All in all, I'm so glad I came across this book and that it got published! I'll be looking for other reads from this author, I'm a sucker for romances and this book hit the spot! :)

Uno de los mejores libros que he leído en mi vida. Una historia de amor diferente, con unos personajes perfectamente dibujados, que te enamoran y te llegan dentro. He llorado, he reído y no he podido despegarme del libro desde la primera página. Lo acabo de terminar y ya tengo ganas de volver a leerlo.

I think I just found my new favorite book, it is just PERFECT. The characters are lovable from start to end and their chemistry is just sooo natural. I LOVED IT!!Usually I don’t take the time to write a review of a book and I just pass onto the next one but I felt like this book needed one. I suggest you read it because it’s PHENOMENAL!!❤️

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang - 5,0⭐️“𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘪-𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 . . . 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥.”Meet Stella Lane, she is comfortable with numbers and after a lunch date with her mother she realizes she needs to get better at dating to find her perfect match, even if the person always gets uncomfortable knowing she has Asperger’s and she hates kissing. That’s when Michael enters her life, she hires him to teach her how to date properly and be “normal” around the opposite sex when on a intimate way. What she didn’t expected was to fall in love with him.What a funny and sexy read! I was hooked since page one and kept going because of the fluid narrative, smart dialogues and kdramas references. Stella is a different character that I loved to get to know what goes inside her head, she is sweet and strong despite all the insecurities and how people treat her because of some of her actions due to her autism. And Michael is always so patient with her, a little intrigued by her forthcomings comments, and honest remarks during their encounters. He is kind of infatuated by her since day one and he is a sweet pie in general. Michael with his troublesome past, and also having insecurities even though he transpires confidence and a perpetual easy going smile, that becomes a real one when with Stella by the way.Their relationship has a gradual construction, it wasn't love at first sight which is something that's puts me off constantly in books and movies, we can follow Stella and Michael's thoughts as they realize that their feelings are bigger than only attraction, so it felt natural and beautiful.Philip was a disgusting man that unfortunately we see a lot in real life and it bugged me so much his interactions and disrespectful actions towards Stella. And Stella's dad and mom were super inconvenient but they tried their best to make their daughter happy so I think it's what counts in the end of the day.The author was very respectful when portraying Stella' autism, with nuances and delicate writing. Me having a close experience with people that has the same issue made me have a more deep insight through what Stella goes through, even if the author does a splendid job when describing it. So plus points to the author.This was a perfect way of starting my year, just what I needed and what would I give to see this book as movie!

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang is exactly the feel-good read I needed in my life!The characters are so beautifully developed, I found myself totally rooting for Michael and Stella. Another thing that I loved about the book was the descriptions. To describe what goes inside the head of someone who is autistic, someone who feels like she doesn't belong, the panic and overwhelming feelings of overstimulation is amazing and I totally am in awe of Hoang doing that.I will not deny the fact that there weren't any cliche moments in the book. They were. But the story had me so captivated and enchanted, everything else in the book totally made up for it.The book starts on a high and maintains that high throughout the course of the book. The ending chapter just made my heart full of joy and a warm, fuzzy feeling! I didn't want this book to end but unfortunately, it did. The epilogue seemed a little flat when compared to the rest of the book.In and all, loved my whole reading experience with The Kiss Quotient. I will be looking forward to reading more from Helen Hoang in the future!