ARC REVIEW: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (June 2018)

Synopsis: Stella Lane 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. With her Asperger’s making getting close to someone even more difficult, Stella concludes that she needs lots of practice – with a professional. A biracial stunner, escort Michael Phan agrees to help Stella check off all the boxes on her lesson plan, from foreplay to more-than-missionary position, making her crave his expertise – and convincing her that love is the best kind of logic…

To be published June 5, 2018 by Berkley Jove

Print ARC provided by the publisher through BookishFirst, in exchange for an honest review

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, which comes out in June 2018 with Berkley.

She currently lives in San Diego, California with her husband, two kids, and pet fish.

Other upcoming novel (Jan 2019):

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Women’s Fiction

Themes: love, romance, sex, dating, relationships, autism, being different, familial duty, obsessive behavior, responsibility, family, career, economics, calculus

Amazon* / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository

*As an Amazon Associate, I get a mini % of sales price if you purchase the item through my link, thank you!

This was kissing. Kissing was glorious.

Quirky and lovable characters, smart dialogue, sexy romance – all complete the equation for a perfect guilty pleasure read! The Kiss Quotient is much sexier than anticipated, and it will be sure to satisfy many readers, in more ways than one.

Stella is the kind of character you can’t help but adore – she is refreshingly straightforward and she knows what she wants. She is so passionate about her job – she genuinely loves and is great at what she does – and I love that. Rarely do we see characters like Stella. As far as I can remember, this is the first time I’m reading an autistic character’s POV, and it’s fascinating – and also probably half the reason why I enjoyed this book so much! To make things even better, our main love interest, Michael Phan, also gets his own chapters! I have so much to say about Michael, but I’m saving that stuff for a #SwoonySaturdate entry!

This isn’t the usual slow-burning romance, but Stella and Michael’s story is just as delicious. It starts out really fast – it’s almost like a marathon that starts out with a 100 meter sprint and then slows down to jogging pace. It initially starts out very physical – intensely physical – and then all the baggage of both characters come out: the insecurities, secrets, painful pasts…. you know the deal. I loved reading their parallel emotions / thoughts on the same situation – and I think these do a great job of emphasizing how miscommunication and the many factors leading to it can easily get things complicated!

Overall, this definitely gives Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game a run for its money, and I’m so glad I got to read it! I won’t be surprised if I decide to reread it later on 😛

If you’re looking for your next romance read, I would highly recommend you grab a copy of this one when it comes out in June!

Thank you Penguin Random House for my review copy!

And thank you for reading! And watch out for a #SwoonySaturdate entry featuring Michael Phan 😉

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