Helen Hoang, I love you: The Kiss Quotient

The Kiss Quotient is a refreshing and unlikely love story between an successful econometrist with Asperger’s syndrome and a broke escort just trying to make ends meet for his family in whatever way he can. Stella is socially awkward, easily overstimulated, and the thought of kissing someone grosses her out. She is more comfortable at work with her data. She is intimidated by the idea of dating so, after receiving pressure from her parents for a grandchild, Stella decided to hire an escort to help her “practice” sex. That’s when she meets Michael, an inquisitive and creative man with secret dreams of becoming a clothing designer. As their relationship develops from awkward strangers to hesitant friends to passionate lovers, Stella learns how to trust, and more importantly, how to love.

I am not exaggerating when I say that this is one of the cutest books that I have ever read in my entire life. There was a permanent goofy smile plastered on my face the entire time I read this.  I immediately fell in love with Stella and her routines and analytical view of sex and the opposite gender. Michael is a delightful character brought to life by Helen Hoang through his love and dedication to the people he loves. I could not have adored both of them more not only as separate people, but eventually as a combined unit. Their relationship is unique in the romance genre because of Stella’s Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis. It changes their relationship dynamic just enough that it was unlike anything that I’ve ever read before. I will definitely be seeking out books like this in the future because of it.

I will say that this book is a bit on the mature side because of the nature of their relationship in the beginning, so if sex and sexual content isn’t something you’re looking for, I would skip this book. I mean, Michael is an escort for crying out loud. However, it doesn’t really feel like porn with a plot. There’s quite a bit of sexual content, but the plot also isn’t lost in it. It really rounds out the relationship in my opinion, and it was interesting to see how the characters worked through the issues that Stella faces with overstimulation and an aversion to intimacy. It was incredibly sweet reading about Michael’s devotion to making sure that his woman is having just as much fun as he is. 

Because of the sheer volume of sexual content in this book, I was pleasantly surprised with how safe sex was portrayed. In most romance books I read, there is of course brief talk of birth control (like condoms and such), but I don’t often see talk about STIs and the importance of getting tested regularly if you have multiple partners. The first time we meet Michael, he is checking his test results to make sure he hasn’t picked up any STIs from his job as an escort. It was such a small thing, but it really stuck out to me because it’s just not something that is really talked about in this genre. I love a sex positive book, but I love a book that promotes safe sex more!

The Kiss Quotient easily gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars from me. It was such a fun story with characters that were not only lovable, but also truly unique. I could not have asked for better chemistry between Stella and Michael. As someone who reads a lot of romance books, this book was such a fresh breath of air. It really shook up my expectations of what romance looks like for different people. I really could not recommend this book enough to everyone that will listen.

This post contains affiliate links.