The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient, #1)

by Helen Hoang

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Everywhere I go, I see raves for this book, and whenever I see too many raves, I worry that the book won't live up to all the hype, but you know what, The Kiss Quotient more than delivered.

Who?
• Stella, a brilliant woman with ASD, who works in econometrics, and thinks if she was better at the physical aspects, she would be able to have a successful relationship.

• Michael, a devastatingly attractive male escort by circumstance, who puts his family needs before his own, but worries that he may become like his father.
What?
Stella hires Michael to "help" her learn to tolerate kissing and other physically intimacies, to make her better at relationships, but this arrangement may become more than either of them had anticipated.

Why?
Oh. My. God! This book so funny, so sexy, so sweet, so heartfelt, and just all around amazing. I was drawn into this story from the very beginning, and once I started, I found it really hard to stop.

I absolutely adored Stella. She was intelligent and driven, but the confidence she had in her professional life did NOT carry over to her personal life. It was such to joy to watch her flourish with Michael, because he was able to see how wonderful she was.

And let me tell you, Michael was a fantastic hero. I understand, that he was an escort, and they are supposed to cater to their client's needs, but he went beyond that. He had this gentleness with Stella, which made her more open and receptive to things, and once he realized she had ASD, he was even more aware of how to approach things with her. Aside from that, there were a ton of other things to love about Micheal. He was so dedicated to his family. He didn't want to be an escort, but due to his family's financial situation, he needed to earn copious amounts of money quickly. He abandoned his dream in order to help with the family business. Michael was very self sacrificing, and that made me root for him to get something that he really wanted, because he deserved good things to happen to him.

The romance between Michael and Stella was everything! It was hot, steamy, sweet, adorable, swoony. I just couldn't get enough of these two. But there was more than just romance in this story, and I loved the way Hoang wove those other plot lines into the story. It was as seamless and organic as how she educated me on things associated with ASD.

This was a really beautiful story too. Both Michael and Stella felt that they were not good enough. Michael was stuck in this prison due to family debts. He felt defined by his circumstances, but Stella saw him as smart and talented. She saw more than the nice car, great body, and pretty face. I loved seeing Michael's confidence in himself grow as he spent more time with Stella. Stella felt as though there was nothing more to her than her ASD. Michael seeing beyond her disability was such a huge step in her journey towards self acceptance, and it was really heartwarming to watch these two grow together.

Overall
One of the best and most delightful adult contemporary romances I have read this year! I shall await Hoang's next book with bated breath.