Ever since reading the synopsis a few month ago I was intrigued, fascinated and couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. I’m a HUGE fan of everything unique, in this case it’s a heroine with Asperger’s. Not only did that pique my curiosity, it reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Rosie Project.

The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1) by Helen Hoang

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…

My thoughts

Helen Hoang’s debut novel was enchanting, sweet, romantic, and utterly heart-warming. I’m blown away by the author’s writing style, which was crisp, eloquent and impressive. Her writing was vibrant, and captivating. I loved the amount and detailed description of Vietnamese culture that was part of this book. Having such a diverse and lovable cast made this novel utterly endearing, not only but also by the wonderful main characters.

The story was incredibly well plotted and executed. Fresh, unique and interesting from beginning to end. There was nothing clique about this book. And that’s even more impressive since it was a debut novel.

I adored Stella. She was straight forward, blunt at times, fascinating, and adorable in her quest. And the way she melted into Michael was just the BEST. Whenever he touched her, hugged her, or cuddled her, she melted into a boneless heap. I couldn’t prevent myself from smiling from ear to ear. I loved how Stella only cared about Michael as a person. She had no false perceptions or prejudice about him.

And Michael, OMG, he was swoony. Not in your face all alpha swoony, rather understated, and because of that he was even more devastatingly handsome in the way he treated Stella, and his family. His personality was just beautiful. He was honestly THE perfect man. And WOWZER – let’s not forget about that gorgeous tattoo. I couldn’t have kept my hands to myself either – kudos to Stella.

This book is a definite recommendation.

A sweet love-story, the author called it a gender-swapped Pretty Woman, with a wonderful main couple and a wonderful and heart-warming and very personal backstory.

4/5 Stars
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The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang