Review copy provided by the publisher
Honest, Sexy, and A Summer Must Read Romance
Helen Hoang’s THE KISS QUOTIENT is a stellar debut. About a woman with autism who hires an escort to teach her the ins and outs of sex and romantic relationships, THE KISS QUOTIENT is sexy, smart, and a fantastic showcase both for women with autism and Asian Americans.
Stella Lane is an econometrician (she applies statistical methods to economic data) who brings order to her world through patterns and routines. Although she’s learned to manage her autism to a certain degree, satisfying romantic and sexual relationships elude her. And with mom pushing for grandchildren, she needs to get to work. The logical thing to do is to hire a professional. Stella finds Michael Phan, a part-time escort, augmenting his income through once-a-week appointments.
I gravitated to THE KISS QUOTIENT because Helen Hoang is an Asian-American author who put up a hapa dude (half Vietnamese, half Swedish) as a hottie hero. That’s not all it has going for it, but we’re still in a time where those things are rare and precious. The beauty of the book though, is that readers are going to relate and appreciate it for much more…more than the fact that Helen Hoang introduced a lot of people to Daniel Henney. (Go google him, I’ll wait).
THE KISS QUOTIENT woos you with its honest, straightforward portrayal of autism and with a relationship between two people who make an effort to understand each other. If that doesn’t sound sexy on the surface, it acutally is! Even early on, Michael is a sensitive, tender guide. He’s confident without ever being arrogant. While their early relationship is strictly transactional, the professional turns personal.
This would be a satisfying read on plot and characters alone, but Hoang adds rich, cultural detail to tell us more about Michael and his family. We find out Michael makes a mean bún (vermicelli noodle bowl) and we get to see his mom, grandmother, and siblings gather and squabble over a meal. I loved that the details in just a couple of scenes revealed certain things about Stella and made it clear that family and culture is important to Michael’s identity. He’s not accidentally Asian.
I loved that math and data help Stella make sense of the world, but it never succumbs to stereotype. And I loved that this is a romance about two people who have their own insecurities, but fundamentally they GET each other. Their strengths enable them to support one another. THE KISS QUOTIENT deserves all the praise it’s getting and it definitely deserves a spot on your summer reading list.
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Excerpt:
THE KISS QUOTIENT by Helen Hoang
“You’ve watched Pretty Woman too many times. Kissing doesn’t mean anything, and it’s always best if you’re not thinking too much in bed. Trust me,” he said.
Her mouth thinned into a stubborn line. “This is too important for me not to think. I’d rather not kiss anymore if you don’t mind.”
Michael’s irritation redoubled, and he forced his hands to relax before he popped all his blood vessels. How the hell had he gotten himself into this? Ah yes, he’d been worried about his escort colleagues taking advantage of her. Stupid of him. His life was complicated enough without worrying about his clients. This was exactly why he had the one-session policy.
He would have backed out—it was tempting—but he’d promised. He always carried through on his promises. It was his way of balancing out the universe. His dad had broken enough promises for the both of them.
“All right,” he made himself say. “No kissing.”
“Do the other plans look okay?” she asked.
He forced himself to read them and found them pretty similar, only she’d moved from hand jobs to blowjobs and changed the sexual positions.
Amused despite himself, he said, “I’m surprised you used the terms ‘doggy style’ and ‘cow girl.’”
Her cheeks went bright red, and she adjusted her glasses. “I’m inexperienced, not clueless.”
“Your plans are missing something important.” He held his hand out, and she placed the pen in his palm with wary motions.
She tilted her head to the side as she watched him write FOREPLAY at the top of all the plans in capital letters. As an afterthought, he drew a box in front of each iteration with hard stabs of the pen.
“But why? I was under the impression men don’t need it.”
“You do,” he said flatly.
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “You don’t have to bother with me.”
He narrowed his eyes. “It’s not a bother. Most men like foreplay. I do. Getting a woman hot is satisfying as hell.” Besides, he was not having sex with her if she wasn’t ready. No fucking way.
Swallowing, she stared down at the menu. “So you’re saying I don’t have a chance to improve.”
“What? No.” His mind scrambled to figure out why she might say that and came up with nothing.
“You saw how I reacted. It was one button.”
“And then you slept with me all night. You were basically naked, and you cling.”
“Are you two ready to order?” the waitress interjected. Judging by the amused glimmer in her eyes, she’d caught the last part of their conversation.
Stella perused the dinner options, her nails picking at the fabric edging of the menu.
“We’ll have the special,” Michael said.
“Wise choice. I’ll leave you to it.” The waitress winked, gathered the menus, and disappeared.
“What’s the special?” Stella asked.
“I have no idea. Let’s hope it’s not woolly.”
A troubled frown bracketed her mouth, and she leaned forward hesitantly, meeting his eyes for the briefest second. “What exactly do you mean by ‘cling?’”
Michael grinned. “It means you like to cuddle when you’re asleep.”
“Oh.”
She looked so horrified Michael couldn’t help laughing. “I confess to liking it.” Which was the truth, and unlike him. Cuddling was an obligatory thing he did for his clients because he understood they needed it. He usually spent the time counting the seconds until he could leave and go home to shower. Holding Stella had been nothing like that. They hadn’t had sex, so there’d been nothing to wash away, and the trusting way she’d curled into him had made him feel things he didn’t want to think about.
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