There was so much hype surrounding this book when I first heard of it a couple months ago. Everyone was raving about the great diversity and representation, and how swoony and sexy the story was. Like most hyped up books, I was worried that once I read it I would be let down by all the buildup, but I'm SO GLAD to announce that this book completely deserves the hype and I wasn't let down AT ALL.
I was ecstatic when I won a copy of the book from BookishFirst, and immediately started reading it when it arrived at my doorstep. After speeding through the novel, I had to convince myself to put it down instead of starting over and reading it again immediately. I know I've already talked about multiple books that have made it onto my favorites of 2018, but I've had such a great reading year so far and can't help that I've loved so many of the books I've read so far!
This novel follows Stella and Michael. Stella is a successful woman who has a hard time being in a relationship, so she hires a male escort to "teach" her how to be better at sex and have a relationship, and Michael is a tailor who wants to design his clothes but is forced to work at his family's business because of financial issues his family is facing. Their relationship starts off as a business transaction, but pretty soon turns into more.
"That's completely untrue. Girls like me intimidate boyfriends away. Girls like me have never been asked out by a single boy. Girls like me have to find their own way, make their own luck. I've had to fight for every success in my life, and I'm going to fight f0r this."
One of the reasons this story is getting so much hype (besides the fact that it's a FANTASTIC BOOK) is because of the diversity in the novel. Our main character Stella has Asperger's, and there's a multiracial love interest. Not only is the work diverse, but it's well written, funny, and so sexy!
This book is such a refreshing read, and different from a lot of romance novels I've read recently. I love that Michael isn't an alpha male like in most romances. He's super chill and caring, and wants to be a designer. There's also explicit consent between the two characters. Michael cares about what Stella wants and likes, and always stops when she seems uncomfortable or starts to second guess herself. Instead of being domineering, both characters respect each other. Their chemistry is off the charts, and Stella feels comfortable around Michael which is something that doesn't happen often to her.
Helen Hoang has written an amazing debut novel, and I can't wait to read everything else she writes!
I was ecstatic when I won a copy of the book from BookishFirst, and immediately started reading it when it arrived at my doorstep. After speeding through the novel, I had to convince myself to put it down instead of starting over and reading it again immediately. I know I've already talked about multiple books that have made it onto my favorites of 2018, but I've had such a great reading year so far and can't help that I've loved so many of the books I've read so far!
This novel follows Stella and Michael. Stella is a successful woman who has a hard time being in a relationship, so she hires a male escort to "teach" her how to be better at sex and have a relationship, and Michael is a tailor who wants to design his clothes but is forced to work at his family's business because of financial issues his family is facing. Their relationship starts off as a business transaction, but pretty soon turns into more.
"That's completely untrue. Girls like me intimidate boyfriends away. Girls like me have never been asked out by a single boy. Girls like me have to find their own way, make their own luck. I've had to fight for every success in my life, and I'm going to fight f0r this."
One of the reasons this story is getting so much hype (besides the fact that it's a FANTASTIC BOOK) is because of the diversity in the novel. Our main character Stella has Asperger's, and there's a multiracial love interest. Not only is the work diverse, but it's well written, funny, and so sexy!
This book is such a refreshing read, and different from a lot of romance novels I've read recently. I love that Michael isn't an alpha male like in most romances. He's super chill and caring, and wants to be a designer. There's also explicit consent between the two characters. Michael cares about what Stella wants and likes, and always stops when she seems uncomfortable or starts to second guess herself. Instead of being domineering, both characters respect each other. Their chemistry is off the charts, and Stella feels comfortable around Michael which is something that doesn't happen often to her.
Helen Hoang has written an amazing debut novel, and I can't wait to read everything else she writes!