Perfect Summer Contemporary

filled star filled star filled star filled star filled star
harasnicole Avatar

By

This book is so cute.

The Kiss Quotient is about 30-year-old Stella Lane who’s been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (which I guess isn’t called Asperger’s anymore?) and basically, her mother is pressuring her to find a husband and start having babies. Stella gets it in her head that she should look to a male co-worker who turns out to be a dick.

In comes Michael, a tentative escort.

Michael’s story is a bit more heartbreaking. His dad’s missing, his mother’s sick, and he’s got massive bills to pay. He doesn’t necessarily like having sex for money, but he can think of no other way to pay off his mother’s medical bills, and he’s bound and determined to not be just like his father, who’s a criminal.

I’ve said this in another review of mine, that I’m absolute trash for fake relationships. The Kiss Quotient didn’t disappoint. It’s emotional; I can think of at least two scenes in this book that had me damn near sobbing, but obviously I won’t say which ones because spoilers. Instead, I’ll just advise you all, if you decide to pick up this book, to keep a box of Kleenex by your side. As emotional as this book can get, the tears kind of sneak up on you at the same time.

Helen Hoang does a fantastic job building up the anticipation of the sex scenes. Oh! That’s another thing: these sex scenes, they are graphic in detail, so if that’s not your thing, then there’s your warning. Anyway, the anticipation buildup is great, as I said. Because Stella is inexperienced with men in the bedroom, she hires Michael to teach her not just how to have sex, but how to please a man. In the beginning, Michael is only committed to one night because he doesn’t do repeat clients, but there’s just that something about Stella that he just cannot say no to.

So one night turns into three sessions turns into a fake relationship.

When Michael and Stella are together, they’re amazing. When they’re apart, you can feel it and, at least in my case. There’s so much miscommunication which can annoy me on any other day, but in regards to Stella and her autism, it’s at least understandable. It’s also understandable with Michael because once you find out his story, you see that he’s battling his own demons.

The only downside, for me, however, is the writing. It’s not anything “special,” or “breathtaking,” but it does make it easy to read, and if you can afford to, you can read this book in a couple of days (I started the book on a Saturday and finished the following Sunday). I’ve seen some people make comparisons, saying that the writing style is akin to The Hating Game, but I have yet to read that one, so I can neither confirm nor deny.

If you’re looking for a sweet, romantic, contemporary adult read for the summer, then look no further than The Kiss Quotient. If you enjoy fake relationships as much as I do, then this should be right up your alley.