The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Summary: Stella Lane loves her job where she comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases, but that passion leaves her with almost zero experience in the dating department and having Asperger’s doesn’t help. She needs a lot of practice and only the help of a professional will do, which leads her to hire escort Michael Phan.
A Literary Rom Com
I have totally been fangirling over The Kiss Quotient because this allowed me to read an amazing romantic comedy. There was a little “hooker with a heart of gold” mixed with “career woman with no time for dating.” Together, Stella and Michael are perfect in this story of finding true love in unexpected places. If you have watched as many rom coms as I have, then you will definitely get elements of certain movies while reading The Kiss Quotient. Pretty Woman and The Wedding Date are the obvious story elements. I was also reminded of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days when our lovebirds have a huge fight that threatens to tear them apart forever. Of course, I could go on and on about the rom coms starring the career woman who doesn’t need a man.
I don’t read many romance novels, so I don’t know whether these rom com tropes are usually in romances. Can I also mention I absolutely adored that Stella not only worked, but excelled in a STEM career. I don’t know if I’m alone in this thought. I am tired of seeing the women in rom coms only working in publishing. There are so many other careers, people! I also appreciated reading a book where a woman has Asperger’s. When I see a person with Asperger’s being portrayed in media that person is almost always a man. I am certain men and boys are not the only people who live with Asperger’s. Representation matters!
Overall Opinion
I loved The Kiss Quotient so much! It was difficult for me to even put that enjoyment into coherent words. The story is completely adorkable with sex appeal. The novel is already in the running to be my new favorite romantic comedy. The Kiss Quotient is the perfect beach read. The book is so engaging that you may be able to finish it in one sitting. I read this book every chance I got, and when I was finished, I still wanted more. Rating: Carpe Librum