The Kiss Quotient

Wow was this a fantastic book!! I did as a Buddy Read (see below) with Teresa, my fellow Bookstagrammer—we did a check-in at around the midpoint (39% or end of Ch13) and a final wrap-up ... we had planned to do more, but the book was too addictive and we didn't want to stop until we were done. Leaving out the midpoint check-in from here, and just including the end musings (see my GR review if you want to see the full back-and-forth).BUDDY READ WITH TERESAJuliana: So: wow. This was such a fantastic book, I kind of don’t even know where to start. I finished it with one of those stupid-silly grins on my face that I couldn’t get rid of and I think I fell asleep that way. After our mid-point check-in I had to read the rest straight through and stayed up until I finished; it was just so good!Teresa: Agreed! If we hadn’t had a mid-point check-in this would have been a one sitting read for me. Honestly, I am a little surprised I loved the book as much as I did. The premise isn’t one I am big on, as I mentioned before, prostitution is usually a romance no-go for me, and the hype about this book was a little overwhelming so I had sky-high expectations. Luckily, Hoang is a genius and this book checked all of my romance reader boxes. Ditto on the silly smile!J: I didn’t have the potential-disappointment factor, since I didn’t really have any expectations, but what I was unsure of going in was how much of a romance it was. It’s not a mass market paperback and so I didn’t know what mindset I should have. Fortunately, it delivered on all fronts on the romance side, but I also think it could attract mainstream non-romance readers … granted, it has more sexy times than the average “mainstream” fiction, but I’m definitely not going to complain about that (the chemistry was SIZZLING!!).T: The chemistry and sexual timing was perfect. I agree that this was a lot of sex for a mainstream audience. I loved it. I think each sexual encounter (idk what else to call it!) furthered the character’s emotional connection or furthered the plot in some way and that is what I look for in a great romance novel. I worry that a mainstream reader would get caught up in the graphic parts and not see the beauty of the character’s sexual connection.J: I think you hit the nail on the head—I completely agree with the progression, and “regular” readers could be caught off guard if they’re not used to it. I think that’s why it’s all the more fascinating that it was chosen as one of the Book of the Month selections; I doubt they’ve ever chosen one of our types of romance books before, and I’m curious to see what the reaction will be. For me, The Kiss Quotient delivered on all romance fronts: fantastic leading pair, real character development for both, laugh-out-loud moments, great supporting cast, really sweet and romantic exchanges, and terrific chemistry. I honestly don’t think there’s a single thing I would change about this book.T: I hope people go into this book with open minds because that is what a book of this caliber deserves. Hoang tapped into so many important aspects of the human condition with both Michael and Stella. The fact that she was able to portrayed such beautifully flawed characters and a well constructed and believable happily ever after was awe inspiring. I was overjoyed, charmed, and delighted by The Kiss Quotient and the fact that I have to wait until May of 2019 for the next book is cruel and unusual punishment. I loved this book and I want to recommend it to all my friends regardless of genre preference.J: [Stepped aside for a moment to do just that!] I completely second that; I feel like this could be one of those romance books that challenges people’s (horrible and unfair) impressions about the genre. And I love that it’s being done through such a strong heroine who is on the Autism spectrum. I cannot WAIT for Khai’s story next year, where we’ll get to see some of the same struggles, but through the male perspective. All I can say to everyone is: read this book!T: I second that statement! Hoang is an instant favorite author and I know she will do the topic justice. Also, dibs on Quan!

Disclaimer: Please remember that these are my opinions and if you feel differently, that’s okay. Thanks!RATING SYSTEM:5 – Absolute Love4 – Enjoyed it3 – Kind of Neutral2 – Forced myself to finish, it was bad1 – Couldn’t finish it, HorribleMoments:My highlighting system involves highlighting scenes I find funny, enjoy (this could be a scene or sentence), and things that make me go “aw”. My highlights for this book are 13 funny, 9 enjoyed, and 7 “aw’s”.What I Liked:I loved the MC’s, they were so cute. The romance was adorable as it started to unfold and I loved the way that the FMC thought, she was very blunt about it all. The MMC’s cousin, Quan. The reading itself was easy. The FMC’s reactions to things. The representation <3What I disliked:The timeline became a little foggy because there was so much skipping forward. I’m glad we didn’t get boring chapters about their week leading up to Friday but it felt like it had not been very long by the time they fell in love. However, I did see them falling so that was nice. My biggest thing was that the MMC’s house was so chaotic I was very confused and overwhelmed reading about his sisters. Stella’s boundaries and ‘quirks’ about touch and such seemed to disappear with Micahel, I don’t know, it kind of felt weird.Notes: POV = 3rd PersonCharacters: Michael (MMC) was sweet. I felt bad for him. The way he spoke made me feel like he didn’t really like himself or his life. He was patient and nice. Stella (FMC) was funny and my favourite. She was blunt and adorable. I would love to read more about her. Despite the bar being in Hell, the other men of this book could still go lower and that’s slightly annoying because there’s no depth there.Plot/Story: It’s interesting. Stella hires an escort to teach her how to have sex which evolves into teaching her how to be in a relationship and then evolves again into them falling in love. I’ve never seen Pretty Woman but I see a lot of people mentioning it so I do wonder how my opinion would change if I watched it.Romance: Sweet. Pretty believable. It does kind of bother me that Michael simply had to do the bare minimum for Stella to fall for him. The “winning her back” portion was so cute, though.General: You know those reviews where it says, “if you’re looking for something quick/cute/funny, this book is for you!” Well, if you’re looking for something quick/cute/funny, this book is for you! ;) Joking aside, books like this are so incredibly important for awareness and diversity. Even the people who weren’t the biggest fans liked that aspect.Overall:This is a cute little book with very low stakes so if you’re looking for something fluffy to read between big books, I’d definitely recommend.