The Kiss Quotient
by Helen Hoang
Synopsis:
A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there’s not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.
Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases–a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice–with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan–from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…
Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he’s making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…
Review:
This book. Was. So. Cute. (It reminded me a lot of The Rosie Project–for obvious reasons–only it didn’t have the weirdness in the last third or so that the other book did, thank goodness.) Stella was fun and unique, and though I don’t share her love of math at all, I did love her line to Michael–“I like you better than calculus, and math is the only thing that unites the universe.” I mean really. Does it get any cuter (or geekier) than that?
Michael was absolutely wonderful–other than his secret keeping and refusal to ask for help, of course. But the way he looks past Stella’s unusual traits and always puts her first (and yeah, we’re going to gloss over the fact he’s initially getting paid to do so–so sue me. I loved Pretty Woman once up on a time too, and still can’t bring myself to dislike it, despite its problems)–not to mention his relationships with his mother, grandmother, and sisters–I. Loved. Him.
Things are resolved pretty quickly and painlessly at the end, but honestly, I found it hard to have a problem with that because they’re just such a cute couple. I cannot wait to see what Ms. Hoang has in store for us next!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
