The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Nov. 12th, 2018 01:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ladybusinessThis summer I read one of the most charming romance novels...and then promptly took a job on a congressional campaign and ceased writing anything about books unless I was also being paid. Whoops! But I wanted to go come back now that everything has calmed down and rec this book, because I loved it so much.
The Kiss Quotient was perfect for me because it had a) fake dating, b) sex being awkward and not necessarily something you're automatically good at like some sort of Sex Wizard, c) characters with complicated problems and lives independent of each other that inform the romance itself.
I've been thinking about The Kiss Quotient all year because it was exactly what I needed when I read it—something realistic but ultimately happy. Stella, who has Asperger's, is a wonderful main character and I loved her and rooted for her so hard. When she finally realizes that she's awesome it was GREAT. The whole premise is her interpreting the pressure from her family to settle down and have kids in the most rational way possible: she has no clue how to date, so she clearly needs an expert to learn from. Cue hiring an escort to teach her to bang. He teaches her to bang and then (OBVIOUSLY) they fall in love. There's family drama and miscommunication that feels authentic to the characters instead of forced (although it may depend on how much romance you read), with lots of chewy backstory for Michael.
I really like reading books containing my favorite tropes and will pick up any book with them (FAKE DATING) and give it a shot, but I really appreciated how much Stella's personality and perspective on the world changed the trope to make it feel polished up and brand new. I'm super excited to read more by Helen Hoang, and we get to in 2019 because The Bride Test is out and I'm HERE for it.
The Kiss Quotient was perfect for me because it had a) fake dating, b) sex being awkward and not necessarily something you're automatically good at like some sort of Sex Wizard, c) characters with complicated problems and lives independent of each other that inform the romance itself.
I've been thinking about The Kiss Quotient all year because it was exactly what I needed when I read it—something realistic but ultimately happy. Stella, who has Asperger's, is a wonderful main character and I loved her and rooted for her so hard. When she finally realizes that she's awesome it was GREAT. The whole premise is her interpreting the pressure from her family to settle down and have kids in the most rational way possible: she has no clue how to date, so she clearly needs an expert to learn from. Cue hiring an escort to teach her to bang. He teaches her to bang and then (OBVIOUSLY) they fall in love. There's family drama and miscommunication that feels authentic to the characters instead of forced (although it may depend on how much romance you read), with lots of chewy backstory for Michael.
I really like reading books containing my favorite tropes and will pick up any book with them (FAKE DATING) and give it a shot, but I really appreciated how much Stella's personality and perspective on the world changed the trope to make it feel polished up and brand new. I'm super excited to read more by Helen Hoang, and we get to in 2019 because The Bride Test is out and I'm HERE for it.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-12 01:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-11-12 01:15 pm (UTC)