By Helen Hoang
The Kiss Quotient is a fake dating romance. The main character, Stella, has autism and struggles with dating and intimacy. After receiving judgmental comments from her parents and colleagues, she begins to feel the pressure to find a special someone. She contacts an escort service and arranges to meet with a male escort, hoping he can teach her how to flirt and act in an attractive manner when dating.
Stella and Michael’s relationship feels genuine because of the believable circumstances that cause their fake romance to begin. The characters’ personalities and lives are fleshed out, and they seem well-suited to one another. The intense trust that is built between Michael and Stella in order for their professional arrangement to work makes for a heart-warming romance.
The story flips between the perspectives of Stella and then Michael and is written in the third-person past tense. The alternating points of view are never jarring, and you are never taken out of the story by a slower perspective. It elevates the suspense as the story progresses by showing you how the other character’s thoughts and feelings contradict what the other is assuming: miscommunication done right.
Hoang’s writing is fast-paced and to-the-point, with short, easy-to-read sentences. There’s never a slow moment; I couldn’t put it down. The humour in the book comes naturally because of the nature of the characters and their story. And because of the humour, Stella’s social faux pas are relatable to not only autistic people but those who suffer with social anxiety, or even those who simply struggle to be themselves while on a first date.
In the author’s note, Hoang explains that she wrote this book because her daughter is autistic. During the research for this book, she came to realise that she was autistic herself and gained a diagnosis. It is clear that the author’s own experience with autism lends to how genuine Stella is. The representation in this book is excellent, as the characters’ differences are such an integral part of the story. This rom-com would be great for anyone who wants an addictive, humorous story, but particularly for those who struggle socially.
Descriptive writing: 7/10
Character depth: 8.5/10
Pace of the story: fast.
For fans of The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood and My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella