The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre Contemporary Romance / 18+
Goodreads
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.
It’s high time for Stella Lane to settle down and find a husband – or so her mother tells her. This is no easy task for a wealthy, successful woman like Stella, who also happens to have Asperger’s. Analyzing data is easy; handling the awkwardness of one-on-one dates is hard. To overcome her lack of dating experience, Stella decides to hire a male escort to teach her how to be a good girlfriend.
Faced with mounting bills, Michael decides to use his good looks and charm to make extra cash on the side. He has a very firm no repeat customer policy, but he’s tempted to bend that rule when Stella approaches him with an unconventional proposal.
The more time they spend together, the harder Michael falls for this disarming woman with a beautiful mind, and Stella discovers that love defies logic.
Heart-tugging, sexy and utterly joyful – The Kiss Quotient is a book for anyone who has been in love, or in lust…
Content Warnings – cancer, on-page sex scenes, a non-consensual kiss
My Thoughts
This was a book I’d frequently seen mentioned in the blogosphere last year, so when I saw it available at my local library I wanted to discover if the hype was valid. Stella is neurodivergent, struggles with understanding social interactions and has replaced having a life with having work. Following a conversation with a work colleague, Stella hires the services of Michael, an escort, to teach her how to be good at sex.
Whilst this is, at heart, a fake-relationship story, the book also touches on themes of self-worth, neurodivergence, sex work, family relationships and keeping secrets. I’ll be back with more on that final item on that list later! I adored Stella and Michael, I loved watching them together and on their own. I enjoyed their scorching chemistry and seeing their feelings for one another grow. It was also impossible not to fall in love with Michael’s family!
This would have been a 5-star read had it not employed a tired and overused trope that presses all the wrong buttons for me. I hugely dislike the “big secret” trope, especially when it’s done in the way it was here i.e. dangling it out of reach for 90% of the book. This always feels like weak writing, as though the author could only inject tension through artificial and contrived means. The way Michael went on, as though he were one step away from becoming a monster, made me think his father must be high up in a crime syndicate. He wasn’t, so the whole situation felt very overcooked.
The Story of Us by Dani Atkins
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre/Age Adult
Goodreads
Synopsis
Two different men.
Emma Marshall can’t wait to marry her childhood sweetheart, Richard. But then a tragic accident changes everything, and introduces a stranger, Jack, into her life.
Two different destinies.
Gorgeous and mysterious, Jack is like no-one Emma has met before. But Richard is the man she loves…
How will Emma end her story?
Content Warning – Death of a side character, Love Triangle
My Thoughts
I really need to learn that when I start a Dani Atkins book I don’t want to stop reading it until I’ve reached the end. This wasn’t perfect, I guessed several of the plot twists, though the end of The Ending really took me by surprise – the author played a blinder with that one and I’m so very glad that I didn’t skip to the end on those occasions when I was rather tempted to.
The story was so well constructed and I loved how just when I thought I knew who Emma would choose she threw something into the mix that made me second-guess myself. The book and the gallery tour, the chemistry with Jack, all helped confuse and befuddle my poor little heart. I firmly expected to be either TeamRichard or TeamJack, and at different times in the story I was definitely more on one side than another, but both were good men who clearly cared deeply for Emma.
Whilst there were a couple of very cliched moments (I recall there being one, in particular, I was going to mention in my review but now I’ve forgotten it) they weren’t enough to spoil my enjoyment of this wonderful story. Dani Atkin’s books have the ability to make me feel all the emotions and this one was no different. It is a beautiful story, gentle, powerful, passionate, heartbreaking and wonderful and I really can’t wait to read more by this author.
The way you feel about the big secret is exactly how I feel about cliffhangers. They just feel to gimmicky and even manipulative toward the reader. Excellent reviews!
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I’ve grown less forgiving about cliffhangers – especially when there can be a year or more between releases. A good book sells its sequel without the need for any chicanery.
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I gave TKQ 4.5, but I cannot recall what kept me from giving it the full 5. Maybe I felt the same way as you, but I only seem to be able to dig up good memories.
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I’ve always hated this very thing but never stated it so perfectly: “I hugely dislike the “big secret” trope, especially when it’s done in the way it was here i.e. dangling it out of reach for 90% of the book.” YES!!! It drives me nuts. But overall, it really was a great story. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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I’m glad I’m not alone. I’ve seen secrets done well, where revealing one secret/bit of information leads to more secrets or puzzles to solve. At least for this one it wasn’t the entire plot – I’ve come across those ones too often and have DNFd them all!
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Not a fan of the big secret. Especially one that goes throughout the whole book. I’m always so happy when a book that seems to begin with a big secret lets the characters air the secret within a few chapters instead. It’s such a relief.
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So much yes to that! I don’t dislike secrets, but they shouldn’t be the whole plot.
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I liked The Kiss Quotient too but yes, about the big secret. The way some authors build it up and then it’s just this small thing lol I get it is big to the character but it’s often dragged out and built up too much.
Karen @For What It’s Worth
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I’ve read some great books with secrets, but only when the secret isn’t the crux of the plot. When it is it doesn’t tend to be done very well.
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I’m glad to be warned about the “big secret” trope. Somehow the big secret is always disappointing, lol. I’m glad you enjoyed the rest of the book enough to still give it 4 stars.
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It’s unusual for me to have enjoyed it still, I’ll often DNF a big secret book.
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