Stella, a thirty-something economist in California, is feeling pressure from her mom to be in a relationship and maybe get married and have babies. Not super surprising, right? But for Stella, a woman on the autism spectrum, being in a relationship is not quite as simple as it seems. There's a guy at work who seems suitable, but Stella feels particularly uncomfortable with the physical side of relationships, something she knows will probably get in the way. So she decides to approach this problem like she would a problem at work. Need to know something? Get some training! And she hires an escort to teach her how to be better at sex. Of course the escort she ends up with turns out to be super hot, smart, and kind. Stella knows she's can't fall for him - this is just a financial and educational arrangement, right?
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang is a fun, steamy romance novel with characters that will stay with you. Even though Stella has to work hard at relating to people, she's a protagonist you'll love and root for. And you'll love her dreamy escort Michael, too. The heat here rivals our Southern Indiana summer heat for sure. This is one of those books where you just keep rooting for these crazy kids to get their acts together and end up together! And since the author is also on the autism spectrum, you know she's writing from an authentic place.
There's a lot of talk about the amount of diversity in romance publishing (hint: it is lacking), so this is a great book to know about and to put on your library shelves for your patrons.
Readalikes:
Readers who prefer modern day romance novels with likeable and well developed characters may also like The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (Berkley, 2018). For more steamy stories among a diverse group of characters, pick up Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswall (William Morrow, 2017). And readers who enjoy the theme of a character with autism looking for love may enjoy The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (Simon & Schuster, 2013).
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang. Adult. Berkley, 2018. 336 pages. Reviewed from e-galley.