Book Report: The Kiss Quotient

This spring it felt like every bookish social media account I follow was raving about The Kiss Quotient, the debut novel by Helen Hoang. The premise was charming – a gender-flipped Pretty Woman starring a mixed-race man and an autistic woman. The backstory (you know how I can’t resist a good backstory) involved the author locating herself on the spectrum through research for the novel. It was only a matter of time until I read it.

My Own Backstory

I kept waiting for the ebook to go on sale, but it never did. In the meantime, I was doing a lot of intentional reading – the Because We’ve Read book club, an Icelandic translation, highly recommended works of Art by indigenous authors – and honestly, not having much bookish fun. I’m usually good at picking books I will like, even when I’m stretching my boundaries. But for several months nothing I read clicked.

Then I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. At last I abandoned all goals and drove to the nearest library, where I picked up random books that caught my eye. Finally soothed by the real-life place that feels like Tiffany’s, I sat down with The Kiss Quotient and started reading… until I finished the book. I rarely reread a book, and never without a gap of years between readings. The Kiss Quotient wouldn’t let go, though, so I reread it that weekend.

Attention to Detail

Obviously, I loved the book. But that doesn’t mean my inner copy editor didn’t get caught on a few tiny snags. Michael takes satisfaction in the fact that his dad would be tormented by Michael working as an escort. But Michael’s dad was himself a con man who targeted women. It seems more of a “like father, like son” situation (Michael’s worst fear) than revenge against a demanding parent. Likewise, “hard-ass Asian go-getter” clients who choose Michael for his K-pop good looks remind him of his mother. But when we meet her, his mom is anything but a hard-ass. Yes, she’s a hard-working businesswoman, but she’s the kind of softie a boy would give up his future to care for.

These are the sort of picky details that usually pull me out of a story. But the fact remains that The Kiss Quotient has enough emotional impact to override the killjoy copy editor.

Neatness

Speaking of details, sometimes the steamy scenes in romance novels make me cringe. These were really good. Neither corny nor gratuitous. On the second reading, I realized they weren’t very explicit, either. There was just enough detail to be effective.

On the first reading, I felt like the resolution seemed a little too quick and easy. The second time, I found breadcrumbs that justified some of the tidy details. And I found myself making up explanations for the rest. One week is not enough time to convert a trust fund to a medical financial aid program. It’s not even enough time to write up all the fine print that Michael found to be in order (and I love that he actually sat in the doctor’s office and read it all). ‘Weeelll,’ I reasoned,’ that’s because Stella had already started working on it weeks before they broke up.’ This is the sort of mental gymnastics people perform for Star Wars – not for fluffy romances. So was the ending too tidy, like Stella’s house? Or was it just that I wanted to spend more time with the characters?

Falling in Love

The Kiss Quotient was actually pretty tightly plotted, especially for a romance. Any holes are of the sort that make the eventual screenwriter’s job easier (we so need this movie and of course they have to get Daniel Henney for Michael). Hoang balances romance tropes with autism awareness beautifully, avoiding the pitfalls of both.

I love the twists Hoang puts on standard romance novel elements, especially the all the gender-flipping. Relationship contracts are usually fake relationships for appearances (like the original Pretty Woman). But this is a contract for a real relationship. Often one character is rich and successful while the other one is beautiful and emotionally intelligent – but it’s new when the man is the one banking on good looks and the woman treats everything like a transaction. The heroine’s sassy best friend? It’s the hero’s male cousin Quan who “rocks that Asian drug lord look.” I am so ready for him to get his own book.

But the reason everyone is raving about this book has everything to do with the characters. Stella and Michael fall in love with each other, and readers fall in love with them. In the wrong hands, Stella and Michael could have been standees for representation. A heroine with a neurological disorder. Check. A low-income, mixed race hero. Check. Hoang did not just check the boxes.

She wrote strong, vulnerable, three-dimensional characters who are not defined by their labels. The reader can’t wait to hear the little click when their complementary strengths and character flaws fit together like Legos. Hooker-with-a-heart of gold is an overused female character type; a plausible modern male version is a feat of creativity and empathy that I don’t think has ever been done before. You don’t have to be autistic to identify with Stella; anyone who has ever felt social anxiety or been pushed into an uncomfortable situation can feel her.

Next

Hoang already has another book in production. Alas, The Bride Test does not appear to be about Quan or seem likely to give us more of Stella and Michael. But you can bet I’ve got it on preorder.