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whittenholmes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am an autistic woman and found this book delightful. The portrayal of the internal experience of autism is beautifully realistic, along with the descriptions of various scenarios that were difficult for the heroine, but not so intense that I felt overwhelmed, as sometimes happens when books about us are written by the non autistic. I also appreciated the several characters who showed Stella compassion without pity, as well as her frank kindness and the way she learned to value herself.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment
vl_411's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A very fun and easy read - the story is very light hearted and low stakes. I enjoyed the characters, the tropes in this and little pockets of Vietnamese culture. However did find that the internal monologuing gets a little repetitive but do understand that's down to having two overthinkers as the main characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer and Sexual harassment
laurataylor's review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
darlinglu's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.25
I'm really excited to read more of Helen Hoang's books.
I enjoyed this book, I like the characters, the consistent pacing and their chemistry.
Out of all the New Adult Contemporary Rom-Com books I read so far, this book has certainly entertained me, and I think what sets this book apart from the others is that the characters and events has depth to it. Some other contemporary romance books felt like they are relying heavily on popular tropes and sexual themes.
The Kiss Quotient was a breath of fresh air from all the other books similar to this that felt lackluster.
I enjoyed this book, I like the characters, the consistent pacing and their chemistry.
Out of all the New Adult Contemporary Rom-Com books I read so far, this book has certainly entertained me, and I think what sets this book apart from the others is that the characters and events has depth to it. Some other contemporary romance books felt like they are relying heavily on popular tropes and sexual themes.
The Kiss Quotient was a breath of fresh air from all the other books similar to this that felt lackluster.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment
renbren's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual harassment
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
emabelle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
coles14_'s review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
ninahuynh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It's hot in here!! Steamy from the get-go, I like how the dialogue between the characters and inner thoughts during the sex scenes are great! Consent and permission are asked all around-men written by women ✨ *chefs kiss* (There were a few times the consent dialogue was making me raise eyebrows, but overall positive.
Love the South Vietnamese representation and including Vietnamese words with accent marks. Made me hungry, haha!
The only criticism I have is that there's a hit of the misunderstanding trope, which I very much dislike. I understand that it is also part of Stella's character, but the frustration I felt knowing their own self-center thought and why they chose to do what they did was exponential. Didn't dock points for this though, cause I just love the imagery and Stella's development made up the point.
Love the South Vietnamese representation and including Vietnamese words with accent marks. Made me hungry, haha!
The only criticism I have is that there's a hit of the misunderstanding trope, which I very much dislike. I understand that it is also part of Stella's character, but the frustration I felt knowing their own self-center thought and why they chose to do what they did was exponential. Didn't dock points for this though, cause I just love the imagery and Stella's development made up the point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Cursing, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer
desth's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
It's important to me to highlight a certain aspect of this book:
It has scenes of sexual harassment, and they're not taken very seriously.
This is not really a review, but mostly a trigger warning for sexual harassment scenes, and how they're handled (mild spoiler alert is in order).
There were a handful of non consensual interactions of the sexual nature in this book, and the way they were dealt with didn't really sit right with me.
A male co-worker of the protagonist (on top of busting into her office and asking her if she's a virgin and how many guys she's been with), later in the book kisses her without her consent (in the workplace, might I add). He does that again later on, while on a date with her, refusing to take no for an answer. Both incidents are colored in a negative way in the book. The thing is, that negative viewpoint focuses much more on the jealousy the love interest (Michael) feels when learning of/witnessing said kisses, the possessiveness he feels over the main character. At the same time, from the main character's (Stella's) pov, the vibe was more 'this feels wrong because he's not the guy I'm interested in' rather than being taken more seriously as something actually punishable by law and potentially even traumatizing. There's a mention of the possibility of her reporting him, but it's one sentence, and that's on that.
The same guy, a while after the second time he kisses her without her consent, touches another woman's butt in front of Stella (once again, in their place of work). Note that we're not told that the other girl gave any kind of indication she welcomed such behavior, she just doesn't "smack him as Stella would". That leads Stella to believe that "apparently [the girl] didn't care that [the co-worker] was a complete hound when it came to women" which "worked just fine for Stella. She didn't have to feel bad for not asking him out again." !!!
The same pattern is displayed between Michael and one of his former clients. In one scene she kisses him, and in another he touches the length of his leg going upwards, both acts without his consent. The lack of consent is taken even less seriously in this case. The focal point of the situation is, again, the emotions it evokes Stella, as she doesn't want another woman to touch (posses?) Michael. One could say there's even a tone of relief when she understands it was non consensual, because that means he only wants Stella, and not the other woman (jfc).
I don't think the author of any book is here to teach the reader about any particular subject, nor to give a how-to guide on how to handle any type of situation. Plus, obviously, each person experiences, processes and deals with sexual harassment differently. But nonetheless, I do believe there is a sensitive and a mindful way of handling non-consensual scenes of the sexual nature, especially when the larger part of one's audience is women. I'm sad to say the author did not handle them well at all, which disturbed the reading experience a fair amount.
It has scenes of sexual harassment, and they're not taken very seriously.
This is not really a review, but mostly a trigger warning for sexual harassment scenes, and how they're handled (mild spoiler alert is in order).
There were a handful of non consensual interactions of the sexual nature in this book, and the way they were dealt with didn't really sit right with me.
A male co-worker of the protagonist (on top of busting into her office and asking her if she's a virgin and how many guys she's been with), later in the book kisses her without her consent (in the workplace, might I add). He does that again later on, while on a date with her, refusing to take no for an answer. Both incidents are colored in a negative way in the book. The thing is, that negative viewpoint focuses much more on the jealousy the love interest (Michael) feels when learning of/witnessing said kisses, the possessiveness he feels over the main character. At the same time, from the main character's (Stella's) pov, the vibe was more 'this feels wrong because he's not the guy I'm interested in' rather than being taken more seriously as something actually punishable by law and potentially even traumatizing. There's a mention of the possibility of her reporting him, but it's one sentence, and that's on that.
The same guy, a while after the second time he kisses her without her consent, touches another woman's butt in front of Stella (once again, in their place of work). Note that we're not told that the other girl gave any kind of indication she welcomed such behavior, she just doesn't "smack him as Stella would". That leads Stella to believe that "apparently [the girl] didn't care that [the co-worker] was a complete hound when it came to women" which "worked just fine for Stella. She didn't have to feel bad for not asking him out again." !!!
The same pattern is displayed between Michael and one of his former clients. In one scene she kisses him, and in another he touches the length of his leg going upwards, both acts without his consent. The lack of consent is taken even less seriously in this case. The focal point of the situation is, again, the emotions it evokes Stella, as she doesn't want another woman to touch (posses?) Michael. One could say there's even a tone of relief when she understands it was non consensual, because that means he only wants Stella, and not the other woman (jfc).
I don't think the author of any book is here to teach the reader about any particular subject, nor to give a how-to guide on how to handle any type of situation. Plus, obviously, each person experiences, processes and deals with sexual harassment differently. But nonetheless, I do believe there is a sensitive and a mindful way of handling non-consensual scenes of the sexual nature, especially when the larger part of one's audience is women. I'm sad to say the author did not handle them well at all, which disturbed the reading experience a fair amount.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment