A review by cassie7e
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Flirtatious and charming Makes consent and tenderness sexy and romantic! But full of unspoken insecurities, assumptions, and failure to take people at their word.  Also found a lot of Stella's reactions and thought processes very relatable, even if our specific insecurities and anxieties differ. Seeing elements of myself in a romance made this (and Michael's kindness and respect for boundaries, mostly) even sweeter. I also appreciated how Michael's family being unaccepting was not one of the sources of conflict.

Probably realistic but drives me nuts when two people assume the worst of each other because of how past people made them feel, especially when everything seems to be going well otherwise! I also could do without the aggressive protective jealous instincts. 

As lower-rated reviews have suggested, a few things feel shallowly explored or ignored: the weight of blame for Stella's experiences and anxiety being placed on autism instead of people treating her terribly; the belief that she's bad at sex rather than taken advantage of and/or assaulted by prior men; Philip's words and behaviors amounting to workplace sexual harrassment at the very least; and the idea that autism is hereditary and may extend beyond Stella and the singular other character defined to be autistic.
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