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A review by chloe_liese
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
5.0
It's been over a year since I read this book and for the first time ever in a romance or fiction saw myself. Because Helen put herself out there and wrote from her heart, her struggles, her triumphs, I realized I had autism. Since being diagnosed on the autism spectrum, my life is truly a different existence. I'm proud to be autistic, proud to be different, and in part that's because my first introduction to my reality was a romance about self-acceptance and loving partnership that celebrated and desired not in spite of struggles or differences but because of them. This is why #OwnVoices matter so much! They show us marginalized experiences and foreground them in a genre that's too often prescriptive about who's beautiful, who's worthy, and who's lovable. I adored how this book threw those criteria out the window and wrote an honest, sexy, heartfelt story about autism love.
I couldn't get enough of Stella—her curiosity and her frankness, her blunt, witty explanations for life which resonated with me so much. Most people with ASD don't filter; they simply share what's on their mind, and I loved that Michael loved Stella for that, and I also appreciate that Helen didn't shy away from how that unfiltered tendency in autistics can make things tough sometimes.
Michael was sweet and just right for Stella. A man who sews a sensory-processing challenged gal french seams in her clothes? Yes please!! Also, wowy, their chemistry was HAWT. I found the talking-as-they-went both endearing and pleasantly realistic; good intimacy requires communication and trust and a sense of humor, and Helen nailed that.
I will always be grateful for this story. It's given me courage to know myself deeper, to love myself for who I am, and to read and write stories that celebrate love's universality and healing power.
I couldn't get enough of Stella—her curiosity and her frankness, her blunt, witty explanations for life which resonated with me so much. Most people with ASD don't filter; they simply share what's on their mind, and I loved that Michael loved Stella for that, and I also appreciate that Helen didn't shy away from how that unfiltered tendency in autistics can make things tough sometimes.
Michael was sweet and just right for Stella. A man who sews a sensory-processing challenged gal french seams in her clothes? Yes please!! Also, wowy, their chemistry was HAWT. I found the talking-as-they-went both endearing and pleasantly realistic; good intimacy requires communication and trust and a sense of humor, and Helen nailed that.
I will always be grateful for this story. It's given me courage to know myself deeper, to love myself for who I am, and to read and write stories that celebrate love's universality and healing power.