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A review by marimaria
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I had a lot of fun reading this book. It was very enjoyable. To me, it was a page turner. I found myself staying up all night just to finish it; something I haven’t done in a very long time. I just couldn't put the book down.
The characters are all very lovable. The dynamic between the main character, Stella, and her love interest, Michael, is so adorable. They're very cute together, and many times it had me giggling and kicking my feet at how adorable they are together. And this is coming from someone who isn't really the romantic type, nor do I read romance books. It's one of my least liked genres, but this book might just get me into reading more like this. Sure, it was a bit cheesy at times. But it didn't bother me. I quite liked it actually. It was the right amount. I usually can't tolerate cliché and cheesy stuff like that.
I also liked both main characters as individuals. They're not one-dimensional. In fact, they're both quite nuanced. And I also found out that Stella's autism was based on the author, Helen Hoang's own diagnosis of being on the spectrum. This book does appear to be a reflection of her own life experience as someone with that disorder (Stella was born after Helen Hoanh got her diagnosis, it seems). And it inspired me a little -- to be more myself instead of confining myself to societal norms. There were things about Stella I found quite relatable.
Michael, too, is such a lovable character. He's very charming, but not the stereotypical "hot guy from every other romance novel" type. He's complex, and a genuinely interesting character. There's more depth to him beyond his described good looks and charisma.
The writing style isn't overly sophisticated, but also not amateurish. There were a lot of clever and witty lines that added to its lightheartedness. The romance scenes is the right amount of sexy and provocative, yet touching and heartwarming. There were several smutty scenes here and there, but they weren't over-the-top and didn't drag on for way longer than it should. However, the main conflict wasn't really much of a focus until the final few chapters. Which had me completely glued to my screen, needing to know how they end up as quickly as possible.
Somehow this book made me believe in love again. And I don’t feel so hopeless about finding that right person for me some day anymore.
The characters are all very lovable. The dynamic between the main character, Stella, and her love interest, Michael, is so adorable. They're very cute together, and many times it had me giggling and kicking my feet at how adorable they are together. And this is coming from someone who isn't really the romantic type, nor do I read romance books. It's one of my least liked genres, but this book might just get me into reading more like this. Sure, it was a bit cheesy at times. But it didn't bother me. I quite liked it actually. It was the right amount. I usually can't tolerate cliché and cheesy stuff like that.
I also liked both main characters as individuals. They're not one-dimensional. In fact, they're both quite nuanced. And I also found out that Stella's autism was based on the author, Helen Hoang's own diagnosis of being on the spectrum. This book does appear to be a reflection of her own life experience as someone with that disorder (Stella was born after Helen Hoanh got her diagnosis, it seems). And it inspired me a little -- to be more myself instead of confining myself to societal norms. There were things about Stella I found quite relatable.
Michael, too, is such a lovable character. He's very charming, but not the stereotypical "hot guy from every other romance novel" type. He's complex, and a genuinely interesting character. There's more depth to him beyond his described good looks and charisma.
The writing style isn't overly sophisticated, but also not amateurish. There were a lot of clever and witty lines that added to its lightheartedness. The romance scenes is the right amount of sexy and provocative, yet touching and heartwarming. There were several smutty scenes here and there, but they weren't over-the-top and didn't drag on for way longer than it should. However, the main conflict wasn't really much of a focus until the final few chapters. Which had me completely glued to my screen, needing to know how they end up as quickly as possible.
Somehow this book made me believe in love again. And I don’t feel so hopeless about finding that right person for me some day anymore.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content