Reviews with content warning for Medical content - Rovnica lásky

My expectations were really high because of the hype around this book… let me be the first to say that it’s FINE, it’s not AMAZING like I have been led to believe. First of all, there was not enough tension. Most of the problems stemmed from lack of communication- which I suppose is a trait of autism BUT that can’t be the biggest problem for a story to work! They just needed to talk for 97% of the book and everything would work itself out. Secondly, if you made Stella neurotypical, this would be just like any other bad 90s romcom where the nerdy girl is just absolutely perfect at everything and there are no issues. Which btw, is actually so unrealistic and honestly a bit harmful toward women, ESPECIALLY neurodivergent women, who ~most of the time~ will not have an easy go at it like Stella does. The biggest problem at the end of the day is that there just aren’t enough romcoms or even fiction about women with autism, so when your limited options are not all perfect, then it becomes a bummer and it’s easier to see the flaws. Sure, autistic women deserve to see themselves represented in a romcom- but at what cost when it’s one of the only ones available?

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wanderlust_romance's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Truly delightful! I am embarrassed at how long this book had been on the periphery of my awareness but remained unread. I loved the premise of The Kiss Quotient, and I'm totally a sucker for fake dating/fake relationship. That aspect combined with the sex lessons, the autism spectrum representation in the FMC, the MMC's Vietnamese family and cultural dynamics, layered with the humor and (oh my!) the spice made this really enjoyable. It was also a very reflective take on living life on your own terms, medical debt, and what it means to overburden yourself to protect your family. I listened to this in it's audio version and found the narration to be well done.

My only gripe about The Kiss Quotient is that Michael starts off as a CONSENT KING, which I absolutely loved, and towards the end of the book that emphasis on explicit consent faded out. I also found the resolution towards the end a bit rushed in comparison to how the rest of the plot/character development had played out.

Still, I cannot wait to read/listen to the remainder of the books in this series.

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readingwithgoose's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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katiecoconut21's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The Kiss Quotient is the first contemporary romance I have read, and I really enjoyed it!

This story is essentially a gender-swapped Pretty Woman, with a more diverse set of lovable characters.

Stella is an econometrician with autism. Michael is serving as an escort to help

pay for his mom's cancer treatment

. Pushed by her mom, Stella hires Michael to help her

learn to be better at sex and relationships

. Seeing their romance develop was incredibly heartwarming for me, and I truly enjoyed this story.

The main criticism I saw before reading was that their relationship felt like insta-love. I would agree with this sentiment, but I did not find it to be bothersome. With this premise, I think it might be a little difficult for the romance to progress without a little insta-love, and thus did not find it to be particularly problematic.

I found this romance to be delightfully unique due to the set of circumstances and diverse cast. I recommend it for any contemporary romance reader!

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alexelli's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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

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gabyhat's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-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

4.0

The romance in this book was GOOD. Loved the ASD representation, though as someone without the disorder I cannot speak on whether it was accurate or not. Will definitelyyyy be reading more from Helen Huang.

I removed a star because I started to get frustrated with Michael’s character. He was so frustrated by Philip’s nonconsensual kisses toward Stella but did the same thing at the end in an act of “love”. Stella still said no & at this point Michael was showing more toxic possesiom of her than cute, sexy posession. Also hated Michael’s little obsession with fucking a teacher. It’s not cute and sexualizes my profession 🙃 no thank you.

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hayleyvem's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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just_jess02's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring tense slow-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

This was not at all what I expected. Usually the emotional aspects of romance novels feel like a formality to connect the erotic moments to me. This book is 90% emotional and mental descriptions with about 10% smut. I surprisingly really enjoyed it! The author did a fantastic job weaving tension through the story and keeping me engaged. I was able to empathize with most of the characters and really connect with the nuances of the relationships. While I strongly resonated with Stella on a personal level and enjoyed the representation of her POV, there was something about the depiction of her character that bothered me… I just can’t quite figure out what.
Definitely worth the read if you’re looking for something casual and short. It’s not very spicy but it is very hot.
🌶️1.5/5

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