Read Harder Challenge #23

Prompt: Read a book by a disabled author.

My Choice: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

From Amazon:

“Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he’s making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…”

This book fits the prompt because, like her character Stella, Helen Hoang is autistic. I absolutely loved this representation and I am so hopeful to see more stories like Stella’s in the future. I was hooked from the get-go. I read this book in one sitting because I could not put it down, nor did I want to. Stella is such a lovable character and deserves every good thing. And you know what? Same for Michael. His dedication to his family (and Stella) was so admirable. You know what else is present almost from the get-go? SEX. This book is chock-full of steamy seasons and there is no holding back. If you struggle with open-door romance that literally lays it all out there…just be aware. I absolutely adored Stella and Michael’s moments together…even when I was ready to scream because like many romances, many issues could be solved with better communication.

The only complaints I have is that sometimes the romantic dialogue (particularly from Michael’s character) was a bit cheesy and it took me out of the story. However, it wasn’t enough to keep me from clutching this book to my chest at the end and at many other parts) and grinning like a fool because *le sigh* Stella and Michael were so cute.

I would definitely recommend if you are into steamy and cute romcoms. I will absolutely be picking up the other books Hoang has written so far because I enjoyed this one so much.