In today’s world, it can be tricky to find an excellent book that keeps you interested. The one Book that I have read that always keeps me coming back is the novel The Kiss Quotient written by Helen Hoang. 

The story follows Stella Lane, an econometrician who goes through the many struggles of Aspergers. One of Stella’s main issues is showing physical affection. She decides that her best bet is to hire an escort to get over her fear. Stella hires Michael Phan, an incredibly handsome and very fit Vietnamese knockout who absolutely cannot turn down Stella’s offer. When the two first meet, Stella quickly ends up shutting down, but instead of Michael just leaving, he stays with her and slowly helps her warm up to him and his touch.

Michael’s number one rule is to never return to the same client more than once, but with Stella, he lets his guard down and continues to meet with her once a week. The two both begin developing feelings for each other and things get serious quickly. I’ll spare you some of the details so I don’t spoil anything from the novel!

 One of my favorite scenes in the novel is more towards the end, Michael and Stella had unfortunately broken up due to miscommunication. Stella’s weird coworker Philip who always had some sort of crush on her had been continuously trying to get with Ms.Lane. They went on one date, which ultimately ended in Michael seeing Philip trying to cross Stella’s boundaries and leaving Philip with a black eye. In her mind, she felt as if she was just a “charity case” for Michael; as if he was only with her because he felt bad for her condition. Michael was determined to get back with Stella no matter what he had to do.   

So what is Asperger’s? Asperger’s is a developmental disorder on the Autism spectrum. Some of the issues Aspergers can bring are difficulty socializing, maintaining eye contact  and having restricted interests. The cause of Asperger’s is still unknown. Though it is possible, signs of Asperger’s don’t show up in early childhood. 

Helen Hoang, originally from Minnesota, has written two more books following the end of The Kiss Quotient. The second novel follows Esme, a hotel maid who meets Khai. Khai is Michael’s (from the previous novel’s) cousin. Khai is also on the spectrum and has never had a girlfriend before meeting Esme. 

All in all, I feel that Helen Hoang’s novels open the reader’s eyes to how tough it is to live with Asperger’s and how it can take a toll on your mental health. I love how the characters in each novel follow onto the next book, and how each one has a happy ending. I always recommend all three in the series to anyone who is looking for a good read. So, pick up or download today!