The Kissing Quotient

The Kissing Quotient By Helen Hoang

Synopsis:

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…

Book Discussion:

The Ladies of Dine & Opine met this month to discuss TKQ. We met on a lovely Tuesday evening at CO. If you remember how we choose our books and where we eat… you know that we try to match something between the book and the restaurant. If you have forgotten, or are new to this site, check out the FAQ’s of Dine & Opine. This was Amy’s Book pick- so she chose to eat at CO, inspired by the heritage of Stella’s hunk male escort. Quick restaurant write-up. And even though she was in Italy and unable to attend- she was thought of during the meeting) A few “Things to know” 1- they do not take reservations. Which was fine. A few of us ladies seem to always be early. This is a great moment to put your name in and grab a drink at the bar. 2- The food is good. I, Karie, heard no complaints regarding the food. 3- It was a bit noisy (We were surprised for a Tuesday- however A) we don’t mind as we can be loud and B) it didn’t last long, 4- The appetizers are a decent size. Not too big, enough for 5 people to have a bite and sometimes 1 person to get 2. Perfect so you don’t over eat.

The conversation then moved onto Stella’s reaction to an intern asking out her co-worker Philip. The overall consensus was that Stella, being brought up by her parents who (Appeared in the book) to be old school. Stella’s response was appropriate. It seems, through clues in the book, that her mother was about being proper, in a 1950’s sort of way… not the 70’s free love way. We discussed whether that might have been a point where Stella saw a social norm (What is acceptable now) and how that helped her realize that she can take charge of that area of her life.

Before diving into the SEX. Let’s discuss Micheal. The idea of his profession came into question and BOY did that start a discussion. Pretty Woman (Yes the movie) was brought to the table as an example. A discussion on Escorts VS Prostitutes was promptly visited. With a divided table we argued the pros and cons of each. One outcome, which I am sure will begin a conversation, was that Men make better clients than women. This being that tendency of women getting attached. I know, I know. It sounds so sexist, so juvenile, so…. so…. yeah… history shows that women have a harder time to separate sex and emotions. Well First off- that just sucks. We all can agree that we love a good romp in the hay. Statistically speaking, many can’t leave the hay and until those statistics change (Which they are slowly).. we are left with that.

The next Michael question was “Throughout the book, Michael worries he’s inherited his father’s “badness,” that it was passed down in his blood. Do you think this is illogical? Are you able to empathize with him? If so, how? ” Well this is was a no-brainer for this group. It is a Nature vs Nurture discussion. Almost. A twist was proposed. When you grow up with a certain behavior around you, even if you are not even in line with that behavior. It does cause a pause. A moment where one is, every once in a while, looking over one’s shoulder. Wondering if they are in the clear or if it is just part of who we are… what we are made of… who we will eventually end up being. Whether it is correct or not… it lies on your mind like a paper weight.

The SEX.. The question asked was “Does it surprise you to see an autistic person exploring a sexual relationship? If so, why?” A few said yes. I said not really. Knowing that Stella was wanting to make her mom happy and she did want to get married, she wanted to, what she thought, was “get better” at sex. She understood that sex is part of a loving relationship and quite frankly needed for reproduction. I think she wanted to learn how to be comfortable with sex. In reality, she learned that sex just isn’t physical, there is a connection that is needed. That no matter how many check lists she made and completed; without that connection and understanding, she would never think that she was “Good” at sex.

Speaking of SEX… We, I do believe unanimously, decided that we would want a Michael over a Christian Grey anytime. That brought up a conversation of a “battle of the books” sort; 50 Shades of Grey vs The Kiss Quotient. I will say that we all agreed that the sex scenes of The Kiss Quotient were better written and, well I will just say it, definitely left the reader wanting more, than 50 shades of grey. The scenes in 50SoG felt repetitive and old after awhile.

Voting: And so it was time to vote. The Kiss Quotient received a:

The main reason was that even though most enjoyed the book and it was a very easy read… It might not be a book that will get rereads. It is a book that we might pass along (To those 50 shades of grey fans) however it is not one that we believe would come up in conversation.

Next Book: The next book is from a list brought by Susan. The Passenger by Lisa Lutz. Pick up your copy, start reading and check back for the next blog soon!