She attempts to understand Michael's Vietnamese heritage in the best way she knows how, by doing research before she meets his family, but her inadvertent fixation on their financial weakness and lack of a father figure makes for a truly cringe-worthy first dinner. Stella's introduction to his close-knit family - mostly women - and how she handles (or really can't handle) their intensity is especially noteworthy, given her social awkwardness.

Struggling to make ends meet, Michael comes from a different economic bracket than Stella - who has a cushy job and a trust fund to boot - and it colors his belief in the longevity of their bond.

That said, their cultural differences keep them from moving into real-relationship territory, at least at first. Hoang unpacks their insecurities, social anxiety, and the abandonment issues that have shaped them in many ways, Stella and Michael help each other overcome these challenges, or at the very least learn to deal with them better.Īuthor Interviews Essayist Breaks Free From Conventional Relationships In 'Because I Love You' Both of them have a real stake in this pseudo-relationship they've established - so you believe they really would stick their necks out for complete strangers. Hoang mixes sexy and tender with panache, and she's careful in sketching out the dynamics of the romance, making sure to maintain a balance of power between Stella and Michael despite the commercial (at first) nature of their connection. Hoang's vivid and descriptive style gives readers the opportunity to live vicariously through Stella and feel all the tingling excitement as Michael very professionally seduces her. But even non-romance readers know what happens when you mix business with pleasure - literally, in this case. Michael Larsen - Daniel Henney lookalike and fashion designer in the making - wants to keep things purely professional he can't afford to complicate his side hustle when his entire family is depending on him. Stella Lane might be a whiz with numbers, but after numerous sexual encounters go awry, she seeks out a professional escort to help her figure out what's happening.

It's a heartening, fun, and all-consuming story in which we fall in love with both an endearing on-the-spectrum econometrician and the sexy biracial male escort she hires to teach her everything about modern dating and sex. The Kiss Quotient is out this week after months of fanfare, and I'm happy to report it absolutely lives up to the buzz. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title The Kiss Quotient Author Helen Hoang

The love quotient book