For me the good things were overshadowed by characters acting in extreme troubling ways (esp the heroine and the MIL) for the plot then having it all resolve too easily.

The story was really good until the end, where I have Feelings about rape as a narrative device and whether the last paragraph really seems plausible.

Fun second installment of the series. The final showdown had me legit creeped out and nervous.

I knew nothing about this book when I started listening to it. The plot is a bit like “The Rosie Effect.” Both have a protagonist on the autism spectrum with a systematic approach to relationships. But “Kiss Quotient” is much more romance-novelish and steamier than I’d expected. (The first big clue is when econometrician Stella hires a heart-of-gold male escort to teach her to be “better” at sex and relationships.) I enjoyed the writing and the characters, especially Michael’s Vietnamese-American family, and the chance to see how someone with autism might experience the world & relationships.

Kind of a minor aside but I’m throwing it out there: the story touches briefly on Stella’s history with men & sex and it is not cool and not super consensual, so be aware if that’s something you are sensitive to.

I read this one in tandem with “The Case Against Sugar,” they make a pretty good tag team!