The romance portion of the book didn't feel quite as developed as the sexual one. I had a pretty unfavorable view of Stella's family, but I liked Michael's well enough (outside of the father we never see). One of the side characters the book spends the most time on (the sleazy co-worker) felt like a legitimate sexual predator.
Some characters were only there as plot devices or emotional vehicles. The secondary characters ranged in quality. I found our male protagonist had a bit too much angst for my liking (maybe I just don't like daddy issues). Michael (who is half-Vietnamese) has depth to him: He loves his family, has geeky tastes and interesting hobbies, harbors a secret dream, and possesses a storied past. I loved the way Stella's mind works-it felt like an authentic portrayal of an autistic woman to me (the author is autistic), and it was nice seeing her universe and confidence expand. The main protagonists were solid solo characters. (I'm not talking about BDSM, where intention and emotion can differ from non-kink.) It isn't that Stella is bad at sex, but that the men she's with don't care enough about her to give her what she needs. Anyone who goes through with intercourse when someone is lying rigid with tears rolling down their face is scum. Rape trigger warning for this paragraph: Unfortunately, Stella's response to sex leads to a scene I'd consider date rape early in the book. He slowly works through her barriers, and is always considerate/gauging her responses. Stella locks up and starts to cry (in the beginning) during intimacy, and Michael is patient with her. It's vanilla sex, but there is still a fair amount. There is more than one scene of naughty, descriptive sex. Enter Michael, the sweet escort who desperately needs money.įirst, if you're looking for a chaste romance, this isn't it. Due to pressure from her overbearing mother (and "relationship advice" from a sleazy co-worker), Stella decides to hire an escort to teach her proper sexual techniques.
Stella Lane is autistic, brilliant at econometrics, and lousy at love. The author's name is under the title in white capital letters. The title is in yellow cursive with the division symbol side running between the words "The" and "Kiss".
They are standing on a blue division symbol. In the top right third, a cartoon couple is engaged in a kiss (she is wearing a pink shirt and a black skirt, and he is wearing a white shirt and blue pants). Book Cover: The background is teal with faint, white equations.
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