e-ARC, 336 pagesRelease Date: June 5, 2018Published by: Berkley
Read from: June 8-14, 2018Source: PublishersTW: N/A
Tags for this Book: Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Adult, Mental Disorders, Diversity, Own Voices Authors, Debut Authors, Recommendations,
A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.
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 to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, 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...
Between the covers!
*This book is part of the adult contemporary romance genre! It is much more mature than YA. I have featured it in Between the Covers as a way to feature the few Adult and New Adult titles I am beginning to read!"
*MY THOUGHTS*
I was a bit late to the party on this one since its an adult
title, but as soon as the reviews started coming in about how amazing it was
and how sweet, I KNEW I had to get my hands on it. And I'm so glad I did!
Stella is not one
for romance. She thinks math is the only thing in the universe that makes
things right. Her mom is pressuring her to get a boyfriend (or something) and
she hates not giving her what she wants. But her Asperger's creates different
problems (like French kissing). So she calls on a pro. Enter Michael. But
before she knows it, Stella begins to find that Michael's lessons are too good
and maybe she should try to convince him to stay around.
Starting with the
characters, Michael was amazing. I loved how sweet he was to Stella and how
understanding he was. And Stella was an amazing character as well. She was so
intuitive and well written. And of course that means the two of them together
were gold. And let's not forget the spice level of this off the charts! Those
lessons were a lot more spicy than I was expecting and I hope there's more in
the next book of the series.
And then there
was the writing style. I found myself getting lost in Hoang's words. I found
myself not wanting to stop listening to this. I listened to it everywhere,
including at work..... In a crowded workroom. (I had to fan my face a few times
and turn the volume down, but it was TOTES worth it!) Hoang has a way with
words that will make you put everything else on hold. Or she definitely did for
me. And I can't wait to see what else she comes up with.
As for the plot,
it was a contemp romance so it was a bit predictable. It fit directly with the
romance troupes, but still was unique enough to keep me entertained. And being
able to see from both of their POV's was such a nice touch. It was great to be
able to know what they both were thinking. It was a great, quick read.
I really love
seeing this diverse romance getting so much warranted attention. A great
writing style, a great plot, and great characters all make for a great
contemporary romance. After getting so lost in this one, I can't wait to see
what Hoang does with the rest of this series.
Overall, I give this
There will be no quotes because this was read via audio.