Helen Hoang, born in 1982, is a pen name used by an American author who writes romance novels. She is most famous for her first book, The Kiss Quotient, which became very popular.

Career

Before publishing her books, Hoang wrote romance stories that included supernatural elements and martial arts. She wrote intermittently for about ten years before her first book, The Kiss Quotient, was published. Hoang says the writers who most influence her work are Jayne Ann Krentz, Christine Feehan, Nalini Singh, Elizabeth Lowell, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Kresley Cole, Eloisa James, Julia Quinn, and Lisa Kleypas.

Hoang’s first novel, The Kiss Quotient, was published in June 2018. The romance novel follows Stella, an autistic woman who hires an escort to learn about relationships with others. Hoang explains that she originally wanted to write a version of Pretty Woman with the genders reversed, but she struggled to understand why a "successful, beautiful woman would hire an escort." Later, she realized that she and her daughter are both on the autism spectrum, which inspired the story.

A sequel titled The Bride Test was published in May 2019. The book follows Esme, a hotel maid who agrees to accompany Khai, the autistic cousin of Michael from the first book who has never had a girlfriend, to weddings. Hoang wanted to challenge unfair stereotypes about autism by writing Khai, a character who is seen as cold and unkind by others but is not actually like that. The book was inspired by her mother’s experience as an immigrant, with Esme’s story based on conversations Hoang had with her mother about life in Vietnam and moving to the United States. Hoang describes The Bride Test as "Green Card meets Four Weddings and a Funeral—but with autism." The book received positive reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews.

Hoang’s third book in the series, The Heart Principle, was published in 2021. She describes it as "a mix of a story where roles are reversed from Sabrina and Say Anything."

Personal life

Hoang grew up in Minnesota and later moved to California. Her mother is a Vietnamese immigrant.

As a child, Hoang experienced social anxiety, which led her to find comfort in reading romance novels that always had happy endings. During a meeting with her daughter’s preschool teacher, Hoang learned that her daughter is on the autism spectrum. She studied autism and discovered she was also autistic. This realization influenced the creation of The Kiss Quotient and her later books.

Hoang earned a college degree in business and worked in finance before becoming an author.

She currently lives in San Diego with her husband and two children.