{{Short description|American novelist (born 1982)}} {{Distinguish|text = classical pianist Helen Huang}} {{Infobox writer | name = Helen Hoang | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1982}} | birth_place = Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | occupation = Novelist | language = English | residence = | education = | alma_mater = | home_town = | genre = Romance fiction | notableworks = ''The Kiss Quotient'' series | awards = | years_active = 2018–present | website = {{URL|https://helenhoang.com}} | children = 2 }}
'''Helen Hoang''' (born 1982) is the pen name of an American romance novelist, best known for her best-selling debut novel ''The Kiss Quotient''.
== Career == Prior to being published, Hoang wrote paranormal and fantasy romances with a martial arts bent.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/interview-helen-hoang-debut-novelist-the-kiss-quotient|title=Debut Author Interview: Helen Hoang, Author of ''The Kiss Quotient''|last=Gentry|first=Baihley|date=2018-06-19|website=Writer's Digest|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-30|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530190224/https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/breaking-in-writers-digest/interview-helen-hoang-debut-novelist-the-kiss-quotient|archive-date=2019-05-30}}</ref> She states that she wrote on and off for around ten years before ''The Kiss Quotient'' was published.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/on-writing-and-skinny-dipping-the-importance-of-making-your-fiction-personal-and-real|title=On Writing and Skinny Dipping: The Importance of Writing Personal and Realistic Fiction|date=2018-06-19|website=Writer's Digest|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-30|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530190221/https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/breaking-in-writers-digest/on-writing-and-skinny-dipping-the-importance-of-making-your-fiction-personal-and-real|archive-date=2019-05-30}}</ref> Hoang says that the writers who influence her own work the most are Jayne Ann Krentz, Christine Feehan, Nalini Singh, Elizabeth Lowell, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Kresley Cole, Eloisa James, Julia Quinn, and Lisa Kleypas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks/article/BWW-Interview-Helen-Hoang-author-of-THE-KISS-QUOTIENT-20180612|title=BWW Interview: Helen Hoang, author of THE KISS QUOTIENT|last=Wagner|first=Bonnie Lynn|website=BroadwayWorld.com|language=en|access-date=2019-05-30|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530190221/https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks/article/BWW-Interview-Helen-Hoang-author-of-THE-KISS-QUOTIENT-20180612|archive-date=2019-05-30}}</ref>
Hoang's first novel, ''The Kiss Quotient'', was published in June 2018. The romance novel follows Stella, an autistic woman who hires an escort in order to explore intimacy with other people.<ref name=":0" /> Hoang states that she initially wanted to write a gender-swapped ''Pretty Woman'', but was stuck when examining why a "successful, beautiful woman would hire an escort." Later, her realization that she and her daughter are both on the autism spectrum led to the basis for the book.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Hoang|first=Helen|title=In Helen Hoang's Novels, Autism Is No Bar To Love And Happiness|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/05/05/719728222/in-helen-hoangs-novels-autism-is-no-bar-to-love-and-happiness|access-date=2019-05-30|website=NPR.org|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530205234/https://www.npr.org/2019/05/05/719728222/in-helen-hoangs-novels-autism-is-no-bar-to-love-and-happiness|archive-date=2019-05-30}}</ref>
A sequel titled ''The Bride Test'', about Esme, a hotel maid who gets offered to accompany Khai, the autistic cousin of Michael from the first book<ref name=":0" /> who never had a girlfriend before to weddings, was published by Berkley in May 2019.<ref name=":3" /> Hoang says that she wanted to subvert the harmful tropes surrounding autism by writing an autistic character through protagonist Khai who is perceived by others as cold and heartless when this is not actually the case.<ref name=":3" /> The book was inspired by her mother's immigrant story, with Esme's story coming directly from conversations with her mom about what it was like to be poor in Vietnam and what it was like when she first came to the U.S.<ref name=":0" /> Hoang describes ''The Bride Test'' as "''Green Card'' meets ''Four Weddings and a Funeral''—but with autism."<ref name=":0" /> ''The Bride Test'' received positive reviews from ''Publishers Weekly''<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Bride Test|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-451-49082-7|website=www.publishersweekly.com|access-date=2019-05-30}}</ref> and ''Kirkus Reviews''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/helen-hoang/the-bride-test/|title=THE BRIDE TEST by Helen Hoang {{!}} Kirkus Reviews|language=en}}</ref>
Hoang's third book in the series, ''The Heart Principle'', was published in 2021. Hoang describes it as "a cross between a gender-swapped ''Sabrina'' and ''Say Anything''."<ref name=":0" />
==Personal life== Hoang was raised in Minnesota before moving to California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.citypages.com/arts/writing-aspergers-romance-novel-the-kiss-quotient-was-liberating-for-author-helen-hoang/489535001|title=Writing Asperger's romance novel 'The Kiss Quotient ' was liberating for author Helen Hoang|last=Rivera|first=Erica|website=City Pages|access-date=2019-01-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109175207/http://www.citypages.com/arts/writing-aspergers-romance-novel-the-kiss-quotient-was-liberating-for-author-helen-hoang/489535001|archive-date=2019-01-09}}</ref> Her mother is a Vietnamese immigrant.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/author-interviews/2019/04/30/helen-hoang-the-bride-test-interview/|title=Helen Hoang on how her mother's immigrant story inspired 'The Bride Test'|website=EW.com|language=en|access-date=2019-05-30|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530192541/https://ew.com/author-interviews/2019/04/30/helen-hoang-the-bride-test-interview/|archive-date=2019-05-30}}</ref>
Growing up, Hoang struggled with social anxiety, which led to her turning to romance novels as an outlet that guaranteed a happy ending.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/07/books/romance-novels-diversity.html|title=The Changing Face of Romance Novels|last=Alter|first=Alexandra|date=2018-07-07|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-05-30|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> During a meeting with her daughter's preschool teacher, Hoang found out that her daughter is on the autism spectrum. She researched autism and realized that she, too, is autistic. This influenced the development of ''The Kiss Quotient'' and her subsequent books.<ref name=":3" />
She received an undergraduate business degree and worked in finance after college prior to becoming an author.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/06/200919/the-kiss-quotient-helen-hoang-autism-romance-novel|title=How The Kiss Quotient, The Romance Novel Of The Summer, Sheds Light On Dating While Autistic|website=www.refinery29.com|language=en|access-date=2019-01-03|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131040035/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/06/200919/the-kiss-quotient-helen-hoang-autism-romance-novel|archive-date= 2019-01-31}}</ref>
Hoang lives in San Diego with her husband and two children.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helenhoang.com/about-helen-hoang/|title=ABOUT|website=Helen Hoang|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-30|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530190222/https://www.helenhoang.com/about-helen-hoang/|archive-date=2019-05-30}}</ref>
==Bibliography== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Title !Series !Publication year !ISBN |- |''The Kiss Quotient'' |The Kiss Quotient #1 |2018 |9780451490803 |- |''The Bride Test'' |The Kiss Quotient #2 |2019 |9780451490827 |- |''The Heart Principle'' |The Kiss Quotient #3 |2021 |9780451490841 |}
==Awards and reception==
* 2018 - New York Public Library Best Books of 2018 – ''The Kiss Quotient''<ref>{{cite web |title=NYPL 2018 Best Books for Adults |url=https://www.nypl.org/bestbooksadults2018 |website=New York Public Library |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510093357/https://www.nypl.org/bestbooksadults2018 |archive-date=10 May 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== <!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. --> {{Reflist}}{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoang, Helen}} Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:American women novelists Category:American women romantic fiction writers Category:21st-century American women writers Category:Writers from San Diego Category:Writers from Minnesota Category:American writers of Vietnamese descent Category:Autistic writers Category:American autistic people Category:American romantic fiction writers Category:21st-century pseudonymous women writers Category:21st-century pseudonymous writers