“A warm romance that bursts with realism and celebrates the symbiotic power of love and healing.”―Entertainment Weekly#1 LibraryReads PickIndie Next PickOne daring to-do list and a crash course in flirtation turn a Type A overachiever’s world upside down. When her flailing department lands on the university’s chopping block, Professor Naya Turner’s friends convince her to shed her frumpy cardigan … Turner’s friends convince her to shed her frumpy cardigan for an evening on the town. For one night her focus will stray from her demanding job and she’ll tackle a new kind of to-do list. When she meets a charming stranger in town on business, he presents the perfect opportunity to check off the items on her list. Let the guy buy her a drink. Check. Try something new. Check. A no-strings-attached hookup. Check…almost.
Jake makes her laugh and challenges Naya to rebuild her confidence, which was left toppled by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Soon she’s flirting with the chance at a more serious romantic relationship—except nothing can be that easy. The complicated strings around her dating Jake might destroy her career.
Naya has two options. She can protect her professional reputation and return to her old life or she can flirt with the unknown and stay with the person who makes her feel like she’s finally living again.
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I received a copy of this book via the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To be fully transparent, I will say Denise Williams was one of my fellow finalists in the 2019 Romance Writers of America® (RWA®) Golden Heart®. However, the review to follow is 100% based on my honest reaction to this delightful multicultural romantic comedy. How to Fail at Flirting was a fresh, energetic, and relatable tale with an engaging plot and charming characters. It piqued my interest from page one and kept me hooked all the way to the end.
And don’t even get me started on Jake. Hooollleeee epic level of book boyfriend awesomeness. I fell hard for Jake right off the bat. I’m talking insta-book-boyfriend love here, people. For real. He is the sweetest, funniest, most adorkable hottie I’ve run across between the pages of a book in far too long. His puns made me giggle, his genuine personality and caring heart made me swoon, and his complete lack of an exaggerated sense of self-worth is… beyond refreshing. I love that he was a bit of a late bloomer and is so adorably blind to his smokin’ hot bod.
Also, the conflict in this book was so genuine. I fully believe suspension of disbelief is part of fiction. To some degree, all fiction requires some form of it from its readers. However, when an author is able to create a realistic plot that doesn’t require an excessive amount, my readerly pom-poms come out. And Williams definitely succeeded in just that with this story.
Finally, I have to mention how much I adored the leading lady. I’m not usually a fan of single POV stories, especially in my romance. I really like to understand both sides of things, but I think this particular story worked so well as a single POV because of my previous point. It’s believable. The characters’ reactions aren’t overblown, the conflict is relatable, and the resolution doesn’t just happen. (No, I’m not going to spoiler any details, promise!) I appreciate that both characters have to work for their HEA. That’s all I’ll say.
I would so, so highly recommend this to every reader of women’s fiction, romance… heck, even just fiction in general. It’s such an enjoyable read that I can see readers from all different genres finding a great deal to love about this book!!
How to Fail at Flirting delivers on every level. It’s funny, sexy, heartwarming and emotional. With its engaging, loveable characters, fresh plot, and compelling narrative, I did not want to put it down! It’s in my top reads of the year for sure!