“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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Denise Williams delivers humor, steam, and tenderness in this spectacular debut. Naya and Jake are so relatable and sweet together: believable and real in their attraction, dilemmas, and struggles. Following these two as their relationship develops is sure to leave you with a fuller heart and the soft, proud feeling of a good friend watching as something beautiful unfolds between two people whom you love dearly.
There is plenty of conflict to complicate the interpersonal dynamic without being excessively angsty, and the ways in which Naya and Jake handle their disagreements through open communication is both poignant and refreshing. These two must overcome quite a few obstacles on their path to HEA, which makes the ending all the more rewarding. How to Fail at Flirting exemplifies the best in contemporary romance and is all-around phenomenal.
This is the academic romance novel I always wanted. Perfect perfect perfect. 90/10.
I read this book in under 24 hours. I could not put it down. Naya like papaya and Jake were absolute FIRE. Trigger warning, this book does also deal with an abusive ex, but not in an overly expressive way. I just wish it had been longer or somehow we could go back and revisit Naya and Jake because I’ve thought about them a lot since I finished the book nearly a month ago. Don’t miss this book!
I want to read more stories like this! I thought it was going to be a cute, feel-good romance and in a lot of ways it is exactly that. What I didn’t realize is that Denise packed it with depth and truth and raw emotions. It was the perfect blend.
I really feel like I got to know the characters. Naya is such a lovely person; I want to be friends with her. And my heart went out to her, what with everything she had been through. Jake is great, too. He’s not your typical romantic interest in a romance and I appreciated that a lot.
There was just so much reality, the story was so grounded, that I loved seeing it unfold. I was on the journey with them instead of thinking ahead to the ending. It was a beautiful blend of silly, steamy, and serious. I’m craving more!
I will absolutely recommend this and all other Denise Williams stories to everyone!
Denise Williams has given readers a powerhouse of a book in How To Fail at Flirting, one that engages all the emotions. I should note that this romance deals with domestic violence, and a nasty ex-boyfriend makes an appearance, so do check out the content warnings for the book if that’s a concern for you. However, there is so much love in this story, and I really enjoyed getting to know the main characters. Jake and Naya are good people. They have made mistakes and they’ve been hurt, but they are so great together, and I believed in their HEA. Not only do we get to see them fall in love, we’re also treated to a compelling workplace romance plot. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
Note: I am friendly with the author on social media. This review is my honest opinion and I have offered it freely.
I adored this book! Heat, humor, and so much heart. One of my top listens of 2021!
While “How to Fail at Flirting” was a bit too steamy for my taste, the Rom-Com was simply too entertaining to complain about anything in this book!
Denise Williams is a super talented writer! I was impressed with how she integrated serious issues like abuse into this story. I was enamored!
I recommend this book to chick lit lovers that like a little spice!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley! I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
4 Stars.
This book is the ray of sunshine 2020 needs.
Naya is smart, accomplished, has got-your-back friends, and is recovering from an abusive relationship. Watching Naya reclaim her power made me want to cheer out loud, and Jake is the ideal partner to support and challenge her on her journey. Their relationship was adorkable, sweet, and five-alarm hot.
Dad jokes, bad jokes, single nerd sad jokes.
Whatever you call them if you love them, then you’ll love Jake and Naya’s “witty” banter in this book! But that’s not all you’ll love. Check out my full review on BookTrib.com!
This is the first book I’ve read of Denise Williams and (Spoiler alert!) I can’t wait to read more! First, let’s talk about Naya, she’s maybe my favorite romance protagonist ever. Naya has been through a lot which makes her pretty closed off especially to romance, but as she opens up to Jake (and in turn us the readers) we see this passionate, intelligent, and funny woman come to lie. I don’t blame Jake at all for falling in love with her because I did. You just can’t help it.
Jake was also just amazing and dorky that from the get go I was rooting for the two of them. While I was expecting a quick sexy read, I was once again hit with characters who had depth and a story that deals with deep issues. I do love the way Williams writes, which had me enthralled with the characters since the very first chapter.
Overall, a wonderful sexy romance with characters you can’t help but love.
From the first time they meet and swap cheesy puns, it’s easy to fall for both Jake and Naya. Their chemistry is off the charts, and what was supposed to be a one-night stand quickly becomes more. There is a lot to work through for these two (please visit author’s website for content warnings) but everything is deftly handled and never overwhelms the romance too much, which ends in a hard-won and well-earned believable HEA. Highly recommend the audiobook version read by January LaVoy.
How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams is a fun but serious read and I loved our main character Naya (like Papaya). Naya is the strong female lead I love to see in books, and it is especially great to have a strong character like her in a romance. There is plenty of steam as well as a strong dose of humor, and I loved the idea of Naya having to conquer a list her friends made for her. Jake was a fantastic love interest for her, and the banter they engage in as well as their electricity was off the charts. This is a book with plenty of loveable characters, but of course, you have to have at least one bad guy and the worst for me was Naya’s ex, Davis. He was a despicable human being, and even though this is supposedly a romcom if you go by the title, it was so much more than that. It is about Naya overcoming her past as part of an abusive relationship, and her journey learning how to trust a man again. My heart just ached for her, and there is one scene towards the end that was terrible but also ends up being a great way for Jake to kick some ass.
I listened to the audiobook of How to Fail at Flirting and was pleasantly surprised to learn it is narrated by one of my favorites – January LaVoy. I don’t get to listen to her all that much, but I always love her as a narrator, and she did an exceptional job being the voice of Naya. She is the best at nailing emotion in characters, and the way she read this made me love it even move. After lots of thinking, I decided to up my rating from a 4/5 to a 5/5 because it really does deserve it. Any author willing to tackle domestic abuse in a novel deserves all the stars in my mind, and the way Williams did it felt very realistic. Naya was a very relatable character and through Williams’ writing she and her emotions, especially towards Davis, really come alive. I wouldn’t actually call this a light read because of the abuse theme, but the majority of the book does have a lighter feel thanks to the romance and humor. If you want a romcom with a lot of depth that tackles a heavy topic, then I definitely think How to Fail at Flirting is worth checking out.
I enjoyed this book and the characters. I would definitely read anything else by the same author as well.
Enjoyable! I actually read and loved her second book first ( The Fastest Way To Fall ) and then came back and picked this one up. Don’t let their rom-com-like covers fool you; there are some very serious topics in both books, but especially this one (CW: abusive ex who is resurfacing). HTFAF is single POV–TFWTF is dual, which I think is definitely in its favor–but the two have a vary similar “feel” to them overall. (And yes, the Wes in this book is the Wes of TFWTF. Here though he’s only introduced as a “personal trainer” and no mention is made of the business he started/the app and program that is central to the second book, which seemed…off…? But maybe I have the timeline confused?)
Anyway, I really liked this one, toxic ex aside. Naya and Jake make a great couple, once they’re finally allowed to be a couple, and having read the other book I especially liked being able to go back and see how they started. Ms Williams is definitely an author I’ll be looking for more from in the future!
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
How to Fail at Flirting is Denise Williams’ debut forbidden-romance novel about a stuck-in-a-rut college professor who makes—and acts on—a risqué to-do list. It’s got the best banter I’ve read since The Hating Game. Warning: this one has lots of HOT, HOT sex. It’ll warm you up on a cold night, if you know what I mean.
My reactions while reading:
How to Fail at Flirting has the snappy title and the bright illustrated cover of a rom-com, and it certainly has some classic rom-com moments, but it so much more!
Naya is still recovering from a traumatic and abusive relationship but she’s ready to try and find her old self. Jake is in town on business and for a wedding and isn’t looking to meet anyone, but one overheard phone conversation changes everything.
I loved the puns and banter between Naya and Jake, it really helped the relationship development and showed how comfortable they were with one another. The pacing of the story was excellent as was the selections of the other relationships (friends, ex’s, co-workers, family). But what makes this book so special is the raw look at surviving domestic violence in multiple forms and finding new love.
I’m a teacher and I stayed up past midnight on a Thursday night to finish this one…that’s how damn good it was!
Also if you haven’t read the bonus epilogue via Denise Williams’s newsletter do so immediately!
I really enjoyed this book and the characters. I know most of us have felt the insecurities Naya has in our life time. The fear that we don’t quite fit in, or we are just so stuck into our routines we don’t see the beauty around us. In her case, there are outside factors that have contributed to her inner demons and those demons have made it difficult to meet people and put herself out there. Other than some minor mishaps that will make you laugh, I think Naya definitely figures out her own style of flirting pretty quickly, even if she does not think so. Will her attempt at flirting get the the attention of Jake, the cute nerd that is a lot like her, but she doesn’t realize it yet? Definitely sit down and devour this book in a weekend like I did, you won’t be disappointed, you will end up loving Naya and Jake as much as I did.
This book achieves the thing that so many others fail at, and its not the flirting, it’s the getting-real-life-right. Denise Williams’ voice is nuanced and just flat-out accurate. It’s obvious she’s got a watchful eye for human nature and employs it to spin this lovely, quiet story into a book I’ve read twice in as many weeks. She rides the precipice, giving us compelling scenes and a hero so swoony and capable, it becomes achingly sweet, while maintaining the dark undercurrent of the heroine’s abusive past. Jake and Naya-like-a-papaya are now in my top 10 favorite romance couples.
Thank you Berkley Romance & Netgalley for this #gifted ebook.
4.5/5 Stars
2/5 Steam Rating
TW: This book contains Domestic Violence
This book was just released in December and I can’t believe it took me this long to pick it up!! I am amazed how much emotion and hard topics could be talked about in this story, while still making it a great romance.
Things I loved:
Naya is a highly educated multiracial woman, we don’t see enough of these characters in books
Naya’s character is so raw and real. Her struggles make her relatable and real, especially where her past is concerned
I loved Jake’s character- he was so attentive and sweet.
There are some giggle worthy scenes!!!
You can’t go wrong with a little bit of steam. It’s nothing too heavy, just enough to wet your whistle
This overall story was a bit predictable, but I still thoroughly enjoyed seeing how Naya & Jake’s relationship unfold. I highly recommend romance readers check this one out!!
Content warning for relational abuse, nothing too graphic, but the way Williams writes about the after-effects is absolutely chilling. Otherwise, this is a mostly upbeat romance in an academic setting, and I absolutely adored both characters. Jake is a consultant brought in by a university’s new president to evaluate which departments should be put on the chopping block. Naya is a professor who loves her work in the education department, one of those departments up for a potential chop. Still recovering from an abusive relationship with another professor, she’s trying to rebuild her courage and re-engage with the wider world. Her friends give her a list of daring things to try, which leads to her first encounter with Jake. Wonderful banter, believable complexity, great pacing, and steamy love scenes. Highly recommend.