"How to Fail at Flirting" by Denise Williams is a contemporary romance that blends delightful chemistry between its protagonists, Naya and Jake, with heavy themes of overcoming past abuse and navigating career challenges. While marketed as a romantic comedy, the novel delves into serious subject matter, expertly crafted against the backdrop of academia. Naya's journey, fueled by her friends' encouragement and a daring to-do list, leads her to Jake, a charming stranger who becomes much more than just a casual hookup. Their relationship evolves amidst moments of tension, angst, and vividly depicted flashbacks of Naya's abusive past. Williams' portrayal of Naya's biracial background and her academic environment adds depth to the narrative. Despite the misleading marketing, "How to Fail at Flirting" shines through its well-rounded characters and compelling storyline, offering readers a poignant and heartfelt romance.

I really don't know how to feel about this one - I enjoyed the writing, as I feel like I always do with Denise Williams, and the romance seemed sweet and believable, but I am slightly in disbelief that this was an entire book? That sounds really harsh but I just feel like the scenes spent with Naya and Jake, certainly in the beginning as they were getting to know one another, were disproportionately the focus of the book, where nothing much really happened, and the whole evil ex, trouble at work situations just felt like it remained firmly on the sidelines until the very end of the book. I didn't love the abusive ex being an active character who we had to spend time reading about, and Naya having interactions with, and I don't think it added enough to the story to justify him being around. I wasn't convinced with this one, sadly.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the characters as well. Although it wasn’t a completely light hearted read as I thought it was it did touch on some serious subject matter. But I think that Denise did that really well. This is the first Denise Williams book that I have read and it won’t be the last. Thank you for allowing me to read it 💕

A real breath of fresh air in the romance world, I loved the characters and the way that the story played out. Although it was a little slow at times it did give me that warm hearted feeling!

This was a really enjoyable romance and very relatable - I myself can not flirt and am a complete wreck if I even try! It was beautifully written and had me captivated from start to finish.

Wanted to like this book, but I kept getting mixed feelings for it because it didn't seem to know what type of story it was. Was it chick-lit, a romantic comedy, erotica, darker women's fiction? I'm all for mashups, but only when they are well-executed. This one tried to be everything, and everything but the kitchen sink of stories had been thrown at it. Sadly, it left a weird taste in my mouth and I had a hard time with it

A thoroughly enjoyable, swoon-worthy romance that's perfect for hopeless romantics.

Denise Williams' writing is easy, relatable, and naturally witty. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in this book that pair brilliantly with the cute romance. Additionally, I love that the author weaves in the more series topics, such as trauma from an abusive relationship, to give to protagonist more dimension. It's not the kind of book that pretends everything is perfect, and doesn't shy away from the honest truths of anxiety around abuse, control, gaslighting, and racism.

The characters fit amazingly together. The chemistry is easy to detect, making them a couple you'll want to root for. I really like the way their long-distance relationship plays out, it's both engaging and very sweet. The romance is occasionally too steamy for my personal preferences, but I like the depth of the romance overall.

This is the kind of read to pull you out of a slump, especially if you're a rom-com fan.

I don't know if anyone knows this, but this novel was written for me. It's all about me. Shamefully so. I can't flirt to save my life, when I'm trying to anyway and even when I'm not trying it's still a mostly-failing endeavour, thank the Lord my boyfriend loves how useless I am at that stuff! This novel reminded me of the Pineapple episode of How I Met Your Mother and I devoured it just as quickly as the gang did with the mysterious pineapple.

In the middle of a book slump ? Then pick this book up I guarantee as well as happiness, aching sides and a big grin, it will end that slump. I was looking for something different and this definitely fit the bill.
I really loved this book if you can’t tell, the writing was brilliant, the characters so well written too. Jake Was amazing, one of the loveliest leading men I’ve read, the flirting between him and Naya was so fun. All characters were so well constructed. It’s got great serious moments too and a good sensitive handling of recovery from an emotionally abusive relationship, but it’s balanced out by some of the funniest scenes I’ve ever read, never a cringe felt. Absolutely fantastic writing, perfect.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This was such an enjoyable, brilliantly written romance!.
Naya - our leading lady in this story was certainly not perfect, however to me personally that made her all the more endearing and able to connect with. When she decides it is time to push herself out of her comfort zone, she begins writing a 'to-do' list.
This part of the book was full of humour and truly heart warming moments as Naya begins working her way through her list of things she wishes to achieve.
Then we see the flashbacks to her previous relationship, and I won't lie, these are rather hard to read at times. Despite the slightly uneasy feeling this gave me, I truly admire the author for tackling what is difficult and important topic so sensitively.
This certainly added a new depth to this story, and to the lead character too as you get a better understanding of her in the present day and why she is reluctant to start dating again.

This was a beautifully written, captivating read that was impossible to put down. Without a doubt this is one of my favourite romance's to date.

I really enjoyed this book, the writing flowed so well and I loved the characters - they were well-developed and nothing felt super cheesy or cringe which isn’t always the case with romance books. The emotionally abusive relationship was an interesting narrative and I liked that Naya’s character gave an honest depiction of the aftermath of abusive relationships. All in all, a great read!

'How To Fail At Flirting' contains one of the cutest/softest relationships I have ever read in a romance book.

After ending a horrible relationship and only focusing on her work, Naya decides to challenge herself to do new things, one of which is to have a one-night stand. Naya then meets Jake at a bar where they have an instant connection and she decides to try to have a one-night stand with him.

Naya and Jake were one of the sweetest couples I have ever read. From their first encounter they had so much chemistry and I was obsessed with them. I liked how their relationship wasn't a slow burn where we had to wait ages for them to finally be together and instead we just jumped straight into them going on dates and falling for each other.

I love Naya as a main character. I loved seeing her finally learning to love herself again and her becoming a stronger person and realising that it wasn't her fault that she was previously in an emotional and physically abusive relationship. I really love Naya and her friends, Felicia and Aaron, and I just wanted to be friends with them.

Jake was one of the softest love interests I have ever read. I loved the flirty banter between him and Naya and just seeing them fall in love was adorable.

I really loved 'How To Fail At Flirting' and can't wait to read more books by Denise Williams. I definitely recommend this if you want a cute romance with one of the softest relationships I have ever read.

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

How to Fail at Flirting was one of my most anticipated reads for the last 18 months and it did not disappoint! We follow Naya as she steps outside of her comfort zone and she meets Jake. Their love story was one of the funniest I have read in a while and was a delight to read even though many parts of the story were also painful to read.

Naya is such a strong woman and I loved seeing her character grow throughout the book. Her ex was abusive and it is covered in the book so if that could be a trigger for you, it is something to keep in mind and be aware of. The abuse she experienced because of her ex isn’t the sole plot of the book but it is a big part of it as you follow her in the aftermath of the following years and interactions with him. Speaking of trigger warnings, this book does include microaggressions of racism as well. All of the trigger warnings can be found on Goodreads.

I loved Naya’s passion for her career and her interactions with Jake, her love interest. They were adorable together and there is so much steaminess. I really liked that this book represented a normal kind of relationship. They meet in a bar and have a one night stand and it all goes from there! They are also long-distance and they have some complications that I wasn’t expecting at all. I really liked both Naya’s and Jake’s friends and the glimpses we got to see of them! They were all hilarious and such great friends to our main characters.

I really liked this book and I can’t wait to read more from the author. While I really liked the writing style and the fact it was written in first person, I would have liked to have had Jake’s perspective. I also found some parts to slow down the book.

I can’t wait to read all the future books from Denise!

This author was unknown to me, but the cover and synopsis appealed. I’m so glad I was accepted for an advanced copy of this book - it was brilliant!

The story centres around Naya and Jake. It’s a chemistry filled, sparky, steamy romance that quickly becomes a page-turner.

There are several issues covered that might be uncomfortable for some readers, control, gaslighting, historic abusive relationship. However, I think the author wrote these areas well and covered them respectfully.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend to others.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

Before going in to this book, please note that it tackles coercive control / violence towards women.

Now, this book was brilliant, I loved the flawed, but accessible character of Naya and how she was trying to go outside her comfort zone by writing a to do list, I mean who doesn't like a to do list. I found myself smiling at every exchange she had with Jake and laughing out loud at points. The attempt at a one night stand especially had me laughing so hard.
The flashbacks etc to her previous relationship were really hard to read, I struggle with this topic and it left me feeling queasy, but I know that this is an important topic and the more it is shown in books the more women and men will know that this happens all too often.
This added a new dimension within the romance novel and I think this would be ideal as a book club pick as discussing with a group would be helpful.
I liked the side characters and Naya's friendships as well as the storyline with her colleague Jill.
I would definitely recommend this one and it was a great start to my reading year.

Meet cute, funny and a bit steamy romance with great characters and unmissable angsty topics.
I enjoyed this debut novel quite a lot. The one night stand turned to be much more than that but not without past baggage for both Naya and Jake.
We all know that distance relationship doesn’t always work but these two made it happen and their romance story wasn’t easy to read at times because both have a past to overcome and look forward to what they want for their future.
A must-read for any romance lover.

I loved this. I really liked both characters and really appreciated the greater topical emphasis as well. Fantastic.

BOOK REVIEW: How to Fail at Flirting by @nicwillwrites

4.5 stars

TW: physical & emotional domestic abuse, gaslighting, manipulation, assault.

I absolutely loved How to Fail at Flirting and I didn't think I would like it as much as I did, which is always a wonderful surprise! I read it in less that half a day as I simply could not put it down!!

This is a romance that stole my heart right from the start. Nala, our amazing lead female has survived a relationship filled with domestic abuse and for the past 3 years has focused on her work and her friends. Her friends give her a list of things to do, one being have a one night stand and shortly after she meets businessman Jake in a bar. I think you all know, this isn't going to be a one night stand!
What I loved about this romance was how realistic it was. Both Nala and Jake had their own issues and baggage but it didn't stop them. Jake is kind and caring, tells puntastic dad jokes and is rather easy on the eye. The romance is steamy and there are some decent, well written sex scenes. So if you are after a cute romance with a side order of smut then look no further! The romance gave me a feeling of being swept off my feet and I often found myself grinning away at my kindle!!
There is a lot of talk about domestic violence and some scenes of gaslighting, physical and emotional abuse. I have suffered from emotional abuse/gaslighting and some scenes made my skin crawl but they were not gratuitous. There was a lot of meaning behind the scenes and they were well written with care.
This is Denise Williams's debut, and what a debut it is! I cannot wait to read more of her books!

This book is much more than your average romace book. It truly swept me away and I was completely hooked. If you can cope with the trigger warnings then I would definitely say to read this book if you love a romance filled with intellect, great banter and a bit of smut!

Please note that I was #gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.

✨Have any of you read How To Fail At Flirting yet? Oh I loved it so, so much!

I read the whole book in one day, I can’t tell you the last time I did that, I just couldn’t stop reading it but I also didn’t want it to end.

Naya and Jake were such amazing and different characters and truly is there anyone in book land that is a more perfect book boyfriend than Jake?

This story deals with heavier topics weaved beautifully throughout that gives it so much substance and helps you really root for our main gal Naya. Even though that part of the storyline is there it’s never sad and the story stays positive and hopeful all the way through, which you know for me is a must!

Something that doesn’t happen often to me when I read books is that I actually loved the side characters in this, normally I like my books to focus on mainly the two leads but I found myself wanting to know so much more about both of Naya’s friends and Jake’s too!

I loved the development of the relationship between Naya and Jake. It was one of the best character chemistry relationships I've read in 2020. Naya is an interesting character with layers. Jake is also the ideal romantic interest, he is cute and a bit nerdy. This is a read that you will finish once you start it.