It feels like this book was created from all my secret romance fantasies— a bar meet cute that actually works; a corny-but-in-a-good-way nerdy and handsome hero and so much more I can’t share without spoiling the book entirely. I loved HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING so much, I immediately told my friends to put it on their pre-order lists. Naya and Jake are so good together. Denise Williams really captured the small details of falling in love. I can’t stop thinking about this book.

This was a more serious romance than I was expecting, dealing with domestic violence and abuse. I wish the description had made that clearer going in, as I think this would be a hard read for someone who picked it up without realizing and finds those topics difficult to read about. However, I loved the academic setting, the side characters, and the lovely romance between Naya and Jake! The outside complications were well handled and Naya's flourishing self was fabulous to see in their steamy, nerdy, banter-filled relationship. Great for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Alisha Rai, and Talia Hibbert.

So many things wrapped up into this title! It's not just the typical rom-coms romance ,it has a very heavy topic and that's intimate partner or domestic violence.
This is so beautiful written,and I liked the characters very much. I think that she handles her life very bravely and she had so much support from glad she decided to take the help and support that she didn't think she had. This is a situation that can happen to anyone and I'm glad this was written in a realistic way so that if somebody needs help that feel like they could reach out to someone.

Professor Naya Turner is encouraged by her friends to step out of her comfort zone and have a night on the town. She has a heck list of things to do. The first being to let a man buy her a drink. And so the story begins of the relationship between Naya and Jake. Naya has worked hard to protect her professional reputation and has had a previously abusive relationship that she has gotten out of. When James’s consulting firm is hired to assess her university’s departments, the complications begin. Some tough subjects are minimally tackled in the book and it would be stronger is my time and attention were spent on the issue of abusive relationship, the helpfulness of counseling, the ability to restore one’s self confidence. Lots of steamy sex scenes that for me, took away from the important message.

‘How to Fail at Flirting’ by Denise Williams is a wonderfully lush contemporary romance starring Naya, an overworked and stressed out professor of education who can’t seem to let her hair down. Challenged by friends to have a wild fling, she meets Jake at a bar and decides to take a chance. One of the more refreshing aspects of HTFAF is that both protagonists are grownups. They have conversations about how to solve problems and the drama feels inspired by real problems. They are two lovely lonely people falling in love and it’s a wonderful journey to experience as a reader. I would recommend this title for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Alisha Rai.

This was so lovely to read. I thought the love story was wonderful, it touched on some serious subjects in a very thoughtful way. I look forward to reading more from this author!!

I loved this book so much!! It felt like a hug in book form--so sweet and romantic and satisfying. I loved Jake and Naya and the way they clicked from the start. They both acted and communicated like adults with their own lives and ambitions and it was fun to see their feelings for each other grow. They also had some of the funniest banter ever. I loved the way Naya fully "won" in the end in both her career and personal life. Williams' writing is excellent and this book is romance gold! Can't wait to highly recommend it to readers.

Naya doesn't do much more than teach, create lesson plans and hang out with her married best friends...she hasn't really wanted to put herself out there since leaving an abusive relationship she is still recovering from. When said married friends push her to expand her boundaries, Naya things she has nothing to lose and decides to start a to-do list that will help her dip her toes back into the dating scene.
When Naya meets Jake at a bar one evening that turns into the next morning she has already checked quite a few things off her new to-do list. Yet the more time she spends with Jake the more she realizes that maybe he isn't just a one off...maybe this man could be relationship material. Things aren't that simple, when she learns that Jake is apart of the company hired to look at downsizing the university she works for Naya panics, she doesn't want her professional life to be tarnished by her love life.
A great read that had me cheering for Naya and Jake until the very end!

The first 75% of this book was a romantic comedy and the last 25% of the book was a thriller/drama. The sudden switch in tone was jarring and took me out of the story. I enjoyed the characters, especially the male protagonist. He was a higher evolved romantic lead than you find in some stories. The banter between the female and male protagonist was enjoyable and the way they fell in love was believable.

This diverse workplace romance is thoroughly charming and full of bad pun-filled witty banter.

After being emotionally and physically abused by a coworker, Naya works hard to play down her appearance and keep her personality, thoughts, and feelings on heavy lockdown. Her BFFs encourage her to make a list - loosen up and take back her independence. After her friends have to bail on meeting her at a bar, Naya dips her toe into that list by flirting with a stranger. She feels so comfortable with Jake that she almost crosses "one night stand" off her list.

The two feel a real connection and work on making a long-distance relationship work, despite the emotional baggage they're both carrying.

Fast-paced writing, a serious amount of steam and characters who are so adorkable you can't help but hope they get their HEA. Deals with the aftereffects of an abusive relationship and the struggles of women in academia. For fans of Get a Life, Chloe Brown and The Friend Zone.

I realize that the "trope" of following a woman after an abusive relationship refinding herself and finding love is one that has existed for a long time in romance, but over the past couple of years especially I have recognized so many rom-coms that have tackled this topic -- The Flatshare; The Right Swipe; Get a Life, Chloe Brown, Evvie Drake Starts Over, etc. Because of this recent uptick in these heavy-meets-light romances (and my love of The Flatshare, which I think did it so, so right) I have perhaps higher standards for books that tackle this topic than other rom-coms. That said, there is a lot to like about How to Fail at Flirting -- an interesting heroine, a super sweet love interest, and a plot that marries many explorations of trauma, new love, career struggles, fierce friendships, and more. I did feel like this was the ultimate instalove story, so if you, like me, enjoy a little more slow burn in your romance you might not totally jive with the timeline of events here, and the pacing can feel off at times (sometimes jumping three or four months at a time with little to show for the in-between) but if you're looking for a diverse romance with lots of wit and heart, I recommend picking this one up.

This book had me blushing! From the title, I expected a cute story but what I wasn't expecting was for it to be so steamy. I smiled from ear to ear as I devoured Naya and Jake’s love story. I have so much respect for Naya’s character. She survived an abusive relationship and is such a strong, intelligent woman through it all. All the puns and cute banter in this story were like my own personal brand of humor. The characters were so nerdy but hot! Their chemistry was truly undeniable. Jake is the perfect book boyfriend despite some of the ex drama thrown in. A must-read romance for 2020. I can’t say enough good things about it. I need a sequel!

This book was sooo good! TW: Domestic Violence and Emotional Abusive relationship. i loved that Naya was a professor. Jake was swoony.

I am interviewing Denise Williams next week and I can;'t wait to chat about her writing process, her inspiration for this book and some book recommendaitons.

FIVE FLIRTY STARS! I am counting down the days to pub day when we can push this book into the hands of all who grace the doors of our shop!

After learning that her department is at risk of being terminated, university professor Naya Turner decides it's time to revamp her life and rebuild her self confidence, which has suffered a devastating blow at the hands of a former senior professor that she dated. Being the overachieving type A that she is, she makes a list for a night of letting loose and reclaiming herself. Let a guy buy her a drink! Try something new! A hook up with no strings attached! She starts checking items off the list the moment she meets smart, sexy and sensitive (the trifecta of rom-com heros, my friends!) Jake. When things get complicated, Naya and Jake decide to keep things simple and temporary. However, as their attraction grows, Naya must decide what's more important: her career or a chance at true love.

Denise Williams' writing is full of heart and humor. She is now an author I can trust for a compelling story, well told. You'll be fanning yourself and laughing out loud from beginning to end.

Living in Chicago, I always enjoy reading a book based here! I think Williams captured the spirit of the city, even with the fictional university. Naya left an abusive relationship 3 years ago and has never been the same, afraid to stand out on campus as a professor or stand up for herself. I really enjoyed Naya's journey to get back into living a "loud" life, especially once she meets Jake.

Jake was very sweet and dealing with his own relationship baggage (that he should have been upfront about, but where would the drama be?!). I love a good story where an attempted one night stand turns into feelings. :) 4.5 stars

The banter in this book was fantastic and so relatable. Overall, the book was so smartly written, with surprising depth, lots of conflict, and CHEMISTRY. A wonderful, couldn't-put-it-down read, that I devoured in an afternoon. Loved it.

I’m not sure I have all the words to describe Naya’s story. As a women who has a history with emotionally abusive men in her life, I felt Naya’s journey to my core. I found this to be incredibly well written and such a profound love story.

Yes this is an insta love story and honestly I found it so believable. Maybe because I’m a romantic at heart, or because it’s what I hope one day happens for me.

I love that because Jake is a stranger she allows herself to open up and act like her old self from the get go. I understand how that works because I can be a lot like that!!

Also speaking of Jake uhm helloooo!! Ugh I’m in love with that man and yes I know he’s fictional but bless where can I find one just like him!! Nerdiness and all I’d take him in a heart beat!!

This was so close to a 5 star perfect read for me!! I can’t wait to read more from this amazing author!!

Okay this was such a great book! I loved Naya and her growth in this book! And Jake is perfect! Their corny jokes are just adorable and I loved it! I felt that all the details about Naya’s past abusive relation felt real and I think that it dug deep in how that genuinely effects people. If you’re looking for a modern contemporary real romance then this is for you!!

This is a well-done contemporary romance.

Naya is still reeling from an abusive relationship, but at least her career seems to be going well. She’s a professor who teaches future teachers how to educate students in math, and she’s getting close to tenure when the rumors start that some departments may be cut—including hers.

When her close friends encourage her to get out there and take some risks—get drunk, have a one-night stand, that sort of thing, Naya surprises herself by doing some of the things on the list, which leads her to meeting Jake. He’s only in town for a wedding, so she insists they don’t talk about personal stuff and just have fun. When the personal stuff is revealed, problems abound.

I liked the character of Jake. He’s a good guy without being too nice. I’m not a fan of puns and bad jokes that Naya and Jake are fans of, so I did a lot of cringing as they were falling for each other with bad-joke banter. I appreciate that the author talked about the serious issue of abusive relationships—emotional abuse is hard to quantify, so it’s even easier for women to blame ourselves for that than physically abusive relationships. Naya’s ex also hurt her physically, but not the kind of beating her up that would land her in the hospital—everything he did could easily be passed off as her being too sensitive if the person hearing the story didn’t give a crap about women.

A contemporary, work romance, with a lot of heart! This emotional story combines love, romance, intimacy, and friendship, as well as hard topics like domestic violence, assault, and abuse.

After years of being antisocial and focusing only on work, Dr. Naya Turner decides to make some changes in her life. With the help of her best friends Aaron and Felicia, the three of them make a list of things for Naya to try: let a guy buy her a drink, have a one night stand, try something new, stand up for herself, etc. After her friends bail, Naya is left alone at a bar where she meets Jake- a nice, handsome guy who makes her laugh. What begins as harmless flirting, turns into something much more; Jake is Naya’s perfect match in every way, but also someone who holds the fate of her career in his hands.

There are a lot of cute puns, and inside jokes throughout. Jake is wonderful, and Naya grows so much as the story unfolds, she really shines in the last few chapters. It’s nice to see some diversity, and hard topics handled respectfully within the story. I also really like their best friends and wanted to see Aaron & Felicia meet Eric & Tyson. Overall a fun, engaging read! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC!