3 years ago, Naya got out of an abusive relationship with a colleague. Since then she has exited the dating scene, and turned down her volume, much to the chagrin of her friends. When Naya meets Jake in a bar the attraction and chemistry is instant, the jokes are corny, and the action is steamy. Things aren't all good in Naya's life though, her abusive ex-starts texting her vague threats and consultants are being brought into work to determine what departments could be cut. When Naya realizes Jake is one of those consultants things get complicated.

This book (my first by Denise Williams) was good. Not great, but definitely good. But before I get into the nitty-gritty a warning:

This book deals with not only physical abuse but also mental and sexual. The synopsis does mention an abusive ex but it doesn't give a proper trigger warning that we, as readers, not only get graphic flashbacks but also present events. So, if you are someone who is sensitive to that topic, please be warned.

Okay, back to the review.

Like I said, this was good. The writing was for sure solid, but the problem I had was that the male character was a bit too perfect. It was like the antithesis of an alpha male and although I don't mind that, I couldn't really find flaws. To me, that's boring. I also didn't appreciate the insta-love/lust. I tend to have a strong negative reaction when I smell that trope coming and this one presented it right away. There was also a bit too much side drama that I think stole from the overall theme and could have gone without.

I will say that I enjoyed Naya's growth through the book where she goes from someone who doubts herself from past trauma to a strong woman. I think we need more stories like that and for once it wasn't solely because of her new male partner. That definitely came from within.

I will say that I enjoyed it enough to read further stories from this author.

As always, thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I was pleasantly surprised by some of the content of this novel! The story is about a college professor who was previously in an abusive relationship that has stunted her ability to trust again. It has been years since her last conquest and her best friend tries to push her out of her comfort zone to have a one night stand. There are a few erotic sections of the novel which was unexpected but well written; I'm glad the author didn't shy away from the description during those sections. The characters are relatable and you experience emotions along with the main them. There is a nice epilogue so you aren't left hanging or wondering much at the end of the novel but the epilogue leaves room for a sequel if the author chooses. I would definitely recommend this book and will be on my website review.

Ugh, y'all, the dad jokes in this book got me. Let's chat about it.

How to Fail at Flirting actually reminded me a lot of Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date in terms of the pacing and the long-distance relationship, though Denise Williams' book dives into some much deeper themes, including domestic violence and the intersections of racism and sexism in higher education.

Despite not being the biggest fan of instant attraction or insta-love couples, I really enjoyed Naya and Jake's banter throughout this novel, particular their nerdy puns. I also really felt for Naya during the last part of the book when all of her issues came to a head. The pacing was a taaaad slow for my taste; it took almost one-third of the novel to get to the central conflict and then we didn't see much action on that front until the last quarter of the book. Nevertheless, it was a nuanced, sweet, and quite! steamy! romance.

Content warning: There are graphic depictions of intimate partner violence (including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse).

I was so excited to read this romance, and it did not disappoint!! Naya (like papaya) is such a compelling protagonist, and I found myself rooting for her to overcome her personal history and turn up her volume again.

Admittedly, I have a soft spot for nerdy love interests, and Jake was SWOONY to the max. The cast of supporting characters added wonderful depth to this already rich story. But my favorite part was the dialogue. Oh, the witty banter in this book! It was so fabulous, I couldn’t get enough. Eager to read Williams' next novel!

This book really took me by surprise and grabbed me with all the serious issues it tackles (including domestic abuse), but at the same time, still being a fun, laugh out loud read. Naya is so relatable that I found myself nodding and saying, oh, yeah, been there, done that awkward thing. I was rooting for her and Jake the whole way through. But what took me by surprise was what a master Denise Williams is at writing jack-assery. I felt such an intense amount of hatred for the character Davis that my husband found me yelling at the book, and I wanted to do bodily harm to Davis (I'll spare you the details :). But it shows how much this book grabbed me and kept me there and I give it a 100 stars!

4 crazy what a story stars
This book was nothing what I was expecting. Professor Naya Turner is refreshing lead character for many reasons. One is because she is awkward and real.

The story was unique. This one was. a real page turner!

A hilarious, sweet, and fun book that helped me forget about all of my stress! I can’t decide what I loved more: the humor or the overall dynamics between the characters. I’m so excited to read anything Williams writes next!

Naya and Jake have a meet-cute in a bar after Naya gets setup by her friends to let her hair loose and live a little. After making a list of things that will help her accomplish, she manages to check off things with the help of Jake. It starts out hilarious with a pre-sex vomit scene which every girl loves to have (NOT!). But Jake and Naya stick it out through more awkwardness like Jake being brought into her job to evaluate her school’s budget, eek! There’s break ups and make ups but in the end, Naya and Jake find their happily ever after. WARNING: Abuse.

HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING is a love story full of hope and raw emotion. The depth of vivid detail creates a cinematic picture of what’s happening on the page. More than anything, you want to root for Naya and Jake, even when they are unsure of how they feel or what is happening around them. The relationship complexities are palpable and left me breathless at times, mostly because Naya’s experience is so relatable. Be prepared for flirting that will make you laugh and maybe cringe (but in a good way) and steamy scenes that sizzle with electric chemistry.

Arc received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Naya Turner is a workaholic. She's spent the last few years with her volume "turned down" so she can slip under the radar. When her close friends joking make her a checklist to get her out of her shell, no one expects her to do anything on the list, least of all Naya. Naya meets Jake at a bar and what starts as a one-night-stand gone wrong could be the best thing that's ever happened to either of them. Naya is still struggling with issues caused by her abusive ex, and it doesn't help that she keeps seeing him around and he starts contacting her again. The question is, can Naya overcome her past and trust Jake?

This is by far the best contemporary romance I've read in a long time. The characters are so multi-dimensional, and the plot is flawless. This book tackles a LOT of issues that I wasn't expecting, and it does them all justice. I don't have a single criticism of this book, and I can't wait to see what else Denise Williams writes.

My heart broke for Naya, even as I admired her for the strength she didn’t know she had. Jake was pretty much the perfect hero. They needed each other, despite the obstacles that were thrown their way, and I was rooting for them from the beginning! A great debut!

Professor Naya Turner's friends challenge her type A personality by creating a list of things to do like let a man buy her a drink and have a no-strings hookup to get her out of her shell, as a way to dip her toe back in the dating world. Badly shaken by a previous, abusive relationship, Naya has good reason to be wary of trusting another man. She meets Jake in a bar waiting for her friend to arrive and things don't quite go to plan.

This book is quite simply the best contemporary romance I've read in a long, long time! Naya is totally relatable to any woman who has ever feel awkard on a date. The moments between Naya and Jake are equal parts swoony, steam, and LOL-worthy. I can't recommend this book highly enough!!

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams follows Professor Naya Turner as she is challenged by her friends to check activities off of a to-do list in an effort to go outside of her comfort zone after she is feeling tense about possibly losing her job just before tenure and an abusive ex-boyfriend. On Naya's first night out to tackle her new bucket list, she meets Jake who is eager to help Naya check things off her list and push them both outside of their comfort zones. As Jake and Nana spend more time together and discover new things about one another, their relationship becomes more complicated.

This book was so much fun and made me squeal aloud several times. The chemistry between the two leads is fun and had me thoroughly engaged throughout the book. I also like how this book follows a person after leaving an an abusive relationship and how there are still lingering feelings from the abuse that influence all aspects of the main character's life and feel it was handled in a respectful way.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Goodness I loved and adored this book.
The romance was so well done, steamy and equally adorable.
I also really enjoyed how it touched on domestic abuse and how Naya dealt with the aftermath of it.
Adored this book and can’t wait for everyone to read it in December!

Wow! I was hoping to read a feel-good romance but I have to admit the last third of the book was full of high tension, angst with action packed thriller vibes: I already ate my fake nails I provided to use during my tense readings and I jumped up and down, screaming ; “atta girl!”, cursing for the bad guy of the book, breathing heavily, drinking my whole glass with one gulp, getting more tipsy and agitated! Well, thankfully conclusion was relieving!

I think I truly enjoyed this book: Firstly I loved heroine: Naya deserves to call as ‘heroine” because she was survivor of an abusive relationship and after ending that part of life, for 3 years she has been having a secluded, introverted life style, wearing shapeless, old school clothes, focusing on her work at university (yes: she is an inspirational, overachiever math professor), not dating anymore. And now her job is at risk, her department already landed at university’s chopping block. And the abusive asshole she’s dated: Davis is hired at her workplace.

Her only and so likable best friends Felicia and Aaron (who are also coolest couple and interesting fact Naya had one time bad date experience with Aaron but thankfully he decides to date with Naya’s bestie Felicia and now they are happily married with children.) tell her she is living lay low after she’s been traumatized by Davis whoshallnotbenamed. She needs to be back in the game, taking risks, loosening up, starting to enjoy her life. So Naya takes the challenge and makes a list: including accepting a random stranger’s drink offer, kissing him, having one night stand, learning new stuff, being bolder, braver, broadening her horizons kind of things( especially at the bedroom)

She accepts to meet with Aaron and Felicia at the bar but she is being ditched by them (Aaaron’s excuse : accompanying her mother who hurt herself at the pole dance class was brilliant and yes, it was real) And guess what: her phone call with Aaaron and her reaction to his story attracted attention to the charming guy who is sitting next to her.

They start a conversation, sharing some not so funny jokes. ( Yes, we have a charming, likable, completely hot hero with the worst sense of humor and no ability at any kind of sports and he is one the %1 living breathing organism who didn’t watch “Star Wars” : That’s a first.)

They share their names: The charming guy introduces himself as Jake. He came to the city for attending wedding ceremony and business meeting. Naya insists they should not share any information about their jobs or their last names. ( She only shares her second name Michelle)She tries to keep it cool, re-learning the basics of flirting but her one-night stand ended up with vomit, humiliation and heartbreak! Yes, poor girl drank way too much she could handle.

But don’t worry: Our charming, sexy hero already got her number and kept texting her to go on a proper date. Their casual, no strings attach relationship slowly turn into intimate, emotional, intense one with their sizzling chemistry. BUT : Yes: here are the struggles they have to face: Jake is one of the partners of the account firm that evaluating the departments of the university she works. Yes: I can hear you scream: “conflict of interest!” Naya may lose her job she has been working so hard and she also has risk to lose her reputation she rebuilt after the destruction whomustnotbenamed ex created. But she cannot help herself because she already starts to fall for Jake even though they didn’t put a name or any label to their relationship.

Do you think there is not enough angst thrown at our faces? Well, whomustnotbenamed started sending threatening messageS to Naya and of course Jake’s ex involves into the game. So let’s keep our fingers crossed and say prayers for this cute couple to win the fight against all these obstacles!
It was one of my fastest reading and especially the author’s approach to the abusive relationships and Naya’s way of fighting against it, her bravery, inner struggles were well-written. Only thing bothered me was Jake’s relationship status and Naya’s way of accepting everything he can give without demanding more because she deserved more but her insecurities and trusting issues overshadowed her judgment about herself. So I wish
Jack’s relationship status could be different and he may have come clean without putting Naya in a heartbreaking situation.

So I’m cutting only star and giving four meaningful, high tension, though provoking, inspirational, well-deserved stars. I’m looking forward to read more works of the author.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this meaningful ARC in exchange my honest review.

If you're thinking by the title that this is a fluffy romance read, you would be so wrong! Though Naya, the protagonist, is struggling to recover from an abusive relationship that ended three years ago, the book manages to strike a balance between serious, light, romantic, and funny. No easy feat!

What I most loved about this book was the complexity of Naya, the protagonist. She has great friends, a job she loves, and plenty of agency throughout the novel. Not to give too much away, but she becomes her own hero in the end (while still finding love and being able to lean on others.

I absolutely loved Naya and Jake's relationship. They had wonderful banter and their chemistry leapt right off the page. Jake was a fully developed character of his own, with his own personal hang-ups, friends, and a job he is passionate about too.

Plot-wise, I enjoyed how my expectations were upset time and time again, which kept the narrative fresh and compelling. I especially enjoyed the plot in the last third of the book. I couldn't put it down and wanted to know how all the conflicts in Naya's life: with Jake, her ex, with her job, were going to play out. The ending was really satisfying, while also leaving some things unresolved.

I don't believe a book has to be perfect to get five stars. These are less critiques of what the book didn't do well, and more what I wish the book would've done more of. But there is only so much space in a novel! Especially one with so many important themes.

I would've liked to have gotten to know some of the secondary characters better by spending a bit more time with Naya's BFFs in the beginning (Felicia and Aaron). They seem like great characters, but I think I would've connected to them more if there was just a bit more. I also would've liked to have seen Naya interact with their kids, even for a brief scene. Other secondary characters I wanted to get more of a sense of were Joe and Jill. I think Eric and Tyson (Jake's friends) leapt off the page, despite only being in a few scenes.

This is minor, but I never quite understood WHY Naya's ex was involved in the committee since he no longer worked at the university. I think maybe he was close with someone on the committee (Doug?) but I didn't see why that meant the president would involve him. Maybe I missed it, but I was still confused as to why he was there. Davis is awful, and a dick, but I was hoping to see a little but more of how he duped Naya into falling for him in the first place. Guys like this are often charming and manipulative, and while he was definitely the later, I was curious how he went about charming Naya.

I will say, my favorite character is Flip! Such a surprise. I want to be him when I grow up.

Overall, this book was a really fun way to spend a weekend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced reader copy!

I picked this book up thinking the description sounded really cute and got hit with all of the feels. I went in expecting the laughs but this story touched on a lot of sensitive topics while also making me laugh. I think that abuse and the mental effects of being in abusive relationships was well written and not rushed. And the patience and kindness towards yourself needed was addressed many times. 10/10 recommend. Trigger warnings for anyone who may have experienced abuse in the past.