WHY DID I LISTEN TO HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING BY DENISE WILLIAMS?
How To Fail At Flirting by Denise Williams appealed to me because I love a forbidden romance. I also think that reading romances starting characters of color written by authors of color, aka OwnVoices romances is an absolute priority. Seeing this book pop up on the Volumes app reviewer section made me feel absolutely psyched. The reason I was so excited is that it meant I was able to get to reading this book so much sooner via audio. Y’all, this is a WONDERFUL audiobook that I cannot recommend highly enough.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
Naya Turner, main character, is a professor whose department is up to be cut at her university. She understandably is under some stress. Her friends who are ride or die and simply the best convince her she deserves to cut loose and have a night out on the town. So, Naya ends up dressing up and going out. She’s got a checklist to fulfill when it comes to cutting loose. As it turns out, she meets this man named Jake at the bar and has a one night stand with him, checking some items off her list. They have some wild chemistry and would like to take what happened beyond the one night stand. Only, there’s an issue. Jake is one of the consultants hired by the university and could be eliminating Naya’s job. The conflict of interest is there and so is the chemistry.

HOW DID I LIKE HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING?
I genuinely loved How To Fail At Flirting. Denise Williams paints a character who is so darn likable. The author also nails the romance aspect perfectly and I just spent the whole book rooting for Naya and Jake. I loved that Naya overcomes some trauma and re-finds her confidence. This book really promotes mental healthcare. I loved that there is therapy at one point — towards the end — but it is so important to me that this is something that is normalized. There is a MeToo element to this book that is quite relatable. I think that if you read romance to feel empowered – you will love this book and its character arch.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of How To Fail At Flirting is narrated by January LaVoy. LaVoy is an expert narrator. I could listen to her at 1.5x speed and understand every word and nuance. The narration style is so solid and pleasant on the ears. If you’re looking for your next romance audiobook — look no further. The audiobook is 9 hours and 6 minutes long but feels like it goes by super quick.

3.5 - I enjoyed the relationship journey with the two main characters. Lots of fun puns. Deals with a serious domestic abuse situation (heads up if that's a trigger warning for you). Reminded me a little of Take a hint Dani Brown.

I like the authors writing style. Its nice to read a book where the main character isn't perfect and has realistic quirks. I will be checking out other titles by this author.

Nope. Didn’t like this at all. Jake should have been honest from the beginning. He lost me as a fan as soon as I found out his secret. Red flag!

Flirting can be a challenge, especially when it has not been a positive experience in the past. Or when you have left a relationship that left you in pieces. Naya just wants to fly under the radar and get her tenure at the college she works for. That may be all at Irish when she takes a chance with a guy in a bar. How to Fail at Flirting is an authentic take on realistic relationships and the complex web they weave. Williams does an amazing job in character development for both the protagonist and supporting characters. Naya is relatable with a splash of nerdy. She carries self-doubt caused by a past abusive relationship. Her development throughout the book is organic and realistic. Her love interest Jake borders on the stereotypic romance guy but Williams made him more realistic by adding an introverted quality to him. Naya and Jake's friends are honest and hilarious which he's to break up the romance and heavy topics in the plot.

I really enjoyed this book. It hit a little harder than I thought it would — there are some very serious issues tackled under this cute illustrated cover. (CW: physical and verbal abuse) I loved how Naya took control of her life and how Jake played into it. The audio was excellent. January LaVoy did a great job bringing Naya and Jake's story to life.

Perhaps bowing to librarian stereotypes, I am always excited by the potential of a book featuring a socially awkward, frumpy-cardigan wearing heroine, and I was absolutely not disappointed by this one. I’m looking forward to reading more books by Denise Williams. Recommend for fans of Helen Hoang, Talia Hibbert, Jessica Lemmon and Victoria Dahl.

thank you netgalley and the publishers for the e-copy.
I love stories that tackle hard topics, and this being a romance novel I did not expect such heavy, meaningful, and important topics to be incorporated more than the usual steamy that other romance novels tackle, I really appreciated the author doing that.
Naya's and Jake's love story is a really beautiful one.

There were definitely some laugh out loud moments in How To Fail at Flirting, but I think it included such heavy content that I can't really classify it as a romcom. Either way, I really enjoyed this book. Naya was a character that I can relate to in several ways and I could tell by reading her that the author related closely to her as well. Jake might be one of my all time favorite romance heroes simply because he was just such a nice guy. I loved that he was so sweet and kind and understanding but I also really liked that he was allowed to be vulnerable and not perfect. There were moments when I did feel like things were going too easily in their relationship for this to be a romance novel but then the conflict hit and man, it was good. I'm always a huge fan of couples actually talking to each other in books so I loved the ending of this book so much. Too often we see magical happily ever afters with no real conflict resolution and I was really happy with how the author handled everything that went on between Jake and Naya. I'm very impressed that this is a first time romance author. She definitely has skills in writing a good love scene in an even better love story and I'm looking forward to reading more from Denise Williams

How to Fail at Flirting was unexpected in a lot of ways. Even though at face value it lived up to the sweet and sexy moments I had hoped for, it's also emotional and treads on serious ground as well. The author did a fantastic job of balancing both sides of this story and I, for one, can't wait to read more from her. In Flirting, she introduces us to Naya Turner and employs one of my favorite tropes: creating a to-do list for your life. As an overachiever who's hyper-focused on her job and dealing with the emotional aftermath of an abusive ex-boyfriend, she (and her two wonderfully supportive friends) know she needs to have fun and step outside her comfort zone. And on the first night of trying to live it up, she meets an incredible guy named Jake who goes from an almost no-strings-attached hookup to something else entirely. For the whole trajectory of their relationship, I think I might've smiled almost the entire time (or swooning -- find me a Jake IRL please). As individuals and a couple, I appreciated their growth and adored all the little and big ways they worked towards making their relationship work. Of course, the book wouldn't be complete without some conflict but the struggles Naya faced only highlighted her strength, determination, and sense of self.


Do I recommend? Absolutely! I had requested this book on a whim and I am so glad I did! How to Fail at Flirting just came out this past week so do yourself a favor and buy a copy.

The relationship between Naya and Jake was wonderful. They help each other grow and not so much change as accept who they are as individuals and how they can fit together.

I appreciated Naya trying to work through her past abuse and moving forward, but I felt bringing the ex into the narrative halfway through the book was unnecessary. I understand that to some people it might have found it cathartic but it didn't give her enough agency to make up how it brought me out of the rest of the narrative.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and 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!!

I enjoyed reading this one. I did find the latter part to be darker as it deals with domestic abuse.

I LOVED this book. This is such a powerful romcom about a woman (Naya) trying to heal & trust again after a horribly abusive relationship. I absolutely LOVED Jake and her banter with him...not to mention the steam!🔥🔥🔥 Everything about Naya’s journey was well told and paced perfectly. I loved watching her heal and become stronger with each challenge. And I loved the honest pace of her and Jake’s relationship. I can’t wait to read more of what Denise Williams writes!

How to Fail at Flirting 💕

One night stand turned into something more?! Sign me up for all the books like this 👏🏻
Thank you to @berkleypub for a gifted copy! #partner

If you are looking for a steamy romance that has depth and real life subject matter that isn’t all fluff but still makes you laugh and makes you believe in fate, than this book is right up your alley!
The main character just needed to break out of her shell (with the help of her BFF, hello loveee a good friendship mixed into a romance read) to show the absolute bad ass of a female that she is. She ends up taking no shit and going after what she deserves and it just makes you want to believe in yourself even more than you already do.
And the steam level for how deep this book was is just perfect.
I still can’t believe that this is a debut!
Thank you again to @berkleyromance for a gift copy!

CW: emotional and physical abuse, blackmail

Well written romance with two very likable leads. The love scenes were hot and they had great chemistry.

I loved this book! It was fast paced and laugh out loud funny. Highly recommend this book to all my friends who love rom-coms

This book hit all the right notes. The dialogue was laugh-out-loud funny, the sex scenes were steamy, and the romance was swoon-worthy. Naya and Jake’s challenges were relatable and I found myself racing through the book to see how they would work it out. Having experienced a very similar abusive relationship, I found specific passages in this book very realistic. Denise Williams managed to poke and prod those memories, making me relate even more to Naya’s struggles. Well done.

How to Fail at Flirting was a fairly cute read. I enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more from Williams in the future.

I will say my biggest issue with the book was the hero's marriage/divorce status and how that was kept a secret from the heroine for so long. Perhaps that's more of a personal issue with me but that really put a damper on their romance and I wish it had been talked about outright rather than being a cause for conflict.

CW: abusive ex


3 1/2 STARS

This was a delightful love story about two wounded people who find each other while recovering from relationships with the wrong person.

Naya is a professor just beginning to return to a normal life after years of abuse by her ex. At a bar to meet her close friends, who have to stand her up due to family emergencies, she runs into Jake and the sparks fly. On his part, Jake is separated from his wife, after finding his wife cheating on him.

Naya is horrified to find Jake is a member of the consulting firm investigating the possibility of closing her department at the university where she works. She is even more horrified when her ex, who trashed her career once, shows up at her university and starts threatening her again.

Can she and Jake find a way past all the obstacles to actually have a relationship? Can they really each be what the other one needs?

There were some smoking sex scenes, but not enough to distract from the story. The quips and jokes were fun, but the angst and heartache were well portrayed, as were the characters. All in all, “Just an old-fashioned love” story.