This was a charming holiday read. This YA romance was set over Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years. I loved reading about Shira and her big family's Hanukkah traditions as well as all the other traditions they have during the holidays in Nantucket. There were so many great side characters, but Tyler and Shira really stole the show with their sweet romance. I will definitely be going back to read Reynolds first novel to get the full story of her grandparents. Apparently this is somewhat of a sequel but can be read as a standalone. However, I feel the backstory on her grandparents would have been nice to have while reading this one. Overall, I really loved this one and it was perfect to read over the holidays.

🕯Book Review💙
Eight Nights of Flirting
By: Hannah Reynolds
Publisher: Penguin
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley who sent me this digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Synopsis from Amazon.

"Shira Barbanel has a plan: This Hanukkah, she’s going to get a boyfriend. And she has the perfect candidate in mind—her great-uncle’s assistant, Isaac. He’s reliable, brilliant, and of course, super hot. The only problem? Shira’s an absolute disaster when it comes to flirting.

Enter Tyler Nelson, Shira’s nemesis-slash-former-crush. As much as she hates to admit it, Tyler is the most charming and popular guy she knows. Which means he’s the perfect person to teach her how to win Isaac over.

When Shira and Tyler get snowed in together at Golden Doors, they strike a deal—flirting lessons for Shira in exchange for career connections for Tyler. But as Shira starts to see the sweet, funny boy beneath Tyler’s playboy exterior, she realizes she actually likes hanging out with him. And that wasn’t part of the plan.

Amidst a whirl of snowy adventures, hot chocolate, and candlelight, Shira must learn to trust her heart to discover if the romance she planned is really the one that will make her happiest."

The reason I chose this book initially was to read something different. It's outside my comfort zone. I'm not Jewish so I typically wouldn't pick up a book about Hannukah. But I thought it would be good to switch it up.
I really enjoyed this story, more than I thought I would. I learned about a new culture and a holiday that's different from those I celebrate. And the romance was sweet and fun. Some parts felt a little rushed, but overall I had fun reading this one

Eight Nights of Flirting is a quintessential, feel-good YA rom-com that needs to be on your tbr!

I knew from the first chapter that I would love this book, and I was right 🫶🏻

Shira is determined to get a boyfriend and she has her eyes set on a family friend. However, she doesn’t know how to flirt which is making it difficult to convey her feelings to her crush. When she’s stranded in her family’s home on Nantucket during a storm, she’s forced to host her next door neighbor, Tyler, who she just so happened used to have a crush on. Shira decides Tyler should teach her how to flirt and the two strike up a deal.

I loved Shira’s growth throughout this novel. I really enjoyed Shira’s huge family and all the family dynamics - it added a super fun part to the story.

Tyler is also such a cute love interest, and I loved watching him and Shira interact.

Yes Eight Nights of Flirting takes place over Hanukkah, but it’s not just about Hanukkah, it’s a great coming-of-age story.

Great way to start my holiday reading binge. A sweet enemies to lovers trope story, incorporating not only Hanukah traditions but some Nantucket history too. Shira wants to learn how to flirt and picks the wrong boy to help. Tyler, the one who broke her heart years ago. Only to discover there’s more than meets the eye with this bad boy. I loved the family dynamics, the big family, all coming together for the holidays. Definitely one to add to my library’s collection!

now i know this book has been out for quite a little while now, but i wanted to wait to read this until hannukah as a way to celebrate the holidays. and i'm quite glad it did. while i have a complicated relationship with religion, and especially with my jewish identity being so integral to my identity and not at even a little simultaneously, i loved this story for its' jewishness. i loved how it celebrated a modern/reformed hannukah, with large, mostly close families. it gave me pride for my heritage, for my people. these are the types of stories i hope to see more of, and will definitely continue to seek more of in future years.

okay, now on to the actual story a bit more. shira and tyler, i love them and i hope (but wouldn't be able to guarantee) that they continue to date past the close events and text logs of the story. at first glance, they appear to be so different for one another, wanting different things out of relationships and whatnot. but really, they're not. they're similar in so many manners and i think that has helped their relationship grow during the events of the book.

one thing i wish, however, is that we had more closure and acknowledgement of the grand gesture shira had made two years prior. they quip about it from time to time, and tyler seems apologetic. but at some point from then to the start of the book, he has clearly grown feelings in some capacity towards shira. i want to know more. was it because of the gesture, albeit he turned her down? was it something slowly growing since then? we know he was trying to get her attention at the airport, so he was obviously already interested. i wanted to know more. i wanted him to apologize a bit more clearly and explain what changed.

but, generally, i appreciate that they had an open communication (well, for the most part, there was a little bit of misunderstanding -- that was resolved immediately -- well done). we don't see ya contemporaries skip the dreaded third-act break up in favor of having the characters just,,, discuss and figure out what they want together. it's refreshing. and... i think it's what made me enjoy this book so much.

I really enjoyed this young adult romance from Reynolds. This is the second book of hers I’ve read and I’ve enjoyed both equally. I liked that it was centered on friendship and family traditions with a cute teenage romance tying it all together. It’s perfect for reading during the holidays and will make you want all the delicious holiday treats and food. Light-hearted, sweet and wholesome and great for teens and adults alike.

I have read very few books that center around Hanukkah. So, I was extremely excited when I was offered the chance to read this YA romance. I adored these characters so much more than I expected. The way the romance unfolded seemed so realistic, especially for the ages of the characters. I was so drawn to this story that I found it hard to put down. I just wanted to see this couple come together and finally admit their feelings for each other. The payoff was certainly worth the wait. So charming! This is a must read for any romance fan.

Well wasn’t this the cutest, sweetest, most wholesome holiday romance read!! I loved this cute book. I loved Tyler and Shira and their flirting. It was pretty clear that this book was a follow-up to Noah and Abby’s story, but it stands alone. Outside of a few quick sentences referencing them and “last summer,” I don’t think you’d even notice.

There is just something so incredibly cozy about holiday YA books. I devoured this book and finished it at 3 am last night. :)

For one, I realized I knew nothing about Hanukkah and I loved that throughout the novel.

The family unit wasn’t toxic, and the way Shira melded herself with her cousins and family members felt so sweet.

Shira and Tyler were perfect. I loved the enemies to lovers/friends to lovers/second chance/fake flirting aspect and Tyler was so sweet.

I love where it landed and am thoroughly buzzy with holiday happiness.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

thank you PRH International for the free EARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars!!

this was everything i love in ya romance and more omg... first of all the mc was so so relatable, i loved her from the very first moment. this book was fun, light hearted and incredibly cute and fluffy, definitely a PERFECT READ FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON!!! i also loved how much i learned about hanukkah and other jewish holidays, it felt so important to see tbh! now tyler... wow what a man, your honor i love him! a cute fluffy sunshine boy who is also flirty and always smiling but truly he is lonely and has never had the chance to be genuine with anyone? be still my poor heart...

this was also a childhood crush to enemies to friends to lovers kind of thing and WOW did i absolutely adore it??? i wish there would have been an epilogue of them a year later or something but it was honestly so cute and heartfelt and genuine, that i couldn't put this book down. i just wanted to keep reading it!

the side quest they have going on was also so fun to read and it never felt like it took away from the plot or like it needed to be bigger, it was perfectly set up and gave the story so much more charm.

i do wish we could have seen more of the individual cousins, like maybe more david or even more ethan, even more of noah and Shia and their relationship, but overall this is such a cute book of learning to love yourself and learning that it is okay for you to take up space, as well as a cute romance that develops perfectly with a big family going around making everything fun. definitely a must read for the holidays!!!

Hello Hannukah fiction! I am here for you. I loved this YA novel and its Jewish representation. I thought the storyline was fun though maybe a bit unrealistic at times. I'm not normally a fan of the faux dating trope but Hannah Reynolds made it work and made it work well!

Love love love!!

This isn’t technically a sequel but I recommend reading The Summer of Lost Letters first to understand some of the storyline.

This story was kind of close to the fake dating trope which I almost always love! Shira reminded me a lot of myself as a teenager so that was fun!

I just really loved the relationship between Shira and her family, and also Shira and Tyler. So many moments that made me heart hurt! In a good way.

I also love how Hannah Reynolds weaves in a lot of actual history into her books.

It was fine but I was underwhelmed. I was happy to see a Hanukkah romance and enjoyed that aspect but overall, I just found it meh. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for a gifted copy!

Shira Barbanel is determined to make her great-uncle's new assistant Isaac her boyfriend by the end of Hanukkah. Unfortunately, she can't flirt and is anxious in social situations, which makes her seem aloof. Her Nantucket neighbor and former crush Tyler Nelson is in the area, and has always been charming and the center of attention. She strikes a deal with him: teach her to flirt to get Isaac's attention, and she will introduce him to her great-uncle. The problem is, he's not as shallow as she thought he was.

Eight Nights of Flirting is a fun teen rom-com, and Shira is instantly relatable. She second-guesses herself, gets nervous, and doesn't want to be seen as a burden. She always thought she had to be perfect at whatever she tried, which took the joy out of piano and ice skating. She had bluntly told Tyler that she thought he was cute and wanted to date him, which had horrified him and led him to turn her down. Mortified, Shira retreated even further from potential dating and social scenes. She's at a distinct disadvantage with getting Issac to like her, and Tyler is a convenient person to teach her to flirt. Their "lessons" are hilarious, and it's clear from the beginning that he's very comfortable in the middle of her large family as they prepare a Hanukkah play and do wintery things. She's just as comfortable with his mothers in their home and with their Christmas traditions. Isaac, however, is pretty and not much else.

We the reader know where the story is going, and it's an absolute delight to see it all unfold. From the meet-cute to the text messages, the search for who might have kept items hidden in Shira's attic, discovering parts of Nantucket history, and the traditions in each family, I felt part of Shira's journey. I understood what it was like to be an awkward overachiever, hoping for that real connection and friendship as well as romance. She and Tyler have great chemistry together, and I enjoyed reading this.

A perfect Jewish holiday romance! I loved the main love story so much, and really enjoyed the mystery element too. We need more Jewish love stories and this one was perfect! Thanks so much!

As a Jewish reviewer, it is so nice to see more and more books with Jewish representation in them! And with the hundreds of Christmas books released each year, throwing a Hanukkah book into the mix is needed. Eight Nights of Flirting was a very cute read, and a book I wish I had as a teen to be able to see myself in Shira. I loved Shira and Tyler spending time together. Reading this as an adult, at times it was a little too YA for me, but it is the perfect holiday read when you want some Jewish representation at any age!

This is such a cute cozy YA book, perfect to start off your holiday reading. Complete with flirting lessons, fun banter and a little family mystery. It takes place on Nantucket during Hanukkah which was such a great setting for this. When I was writing this review, I learned it is a stand alone sequel to another book, which I will be picking up asap!

😍loved
🤟frenimies to lovers, boy next door, family
📚 Shuffle Repeat, Better Than the Movies
🎶Fearless (TV) by Taylor Swift

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the ebook and physical copy of this DELIGHT.

This was SUCH a sweet teen love story! Shira wants to learn to flirt and Tyler, former crush & current enemy, is on board to teach her.

The book takes place during the 8 nights of Hanukkah and it begins with a snowstorm that keeps Tyler and Shira together at Shira’s family inn, alone, which is the beginning of my second favorite trope, close proximity. Couple that with them developing a true friendship before it turns into something more…chef’s kiss.

If you’re a YA fan, I strongly suggest this one to read this winter or holiday season!

This wasn't completely what I expected. I expected full-on fluffy wintry romance, but while this was partially the case, I didn't find the side stories wholly up to what I liked. All in all it was a good read, but I don't think I will be recommending it.

It's nice to see a Jewish YA! I appreciate being able to see my culture and religion reflected in books, ESPECIALLY given that as a kid, I didn't have that! There're so many christmas romances, both YA and adult, so it's extraordinarily refreshing to NOT have to read about christmas for once in my life.