The Fundamentals in Flirting was such a charming, easy read with a slow-burn romance and lovable side characters.
The pacing was perfect, and I was hooked from the start, finishing it in a day! While the slow burn and moments of miscommunication might not be for everyone, I loved how these flaws added depth and brought some great angst to the story.
Ted and Hannah ―Their banter was adorable, and their personalities felt so real—flawed yet lovable. Watching them grow and find each other was a joy, even if their insecurities overshadowed the humor a bit toward the end.
Overall, a delightful read that I’d highly recommend!

There were plenty of things to like about this book which kept me going until about 75%, but at that point I just had no interest in picking it up again so I put it down.

Lovely premise, great setting in the countryside, loved the animal representation and Teddy seemed rather nice mostly, although he was always getting into weird situations like being scared of a goat. Just made him seem a bit useless, like he always needed saving and that wasn't sexy to me.

My biggest issues were that I just didn't really like the characters. I struggled to enjoy being in Hannah's head. She had a lot of issues that felt a bit OTT. The fact that her teenage trauma was from freckles just felt like a major missed opportunity for some plus sized, disability or other kind of rep to be at the crux of the bullying. Maybe something a bit more relatable or at least justifiable. It read like she had some kind of deformity at the start, then we find out she's just got freckles. Weird take for me as someone with freckles.

I didn't feel the chemistry between the main characters, there was miscommunication for the sake of it - e.g, when Hannah feels "rejected" but it's only because Teddy didn't want to sleep with her when she was drunk, which he explained.

Definitely read more like a new adult romance, if Hannah had been at uni dealing with these issues, trying to find herself it would have felt more realistic than her being in her 30s and still being hung up on her freckles.

Wasn't for me, but others seemed to have enjoyed this. I'd maybe recommend to new adults.

This book is seriously the cutest!

Hannah is not a people person. She also has trouble with having low self-esteem. But when she walks in on her boyfriend, she finds a bit of her inner strength and drops him on the spot. Since he was also her mentor, she lost her spot as a researcher and her relationship all in one go.

Since then she has moved on, and back home, and works as a veterinarian in a small clinic. There is where her lack of people skills comes to bite her in the ass. :)

After running into her old classmate and a crush, she decides to make him help her. They have a scorching hot chemistry from the get-go, but their issues are keeping them apart.

The story can be a bit frustrating at parts because you just want them to be happy, but the ending makes up for it. :) It's cute and full of swoon-worthy moments.

It's a slow-burn, sunshine/grump romance set in a small town, that you can't help but love. :)

A cute STEM romcom for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Sarah Adams. Hannah an intelligent and more than sarcastic vet gets a second chance with romance when high school crush and perfect boy next door Teddy becomes her new neighbour. Throw in a goat, a rogue cat and you have a cats of characters that will keep you turning the pages to make sure these two get their happily ever after.

This just didn’t land with me. On paper, it sounded great. I love a STEM rom com and I adore grumpy/sunshine. But this really fell flat. My favorite characters were the blind goat and the dog with anxiety. Everyone else was not particularly likable and felt very one dimensional - my exact complaint from the first book that I hoped would be remedied by a second. The story itself was a very easy read, which I appreciated. But the back and forth dragged on too long and so the end felt rushed. The spice was decently written but minimal and confined to the last 25% of the book. Overall I can see this being a book that a few people would enjoy a great deal, I am simply not one of those people.

Thank you @Harpercollins and @NetGalley for the ARC. I loved the banter in this book between Hannah and Teddy. This is a reverse grumpy sunshine. Hannah wants nothing to do with her Senior kiss Teddy, when she returns home. Hannah bedside manner in the Vet hospital is something that needs work and Teddy says he can give her lessons to be more personable. These lesson become flirting sessions instead. Wonderful.

Fundamentals in Flirting by Lucy Chalice
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶


I received this ARC from @netgalley

This was cute but not enthralling. My biggest complaint is that the FMC, Hannah, has all these hang-ups about how unattractive she is and how relentlessly she was bullied in school for her looks. From the way it's described and her ongoing self-esteem issues, you would think she was deformed... she has freckles. FRECKLES! Like she can't even look at herself in the mirror and literally hides behind her hair because of them.

The part I did like was the way Hannah was oblivious to Teddy's feelings for her. The whole book is from her perspective, and it's crazy all the ways she either missed or misconstrued all the ways she showed her and told her that he was into her. I also really enjoyed Hannah's prickly personality- mainly because it's just like mine 🤣

Overall a mostly cute story, minimal spice, rom com book that was a very quick read.

The constant mentioning of how hot the MC was without any actual character building killed this book for me. A cute premise and a very catching cover do not save this one.

I received “The Fundamentals in Flirting” as a NetGalley arc and I was a bit disappointed. Compared to the authors first book (“The Hot Henry Effect”), this one did not leave me giddy or excited about the romcom. I had a perpetual frown on my face for most of the read. Why do we make these intelligent woman so dumb? Don’t get me wrong being bullied for your appearance can definitely leave you wounded, but the “will they won’t they,” constant misunderstanding when MMC IS being incredibly direct was boring and honestly a bit annoying. Not to mention, I felt like there were too many antagonists in this story with very little substance. Hannah’s mom and dad, her ex, her high school bully. Too many cooks in the kitchen , ya know. Combined or separately they make sense as to why Hannah ended up the way she did, but it just felt repetitive. It was as if most of the trauma of having bullies for parents and a bully at school was glossed over, or not as profound as the author would have liked. Overall, not my cup of tea.

Cute second chance romance. Hannah is such a good grump and Teddy is such a charming sunshine. Together they are stuck in a will they won’t they caused by their insecurities. I enjoyed seeing the characters from the first book. Funny and full of sweet moments and good character growth.

This book was miles away from the debut novel of Lucy Chalice, partly due to the miscommunication trope that seems to be keeping the plot moving forward. The characters seem to lack chemistry, as the FMC simply hates everyone and the MMC is a bit immature.

Maybe it is a book that is more geared towards a younger audience. Overall, this was a quick read, so if that's something you're looking for, it may be the book for you.


A 3.5 star read, rounded up to a 4 star.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher One More Chapter for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!
Funny cute and enjoyable read, glad I came back to this author after enjoying the Hot Henry Effect!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This book was so fun!! I love a woman in STEM and the backstory with Teddy and Hannah really made this story stand out and their setting gave it a richer and deeper story than I originally thought. I found. this cozy British vibes were so fun to read and Hannah and Teddy's story was so compelling. I tried so hard to stay up late and finish this one cause I was so captivated, but I had to carry this one over a couple days.

Fundamentals in Flirting is a spicy small town romance with a HEA guaranteed!
Dr Hannah Havens is successful, independent, but as prickly as a hedgehog in a blackberry bush. And definitely not looking for love. When she returns to the small town where she grew up, the last thing she needs is to crash into Teddy Fraser, the infuriatingly gorgeous guy that she once snogged. He is most definitely a ladies’ man, the biggest flirt she has ever met, and someone she should avoid at all costs.
But, despite her best intentions of keeping Teddy at arm’s length, he keeps popping up. Hannah’s patience with his overtly cheery disposition is wearing thin, but her boss has warned her to improve her people skills.
Who better to test out her new patience with than Teddy Fraser. With his affable and charismatic personality, surely Hannah can't avoid his charm forever…

I hadn't realised that this was a follow on from 'The Hot Henry Effect' when I started it, of course I was like huh the author obviously likes the name Henry, then when Clara was introduced I was like ohhhh got it! They are completely standalone novels. However, if you read this first, then you will know the ending of Henry's tale!
This was a lovely read filled with some adorable, interfering animals. I particularly loved Deidre the devil sheep - ha!
There were loads of really funny, cute moments that were perfectly placed in this romcom.
There was also some really emotional aspects, Agnes and her dementia, Ted's brotherly insecurities and Hannahs lack of self confidence, having been ground down over the years of bullying and lack of affection from family and those supposed to love her. I loved seeing the two leads overcome their issues and blossom.
I found this difficult to put down and cleared it over two sittings.
I look forward to what's next from this author.

A great read, a grumpy and sunshine romance, the story of Hannah and Teddy. Hannah is the grumpy one and Teddy is trying to win her over - will she give him a chance?

Thank you NetGalley and Author for this ARC for an honest review!

What to say about this book. Honestly, it was swoony, cute, and an easy read. I felt it was a bit slow in some areas but Teddy was 👌. Hannah was a bit annoying at times but overall the story was well balanced, and timed and a pleasure to read.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and well written. I felt ok times the storyline felt a little flat but powered through and I'm glad I did. An enjoyable read

Within the first pages I can already see what we are dealing with Hannah cute, smart, and oblivious. Some small issues with her self esteem she seems to get in her own way. I haven’t been able to stop smiling, the FMC and MMC interactions/chemistry is very cute. I don’t think I’ve laughed from a book that loud in a very long time. Oh my god I could not control myself. The silly things they do together, Teddy is great for Hannah giving her a time to let loose. We all have insecurities learning to deal with them and having honest and open communication, is what needs to happen. Their way of lighting each other up is incredibly sweet. I love every second of it, even when Hannah was spending most of her time trying to run away. Teddy trying his best to be there for her was lovely, his opening up and letting her see his insecurities. Brought them closer together. I loved the book, the author did an amazing job with the characters and pacing of the story.


Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK publishing, I received a eARC for an honest review !

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 75%

I'm not going to do my normal cutesy review for this, because I don't have a lot to say. This had potential to be a really cute and fun romcom, but unfortunately the characters still acted like teenagers when they're full grown adults. It really bothered me to see them act like children. Neither of the characters were all that compelling. The FMC was grumpy but seemed to have no intention toward personal growth. All around, I'm pretty disappointed I didn't enjoy this more. I think if this character wanted to write characters who act like teenagers, they should write YA.

If grumpy sunshine was an Olympic sport, Dr. Hannah Havens would be taking gold medals and breaking hearts along the way.

In Fundamentals in Flirting, Lucy Chalice delivers a laugh-out-loud romcom packed with small-town shenanigans, sizzling chemistry, and enough charm to make even the prickliest of hedgehogs (aka Hannah) warm up to love.

Hannah’s back in her childhood hometown with zero interest in romance, a mile-high wall around her heart, and a very serious case of Resting Scowl Face.

Enter Teddy Fraser: her polar opposite, an irrepressible flirt, and, surprise!, the guy she once snogged. (Yes, we’re all dying to know the backstory there.) Teddy is basically a walking ray of sunshine with a side of devastating dimples, and he’s determined to crack Hannah’s icy exterior.

Cue forced proximity, sparring banter, and enough unresolved tension to light up the town square. Teddy’s charm is relentless, but Hannah’s sass is equally sharp, making their dynamic an absolute treat. Watching these two navigate their very obvious (and very inconvenient) attraction while attempting to “just be friends” is romcom gold. Add in some spicy moments that will leave you fanning yourself and you’ve got a recipe for romance perfection!

Chalice also nails the small-town vibe, with quirky side characters and a cozy backdrop that makes you want to pack your bags and move to wherever this book takes place. And while the laughs are plenty, the story doesn’t shy away from deeper moments, exploring Hannah’s struggles with vulnerability and connection in a heartfelt, relatable way.


Recommend if you are looking for a cozy read that feels like a warm hug.