
Member Reviews

Another sweet and spicy romance from Jasmine Guillory, featuring a woman ready to learn how to let go and connect with others more authentically and one who doesn’t realize she’s ready for a real relationship until she’s already falling. If you’ve read Drunk on Love, you’ll be familiar with Avery, Luke’s best friend, and Taylor, Margot’s best bartender. I was delighted when I realized we’d get to see their romance play out (and get Tony glimpses of Luke and Margot, too). From the very start, Avery and Taylor have sparkling chemistry, and I love the deal they strike - for Taylor to teach a freshly-single Avery how to flirt, especially with women, a new experience for her.
As for what Taylor gets out of the deal, that would be a new friend, the joy of helping someone step out of their comfort zone and connect with others, and seeing that person grow in confidence and happiness. Of course, Taylor didn’t know that’s what she’d be getting when she offered to give lessons, she just knew she felt drawn to Avery, wanted to spend time with her and help her, and is just a generally kind person.
That’s part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much: Both Avery and Taylor are kind, thoughtful people who pay attention and listen to each other. They do their best to be open, vulnerable, and honest about what they are feeling, even when they feel embarrassed about it, or scared, of angry. Sure, there’s still miscommunication at times, because they, like all of us, deal with private insecurities and assumptions. But both Avery and Taylor (with the help of their thoughtful friends) do their best to not wallow in their fears, but take the risk to say what they want.
Avery’s growth in confidence throughout this book is truly remarkable, and while Taylor and her honest, genuine compliments and gentle advice are partly to thank for that, she is the one who took each brave step toward this new life and attitude. During each lesson/date, Taylor assigned tasks, but she was very clear that Avery should only do them if she was comfortable and wanted to, and that non-judgmental, open-minded attitude really helped Avery set aside her anxiety and push herself to meet others and talk to them. Honestly, a lot of Taylor’s flirting advice is just excellent advice overall on how to connect with others and make friends - listen and pay attention to people’s names and what they say, ask them questions about themselves, find ways to connect, don’t be too afraid of rejection to put yourself out there.
One of my favorite relationships in the book is the one that develops between Avery and Beth, her “garden friend” that she never would have met if Taylor hadn’t brought her to that initial book event and encouraged her to pursue a friendship. Avery desperately needed a friend, and so did Beth, and their shared garden bed became the perfect place for them to bond over their vegetables and their relationship and life issues.
I also really appreciated the way Taylor and Erica’s relationship played out. You could tell early on that Taylor was feeling left behind by Erica, and that her feelings were hurt every time Erica dismissed the things she told her or made jokes of them. It took a lot to get Taylor to the point of confrontation, and I absolutely hated that scene (and was so angry at Taylor’s “friends”), but I was really glad that Taylor didn’t just let it slide again. That conversation with Erica was long overdue for both of them, and provided space for some radical honesty between the two that heated a relationship that wouldn’t have lasted much longer without it.
This book truly had me hanging on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t put it down once I got about a quarter through. Seeing how comfortable and easy Avery and Taylor were together made me so happy, and I had to know what was going to happen next. I’m really hoping we’ll get to see more books set in this community of friends - I feel like Callie deserves her own story, and Cat from the Painting Night!
Spicy warning: As for the spicy scenes, there are quite a few in the second half of the book as the two main characters grow closer, and I’d say they are 3🌶️ - explicit descriptions but nothing wild, and relevant to the plot.
This book comes out on April 7, so get those hold requests and preorders in! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I love Jasmine Guillory and I have read all of her books. I enjoyed the development of the main relationship and appreciated the queer representation. Avery and Taylor’s voices didn’t seem as distinct from each other as I have found in other books by this author and any conflict seemed a bit too easily resolved.

This is the second sapphic romance I’ve read where one main character gives the other main character lessons on being a baby gay — and I gotta say, this trope really works for me! (And not just because I sure could have used some lessons like this early on in my journey!) I love the way Avery and Taylor communicate, I love how much they BOTH learn from each other, and I love their warmth and chemistry. A light, easy, hopeful, sexy read at a time when the LGBTQ+ world really needs more books like these.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book and provide and honest review.

DNF @ 17% i cannot stand the slut shaming. this is pissing me tf off. i did DNF another book by this author, i didn’t super love the writing style. safe to say i don’t think her books are for me. if you liked her other books, you may like this!
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a review. This author is popular in Black Romance and i have read 2-3 of her other books. This book just didn’t do it for me. The writing, the plot, the character, none of it was captivating for me at all. I could’ve done without this one.

Flirting Lessons was a cute spin on a meet cute romance. Seeing that Avery went into this "relationship" trying to learn more about herself and explore her sexuality and be more comfortable in herself was refreshing, especially since people like to use others' opinions of them as truth. It was also cute to see that the teacher, Taylor, became a student in the end because she also was able to learn things from Avery. Seeing the dynamic of Taylor's relationships to friendships with her exes would definitely have made me feel some type of way if I was Avery but it was good to see that Avery didn't let that get to her a whole lot. They had great chemistry and the initial open communication was a good build to the start of their relationship because they felt so comfortable being open with each other except initially when it mattered the most. But I am glad they got it together in the end because they were coming very close to some unneeded miscommunication because they both didn't want to discuss their true feelings for each other. In the end though such a cute book.

2.5 ⭐️
wow. guillory’s first sapphic romcom! i was ecstatic to hear about this book and over the moon at receiving the arc that i dived right in…and that’s about where the excitement left me. i’m dnf’ing at 60% 🥲
it’s been a while since i’ve read one of her books so i don’t remember much about her writing style, but this times round i felt very disconnected from the writing and characters. it felt like, for the content being what it was, the writing was a bit immature in that it was very to the point. no reading to be done in between the lines. kinda like how i’m writing this review portion 😭 their voices were also hardly discernible which i’ll give her grace for since that’s a common issue in wlw books. (i still feel like more could’ve gone into making their voices feel different internally).
overall, i wanted to like it a lot more than i did but i’m grateful for the opportunity to read it! i will leave my review here instead of publicly 💜

Another great romance from Jasmine Guillory!
Event planner Avery Jensen is great at talking to people when it comes to her job, but not so much when she's in social situations. After breaking up with her dud of a boyfriend, she's ready to hit the singles scene and explore her attraction to women. After Avery confesses to acquaintance Taylor Cameron that she's feeling apprehensive about entering the queer dating scene, Taylor decides to take her under her wing and give her flirting lessons to help her feel more comfortable meeting new people. Despite mutual attraction, the two are determined to keep things platonic--but as they grow closer over the course of the summer, things start to heat up. This is set in the same world as Drunk on Love, with some recurring minor characters (although you don't need to have read that to appreciate this one).
I always love a new Jasmine Guillory book and while this was no exception, I will say I didn't love it quite as much as some of her previous ones! It took me a little while to get into this one and I felt like the setup was a little forced--Avery didn't seem to be as socially awkward as the book was trying to portray her so the premise just felt a bit contrived. The book is very dialogue heavy which was a little distracting at first, but grew on me over the course of the book as it demonstrated just how great the main characters were at communicating (very refreshing for a romance novel, no misunderstandings to drive a third act breakup here). I felt like the chemistry between the main characters was great and the romance itself felt well-paced, not too fast. As some other reviews have mentioned, some of the writing felt a bit clunky. I didn't find the POVs switches confusing, but your milage may vary there. The book was good and I'm thrilled that she wrote a sapphic romance, but I just didn't like it quite as much as some of her previous ones.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jasmine Guillory is an auto buy author for me. To say I was excited to get my hands on Jasmine’s first ever sapphic novel is such an understatement!
Flirting Lessons follows Taylor, a flirt who has commitment issues and Avery, who just got out of a breakup and is on a journey of self discovery. Taylor offers to help Avery learn how to flirt and their relationship soon changes after spending so much time together. I enjoyed these characters relationships and watching them grow. I also enjoyed the 3rd person POV but I wish we gained more insights into their thoughts and feelings. Besides a little confusion with the plot, I thoroughly enjoyed Taylor and Avery’s story!
Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this wonderful E-ARC <3

This was my first Jasmine Guillory book and I'm pleasantly surprised! I thought the characters chemistry leapt off the page. The stakes could have been higher for me and some scenes felt a little slow, but I definitely recommend this if you like a lower stakes romance with a lot of interpersonal tension.

I love Jasmine Guillory and was so thrilled when I heard she was writing a sapphic romance. Unfortunately, this is probably my least favorite of her books. The dialogue feels clunky, chemistry is lacking, and all of the obstacles to Avery and Taylor's relationship are so flimsy that they're built up and done away with really quickly. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. :(

A player and an uptight baby gay embark upon flirting lessons after a breakup.
I have read a Jasmine book before, and I remember liking it, therefore I was really pleased to see she was dipping her toe into sapphic romance. But this was just not it. The characters felt flat and I often could not recall whose POV it was because they were so similar other than one was supposed to be “uptight” and one was supposed to be “a player.” The story also felt uninspired in its development despite being a great idea in theory. This was such a disappointment to me, but perhaps her usual readers will find things to love here.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
POV: Dual Third Past

Jasmine Guillory is always a delight! Whenever you need something to lighten the mood or uplift your spirits, read a Jasmine Guillory book because you know you’ll get exactly what you need. Flirting Lessons was adorable. Both main characters you couldn’t help but love and rooted for them the entire time. This book was so empowering and sweet, you were very proud of the progress both Avery and Taylor made through knowing each other. Would absolutely recommend to all. Now where is the beach and a nice cocktail to enjoy this splendid book with?

Avery is in desperate need of a change. She’s fresh off a breakup and ready to make some big changes, especially when it comes to dating. Enter Taylor, a chronic flirt and heartbreaker. She’s more than qualified to give Avery some much needed flirting lessons. They don’t seem like a good match but their lessons changed over the course of the summer. Could there be something more there or is it just a summer fling?
Taylor and Avery go on this incredible adventure together. Exploring their sexuality and identity while getting to know each other. Their journey is full of banter and flirting but as with all relationships there are a few bumps in the road. I love how messy yet beautiful their story is.
I really enjoyed this novel but there are a few things that could be improved upon. I wish it was more clear when the pov changes between the two main characters, it confused me at times. And I could’ve done with less miscommunication but that’s just my personal preference.
I think most readers will adore this book and these incredible characters. It’s hitting the shelves on April 8th so keep an eye out!
Read this if you like
🫶🏼Sapphic romance
🩷Opposites attract
✨Character growth
🌸Friends to lovers

It’s official— Jasmine can do no wrong. I’ve missed her writing which truly captures the comedic sometimes bumbling, but always heartfelt nature of falling in love.

This was a cute read about Avery one of the fmcs who just went through a breakup and realized that she has no hobbies and doesn't know how to flirt. The other fmc Taylor is known for her flirting and relationships and they agree for Taylor to give Avery lessons and teach her all she knows about flirting and hookups. Of course, they fall for each other and start a benefits relationship.
I liked the premise and I liked the main characters, especially in the beginning. I thought the romance was cute and inevitable. I loved the salsa dancing element and their getting closer during these lessons. I also loved the opposites attract element and showed they complemented each other. I do think that the characters felt surface-level at times without a lot of growth. I also think the writing at times was weird but overall this was a nice and quick read. Thanks to Berkley for this arc for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book so much, but I had a really hard time with the writing and the dynamics between the characters. This felt like a straight romance that was place on top of two queer characters. I really struggled with believing that they fell in love and had bigger feelings than just lust and friendship.

I have had so many people recommend Jasmine Guillory to me, but as someone who cannot find it within herself to care about het-romance, I never picked up any of her books. So when I saw that she wrote a queer romance, this was the moment!
It has been a while since I read a romance book where both characters were not only so relatable, but they were both just so damn likable! It's also so refreshing to see a romance novel with characters over the age 23! We need more 30+ rep!
This is a great example of friends-to-lovers, and I hope Guillory continues to write more queer romance!
Thank you, Net Galley & Berkley Publishing for the ARC!

I’m always excited when a new Jasmine Guillory is released. The leads in her romances always have so much agency, they and their cohorts are so dark likable, the settings and situations are so much fun, and they're inclusive. (As I age, "Royal Holiday" grows more dear to me because of the ages of the main characters. I love that so much!)
I was also excited that Guillory was finally writing a same sex romance! Taking place in the same universe as and featuring minor characters from "Drunk on Love", Taylor and Avery are every bit as wonderful and well rounded as all of their predecessors. As with her previous books, Guillory's protagonists are very human and, like always, they are very good at communicating. (Miscommunication is the one romance trope that drives me bonkers).
Through Avery's insecurity about flirting (especially with women) and first relying on Taylor to teach her, before they decide to date, Guillory paints a great picture about not only the difficulties of seeking romance as an adult but also seeking connections and friendship. Her navigating new friendships, especially with Beth, felt very real to me.
The Napa Valley setting is a great background for the book and serves as an additional character, in many ways.
Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley Romance for an advanced reader copy of this book.

Jasmine Guillory is a go-to author for me, both to read and to recommend, and this book is a nice addition to her portfolio of works. The story was new and fun and exciting, and it was really good to have more queer representation in romance. It did take me a little bit to figure out who was being talked about, I kept getting confused about whose storyline I was in, but I ended up enjoying it. Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC!