Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory was a light-hearted, friends-to-lovers romance.
Avery is a structured woman who knows how to have fun when it’s organized, and planned well in advance. Whereas Taylor is more of a live-in-the-moment type of woman when it comes to her social and dating life. This made for a sweet opposites attract story between friends that slowly realize its their differences that make them a solid match.

Taylor agrees to mentor Avery through her launch into the queer social scene. Having been in a long and unfulfilling relationship with a man, Avery shyly admits to Taylor that she is interested in dating women but has zero experience to lean on. Taylor is known in Napa for being the non-commitment type, and a magnet for attractive women. Taylor liked Avery enough as an acquaintance to help her gain confidence in her own skin, and feel at ease talking to people outside of her normal comfort zone.

I appreciated that none of the “flirting lessons” felt like a cheesy rom-com.

This wasn’t a story of an ugly nerd suddenly changing her wardrobe, wearing makeup, and now she’s worthy of a second look. Avery was already a beautiful and successful woman. What she gained was a friend that saw her for her true worth right away, and only helped Avery to believe in herself. She never changed clothes, she just paired things a little more adventurously. Her appearance wasn’t what needed work. Taylor took her to events and nights out where Avery could just explore talking to new people, and reach out of her comfort zone in conversations.

Taylor didn’t try to change Avery, she helped set her free.
While Avery learned to love herself, and not shy away from her true desires, she and Taylor together learned how much they liked each other. More than friends. There was a refreshing feel to their conversations as they practiced being refreshingly honest, even in the most uncomfortable conversations. There were several times when Avery was nervous or embarrassed, but she exhaled a breath and was honest with Taylor anyway. It allowed for a minimal-drama love story between them, and I found myself hooked into the beauty of it all.

Taylor agrees to give Avery flirting lessons as a gift to the queer community. Avery, initially hesitant, realizes that she has to put herself out there in order to reap any benefits.

I loved the easy banter between the 2 fmc's as it made the book more enjoyable and easy to get through.

Flirting Lessons totally embodies the reason why the friends-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites.

It was nice to see a few characters from Guillory's previous book Drunk on Love.

Really enjoyed this one and the way that Taylor and Avery’s relationship grew throughout the book. I also found that their friendship’s outside of their relationship were well done and were an interesting addition to the book while still keeping the focus on and adding to the romantic plot.

Continuing in the Noble Family Vineyards universe, we have Avery, an event planner and wallflower who has recently had a relationship end, and Taylor, the social butterfly and major flirt who doesn't do relationships (not really). Taylor offers Avery "flirting lessons" so she can increase her confidence and find love. Meanwhile, Taylor's friends have made a bet that she can't go two months without sleeping with someone. Challenge accepted.

I like the way the author describes friendships among adults; I always want to be sitting at their table. I love that she brings back main characters from other books as side characters or just brief mentions. I found the chemistry between the main characters delicious!

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

💃🏾 This was a sweet, entertaining and easy-to-listen romance. I always enjoy Jasmine Guillory’s work and enjoyed her first attempt at a sapphic romance. Thanks to @berkleyromance for giving me a #gifted copy of this. It is out now!

💃🏾 This story focuses on an uptight, by-the-book MC who enlists the help of a stranger to help teach her how to flirt. You can imagine what happens— I’m sure. 😉 Still it’s cute. The romance is romancing and the spice is spicing. Even though it’s the first time she’s written an LGBTQ+ love story, Guillory’s signature writing is all over this one.

💃🏾 One note on the audio— there’s just one narrator and I kept getting soooo confused about who was who! Just because the MC’s are the same gender doesn’t mean they don’t deserve duet narration!

Jasmine Guillory brings her signature warmth and wit to Flirting Lessons, a sapphic slow-burn romance that feels like a sparkling glass of Napa rosé—sweet, slightly tart, and exactly what you need on a summer afternoon.

Avery Jensen is at a crossroads. Nearly thirty, freshly single, and craving a life less buttoned-up, she’s on a mission to shed her overly cautious shell and try on the kind of fun she skipped in her twenties. Her goals are simple: flirt more, worry less, and maybe—just maybe—fall for a woman. The only problem? Avery has no idea where to start.

Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley’s unapologetic flirt and reigning heartbreaker. She’s fun, effortlessly charming, and on a self-imposed sex hiatus after yet another failed relationship. When Avery and Taylor cross paths, a proposition is made: Taylor will give Avery “flirting lessons,” and Avery will be a harmless distraction to keep Taylor out of trouble. What begins as a lighthearted experiment quickly evolves into something much deeper, and much messier, than either woman anticipated.

Guillory excels at crafting nuanced characters, and in Flirting Lessons, she pairs two opposites whose chemistry is undeniable. Avery’s vulnerability and desire for growth are beautifully balanced by Taylor’s hidden insecurities and fear of emotional intimacy. Their banter is breezy, their tension electric, and their emotional arcs feel refreshingly grounded in reality.

While the setup might sound tropey—a lessons-in-love arrangement that turns real—Guillory gives it fresh life with thoughtful representation, emotional depth, and a swoon-worthy slow burn. Avery’s journey into queerness is handled with empathy and joy, and Taylor’s guarded heart makes for a poignant contrast. Their dynamic explores not just romance, but what it means to be truly seen—and chosen—by someone who gets you.

Flirting Lessons is more than just a fun, flirty romp (though it’s certainly that too). It’s a celebration of reinvention, queer joy, and the courage it takes to admit you want more—from life, from love, and from yourself. Whether you come for the flirting, the fashion glow-up, or the emotional payoff, you’ll leave with a full heart and a satisfied smile.

I had a really great time with this book. It was such a quick read, and I was so invested that I didn’t want to put it down. Both of our main characters were relatable, their chemistry was believable. The flirting lessons were super cute! I think Jasmine Guillory’s first sapphic book was definitely a success!

2/5 🌟
4/5🌶️ (many hot scenes)
Would recommend? Not this one.
Would reread? No

I highly recommend Jasmine Guillory, but not Flirting Lessons. Unless you are looking for something that’s mostly only 2 characters navigating sex and flirting lessons who don’t tell each other they like each other until the last 20mins of the book.

Personally, this one took me ages. I started on ebook, then waited a couple months for the Libby audiobook to come to help me finish.

Was it sexy flirting lessons? Yes. Was that all it was? Yes. And I’m disappointed because the reason I love Jasmine Guillory is for her complex characters. This one fell flat for me. I still enjoyed her writing ideas and style. I did not find myself rooting for either character. I almost DNFed a few times.

Tropes & themes:
-flirting & sex lessons
-LGBTQ+ rep (bi&sapphic)
-lack of communication / major miscommunications
-very self-conscious/nervous x very confident and experienced.

Thank you to the author and Berkley Romance Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I did enjoy the writing of the book, Avery and Taylor definitely needs some character development when it comes to their relationship, other than that I think this is a good beginning sapphic read

Unfortunately i didn’t love it as i thought I would. Both main characters were a little annoying. Avery was very insecure about everything and that made me feel really nervous (in a bad way). but i mean overall was okay.

overall i enjoyed reading this. i’ve only read one other jasmine guillory and had few expectations going in. while i found it to be kind of amatonormative and allonormative, i did enjoy the growth of taylor and avery’s relationship. there was miscommunication/misunderstanding that wasn’t drawn out for too long, we as readers really got to see them getting to know each other and hanging out, and their insecurities and subsequent actions were realistic. i connected with avery’s nerves and anxieties and appreciated that she and taylor checked in with each other and didn’t let the other say “im fine” without further discussing what was wrong.

however, i did knock off a full star for mentioning the pandemic and no covid precautions or other mentions. i honestly didn’t need to know this was a post-quarantine book (note i did not say “post-covid” because it’s ongoing), and i am irritated that authors have stopped caring about covid.

overall would recommend.

cws: grief; miscarriage (occurred before the book takes place, mentioned a couple of times)

3.5, rounded up. This is a fun, light, Hallmark-esque romance, so temper your expectations in that regard. I enjoyed seeing Avery and Taylor's relationship develop, and I appreciated that some of the conflict and communication issues came from their friends and external sources and not the two of them (though there's plenty of maddening miscommunication there too).

I have enjoyed Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date series and was excited to read her first sapphic romance, Flirting Lessons. After reading the synopsis, I knew I was in for a fun and romantic read. I borrowed the audiobook from Libby so I could enjoy it on the go.

I didn’t realize until I started listening to the audiobook that the story is told from a third-person dual point of view. This can sometimes be challenging for me to follow via audiobook, especially if the chapter titles don’t indicate whose perspective is being presented. With that in mind, I found myself picking up the physical copy of the book to follow along more easily when I wasn’t multitasking.

I enjoyed getting to know the two main characters, Avery and Taylor, who are complete opposites but share something in common: both have recently gone through breakups. Avery is determined to embrace life after her breakup, which means letting go of the past and hopefully finding a hobby, as well as learning how to flirt and date, as she doesn’t have much experience in either area. That’s where Taylor comes in; she’s the perfect person to help Avery because of her own experiences. Taylor decides to assist Avery by setting her up with flirting lessons and outings that will not only help her meet new people but also give her the chance to practice flirting and discover a hobby or two.

I really enjoyed this part of the book, especially seeing all the fun things Taylor did to help Avery come out of her shell. It was wonderful to read about Avery’s growth, particularly as she made new friends. The romantic relationship that did grow between Taylor and Avery is a slow burn in my opinion because Avery knows Taylor doesn’t do serious relationships. Their attraction to one another is inevitable, the more they hang out together and learn about one another. Avery had a lot of insecurities, though she didn’t work through and I could understand why she was the way she was. She had only experienced one relationship, and Taylor had been in many, especially with women. This was Avery’s first time, but Taylor was there to help her.

I felt really sorry for Taylor throughout the book because she had to deal with judgmental friends the entire time. Although she had been in several relationships and was known as the town flirt, I couldn’t understand why her friends were so upset about it. It was her life, and I didn’t appreciate how they treated her. Taylor’s friends just rubbed me the wrong way.

Overall, I found this book to be just okay, so I’m giving it three stars. I wish I had enjoyed it more, as it had a promising premise, and I liked getting to know the characters. I would still recommend it to other readers, especially those looking for a summery read and who enjoy Sapphic romances.

Single/Dual POV: Dual POV in Third Person.

Standalone or Part of Series: Standalone.

What to Expect:
🩷Sapphic Romance
🩷Friends to Lovers
🩷Opposites Attract
🩷Flirting/Dating Lessons
🩷No Third Act Breakup

The premise of this novel was promising. Unfortunately it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I can say I was super excited to see the queer representation and advice for introvert for dating. My only issues was the writing style and it being told in third person. I also enjoyed the humor and the tropes. All in all this wasn’t a bad book! Just not what I was expecting. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I wanted to love this more than I did. Jasmine Guillory was one of my first romance authors—The Proposal was a gateway book for me—but Flirting Lessons didn’t quite hit the same. The setup had promise: a flirty, confident queer woman giving dating lessons to a newly-out bi woman who doesn’t know how to talk to girls? Sign me up. And the premise was cute, the sex scenes were hot, and I appreciated the representation.

But the story never quite moved beyond surface level. There were a lot of scenes where we were walked beat-by-beat through mundane details (“she opened the door, started the car...”), while more interesting emotional moments—like Avery’s sexual awakening or the development of their connection—were glossed over or skipped entirely. I wanted more internal monologue, more tension, more depth. And while I liked the leads individually, I didn’t totally buy their chemistry or why they were drawn to each other beyond physical attraction.

Also, can we talk about Taylor’s friends? Yikes. The friend conflict ended up being more compelling than the romance, which might be part of the problem.

Still, I appreciated the queerness, the concept, and the sex-positivity. This wasn’t for me, but I know it’ll resonate with readers looking for a lighter, low-angst queer rom-com.

Avery is a reserved event planner and Taylor is a charismatic server who works at a vineyard. During an event at the vineyard Taylor works at, Avery shares that she recently left a relationship, and wants to date but does not know how to flirt. At this same event, Taylor’s best friend makes a bet with her that she is incapable of abstaining from sex for the whole summer. Taylor, despite her attraction to Avery, gets it into her head that she should teach Avery the fundamentals of flirting. This leads to several lessons where Taylor pushes Avery out of her comfort zone. Taylor does not win the bet with her best friend but she does have a lovely relationship with Avery for the rest of the summer. Avery blossoms under Taylor’s tutelage. She also makes a close friend that she met during one of the lessons. Their friendship and later relationship was beautiful to see. They each changed in their own ways. The writing is good, humorous and kept me engaged throughout the book.

avery and taylor!!! omg so cute. flirting lessons because you're bi, curious and need advice? then you fall for the girl giving the lessons? yes please! this story unfolded in a very natural way and the slow burn was SOOOOOO GOOD! however... taylor's friend group was not it. like wtf besties. not cool. i'm glad it was resolved in the end, but i was still annoyed lol. i would def recommend if you love a good sapphic romance! thanks for the arc berkley!

Flirting Lessons is a delightful friends to lovers book. Taylor and Avery may seem like opposites, but when Taylor offers to teach Avery how to flirt and get back in the dating game, it's not long before they grow interested in each other.

I thought this book was sexy and adorable. The dynamic between Taylor and Avery was completely healthy in the growth between friends with incredible chemistry to partners. I adored the motivations for each of the characters as well as how they supported each other's goals and dreams. A lighthearted rom-com with great representation as well as a great look at friendships with sapphic spaces.

This is not the book's fault but the formatting on this was so bad it was nearly unreadable. I ended up listening to the audiobook and I did not vibe with the narrator, which I think lessened my enjoyment of it overall. I love this author's romance books and this one was a bit of a let down. It was still a good sapphic romance, it just wasn't for me. Hopefully it will be for you!