I enjoyed this new sapphic romance from Guillory! I loved the premise of Avery, who doesn't know how to flirt, and Taylor, who flirts a lot. This book was so fun to read and I loved it!

Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory is a very sweet queer romcom stand-alone novel. We meet Avery Jensen, who just went through a breakup, and wants to try dating women, having been attracted to them, but never acted on this. Avery meets Taylor Cameron, at an event, who is a chronic flirt and heartbreaker, Taylor has no problem flirting and having earned her reputation.

Taylor takes Avery under her wing, promising to teach Avery some much needed flirting lessons. Both of them will go on a fantastic adventure together. Exploring their sexuality and identity while getting to know each other. Their journey is full of banter, flirting and hookups, as we get closer the last third of the book, their relationship changes since they were spending lots of time together. The chemistry between Taylor and Avery increased, as it was wonderful to see them get closer. When they started to actually date, it was pretty spicy.

I really enjoyed Taylor taking Avery to different places, including all of Taylor’s friends. Avery learned to get past her anxiety and pushed herself to meet others and befriend them. Taylor was happy to see Avery beginning to become grow more confident and happier. It was also nice to see Taylor and Erica’s friendship, and Taylor feeling hurt when her friends kept talking about how long before she dumps Avery. But it was nice to see all the friends and the importance of female friendship in their lives. It was really nice to see both Taylor and Avery finding love together.
Flirting Lessons was a wonderful, witty, fun story that turned out to be a sweet romance. Flirting Lessons was so very well written by Jasmine Guillory. This was a fun queer female story line. Well done by Guillory.

This is Jasmine Guillory’s first queer romance, it follows two women who are friends. Avery is an introvert and has recently gone through a breakup with a shitty dude. Looking for help getting out there and how to even flirt, she ends up getting the titular Flirting Lessons from Taylor, a well known flirt (and heartbreaker). Avery is also wanting to date women so Taylor is helpful there as well, introducing her to other queer people and spaces.

They build a really great friendship doing this and also of course… more. I think the set up really worked, they were fun and I had a good time reading it. The 3rd act conflict made sense for the characters and was resolved in a sweet way.

DNF. Received an ARC from Berkley Pub via NetGalley. I’ve read numerous books by this author before and enjoy the lighter romance stories. I was excited for this one - my first romance book with two female leads. It really didn’t capture my attention; I felt that one of the leads was constantly being slut-shamed and everything felt repetitive about 1/3 of the way through. I may come back to it later on but had to DNF for now. Not for me.

I have loved every Jasmmine Guillory book that I've read so far. I was excited to see her take a stab at a sapphic romance. As someone who could probably benefit from flirting lessons, I liked the idea of this concept. Partner with someone who is really good at dating or flirting or even just an extrovert to teach the introverts how to do the thing! However, this book fell a little flat for me. It felt a little repetitive and lacked a bit of depth in the storyline. I listened to this one, and I found it a little hard to differentiate between the two leads. I kind of wish I had read it instead because I think I would have liked it a little more. Towards the end, I even sped up my audiobook because I was ready for it to end.

Read if you like Sapphic, Friends to Lovers Romances that have a bit of the student and teacher vibes.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 4/8

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
From the moment I saw the cover for Jasmine Guillory’s latest, Flirting Lessons, I was dying to read it. It being sapphic, plus having a close relative of one of my favorite tropes (“intimacy lessons”) at the forefront made me sure I’d love it. And as predicted, I devoured it in a matter of hours.
The characters are absolutely charming, and may just be my favorite of Guillory’s couples to date. Avery is very relatable as someone with relatively limited dating experience, who is beginning to come to terms with her bisexuality. Taylor is an intriguing contrast, having dated around quite a bit, and is resolving to remain single for a while, at the behest of a friend, especially as she navigates issues with her own self-worth as her friends seem to be settling down while she hasn’t.
The bond between Avery and Taylor is very sweet, and I loved how caring Taylor was in helping Avery come out of her shell. While the lessons begin without the intention of them falling in love, I loved seeing them organically grow closer.
If there’s any weaknesses, it’s that the story lacked a ton of substance. But given the tough times I’ve had lately, both reading wise and in general, I can appreciate that this was a generally fluffy, uncomplicated read.
With that in mind, I recommend it to readers looking for fun, lighthearted sapphic romance centering Black characters.

ARC/ALC BOOK REVIEW

Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory

Thank you, Berkley, for the free finished copy and eARC of this book and another thank you to PRHA for the #ree audiobook! #berkleypartner #PRHAudioPartner

SYNOPSIS: “Avery Jensen is almost thirty, fresh off a breakup, and she’s tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially other women), flirt with everyone she sees, all the fun stuff normal people do in their twenties. One Avery doesn't know how to do any of that. She doesn't have a lot of dating experience, with men or women, and despite being self-assured at work, she doesn't have a lot of confidence when it comes to romance.

Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley's biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker. Taylor just broke up with her most recent girlfriend, and her best friend bet her that she can't make it until Labor Day without sleeping with someone. (Two whole months? Without sex? Taylor?!?!) So, she offers to give Avery flirting lessons.

At first, Avery is stiff and nervous, but Taylor is patient and encouraging, and soon, Avery looks forward to their weekly lessons. She tells herself it's because the lessons are fun, not because she kind of might have a little bit of a crush on Taylor. Taylor doesn't even try to deny that she's intrigued by Avery, but she's still got a bet to win. When Taylor is forced to confront her feelings for Avery, she doesn't know what to do, how to deal with it, and most importantly, if she's already ruined the best thing she's ever had.”

REVIEW: Jasmine Guillory is the reason I read romance. She is the queen of the contemporary romance IMHO, so I was so excited to have the opportunity to read and review this book early.

In turn Guillory fashion, the characters are engaging, both with their friend circles and with each other. Because of that, the dual POV works, because we get to see both Avery and Taylor as whole people/characters. The dating coach trope works really well with this one, since we see so much of the characters separately (and then together on their “dates”.)

I also love that this is a proudly sapphic romance and the characters interact with the Nappa queer community repeatedly. Brava for Guillory’s first lesbian romance! I’m so here for it.

The only downside for me was the pacing of the plot. While I can’t point to where it lost me exactly, I found myself wondering a bit while reading.

In short, if you love Jasmine Guillory like I do, read this book!

Publisher: Berkley, Berkley Romance, PRH Audio
Pub date: 4/8/25

2.5 stars rounded up

This was the first book I've read from this author. I was really excited about this book because I love this cover, I love Sapphic books, and the premise sounded like a lot of fun. Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me and now I'm sad.

This writing style wasn't my favorite, so I struggled to get into it. I'm not sure if this is the author's normal style or not since I haven't read anything else by her. It is written in 3rd person, but it's also dual POV and the way the POV would change was unclear and somewhat jarring while reading. It made it had to differentiate these characters and remember who is who.

I also found that these two characters were lacking chemistry. The premise of this book is a woman who gets flirting lessons from another woman (think the movie Hitch), so I was expecting a lot of tension and it just wasn't there. The relationship ended up feeling very surface level to me. It was clear that these women both found the other physically attractive, but their relationship didn't go past that attraction in my opinion.

This book wasn't all bad. I felt like I related to Avery and her journey, but I also feel like maybe Taylor just isn't her person. I did enjoy seeing how Avery progressed throughout this novel.

I also feel like this book was just too long. At the beginning I was struggling because I felt like I had read a lot and was shocked I was only 5% through. I checked the page count and I personally feel like there was no reason for this book to be over 400 pages. This book was dragging from the start and I feel like that wouldn't have happened if this book would have been 50-100 pages shorter.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Flirting Lessons
Jasmine Guillory
Pub: 4/8/25
4☆

I adore Guillory and her books. Flirting Lessons was a fun, cute, and quick read. I enjoyed both Avery and Taylor and had fun watching them grow both as individuals and as their relationship went from friends to lovers. The flirting lessons were fun/adventurous and I really enjoyed the strong focus on the friendships made outside of the romance. Especially with Beth. As someone who loves to garden I totally shared in their excitement of watching things transform and grow.

All in all I enjoyed Guillory’s new venture into queer romance and look forward to more.

What I enjoyed;
🍷 Queer Romance
🍷 Friends to Lovers
🍷 Napa Valley Setting
🍷 Friendships

Thank you Berkley Romance for the free book. Thank you PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook.

An entertaining and well plotted romance that kept me hooked and rooting for the characters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A sapphic opposites attract/friends to lovers rom com from Guillory! Avery wants to change her life and loves so she enlists her friend Taylor to teach her how to flirt. Taylor is relationship averse but she's darn good at the flirting. And then things turn serious. No real surprises here but the dialogue is snappy and the plot zippy. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fun read.

I absolutely loved this sapphic romance by Jasmine Guillory!

This novel follows Taylor and Avery, two women who meet at a wine event and become friends when one offers to give the other flirting lessons. Each secretly like the other, and as the friendship grows, so does the intensity of feelings for each other.  

I can always count on Guillory to bring the heat and romance in her books, and this one didn’t disappoint! It was also giving me vibes of The Brown Sisters series by Talia Hibbert (as far as spiciness scale & having BIPOC characters).

This was pretty much a blind read for me, but I had no regrets. Maybe it’s because my own dating life has had its fair share of fails, but I always come into romance novels a little on edge—while still being obsessed with happy endings, of course.

The dynamic between Avery, dealing with life after heartbreak, and Taylor, still struggling with her own past, was so well done. I loved how both of them went through their own self-discovery while also sharing new experiences together that helped them grow. Avery’s journey, in particular, really resonated with me—her struggles with self-perception and navigating certain spaces hit close to home.

Beyond just being a good story, the novel had some underlying messages that stuck with me. It was a reminder that healing, love, and growth don’t have to be linear, and sometimes, the best things happen when you least expect them.

Avery has always acted appropriately, except now, fresh off a breakup she's ready to get back out there but she wants to learn how to flirt (especially with woman, which will be new to her). Taylor, who is a huge flirt and notorious heartbreaker offers to give Avery flirting lessons (even though she is attracted to her). As they go out every Tuesday nights for Avery's lessons, the two become closer and at some point the attraction between the two can not be denied. Now Taylor, who is relationship phobic, has to figure out what she wants, does she want to continually date and never commit or is Avery worth changing her ways for.

I requested this one because I really enjoyed the Wedding Date, also by the author. I believe this is her first gay romance. This was a cute "opposites attract" sort of story which made the dynamics fun but frustrating at times and I loved Napa as the location for the story. The miscommunication between the two also frustrated me (it's my least favorite trope), but I loved how each character grew throughout the novel aided by the other. I'm not sure the audio for this one worked as well for me as it did for the last one, but I still enjoyed listening while I was packing and getting ready to travel. Now I need to go back and read the other two in the Wedding Date series.

3.75 stars

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC to review

Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory (out April 8, 2025) is a book that reminded me that I do actually like romance novels. If I go too long without reading one because my head is stuck in tragic fantasy-and-horror land, I start to delude myself into thinking that I hate cheesy romance and feel-good stories. Fortunately, books like this exist to snap me out of that mindset.

Flirting Lessons follows Taylor and Avery, two Black women in Napa Valley, California. Taylor has a reputation for being a heartbreaker: most of her relationships end within a month, and her best friend Erica just bet her that she can’t make it the two months until Labor Day without hooking up with somebody. Avery has just gotten out of a relationship with her ex-boyfriend and now wants to date women, but outside of work, she’s terrible at speaking to people, let alone flirting with them. So when the two meet at a wine event and spark up a conversation, Taylor offers to give Avery flirting lessons to help her find the perfect woman.

Naturally, Taylor and Avery start to fall for each other. Each of their flirting lessons are like a date, where Taylor sets Avery a task to complete during whatever activity they’re doing. The very first lesson is at a book signing event, and it’s Avery’s job to talk to five people who aren’t the guest authors. There she makes a new friend, and the lessons continue each week, with Taylor giving instructions on what to wear without telling her where they’re going.

I thought the romance was really sweet! Both Taylor and Avery are compelling characters, and both likeable. They communicate well, to the point where I was wondering when the third-act-breakup was even going to happen. (I’ve read enough romance novels to know that it will happen.) I loved the format of each of the lessons, and the book falls into a steady rhythm because of them that kept me wanting to keep turning the page.

The exploration of friendships in the story, particularly between Taylor and Erica, is also really enjoyable. Erica is married with a baby on the way and has a new friend who Taylor is worried will replace her, because the new friend is also having kids and thus will usurp Taylor’s role as best friend. Over the course of the book, we see this friendship take some ups and downs, but being a feel-good romance novel, it all works out in the end.

I am especially appreciative of the fact that the book doesn’t center exclusively on femme characters. I love to see it when a character, especially a main character, doesn’t wear dresses or keep their hair long, so thank you Taylor for being a light in my dark tunnel of very little masculine representation. Plain t-shirts and hoodies all the way.

Overall, Flirting Lessons was an enjoyable book with a lot of depth in terms of characters and their relationships, both platonic and romantic. It was cute and sweet but not overly saccharine. Flirting Lessons comes out April 8, 2025. Thanks to Netgalley and Berkeley for the review copy!

Read This Book If…you need some tips of making friends and how to flirt!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory

Genre: Queer romance
Spice Level: 3/5🌶, a few explicit scenes
Setting: Napa Valley, CA
POV: dual, 1st person, past tense
Tropes: dating lessons, there’s a bet, opposites attract, miscommunication

My Thoughts:
This was my book by Jasmine and won’t be at the last! I like to go into books blind and didn’t realize this was sapphic and it was so good!

I enjoyed Avery’s journey of exploring a relationship with a woman for the first time and Taylor had some great advice for meeting people. I really thought the bet that Taylor made would have a bigger impact on their relationship, but Avery took it in stride.

While the flirting lessons between these two weren’t exactly steamy, the chemistry sure was! Personally, I felt like most of their relationship was physical would categorize them as a happy-for-now.

Having this story told in 3rd person with mid-chapter POV shifts made for some confusing reading at times, especially during steamy scenes. I will always prefer 1st person for romance novels, but especially with same-sex relationships!

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

This is my favorite sapphic romance because the love & attraction developed so smoothly!

I've read several sapphic romances and often find the romance to be rushed. The push to relationship is usually some overwhelming urge that causes a hasty leap and then consequences are parsed out later. But Jasmine Guillory does an incredible job developing the friendship and admiration between Taylor and Avery before they admit their feelings. Yes, Taylor is attracted to Avery from the jump since she has more experience with women and dating. But when they get to talk to each other, she senses that Avery needs a friend and devotes herself to that category.

Avery just got out of a very dehumanizing relationship and realizes that she hates the idea of having to flirt with someone new. She is so envious of Taylor, who comes to it all so naturally. Taylor takes Avery under her wing and every Tuesday they have a flirting night - practically dates - where Taylor give advices and then challenges Avery to talk to 5 new people. From book parties, to salsa lessons, and trivia nights, Avery builds up her confidence.

They more think the other is the most incredible person in the world and that made this so heartwarming to read. As a girlie with social anxiety, Taylor's tips were always very comforting. Seeing Avery bloom and relax was endearing. Taylor's insecurities rise up in the third act but I felt a lot of empathy for her as the confident person that nobody took seriously. But it was a lot of self doubt to wade through so late in the story and stalled the pacing. It's not really a breakup, just a delay before the HEA so I still enjoyed it.

Jasmine Guillory DOES NOT MISS. I loved her take on fake dating, friends to lovers, and her first queer romance! I've been a big fan since the beginning and Jasmine is absolutely at the top of auto-buy, auto-read authors for me. I'm so glad I got to read this one early!

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory - this comes out on April 8th.

I've enjoyed Jasmine Guillory's books and Flirting Lessons was no exception, even though one of my least favorite tropes is dating lessons.

I liked Avery and Taylor and seeing the inevitable relationship come together. It was a fun book with some great dates and side characters. It was also fun seeing some favs from Drunk on Love. This was Guillory's first sapphic romance and it had the great characters you expect in her books, a fun story and I loved the Napa setting.

I also liked the changing friendships aspect when you are in different stages of your life and how hard it is. There were a lot of relatable elements for me from both Avery and Taylor.

Recommend reading this one!

Thanks to @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for the free ARC/e-ARC and to @prhaudio for the ALC!

When Taylor’s best friend bets her she can’t make it through the whole summer without sleeping with someone, she decides to channel her sexual frustration into teaching Avery (newly out as bi) how to pick up women. No way this plan could backfire, right?

Their relationship is so sweet. Their friendship and banter made me smile. And the personal growth both women experienced gave the book a lot of emotional depth. I loved reading about their dates and the various friendships they made. The descriptions of Napa made me want to visit! There’s a tiny bit of spice, and a satisfying ending.

My only complaint is that I wish the audiobook had been a duet narration with two different readers. The single narrator did her best with different voices. But sometimes I was confused about which POV I was reading. It didn’t help that the POVs often switched mid-chapter.

Overall though this was a sparkling and joyful read. The perfect romance.