I buddy read this one with a friend and i'm so sad I ended up disliking this one because it has everything I'd normally love.

Honestly, if it wasn't for Gia - who is an absolute sweetheart and the nerdy girl of my DREAMS - this book might have even been rated lower because I truly found Nav absolutely insufferable. She was so needlessly cruel to her dad who was trying endlessly with her, every time he made the extra effort or cared about her at all she shut him down immediately and then complained about him to people who are also struggling with their own things. Nav and Gia gaming together was so damn cute, as was Gia's dog so you do get brownie points there but i also would have loved if everything felt less surface level in that regard to. The dating lessons that I usually love as a trope, didn't really work for me here either. There was so much about this story I wanted to love but it was just let down a bit by Nav's ungrateful attitude and overall lack of chemistry with the love interest and I'm still sad about it. I desperately hope this book finds it's audience and people who appreciate an unlikeable character more but for me it usually breaks the book.

This was a cute YA Sapphic romance that has Nav helping the new girl, Gia woo her best friend Haille. Nothing could go wrong in that scenario right?? lol. Cue Nav unexpectedly falling for Gia, who has anxiety, panic attacks and a cute therapy dog. I loved the mental health rep in this book and thought the characters were well-written and relatable. Good on audio too and perfect for fans of authors like Becky Albertalli or Leah Johnson. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital an audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

when gia, the new girl at school, asks nav to set her up with her best friend, hallie, nav decides to make a deal with her: she'll help her get a date with hallie, and gia will give up her spot at a summer camp nav wants to go to to be near hallie, who she has always spent most of her time with. but when gia's first date with hallie goes badly, nav decides that gia needs romance practice lessons. nav is determined to prepare gia well for her next date with hallie, because she desperately wants to go to camp with hallie, partly because she fears being apart from her, and partly because she doesn't want to spend the summer stuck in the house with her father, who, after 3 years of ignoring her, suddenly decides to make an effort to care for her, which annoys nav endlessly. as nav and gia start to get closer throughout all the time they've started to spend together, nav goes through hard times, at home, at work, and with her relationship with hallie.

can we talk about that cover first !! it's so perfect. jellyfish, two beautiful sapphics, and most importantly, a corgi.

nav was a bit of a frustrating main character, i get that she was hurt by her family situation and that was the reason for her behaviours, but i found her to be really unreasonable at times, even if she's a teen who's going through stuff. she kind of acted like she was the only person in the world and didn't try to see stuff from her dad's perspective at all, and i also think she was mean towards hallie at times. she was especially dramatic about how her friendship with hallie was changing. she tried to make up for all of that not-so-great behaviour by being funny though, at least? i actually laughed at some lines in the book.

gia! giaaaaaa. she was just. ugh. she was so wholesome and cute and considerate and i love her so much. i don't know what these authors are putting into the love interests of sapphic ya contemporary romances lately but it's lovely and they should keep doing whatever they're doing, because they're cooking. also loved seeing the anxiety representation <33

as for the relationship between the two! aaaaaa. i just couldn't wait for them to realise their feelings for each other. they were so cute and sweet. especially those scenes where they would just game together in silence. i loved that so much. and how they cared for each other was so wholesome. i was giggling kicking my feet at some point.

i actually teared up a little towards the end when she and her dad were having a conversation :(( gia's mum, ms. flores, was also super cool except for in the beginning. jordan the corgi was also super cute !! and i loved how nav kept coming up with new names to call her by. and therapy dog representation?? amazing.

This wasnt bad. But I didn't feel attached to the characters or really anything going on. I don't know if it was a me problem or if it was just the way it was written. I think the friendship and family aspects of the book were way better than the romance.

Nav isn't a fan of romance after seeing her best friend Hallie go through relationships and repeatedly getting her heart broken. She decides to help Gia, the new girl, learn how to flirt in exchange for a spot at a prestigious art camp.

This book was higher YA than I expected, so it isn't something I will buy for my library, but I enjoyed the premise of the book and I think older high school student would enjoy this book.

This was such a sweet read! Nav's Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love contains all the elements of a perfect YA novel—blend of humor and seriousness, complex family/friendship dynamics, realistic characters, heartwarming romance, need I say more? Jessica Lewis does a fantastic job of developing Nav, Gia, and Hallie's characters, and I think so many readers will be able to relate to them and enjoy following their journeys. I especially enjoyed the anxiety representation in Gia's story. It was handled in such a realistic way, and it was great to see how Nav encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone, while never pushing her too hard or forcing her into anything. Her mom also seemed so wonderful and supportive! And of course, I can't forget to mention her adorable therapy corgi, Jordan. I also loved the development Nav underwent throughout the story. She grew so much, not only in terms of her romantic arc, but also in her relationship with her dad and her overall journey, from being afraid to let people in to slowly being more vulnerable. She is a main character readers will root for from start to finish. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this one for fans of YA contemporary and/or romance! Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

A sweet slow burn with a fresh and funny take on love triangles. I loved how perfect paired Nav and Gia were, how they were so patient and accepting while still challenging and bringing out the best in each other. Gia was very relatable, and it was refreshing to see such realistic anxiety representation. I also adored her therapy corgi, Jordan, and got a kick out of Nav’s many ridiculously cute nicknames for her.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

It took me a little while to get into Nav’s character. At first, she seemed pushy and negative. As I got to know her, though, I started to see past her quicksilver moods and high defenses. The story mainly explores her relationships with her best friend, Hallie, and her new friend, Gia.

Both relationships have lots of layers. Hallie and Nav have been best friends since they were babies, and that means they know each other well. But, it also means sometimes they get stuck in patterns that aren’t good for either of them. By contrast, Nav’s friendship with Gia is a new relationship and has all the fresh feelings of discovery and newness. And while it starts out as an endeavor meant to set Gia up with Hallie, it isn’t long before Nav starts having more-than-friend feelings for this nerdy, anxious girl.

I enjoyed the sweet scenes between Nav and Gia. Nav carries some unresolved feelings about her mom’s abandonment, and that comes into play at different points in the story, too.

All in all, this will make a great summer romance to read by the pool or sitting next to a sunny window. Becky Albertalli fans will definitely want to check this one out.

I absolutely loved following Nav on her journey of love and how amazingly patient and understanding she was with Gia. Nav’s arc from typical confident flirt to unselfishly putting Gia’s feelings above her own was so well developed and heartfelt. Nav’s reasons for wanting to attend camp with Hallie aligned well with her struggle not to feel left behind or abandoned by someone who meant alot to her. I definitely admired that at such a young age Nav was able to adapt to Gia’s anxiety so well and not try and fix her but rather work on ways for Gia to improve her life even with her anxiety. Nav’s up and down relationship with her dad felt extremely real and progressed beautifully, especially the fact that they were both going to therapy and working on becoming better for each other despite their past trauma. I think Gia and Nav were so good together because they both in a way were able to see the best in each other and help one another get through their own kind of grief and hurt.

Gia was just so cute and adorable, just like her therapy corgi Jordan. As someone who also struggles with anxiety I really appreciated how well her anxiety journey was handled. It was made all the sweeter that Nav seemed to immediately know what she needed and what her triggers were, especially when she was getting overwhelmed or uncomfortable. Nav didn't push or force her to do anything but rather guided her and encouraged her to see things from a different perspective and trust herself. Seeing her slowly break out of her shell and begin to let Nav in was truly remarkable and so heartwarming. It completely broke my heart hearing how her family had treated her and her anxiety and how it forced her and her mom to move away. I really loved Gia’s mom though even though I think she shouldn’t have left Gia alone so much, she was so sweet and you could tell how grateful and appreciative she was of Nav being able to be such a great person for Gia. As a couple, Nav and Gia were just so darn cute together you couldn’t help but root for them. Even though of course I wish they had kissed and realized their feelings a lot sooner, it fit the storyline well, especially with not rushing Gia into an unrealistic situation.

In terms of side characters, I think they were all well written and given the right amount of depth and backstory needed to feel connected to them. Hallie’s character was especially interesting, given her disaster relationship history, and the closeness of her and Nav. The only thing I would have liked to know more about was how Hallie’s mom was apparently best friends with Nav’s mom but it didn't seem like she did much to try and talk Nav’s mom out of leaving them. You could definitely relate to Hallie and Nav’s friendship and how even though you can fight with the ones you love, you can still overcome it and be there for one another. I also appreciated how they were both queer and how well their families accepted them. Again, the side plot with Nav and her father navigating their grief together and learning how to love and respect each other again was extremely special and added a lot of emotional depth to the story.

Overall, for a YA, this story shocked me with its amazing mental health and anxiety representation, tremendous amount of character development, and of course, the inspiring romance between a girl struggling to live the life she desperately seeks, and one who declared herself a romance expert and yet, never realized how someone could fall in love with her.

I absolutely adored this YA sapphic romance. There were so many laugh-out-loud scenes and I love that there was anxiety rep too. The chemistry between the FMC and the love interest is off the charts and adorable. I love everything Jessica Lewis writes and this one is going to be one of my top books for 2025.

I haven't been reading YA contemporary as much anymore, but it will always be special to me. Nav's Foolproof Guide is exactly what I want out of the genre: coming of age in which messiness and growth come together, with an adorable romance to top it all off. Nav struggles with change and with letting people in, and this leads to her acting in some not-always-great ways. All of it is so understandable though, and I found it to be a relatable journey. There's also, like I said, an adorable romance. It was so wonderful to see Nav and Gia spend so much time together and slowly build trust and connection. They helped each other grow, which was amazing to see. And they're just SO cute together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I’ll be the first to say I’m a sucker for an adorable romance. I loved Monstrous from Jessica as well so this was a highly anticipated book for me.

From the beginning, I knew that Nav and Gia would make me cry. They had such good vibes together. As the story progresses, you just want them to kiss already. Gia is me if my anxiety was a little worse. Nav getting her out of her shell had my heart soaring. I also loved Jordan. What a cutie.

The side plot with Nav’s dad was so powerful because sometimes our grief just makes us the worst versions of ourselves and we hurt the ones we love. Gia also had a lot of grief with her family. I was so happy that Gia’s mom was amazing. Like she seemed so cool.

Hallie seemed to be a really great friend who also just wanted to find herself. I liked her as a character a lot. All 3 of them were just adorable and I appreciated this story so much. And it was so queer friendly. Like everyone was so cool with each other’s sexuality. There’s some great character development for literally everyone and this put such a happy smile on my face.

This book is soo stinking cute! I seriously adored Nav and Gia. They were so perfect for each other. I loved the growth Nav had, especially when it came to her relationship with her dad. Also can we talk about the cutest dog ever?

The premise of this is great, but I just can’t get into it, because of the incredibly slow pacing. I’ve been feeling slumpy and this isn’t helping.

Nav's Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love is a YA queer love story.

Nav enjoys flirting and hooking up with cute girls, but she tries to avoid dating. After seeing her best friend, Hallie, constantly get her heart broken, Nav has just decided that dating is not for her. When Hallie gets accepted into an academic summer camp, but Nav doesn't, Nav realizes she won't be there to protect her best friend's heart for the first time ever. So when Gia, a shy new girl, asks Nav for help with getting Hallie's attention, Nav decides to make the situation work for her. In exchange for giving Gia romance lessons, Gia, who's mom runs the camp, will get Nav a spot in the camp. But as the romance lessons begin, Nav starts to develop feelings for Gia, which was not something she had planned for. In addition, it appears Gia may have feelings for Nav in return. Nav has to decide decide what’s more important: sticking to her plan for the perfect summer or taking a chance on learning more about love than she ever expected.

While this is a sweet teen romance, I felt it was a little slow and predictable. Nav and Hallie have a typical best friend relationship with ups and downs; we see Nav constantly trying to protect Hallie from bad relationships, and Hallie trying to pull away from Nav slightly and try new things. Nav and Gia fall into an easy friendship while doing romance lessons. Even though Gia says she's interested in going on a date with Hallie, it's very easy to see how she and Nav will end up together.

The book isn't bad, but it didn't stand out as something different/special either. It's a typical teen romance; no striking elements to really pull you in and make it stand apart from other stories. That is why I only give it a three star rating.

Absolute perfection of a YA Sapphic romance.

Everything about this book ticked every single one of my boxes about things I live for in queer YA romance books. Amazing character growth, depth of emotions on multiple levels, great mental health rep, and THE BEST FREAKING DOG EVER!

I love the way Nav and Gia's friendship progressed and the way Nav and Hallie worked on their respective friendship too. Jordan is just the cutest freaking fluffbutt of a therapy dog in corgi form. I loved the way Nav adapted to Gia's anxiety and remembered little things about their conversations. The journey between Nav and her dad and her issues with her mom had me in my feels.

I know it's only March, but I'm pretty sure this will be my favorite romance read of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this incredible book!

What a great book! Nav is a great character, and her care for her best friend and new friend are so sweet. Nav is so sure that she can help her best friend Hallie find a nice partner who won't treat her poorly. Enter Gia, the nerdy and shy new girl. She wants to date Hallie, but she is so anxious she can't even muster the courage to speak to her. Nav decides that in order to help Hallie find true love, she'll give Gia romance lessons to help quell her anxiety and they'll fall madly in love. But as Nav and Gia start spending so much time together, their own sparks start to fly. Now Nav's not sure if she can follow her heart or if she should help her friends find true love instead.

This was a great book, and I really enjoyed how Nav and Gia helped each other grow as individuals and as friends.

This was one of the cutest YA rom-coms I've read in a long time. It's got funny characters, adorable banter, relatable drama, and lots of heart.

Nav is such a loveable main character. She's not always perfect, but she tries hard to make the right choices when she messes up. I love how oblivious she is to the whole situation with Gia, and seeing her work on her relationship with her dad is very sweet.

The romance in this book particularly shines, I think this was one of the most wholesome cute romances I've read in a long time. It's exactly the kind of fun YA read you would expect based on the summary.

Overall, definitely reccomend as a quick lighthearted read for fans of a HEA. 5/5 stars.

I’ve been following Jessica Lewis’ books since her debut, and I was so excited to see what she’d do with a romance. Suffice to say I was not disappointed! Nav’s Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love feels like a warm squishy hug and builds the tension between Nav and Gia so wonderfully.

Nav doesn’t believe in love, especially not anything lasting after her mom left “for space” three years earlier, but her best friend Hallie loves to fall in love and be in relationships. When her latest breakup leaves Hallie devastated in a bigger way than before, Nav isn’t quite sure how to make her feel better, especially when she never liked Peter for her anyway. Enter Gia, a recent transfer who thinks Hallie is her dream girl but has such bad anxiety that she can’t get a single word out around her. Nav got denied a spot for a summer camp that Hallie is going to, so she makes a deal with Gia that she’ll help her have a successful date with Hallie if she gives up her spot at the summer camp for Nav so she can be there to protect Hallie. What follows is a great story of friendship and falling in love and finding your own inner strength.

I loved so much about this book and the tension between Nav and Gia as the story progressed had me wanting to squish them together while screaming “KISS!” I really liked how Gia’s anxiety was presented (oof, relatable) and the way it was never about fixing her, but finding adaptations and ways to make the idea of spending time with Hallie more comfortable and familiar. Nav was really good about pushing Hallie out of her comfort zone in gentle ways, but also listening when something absolutely couldn’t be or needed to be adapted.

Another thing I really liked was Nav’s dynamic with her dad. When her mom left them, her dad shut down and wasn’t there for her at all. It got to the point that Nav believed he didn’t actually care about her and so long as she stayed out of his way, everything was copacetic. Except suddenly he’s trying to parent her after three years, and this creates a lot of conflict because why does he suddenly care now? The two of them learning to talk to each other again and Nav recognizing that her dad always cared and loved but was dealing with his own grief was a really emotional subplot that I really appreciated.

All around Nav’s Foolproof Guide is a great exploration of growing up and changing, and growing a support network of more than one person. I also loved that in the end everyone has therapy, and this was another way Nav and Gia support one another. This truly is so full of sweet moments of support and love in all its forms, and I had such a great time with this book. Jessica Lewis continues to prove herself an auto-read for me and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next!

I really don't know what it was, but I just couldn't get through this book. Maybe I'm just not into YA right now (or maybe just not this one), but I was disappointed because I always want to read more sapphic books!