Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - How to Fail at Flirting

Definitely check out the content warnings for this book before reading, as intimate partner violence (physical and emotional) plays a significant role in the story.

For the most part, I enjoyed Naya and Jake’s relationship, but it seemed too perfect for most of the book. There wasn’t much tension or build up to them getting together…they were basically in a relationship from that first night, even if it took them a while to define it.

The abuse from Naya’s ex, as well as her resulting trauma, were both depicted realistically, which made it difficult to read at times. Highly recommend avoiding this book if those things are activating for you.

It felt like a number of things that should have been discussed were glossed over.

They made such a big deal about Jake consulting her university being a conflict of interest, but it ended up not being an issue at all.

I also felt like Jake was too perfect, until he blew up at Naya, which felt over-the-top and out of character. I wish he’d been a little more in the middle.

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amarieb0926's review against another edition

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emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I absolutely loved almost every bit of this book. I went in having read the trigger warnings and knowing to expect which I believe is important with this novel. Naya and Jake's relationship banter was absolutely perfect and thier inside jokes felt so real that I was laughing along with them the whole time. But there was one scene that really ruined the romance for me, causing me to take away a star.

Spoilers ahead:
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Whyyyyy did Williams need to have Jake admit his love in a moment of violence/aggression when his love interest is a victim of previous (and ongoing) abuse?! Yes, he only hit the doorframe and door, but he still did it. Naya deserves better than violent outbursts. He was perfection personified, and then that scene ruined everything for me. So disappointed.

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onestephatatime's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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izzyf16's review against another edition

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emotional funny

5.0

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ki_stars's review against another edition

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3.0

It took me so long to finish this book and I think it was partially because it was not as light as I was hoping. I like my romance reads to be light and fluffy so this had much heavier elements than I was expecting. True, I did not read the synopsis on the back nor did I check the content warnings on here — I went it pretty blind, but still I do agree with others that it would have been nice if there was a content warning in the beginning of the book. Especially since there was a note in the back of the book about intimate partner violence, I feel like it would make sense to have something of the same nature in the front. I think the other reason that I was never that excited to pick this book up was I did not particularly enjoy any of the characters. I found them all to be varying levels of corny and/or annoying. I enjoyed Naya and Jake’s meet-cute but even the banter there was a struggle for me to get into.

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jasminum's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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wellreadmegs's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Denise Williams has done it again!

What I love about her books is her ability to talk about complex subjects in a serious manner but also still bring romance and love into the story. It makes the story feel more realistic and I can imagine make more people feel seen. This book deals with emotional and physical abuse while also tackling workplace politics that anyone in the corporate or otherwise world has to deal with.

I love Naya and Jake's banter and bad jokes. Nothing is more attractive than that. Jake always was incredible to her and sometimes I don't think a man like that exists. I thought the storyline moved in a realistic timeline and Davis' storyline gave me thriller vibes. We even got to see even a year into the future. I would love a check-in with Naya and Jake at some point.

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