Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - How to Fail at Flirting

TW: this book deals heavily with the aftermath of intimate partner violence, domestic abuse, blackmail (revenge porn), workplace sexual harassment, and attempted sexual assault. All of these issues are handled with tact and care and the book is focused on healing and moving forward.

my interest in sex had been non-existent for a long time. After my last relationship, I'd felt disconnected from my body, and I didn't trust anything that felt good. (12)

If men didn't see me, they couldn't hurt me. (22)

Naya and Jake are awesome together. Their combined nerdiness, the cheesy jokes, and the pure joy of their relationship were a delight to read. Naya is undeniably fragile and healing from start to finish of this book, but I appreciate that at no point did that diminish her capacity for joy and how much and if she chose to express it.

A unique aspect of this romance was how the characters chose to embark on a long-distance relationship. I think this is the first romance I've read where the couple needs at least one flight to see each other regularly. I've never been in a long-distance relationship so I can't say for certain how realistic the depiction of the relationship is, but all of the milestones in Naya and Jake's relationship felt extremely realistic to me.

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solacelight's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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xeniba's review

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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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kb_sherman's review against another edition

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As someone in academia, I’m increasingly uninterested in books that explore or transgress workplace boundaries.

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kaseybereading's review

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challenging 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

5.0

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