A review by just_one_more_paige
How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 
This was a vacation romance read book choice (the final one I ended up getting to on this particular trip). It has been on my TBR list for awhile and this seemed like the perfect chance to finally pick it up. Also, the colors on the cover feel very tropical, to me, so the vibe just felt right.  
 
Naya, who has spent the last few years focused in exclusive detail on her career, has just found out that her department (education) at the university where she has *almost* made tenure is potentially on the chopping block. In an attempt to help her forget about it for a little bit, her friends challenge her to a different kind of task: getting out into the world and trying some new things. When she meets a nerdy, charming, handsome out-of-town visitor, she realizes he could really help her check a few things off her list (like a no-strings-attached hookup). However, their connection quickly proves to have deeper potential, as Jake helps Naya refind confidence in herself (after it was destroyed by a previous partner in an abusive relationship). When Jake and Naya finally get around to talking about their "real" lives though, Naya finds out that this new relationship could really mess with her career, and she'll have to decide if it's worth fighting for or if she should leave it behind and refocus all her energy back on her professional life. 
 
I'll be honest, this was a much more intense romance than I was necessarily prepared for. I know the blurb mentions a past abusive relationship, but for some reason I assumed this would stay a lighter contemporary and, while that would be mentioned, the focus would be elsewhere. However, Naya's past relationship, both the person himself as well as the un-dealt-with effects on her psyche and comfort level with deep connection, played prominently throughout. While the second piece of that, the long-lasting psychological trauma, is something that really makes sense as a central theme, the first part, where her ex is physically and emotionally still present in parts of her life (against her will and, by the end, violently) was a surprise, and terrifying. I would like to include some very full-throated content warnings for other readers on this topic. By the end, there were a few pages where this book even spilled over into what felt like a thriller, versus a romance, so just heads up. Though, I do have to say that I appreciated the way Williams portrays that kind of toxic past relationship and how it really does affect survivors in so many ways; it's upsetting and tragic, but real in how difficult to move past it and rebuild can be.  Also, if I'm listing things to be aware of here, I do want to add that there is a not-insignificant amount of language about dry spells and revirginizing and friend zone-ing and “late blooming” that just...wasn't my favorite, as far as talking about sexuality in a healthy and inclusive way. Just my two cents. 
 
That being said, the majority of the novel really does revolve around Naya and Jake and their budding relationship in a very sweet way. (It really does. It's just that the parts that didn't were super intense, so they felt bigger. Anyways...)  First, I was living for the dialogue. Maybe it was cheesy at times (as in, there were lots of cheese puns), but I have a partner who loves puns, so my love-hate relationship with them IRL made reading this super fun. Plus, I do love fun and laughter in a relationship and this has it in spades. I was a bit apprehensive at the start about Naya's "getting her confidence back" interactions with Jake, as it seemed to start more as getting it back because another guy told her it was ok, versus on her own terms/for herself. However, I am happy to report that, by the end, she has worked past needing that external validation! Which is great, because I really was into Jake and Naya together, I really bought into them as a couple, and I would have struggled to fully support their happily ever after if they hadn't been able to get there based in truth and trust and healthy partnership of two people strong individually and together. That being said, I happy to read how Naya got to that point as well, taking time off the relationship to figure herself out first (seeing a therapist...I am always on board for good mental health treatment rep in books - see The Charm Offensive as another example of this), before committing to coming back to the relationship in a more open and available state, so she and Jake could move forwards healthily together. It's just more mature, and an important lesson and great visibility. Anyways, I also liked that Jake and Naya developed over time, together and long distance, because while I don't hate instalove stories, this allows for what feels like more genuine growth and creation of a strong base to move forwards from. (That ended up being quite important, because the job entanglement issue is one that needed some mature handling. And speaking of jobs, I thought Naya's mathematical education games for ESL learners was so cool!) And then their story closed with such a perfect adorable ending that fit perfectly with the nerdy-sweet relationship Jake and Naya had cultivated, as well as the maturity that came from their past relationships and lessons learned/growth from those. 
 
While a different overall vibe that I had anticipated from this contemporary romance, I felt like on that whole the issues presented that made it so much heavier were well handled. And while the descriptive language could use some inclusivity work, and the steamy scenes were just fine (nothing fireworks-great but nothing cringy-bad), the interactional/dialogue pieces (amongst all the characters) were phenomenal. And it ended with the warm fuzzies that one wants from a romance. I'll definitely be checking out future releases from Williams. 
 
“Okay, ovary up. Fallopian forward. Vulva with a vengeance.” 
 
“People are imperfect, so relationships will always have flaws.” 
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