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Title: How to Fail at Flirting
Author: Denise Williams
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Content Warnings: domestic violence on the page (more details in plot summary, spoilers marked)
As I’ve mentioned over the past couple of reviews, I’ve been having a really hard time reading this month. I don’t know if pandemic exhaustion finally caught up to me or what, but I’ve been struggling big time to get through new books this month. I originally turned to How to Fail at Flirting because I wanted a rom com (which this is not, FYI). And I ended up completely falling in love with these characters and this very important story.
Naya has been living a secluded life since getting out of an abusive relationship a few years ago. When her best friend puts pressure on her to live a little, she starts to make a mental checklist of things she can to do to push herself out of her comfort zone. She and said friend are planning on meeting up for a drink, but a family emergency for her friend leaves Naya alone at a bar. Normally, she would just head home rather than drink alone, but thanks to her list, she decides to stick around. And she ends up meeting Jake. Jake is in town for a wedding, but he and Naya have immediate chemistry and they spend the night together drinking and flirting–until it goes comically, horribly wrong. But a sticky end to the evening doesn’t stop Jake from reaching out again the next day, and Naya figures since he’s only in town for a weekend, it’s okay to spend time with him. Nothing long term can come of their flirtation so Jake is a safe way to test her boundaries. After a sizzling few days together, neither Jake nor Naya wants to say goodbye, but it turns out their lives are going to intertwine in an unexpected way. I don’t want to say too much more because I was legit surprised at some of the plot twists in this book (rare in a romance!).
But I do want to expound on my content warning a bit, so skip this part if you don’t need the CW and don’t want spoilers. Naya’s abusive ex-boyfriend begins a consulting job at the university where Naya works, causing them to have run-ins on campus. He also sends Naya threatening texts, including one that threatens to release nude photos he has of her. Toward the end of the book, at a company retreat, the ex attacks Naya and they have a physical altercation. Obviously Naya comes out of the fight okay, but there is violence, hints of attempted rape, and clearly, emotional trauma.
Alright. I have FEELINGS about this book. So first and foremost, I instantly fell in love with Jake and Naya together. And I loved that they instantly fell for each other. These two are already hooking up very early on in the book, and honestly, I am here for that. I like that there wasn’t a lot of pining in the beginning (I mean, I also enjoy a good pine, don’t get me wrong), they both like each other and they go for it. Their chemistry is off the charts and the book as a whole is super hot. I also liked that when Jake had to go back home, they had to figure out how to do a long distance relationship. I feel like that’s a super relatable issue and it was cool to see it handled in a romance. Overall, Jake and Naya felt like real people with real problems, and I loved seeing their relationship grow and progress over the course of the book.
Probably the main thing I appreciate about this book is the way Denise handles to domestic violence. I have read a lot of books lately that deal with domestic violence and/or sexual assault and honestly, a lot of them feel icky. The way the issue is addressed and presented in the book here felt totally real to me. Which means a lot of it was really upsetting. But because it was grounded in reality, it didn’t feel exploitative at all. It’s obviously not a super enjoyable topic to read about, but I found Naya’s story to be so relatable and sensitively written. It’s a real standout for me in terms of romance books handling the tough topics. And my babbling about it doesn’t really do it justice, honestly. This book is gorgeous and I can’t recommend it enough.
Overall Rating: 5 stars
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