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SYNOPSIS

Dr. Naya Turner loves her job as a professor teaching in the education department. In fact, it’s pretty much all she’s got going on in her life right now. But when the university president decides to “reevaluate” each school department, Naya knows her job may be on the chopping block. Feeling depressed, she turns to her good friend to help her feel more confident. Together, they decide to make a special to-do list that pushes Naya out of her comfort zone, not only to give her more confidence while her job is being “evaluated,” but also to help Naya get over her abusive ex-boyfriend and general fear of relationships.

What Naya doesn’t expect is to actually meet someone she likes. Jake is everything Naya could ask for and then some. But what was supposed to be a one-time fling, ends up turning into something more. Now Naya has to figure out what she wants out of the relationship—and more importantly, she has to decide if she’s ready to trust a man with her heart again.

MY THOUGHTS

How to Fail at Flirting turned out to be a lot more hard-hitting than I was expecting. The abuse of Naya’s previous relationship is very real and believable. And the consequences of that abuse are real, too. She’s haunted and diminished by what she went through, and the author does an excellent job of portraying Naya’s struggle to move beyond it. At the same time, the book never feels oppressive or depressing. I stayed hopeful for Naya and optimistic about her relationship with Jake, despite its ups and downs. Even the ending, which I loved, felt measured and honest. Overall, I loved this debut novel from author Denise Williams. She’s for sure on my radar now.

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC!