Author: Denise Williams

Publication Date: December 1, 2020

Book Review

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams is the perfect mix of romantic comedy and serious issues.

Dr. Naya Turner is a professor worried her department will be cut at the university. Her friends make a to-do list to get her out of her comfort zone. She meets Jake at a bar and starts checking items off the list. They both start taking risks. Jake is just visiting Chicago, so Naya thinks he will be the perfect one night stand. The one night stand doesn’t turn out the way either of them planned. Will they develop a serious relationship? There’s still Naya’s job to consider. Will a relationship with Jake put her job at risk?

I loved How to Fail at Flirting. Naya and Jake are comfortable with each other from the beginning. They flirt all the time even though Naya thinks she fails at flirting. Naya and Jake both tell nerdy jokes and are always trying to make the other laugh. When they meet, Naya decides not to talk about anything serious like their jobs or where they live. Once they discover each other’s jobs, they realize the secret might not have been the best idea. Will their jobs break them apart?

Naya and Jake’s relationship starts as a cute romance, but serious issues are presented in How to Fail at Flirting. Naya’s last boyfriend was abusive. The abuse effects Naya’s ability to become close to Jake. Will Naya’s past break up her and Jake?

Domestic violence is an important issue that isn’t brought up in many books. I loved how Williams combined a cute rom com with the serious issue of domestic violence. She really emphasized the seriousness of everything Naya went through without the whole book being heavy.

How to Fail at Flirting deals with racism through Naya’s character. Naya deals with racist comments multiple times in the book. Williams discusses how Naya feels in these situations in a very genuine way.

The characters in How to Fail at Flirting are great. Naya is such a fun character to read about. The story is told from her perspective. The reader gets to see how self-assured she acts, but then sees all the insecurities she is thinking in her head. Jake is always looking out for Naya and trying to make her laugh. Both Naya and Jake have great friends that are overprotective of them.

The main setting for the story is Chicago. I grew up in Chicago so enjoyed reading about Naya and Jake visiting different places.

I recommend How to Fail at Flirting to fans of Jasmine Guillory. How to Fail at Flirting is a mix of The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory and It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover.

Thank you Edelweiss and Berkley/Penguin Publishing Group for How to Fail at Flirting.

Content Warning

For readers who want to prepare for potentially upsetting or triggering content, please be aware that How to Fail at Flirting contains the following content:

• The heroine experiences memories and on-page incidences of intimate partner violence (not involving the hero) that includes physical abuse, emotional abuse, gaslighting, digital harassment/revenge porn, and professional shaming.
• The heroine experiences brief but on-page racism.
• There is reference to a family member’s Alzheimer’s disease.

About the Author

Denise Williams wrote her first book in the 2nd grade. I Hate You and its sequel, I Still Hate You, featured a tough, funny heroine, a quirky hero, witty banter, and a dragon. Minus the dragons, these are still the books she likes to write. After penning those early works, she finished second grade and eventually earned a PhD. 
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A diversity trainer and co-creator of a women’s empowerment group, she is dedicated to developing flawed, multidimensional characters who struggle with those issues impacting real women. After growing up a military brat around the world and across the country, Denise now lives in Iowa with her husband, son, and two ornery shih-tzus who think they own the house.
Denise was a 2019 Romance Writers of America ® Golden Heart Finalist and How to Fail at Flirting is her debut novel.

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