Flirting Lessons
Romance LGBTQ+
Berkley (April 8, 2025)
A captivating and sizzling new queer romance by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory.
Avery Jensen is almost thirty, fresh off a breakup, and she’s tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially women), flirt with everyone she sees, wear something not from the business casual section of her closet—all the fun stuff normal people do in their twenties. One problem: Avery doesn't know where to start. She doesn't have a lot of dating experience, with men or women, and despite being self-assured at work, she doesn't have a lot of confidence when it comes to romance.
Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley's biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker. Taylor just broke up with her most recent girlfriend, and her best friend bet her that she can't make it until Labor Day without sleeping with someone. (Two whole months? Without sex? Taylor?!?!) So, she offers to give Avery flirting lessons. It should keep her busy and stop her from texting people she shouldn't. And it might take her mind off how inadequate she feels compared to her friends, who all seem much more settled and adult than Taylor.
At first, Avery is stiff and nervous, but Taylor is patient and encouraging, and soon, Avery looks forward to their weekly lessons. With Taylor’s help, Avery finally has the life she always wanted. The only issue is: now she wants Taylor. Their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, despite them both insisting to themselves and everyone else that it isn't serious. When Taylor is forced to confront her feelings for Avery, she doesn't know what to do—and most importantly, if she's already ruined the best thing she's ever had.
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory was a light-hearted, friends-to-lovers romance.
Avery is a structured woman who knows how to have fun when it’s organized, and planned well in advance. Whereas Taylor is more of a live-in-the-moment type of woman when it comes to her social and dating life. This made for a sweet opposites attract story between friends that slowly realize its their differences that make them a solid match.
Taylor agrees to mentor Avery through her launch into the queer social scene. Having been in a long and unfulfilling relationship with a man, Avery shyly admits to Taylor that she is interested in dating women but has zero experience to lean on. Taylor is known in Napa for being the non-commitment type, and a magnet for attractive women. Taylor liked Avery enough as an acquaintance to help her gain confidence in her own skin, and feel at ease talking to people outside of her normal comfort zone.
I appreciated that none of the “flirting lessons” felt like a cheesy rom-com.
This wasn’t a story of an ugly nerd suddenly changing her wardrobe, wearing makeup, and now she’s worthy of a second look. Avery was already a beautiful and successful woman. What she gained was a friend that saw her for her true worth right away, and only helped Avery to believe in herself. She never changed clothes, she just paired things a little more adventurously. Her appearance wasn’t what needed work. Taylor took her to events and nights out where Avery could just explore talking to new people, and reach out of her comfort zone in conversations.
Taylor didn’t try to change Avery, she helped set her free.
While Avery learned to love herself, and not shy away from her true desires, she and Taylor together learned how much they liked each other. More than friends. There was a refreshing feel to their conversations as they practiced being refreshingly honest, even in the most uncomfortable conversations. There were several times when Avery was nervous or embarrassed, but she exhaled a breath and was honest with Taylor anyway. It allowed for a minimal-drama love story between them, and I found myself hooked into the beauty of it all.
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory is available now!
Kristin lives in the PNW with her husband, and three kids. She loves to read YA fiction, fantasy, and romance. She enjoys a few side-hustles, including creating bookreels/booktoks for authors. The only shows she watches are re-runs, and if she’s not reading a book, she’s listening to one.
