Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Fundamentals in Flirting by Lucy Chalice is a spicy, trope-filled delight that brings plenty of laughs, swoons, and steamy moments to the table. Packed with all the elements of a quintessential rom-com and set against the charming backdrop of small-town life, this book delivers exactly what it promises: a fun, flirtatious romance with a guaranteed happily-ever-after.

Dr. Hannah Havens is a refreshingly prickly protagonist. Her no-nonsense attitude and hedgehog-like defenses make her a grumpy heroine you can’t help but root for. Watching her navigate her return to her hometown—complete with awkward reunions and a not-so-welcome blast from her past—is both entertaining and endearing. Enter Teddy Fraser: the epitome of sunshine, a charismatic flirt who’s everything Hannah doesn’t want but secretly can’t resist. His relentless charm and easygoing nature set the perfect stage for their opposites-attract dynamic.

The chemistry between Hannah and Teddy is off the charts. Their banter is sharp and witty, with just enough tension to make you grin while you root for them to drop their defenses and give in to their obvious connection. The forced proximity trope—brought on by a series of town events and Teddy’s uncanny ability to be wherever Hannah is—only adds to the fun, creating plenty of opportunities for sparks to fly. And when they do? Let’s just say the spice level is appropriately rated 🌶️🌶️🌶️.

Favorite moments? There are so many! The scene where Hannah grudgingly accepts Teddy’s help during a town festival is both hilarious and heartwarming, perfectly balancing their grumpy-sunshine dynamic. And Teddy’s “he falls first” energy? Absolute gold. Watching him subtly (and sometimes not-so-subtly) pine for Hannah while she stubbornly insists she doesn’t need anyone is pure rom-com bliss. One standout moment involves Teddy going out of his way to help Hannah improve her people skills—an endeavor that’s both comedic and unexpectedly sweet.

The small-town setting adds an extra layer of charm, with nosy neighbors, quirky traditions, and a sense of community that makes the story feel cozy despite the characters’ fiery personalities. The supporting cast is equally delightful, particularly Hannah’s boss, who nudges her toward self-improvement, and the well-meaning townsfolk who keep throwing Teddy and Hannah together.

If there’s one critique, it’s that the story occasionally leans a bit heavily on familiar tropes. While they’re executed well, there aren’t many surprises in the plot, and some of the conflicts—like Hannah’s resistance to love—feel a touch predictable. However, the strong character dynamics and witty writing more than make up for these minor shortcomings.

Final verdict? Fundamentals in Flirting is a spicy, heartfelt, and thoroughly enjoyable rom-com that hits all the right notes. With its lovable characters, sizzling romance, and feel-good small-town vibes, this book is perfect for fans of grumpy-sunshine pairings and swoon-worthy HEAs. Lucy Chalice has created a fun, flirty read that’s as comforting as it is steamy—and I’m here for it!

This was a fun book to read the first by this author. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the characters and the overall story I cant wait to read another book by this author. Thank you so much for letting me read this book.

It was fine, but I was really annoyed a lot of the time. I completely relate to Hannah, but god. I don't understand why she was even mad at him towards the end!?!?!?

I loved the grumpy / sunshine trope of the Fundamentals in Flirting. It was so nice having a grumpy FMC and a sunshine MMC and I thought the two characters worked really well together! Hannah and Teddy had really cute banter and I loved how they had their ties from childhood and were getting to know one another in the present day. Their lack of communication grated on me a little bit towards the end of the book and I think their break up could have been done a bit better but I know that's the same with a lot of romance books! This was a really quick and easy read and I really enjoyed every minute of it!

Thank you NetGalley :)

A really charming flip of the grumpy/sunshine romance. Hannah and Teddy are good foils to one another with the easy banter of childhood acquiantances (and crushes), but still learning about one another as they have grown. This was a quick read and I really enjoyed everything about it. The only thing that irritated me was the 3rd act breakup. I know it's necessary, but this was just so ridiculous. Heavy on the miscommunication and a much easier fix with a simple conversation, but that's not how romance books work. Haha.

Overall, definitely recommend and can't wait to see more from Lucy Chalice.

Prepare to fall head over heels for this hilarious and heartwarming grumpy-sunshine romcom! Perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey, this story is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Dr Hannah Havens is everything you could want in a heroine—successful, independent, and as prickly as a hedgehog in a blackberry bush. The last thing she needs when she returns to her small hometown is to run into Teddy Fraser, the annoyingly gorgeous guy she once had a brief fling with. Teddy is the epitome of a charming ladies' man, the biggest flirt she’s ever met, and someone she’d prefer to avoid.

But, despite her best efforts to keep him at arm’s length, Teddy keeps popping up in her life. Hannah’s patience with his relentlessly cheery personality starts to wear thin, especially when her boss insists she improves her people skills. And who better to help her practise patience than the one person who knows how to get under her skin?

With his affable, charismatic nature, it seems like Hannah can’t avoid Teddy’s charm forever. The slow burn between these two is an absolute delight, and watching Hannah’s walls come down is both hilarious and heartwarming.

This book is a perfect balance of spicy and sweet, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and sizzling chemistry between the characters. The small-town setting and forced proximity add even more fun to the dynamic, and I couldn't help but root for these two from start to finish. If you're in the mood for an uplifting, feel-good romance, this is one to pick up!

This was a cute grumpy sunshine romance. Teddy and Hannah had great chemistry and I loved the Teddy was the sunshine to Hannah's grumpy. I enjoyed the connection with Hot Henry Effect.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Tropes:
🐐 Grumpy x Sunshine
🐐 Small Town
🐐 He Falls First
🐐 Forced Proximity

I’ve never met a grumpy x sunshine I haven’t loved and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Teddy? the perfect golden retriever to Hannah’s black cat and I adored them so much. I particularly liked Teddy being vulnerable with Hannah about his inner turmoil of not feeling good enough compared to his twin, it contrasted nicely against Hannah’s outward struggle of connecting with people without being a prickly hedgehog.

Star of the show? Aphrodite the cat ( you cannot change my mind)

Big thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC it kept me awake until 1am and It was worth it.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

This was a reverse sunshine grump. A really quick read, a bit too much veterinarian lingo for me. The hero had golden retriever energy and he was so fun to read about.

I enjoyed this quick romance. It was the second in a series (I think) but I didn’t read the first one and I followed along with this one with no issues!

3.5 stars

Great novel which is a follow on from the Hot Henry Effect - you don't need to read it but it helps with building your character knowledge. I thought it was a great story, likeable characters, especially Teddy. Although it took me a while to warm to Hannah, the chemistry was undeniable between them both. Beautifully written & looking forward to the next installment. Thanks to Net galley for the advanced copy

The Fundamentals in Flirting was such a charming, easy read with a slow-burn romance and lovable side characters.
The pacing was perfect, and I was hooked from the start, finishing it in a day! While the slow burn and moments of miscommunication might not be for everyone, I loved how these flaws added depth and brought some great angst to the story.
Ted and Hannah ―Their banter was adorable, and their personalities felt so real—flawed yet lovable. Watching them grow and find each other was a joy, even if their insecurities overshadowed the humor a bit toward the end.
Overall, a delightful read that I’d highly recommend!

There were plenty of things to like about this book which kept me going until about 75%, but at that point I just had no interest in picking it up again so I put it down.

Lovely premise, great setting in the countryside, loved the animal representation and Teddy seemed rather nice mostly, although he was always getting into weird situations like being scared of a goat. Just made him seem a bit useless, like he always needed saving and that wasn't sexy to me.

My biggest issues were that I just didn't really like the characters. I struggled to enjoy being in Hannah's head. She had a lot of issues that felt a bit OTT. The fact that her teenage trauma was from freckles just felt like a major missed opportunity for some plus sized, disability or other kind of rep to be at the crux of the bullying. Maybe something a bit more relatable or at least justifiable. It read like she had some kind of deformity at the start, then we find out she's just got freckles. Weird take for me as someone with freckles.

I didn't feel the chemistry between the main characters, there was miscommunication for the sake of it - e.g, when Hannah feels "rejected" but it's only because Teddy didn't want to sleep with her when she was drunk, which he explained.

Definitely read more like a new adult romance, if Hannah had been at uni dealing with these issues, trying to find herself it would have felt more realistic than her being in her 30s and still being hung up on her freckles.

Wasn't for me, but others seemed to have enjoyed this. I'd maybe recommend to new adults.

This book is seriously the cutest!

Hannah is not a people person. She also has trouble with having low self-esteem. But when she walks in on her boyfriend, she finds a bit of her inner strength and drops him on the spot. Since he was also her mentor, she lost her spot as a researcher and her relationship all in one go.

Since then she has moved on, and back home, and works as a veterinarian in a small clinic. There is where her lack of people skills comes to bite her in the ass. :)

After running into her old classmate and a crush, she decides to make him help her. They have a scorching hot chemistry from the get-go, but their issues are keeping them apart.

The story can be a bit frustrating at parts because you just want them to be happy, but the ending makes up for it. :) It's cute and full of swoon-worthy moments.

It's a slow-burn, sunshine/grump romance set in a small town, that you can't help but love. :)

A cute STEM romcom for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Sarah Adams. Hannah an intelligent and more than sarcastic vet gets a second chance with romance when high school crush and perfect boy next door Teddy becomes her new neighbour. Throw in a goat, a rogue cat and you have a cats of characters that will keep you turning the pages to make sure these two get their happily ever after.

This just didn’t land with me. On paper, it sounded great. I love a STEM rom com and I adore grumpy/sunshine. But this really fell flat. My favorite characters were the blind goat and the dog with anxiety. Everyone else was not particularly likable and felt very one dimensional - my exact complaint from the first book that I hoped would be remedied by a second. The story itself was a very easy read, which I appreciated. But the back and forth dragged on too long and so the end felt rushed. The spice was decently written but minimal and confined to the last 25% of the book. Overall I can see this being a book that a few people would enjoy a great deal, I am simply not one of those people.

Thank you @Harpercollins and @NetGalley for the ARC. I loved the banter in this book between Hannah and Teddy. This is a reverse grumpy sunshine. Hannah wants nothing to do with her Senior kiss Teddy, when she returns home. Hannah bedside manner in the Vet hospital is something that needs work and Teddy says he can give her lessons to be more personable. These lesson become flirting sessions instead. Wonderful.

Fundamentals in Flirting by Lucy Chalice
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶


I received this ARC from @netgalley

This was cute but not enthralling. My biggest complaint is that the FMC, Hannah, has all these hang-ups about how unattractive she is and how relentlessly she was bullied in school for her looks. From the way it's described and her ongoing self-esteem issues, you would think she was deformed... she has freckles. FRECKLES! Like she can't even look at herself in the mirror and literally hides behind her hair because of them.

The part I did like was the way Hannah was oblivious to Teddy's feelings for her. The whole book is from her perspective, and it's crazy all the ways she either missed or misconstrued all the ways she showed her and told her that he was into her. I also really enjoyed Hannah's prickly personality- mainly because it's just like mine 🤣

Overall a mostly cute story, minimal spice, rom com book that was a very quick read.

The constant mentioning of how hot the MC was without any actual character building killed this book for me. A cute premise and a very catching cover do not save this one.

I received “The Fundamentals in Flirting” as a NetGalley arc and I was a bit disappointed. Compared to the authors first book (“The Hot Henry Effect”), this one did not leave me giddy or excited about the romcom. I had a perpetual frown on my face for most of the read. Why do we make these intelligent woman so dumb? Don’t get me wrong being bullied for your appearance can definitely leave you wounded, but the “will they won’t they,” constant misunderstanding when MMC IS being incredibly direct was boring and honestly a bit annoying. Not to mention, I felt like there were too many antagonists in this story with very little substance. Hannah’s mom and dad, her ex, her high school bully. Too many cooks in the kitchen , ya know. Combined or separately they make sense as to why Hannah ended up the way she did, but it just felt repetitive. It was as if most of the trauma of having bullies for parents and a bully at school was glossed over, or not as profound as the author would have liked. Overall, not my cup of tea.

Cute second chance romance. Hannah is such a good grump and Teddy is such a charming sunshine. Together they are stuck in a will they won’t they caused by their insecurities. I enjoyed seeing the characters from the first book. Funny and full of sweet moments and good character growth.