Fundamentals in Flirting gave us the perfect cinnamon roll character in Teddy, absolutely loved his character. This cute, fun romance brought it all including a bit of spice. Hannah the main character was likeable but she could have done with liking herself a little more. I felt the characters were created well and they really brought this story. I loved reading Fundamentals in Flirting

This is a super cute rom com with some spice, its a slow burn romance and I was routing for them to get together. Teddy is a total cinnamon roll, and while I did like our main character Hannah I found myself shouting at her to love herself more. I think some people will get annoyed at her, but I believed she would be like that, bullying and unsupportive parents would do a real number on you. I finished this in one sitting, which just shows how engrossed I got in their story that I had to finish it. I do feel like communication would have resolved a lot of issues but I still really enjoyed this story.

Fundamentals in Flirting by Lucy Chalice delivers a fun twist on the grumpy-sunshine trope, with a prickly female lead and a charming love interest in a cozy small-town setting. Dr. Hannah Havens and Teddy Fraser have great chemistry, and their banter is a highlight of the book. The writing is solid, and I appreciated how their personalities played off each other in a way that felt natural rather than forced.

That said, the story takes a while to get going, and some early pacing issues made it tough to stay fully engaged. The third-act breakup felt unnecessary and frustrating—more like an obligatory romance trope than an organic conflict. While I enjoyed the dynamic between Hannah and Teddy, some of the side characters took up more space than needed, which sometimes distracted from the central romance.

Overall, this is a cute and charming read with strong character development, but the slow start and predictable breakup kept it from being a standout for me.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5 stars, rounded to 4)

Fifteen years after the one kiss Hannah and Teddy shared, they are both living back in their hometown where they crash (literally) into each other. As hot as ever, Teddy, quickly does as he can to get close to as-prickly-as-ever Hannah whose been burned by charming, handsome men enough not to trust him easily. Convinced he only wants one thing, and knowing her heart couldn't handle the goodbye, Hannah tries to bury the crush she quickly develops as Teddy actively woos her. And woo he does with a passion neither have felt before.

Hannah's low self esteem is understandable, and it was frustrating when Teddy couldn't understand her, but as soon as he learned how she was bullied in the past, he stood by her. They really are opposites who have to figure out how the other thinks so their relationship can work. It goes to show that mutual attraction and caring for someone (for years) is not enough for a relationship to function, but they got through it amidst the ups-and-downs. Yay for communication and time.

Overall, while a little angsty to notice how Teddy felt when Hannah didn't for SO LONG, I really liked both characters and their complexities. They were dichotomies inside themselves and it made the story more interesting, especially Hannah's development. While they cannot communicate, they learn about each other and a healthy love grows. Eventually, we get their happy ending, spikes and all.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Read for: the one-that-got-away, small town romance, opposites attract, he-falls-first, reverse grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, single POV, protective MMC, Black Cat x Golden Retriever, geeky FMC, "teach me how to people"

4 stars
2 spice

I'm not sure why Hannah is so prickly from the beginning - yes she was bullied at high school but she's then gone through university all the way up to a PhD level and then working in an academic research field, and she's still prickly and has no people skills. There was really no explanation except for the fact she was bullied at high school.

Then she reconnects with Teddy Fraser, whom she shared an amazing kiss with at 18, but for whatever reason she hates him too and never stops to find out why he wanted to kiss her that night.

They end up living next door to each other and he agrees to help her be a bit more personable towards her clients, now that she's no longer working in academia and is instead working in first opinion practice. She's received a few complaints about her bedside manner.

Teddy has been in love with her for years but she refuses to believe he might actually want something more than just sex, and instead of actually talking to him about it, she makes assumptions that hurt her and Teddy.

Her treasure hunt grand gesture was quite cute though.

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The length of time it took me to read this does not equal if I loved it. I’ve been in a slump and read a total of zero books last month - but I did start four!

This book carried on and I finished it and LOVED IT!
I love Teddy and his patience with Hannah. I saw a lot of me in Hannah too - insecurities, that cold front to protect themselves… it was nice to read about someone so similar.

I will say, I hate romantic gestures. I don’t know why, find them cheesy. Maybe it’s cuz I’ve never had one? Maybe. Maybe I’m jealous. But anyhoo… so it did make me cringe, but I think that fits with both Teddy & Hannah personalities too.

Love Henry & Clara popping back in too :)

This was a beautiful love story, between a vet and a guy she knew in high school, known for being a huge flirt. She teams up with him to learn how to be more polite and friendly to her clients, but slowly begins to fall for him. I loved The Hot Henry Effect and loved being able to read about Henry’s brother (with cameos from Henry and Clara!), and the miscommunication in this was delightfully frustrating and provided an excellent conflict. I would definitely recommend this to any fans of STEM romance, as well as book one!

I adored this book, it was just as wonderful as Lucy’s previous. The characters were endearing and I cannot wait to read more of her work!

This book was… fine. The romance was cute, and the plot was enjoyable, but some parts didn’t work for me.

Hannah, the main character, struggles with deep insecurities stemming from childhood bullying, specifically about her freckles. While insecurity is a valid and relatable theme, the fact that she’s this hung up on it (in her 30s) and that her childhood bully (also in her 30s) is still using it as an insult, just felt ridiculous.

Then there’s Ted, who spends the entire book making it extremely clear that he likes Hannah (directly and indirectly). And yet, she stubbornly refuses to believe it. The miscommunication trope is (unfortunately) very present in romance books, but here, it was repeated so often that it felt less like a misunderstanding and more like forced ignorance on Hannah’s part. Instead of adding tension, it made her seem immature and made the romance feel unnecessarily dragged out.

That being said, the book isn’t bad. It’s a light, easy read with some sweet moments, but it’s not one that stood out for me. If you like cute romance and don’t mind a lot of repeated misunderstandings, it might still be worth picking up.

A fun read with lots of fun elements! (You know I love when there's goats!) The thing that took it away from a five star read for me was the fact that it seemed a little bit too silly at times, and I wanted it to go a bit deeper into the characters and the relationship.

Lucy Chalice has done it again! This is her second book, and I’m already eagerly anticipating her next one. Her writing is just so addictive, and this book is the very definition of swoon-worthy. The banter? Absolute chef’s kiss.

Let’s talk about that pond scene—oh my goodness, perfection. 😍 The chemistry between Hannah and Teddy leaps off the page. They feel so real, with all their insecurities and their (frustratingly) impressive talent for miscommunication. More than once, I wanted to throw the book at them in exasperation, but isn’t that part of what makes it so good?

That said, there were moments where the story felt repetitive, and the constant missed connections dragged on a little longer than I’d have liked. The tension was great, but at times it overstayed its welcome. Still, it wasn’t enough to ruin the experience for me.

If you love heartfelt romance with banter that will make you smile and characters you’ll want to both hug and yell at, this one is for you!

Fundamentals in Flirting had me laughing and swooning through every page! Dr. Hannah Havens is not here to play games, she's independent, guarded and basically allergic to flirting. But in classic rom-com fashion, she’s paired with Teddy Fraser, a literal ray of sunshine who seems to thrive on getting under her skin. Their chemistry just works in a typical grumpyxsunshine style, and I loved seeing Hannah's attempts at staying grumpy crash up against Teddy's relentless charm. Plus, the forced proximity in a cozy small town brings so much tension and warmth that you can't help but root for them! Overall, this book nails the balance between humor, romance, and relatable characters. While some moments might feel a bit predictable if you’re a rom-com pro, the character chemistry makes up for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5*

It was cute and funny, but somehow I didn't really care about the characters at all. Maybe its just me?

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy in exchange of my honest review.

This book drew me in once it flashed to Hannah's life as an adult. It jumps right into the drama, and got me excited to see how Hannah rebuilds her life once she was done with her ex and began standing up for herself. I also loved her initial meeting with Fred. Right from the get go, he started getting under her skin in a good way and soon enough she couldn't stop thinking about him. I also loved the addition of Agnes and the goats!

I think this book could have used a few more lessons in flirting. It didn't seem like Ted actually taught her anything, just took her to one party and encouraged her to be nice. I also learned that I am probably prickly, as I didn't think Hannah was very rude in the way she talked to others. They both seemed to have held on a lot to things form high school that seem rather insignificant.

Overall, I definitely found myself wanting to know how the story finished!

This was really cute. Very Ali Hazelwood like with the nerdy vibes. A well done grumpy x sunshine, second chance sort of romance. I enjoyed the banter and I loved that he fell first. It was a fun read. I always enjoyed a good rom com and this just hit in all the right ways. I did find Hannah to be almost unlikable at times with the degree at which she was closed off but I liked that she developed and improved over the book so that really helped.

Overall a fun little read.

This was a cute cinnamon roll/grumpy sunshine romance! The FMC was blunt and I was here for it. The MMC was goofy and sweet. I didn't feel a huge connection between the two and found myself losing interest. The plot was adorable and I'm grateful to read the book.

This book completely surprised me—in the best way possible. I went into it expecting a lighthearted rom-com, but it turned out to be so much more: funny, heartfelt, and deeply relatable.

Hannah’s journey of breaking down her emotional walls resonated with me. Her independence and stubbornness felt so real—there were moments I wanted to shake her and moments I wanted to cheer her on. And then there’s Teddy, who’s not just the typical flirty love interest. He’s sweet, grounded, and has his own layers of vulnerability that make him completely swoon-worthy.

The small-town setting added an extra layer of charm to the book. The quirky side characters and their antics (especially involving the animals!) made everything feel alive and cozy, like stepping into a Hallmark movie with just the right amount of spice.
Chalice’s writing has that effortless flow that pulls you in and makes you root for the characters like they’re your own friends.

If you’re a fan of grumpy-sunshine romance or just need a feel-good, laugh-out-loud love story, this book will absolutely hit the spot.

I could not finish this. At the beginning, it seemed pretty cute. I loved that she was a vet and he was an architect, it was all leading in a nice direction, but then she just became more and more insufferable. She is in her mid 30s and still obsessed with the bullying she received by the hands of one mean girl specifically who made fun of her freckles. She is horribly insecure still to this day as a result. Ok, I understand that bullying can leave a lasting impact, but over freckles? And has she not had anyone compliment her on them or grown at all in her view of herself since then? She has made absolutely zero development in her self confidence since high school, it seems. As a result she is a “hedgehog” person, and nobody can get close to her because she’s rude AF to basically everyone. So the MMC is going to give her flirting lessons so she can learn to be nice/schmooze people and keep her job (patients keep complaining about her awful bedside manner). Except, Ted doesn’t actually give her any niceness lessons? Also she’s supposed to help him with his renovation to repay him for his flirting lessons, but that never really happens either? It’s just all a total cluster. The goats were my favorite part of the book. Life’s too short to read things you aren’t enjoying, so once it was clear this was not going to redeem itself, I stopped.

I really enjoyed seeing the characters progress in this story. The story was well paced and well written. I was hooked from the beginning and devoured it in just a few sittings.

Love love love! As a women in STEM this was all I needed and more. Perfect for lovers of Ali Hazelwood! I bought this for my friend for Christmas.