Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

368 reviews

jane_moriarty's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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onefineelephant's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

10/10. This may be the best book I've ever read. It was beautifully written and some of the lines in this book made me feel so deeply. As a person with chronic pain and personality very similar to Chloe (with a strong dash of abandonment trauma), I resonated so incredibly deeply with Chloe. Also, the caring, redheaded man who unabashedly worships his girl could not have been more my type unless he was also given glasses. Red swept me off my feet the same way he did Chloe and if he were a real person, I would fight tooth and nail to make him mine. However, considering he's fictional, I would have to say that he and Chloe are a perfect match. I loved the back and forth 3rd person POV shift between focusing on both Chloe and Red's inner lives. Also, the spicy scenes definitely made me feel many feelings but so did the flirting scenes. This book is now tied for my favorite romance. I will never stop thinking about this book and especially my number 1 book boyfriend, Redford Morgan. 

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sophieamreacher's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5/5 rounded up. 
Fun romance with disability rep and emotional accountability but I felt like they fell in love so quickly that it was a little unrealistic. 

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mrsmishler's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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ashlikes's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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cozyreader9752's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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albasapri's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

It's just what I needed to read when I needed to read it. It feels sad that I have to say suspend your disbelief as the MC's love interest feels so clearly written by a woman for those who, traditionally, have been brought up to be women. But it scratched an itch I didn't know was there and hey, you can enjoy the ride nonetheless and maybe hope that you'll find at least a fraction of this in someone. Isn't that what romance books are in the end? Just romantic love stories blown up out of (epically) proportion...?  

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belladonnashrike's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

okay, I liked this way more than I thought I would. chloe and red are perfect for each other. I love love!!!

I didn’t know chloe had fibromyalgia (twin!) when I downloaded the book, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually some good chronic illness representation. i’m assuming hibbert isn’t disabled or has a chronic illness from her note at the beginning, so i’m happy she wrote about this topic with a lot of grace and respect. chloe has a personality outside of her illness and she doesn’t wallow every day and she doesn’t hate her life, like a lot of disabled characters in media seem to do. she has good days and bad days, and she’s still a person outside of her illness; she’s not one-dimensional. and red doesn’t coddle or baby her either — if she needs help, he assists, but it’s not because he views her as inept. he respects and loves her and treats her like a person (and his love language seems to be acts of service anyway, so fibro or not, he would be behaving the same way). it was really nice to read about a character with an almost spot-on situation to mine be treated with so much love and care from her significant other and not be treated like a burden. 

i’ve actually never read a book that treated a chronically ill character in such a way so I am just over the moon right now, she did a wonderful job. 

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bzliz's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Chloe Brown has a near death experience and realizes she needs to “get a life” after too long of insulating herself from hurt after being abandoned by friends and a fiancé due to her chronic illness. Red is her building’s handyman and they Do Not get along, thanks to how tongue tied and blurty she gets around him. Of course, he recognizes her type of family wealth due to a previous abusive relationship and initially tries not to get sucked in by Chloe’s beauty. That doesn’t last long and they learn to grow together despite their fears. 

The pacing is perfect and I knew this was going to be something special right away. I’m absolutely thrilled to find a main character with a chronic illness that doesn’t spend the whole book consumed with woes about it. Chloe has her good days and her bad days and either way she still has a personality. Similarly, Red is supportive and thoughtful without infantilizing Chloe or sexualizing her disability, and he also has a personality outside of her, plus his own issues that he’s dealing with. It’s refreshing to see a diverse cast that feel like real people and doesn’t seem to be ticking off boxes for representation. The spice was also excellent without feeling overly vulgar which is a serious achievement. 

Mind the trigger warnings!
Abandonment: off page
Chloe discusses (both out loud and in her thoughts) how once her chronic illness manifested, she lost her friends and was left by her fiancé

Car accident: on page
story starts here- a drunk driver nearly hits Chloe and runs into a building, prompting her to want to change her life to be less closed-off. An EMT expresses to Chloe that the driver will be okay.

Chronic illness: on page
Chloe has fibromyalgia and experiences chronic fatigue, headaches, etc.

Panic attacks/disorder: on page
After a misunderstanding near the end of the book, Red experiences feelings of panic that lead to him running away. Might not technically be a panic attack but it’s worth mentioning

Sexual content: on page
includes descriptions of arousal, semi-public fingering, and penetrative sex

Toxic relationship, emotional abuse, gaslighting, physical abuse: off page
Red’s previous relationship was toxic and abusive. He describes to Chloe how his former partner would gaslight and emotionally manipulate him into believing he was the one who had done something wrong whenever he was upset and how sometimes their altercations got physical, including a time she stabbed his hand with a fork

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kellyloubishop's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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