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lesbegays's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Physical abuse, Ableism, Medical trauma, Racism, and Drug use
One half of the couple deals with trauma from a past abusive relationship. there is a small amount of discussion of the abuse experienced, and a relatively large focus on the effects the abuse has had on his life. The drug use is in regards to prescription painkillers, used as directed, to treat chronic pain.anna_wa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Before this review starts, I will make it clear that I usually only read Young Adult books and therefore you can take my review with a grain of salt. It's possible everything I say will just make you want to read it more, in which case, more power to you and I hope you like it.
I read this series in reverse: I read "Act Your Age Eve Brown" first because it featured an autistic couple, which is something we don't see enough in literature, then when I found out "Take A Hint Dani Brown" was about a bisexual woman I read that too, and throughout both of them Chloe was my favorite side character, so I was excited when I finally got her book in my hands.
And I did enjoy reading about Chloe, and Redford as well. In fact I enjoyed reading about them as individual people so much, that the romance fell flat for me. I remember reading someone else saying that "Act Your Age Eve Brown" had the most sex out of the entire series? Nah man, that award goes to this one.
From the beginning of their relationship (or even before the beginning, really), Chloe and Redford are so lustful for each other that, to me, it was almost ridiculous. Now, I get it, you know what a person looks like long before you know anything about them as a person, but come on. The amount of boners Redford got, the amount of clit-boners(?) that Chloe got when they hadn't even talked to each other in a positive way was just ridiculous and, for me, a bit unbelievable.
For example, in the other two books, Talia Hibbert makes the readers wait until the book is half over before the two of them do the dirty. But in this book, on page 83 out of 369, we have Redfordwaking up from a wet dream and masturbating over a Chloe fantasy in his head . It was way too much too soon, especially after the pace I felt Hibbert had set with the other two books - that you learn who they are, and what they mean to each other, before any clothes are removed.
And even after they finally started developing romantic (not just sexual) feelings for each other, I found myself thinking "okay, but like, are they even friends?" multiple times. There are exceptions for sure. The motorcycle scene and the camping scene both tugged at my heartstrings and made me want more of THAT and less of... whatever the rest of their relationship was. But overall, like I said, the relationship felt flat.
I guess I wanted more of them being themselves. Like, I wanted to learn more over time about Red's ex-girlfriend, about Chloe's ex-man and ex-friends, about Chloe grappling with her fibromyalgia (I don't need the author to make her into an inspiration icon or anything like that, but just... honesty about how it made her feel, more than just one quote in the entire book), about Red grappling with his depression(maybe we could have SEEN rather than been TOLD about his therapy sessions) .
In other words, I feel like this book would have benefitted from being a general adult contemporary book instead of a romance book. If the romance had been a sidebar to Chloe's list and Redford's journey in his mental health and art. If there had been more friendship and less lust to this relationship (doesn't mean no lust at all, because they are only human, but again, a sidebar to their respective journeys).
I don't regret reading this, though, and I would like to thank Talia Hibbert for taking me outside my comfort zone - and for making a book where a disabled woman is considered sexually attractive. Because despite my personal feelings that the lust was overdone, there are not enough books where disabled bodies are considered sexually attractive, and we need more in the world. ♥
I read this series in reverse: I read "Act Your Age Eve Brown" first because it featured an autistic couple, which is something we don't see enough in literature, then when I found out "Take A Hint Dani Brown" was about a bisexual woman I read that too, and throughout both of them Chloe was my favorite side character, so I was excited when I finally got her book in my hands.
And I did enjoy reading about Chloe, and Redford as well. In fact I enjoyed reading about them as individual people so much, that the romance fell flat for me. I remember reading someone else saying that "Act Your Age Eve Brown" had the most sex out of the entire series? Nah man, that award goes to this one.
From the beginning of their relationship (or even before the beginning, really), Chloe and Redford are so lustful for each other that, to me, it was almost ridiculous. Now, I get it, you know what a person looks like long before you know anything about them as a person, but come on. The amount of boners Redford got, the amount of clit-boners(?) that Chloe got when they hadn't even talked to each other in a positive way was just ridiculous and, for me, a bit unbelievable.
For example, in the other two books, Talia Hibbert makes the readers wait until the book is half over before the two of them do the dirty. But in this book, on page 83 out of 369, we have Redford
And even after they finally started developing romantic (not just sexual) feelings for each other, I found myself thinking "okay, but like, are they even friends?" multiple times. There are exceptions for sure. The motorcycle scene and the camping scene both tugged at my heartstrings and made me want more of THAT and less of... whatever the rest of their relationship was. But overall, like I said, the relationship felt flat.
I guess I wanted more of them being themselves. Like, I wanted to learn more over time about Red's ex-girlfriend, about Chloe's ex-man and ex-friends, about Chloe grappling with her fibromyalgia (I don't need the author to make her into an inspiration icon or anything like that, but just... honesty about how it made her feel, more than just one quote in the entire book), about Red grappling with his depression
In other words, I feel like this book would have benefitted from being a general adult contemporary book instead of a romance book. If the romance had been a sidebar to Chloe's list and Redford's journey in his mental health and art. If there had been more friendship and less lust to this relationship (doesn't mean no lust at all, because they are only human, but again, a sidebar to their respective journeys).
I don't regret reading this, though, and I would like to thank Talia Hibbert for taking me outside my comfort zone - and for making a book where a disabled woman is considered sexually attractive. Because despite my personal feelings that the lust was overdone, there are not enough books where disabled bodies are considered sexually attractive, and we need more in the world. ♥
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Chronic illness
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Use of opioidsgreencalcite's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic relationship, Ableism, Car accident, Medical content, and Racism
ifranco's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Racism
onlyificanbringabook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost — but not quite — dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life” including; do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.
This book has my heart. I adored the story and the characters and pretty much everything about it. I’m not sure how I can write a coherent review when all I want to do is squeal about how much I love it!
Firstly, I love when a good book is set in Britain. I love books that are set anywhere really but there is just something really nice about being familiar with the settings within a story. I like when I’m familiar with dialects and some of the strange things that only British people seem to do.
One of the things I loved most about this book was the incredibly realistic representation of what it is like to live with fibromyalgia. To have a main character that you can relate to, who is living with chronic illness and who is an absolute badass, is amazing. It was so good to feel validated while reading and know that other people would be able to see how it is to live with chronic pain.
“I started feeling afraid of my own body, like it was a torture chamber I’d been trapped inside,” is the most beautiful and honest way to describe my battle that I could never find the words to express myself.
The character development in this book was fantastic. It was so refreshing to read a romance story that wasn’t about one character trying to fix the other but about both characters helping each other to see themselves differently in order for them to confront their own issues. Chloe and Red both have their own baggage and plenty of it. What is particularly beautiful in this story is how they both learn to love themselves on their journey to show their love to each other.
The way Red wants to care for Chloe is wonderful but what is even better is the way he understands and accepts that she can care for herself and just sees her illness as a part of her rather than something to be overcome. Chloe, likewise, sees Red’s difficulties and wants to help him to deal with them whilst also understanding that there are some things he needs to deal with for himself. I feel like this is a big part of what makes their relationship so relatable; neither of them is perfect, their relationship isn’t perfect and yet they both enable each other to be better, happier people.
The journey of their relationship and the hurdles they face, isn’t unique or novel, but I have never related so closely to or felt so strongly when reading a book that the characters needed to end up together. I want to read sequels about the trials and rewards of their entire lives together!
Talia Hibbert is a genius at her craft. The way Red and Chloe express their thoughts towards and love for each other is so clumsily beautiful that I sobbed, “awwed” and whimpered my way through the book. There were several times that something was said and I found myself thinking back to moments in my own life and realising that those were the words that I had been looking for in that situation.
This book is like a hug. It is warm and comforting, witty and sarcastic and blunt and honest in equal measure. It has instantly become a favourite that I know I will reread regularly in the future.
Side note;
If the story itself wasn’t incredible enough to make me love Talia Hibbert, she has included a content warning at the beginning of the book (something I haven’t seen an author do before) and has the best author bio I have ever read:
Talia Hibbert is a Black British author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate. She writes sexy, diverse romances because she believes that people of marginalised identities need honest and positive representation. Her interests include beauty, junk food and unnecessary sarcasm.
Could she be any more perfect? If there was any doubt, she has erased it by gifting us another two novels each featuring one of Chloe’s sisters as the protagonist. I can’t wait!
CW: chronic illness, emotional abuse, toxic relationship, physical abuse, mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, racism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
studiolindsay's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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
4.0
I normally don’t like the enemies-to-lovers trope, but this book is an exception. Chloe and Red are very communicative and mature, and help each other heal from past toxic relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Car accident, Physical abuse, and Racism
One HP referenceroseamillerg's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The writing style was fun and sarcastic which I LOVE but I really didn’t like Chloe and it took away from the experience. 😕🥴
Also, the bucket list thing felt cliche, unnecessary, and underdeveloped to me, which is odd considering it’s the whole plot..
Also, the bucket list thing felt cliche, unnecessary, and underdeveloped to me, which is odd considering it’s the whole plot..
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, and Terminal illness
Minor: Eating disorder and Pregnancy
thenovelmaura's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.0
I had really high expectations for this book and it didn't quite live up to them! For one thing, I didn't enjoy the audiobook version of this. The narrator sounded older than the characters and she used voices for Chloe and her sisters that made them seem even older... kind of a high-pitched old woman voice? So that wasn't really helping me with the chemistry aspects of the book. The beginning was also awkward for me; I didn't love the parts where Chloe and Red barely knew/disliked each other but were constantly objectifying the other person. This seems to be a staple of the romance genre at this point, but it's not really my cup of tea.
The second half really picked up for me and I did start rooting for these two! There were so many sweet moments in here, especially the ones concerning Chloe's disability. I don't want to speak at length on the chronic disability rep because I'm not a member of that community, but I did appreciate its inclusion and I know many people who felt seen by this book. As someone whose partner deals with anxiety, I thought this aspect of Red's character was also well done. Finally, the inevitable fallout and resolution were a little too quick for my taste, but I loved the epilogue. I've heard that this series gets better and better, so I do think I'll be visiting the other Brown sisters at some point in the future (just not on audio!).
The second half really picked up for me and I did start rooting for these two! There were so many sweet moments in here, especially the ones concerning Chloe's disability. I don't want to speak at length on the chronic disability rep because I'm not a member of that community, but I did appreciate its inclusion and I know many people who felt seen by this book. As someone whose partner deals with anxiety, I thought this aspect of Red's character was also well done. Finally, the inevitable fallout and resolution were a little too quick for my taste, but I loved the epilogue. I've heard that this series gets better and better, so I do think I'll be visiting the other Brown sisters at some point in the future (just not on audio!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Racism
gigireads's review against another edition
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
2.0
I need to read more romances to see if I just don't like romances, or if I just don't like this romance. I feel bad about the very low rating, because I know a ton of people love this book. I do have some romances on my list that I am going to try out, because it is a complete possibility that I simply do not like romances and Get a Life Chloe Brown is not at all at fault. The things I liked about this book were the diverse characters and experiences and how the characters had to learn how to be kind to one another, but they really wanted to be. In particular, I did enjoy the last 30 to 50 pages. But overall, I felt like this book was missing a plot? I know it had one, but I kept forgetting it throughout and just kind of found it...boring.
My deepest apologies to fans of the Brown Sister's, this poor review could totally be on me and not on the book.
My deepest apologies to fans of the Brown Sister's, this poor review could totally be on me and not on the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Racism
renkeeling's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
I really loved the first 90% of this book, but the last 10% was a huge let down for me. Overall, I would highly recommend this book I had an absolute blast reading it.
Read for the pixie hollow readathon.
Read for the pixie hollow readathon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Chronic illness
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Car accident and Racism
There's also fairly graphic sex scenes and this book deals with trauma. Along with that, Red's chapters have a lot of cussing in them.