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midnightbelles's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
I loved this book. I loved Eve. I loved Jacob. I loved how it ended. I love this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Classism, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
relin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
It was so lovely to read how they clicked and fell in love! It was a lot of fun, and had some of the hottest sex scenes in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Ableism, and Medical content
Moderate: Child abuse and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death and Toxic relationship
Explores family relationships and other relationships. Family is held accountable for their behavior and the child abuse refers to neglect and abandonment (talked about in past tense).bexi's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
Eve is the best Brown sister, but
Zafir is the best love interest, but
Get a Life, Chloe Brown is the best book in the trilogy.
I won't accept any discourse on the matter. đ¤ˇââď¸
Zafir is the best love interest, but
Get a Life, Chloe Brown is the best book in the trilogy.
I won't accept any discourse on the matter. đ¤ˇââď¸
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Racism, and Toxic friendship
saturnpersonified's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Classism, Ableism, and Abandonment
linesiunderline's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Just delightful. Iâve met all the Brown sisters and itâs no easy decision to choose a favourite, so Iâm not going to! However, I think perhaps this book is my favourite of the three in this series.
Loved:
⢠the cute B&B setting
⢠the đĽ connection between Eve and Jacob
⢠the nuanced exploration of how hard it can be to understand, accept, and love all parts of yourself
⢠all of the witty quips a girl could wish for
⢠perfect balance of tenderness and humour
If there were 5 more Brown sisters I wouldnât be mad about it. A favourite of the year for sure!
Loved:
⢠the cute B&B setting
⢠the đĽ connection between Eve and Jacob
⢠the nuanced exploration of how hard it can be to understand, accept, and love all parts of yourself
⢠all of the witty quips a girl could wish for
⢠perfect balance of tenderness and humour
If there were 5 more Brown sisters I wouldnât be mad about it. A favourite of the year for sure!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Car accident, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Ableism, and Alcohol
eligru's review
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book made me laugh out loud so many times xD
Itâs such a worthy end to the Brown sistersâ trilogy! Probs my favourite of the 3.
I kinda wish there was another sister (or brother!), and hence another book, because Iâve really grown to love these characters :) They are all so relatable! I feel like I am a mix of Dani and Eve with some Chloe moments sprinkled on top. Canât wait to see what Talia Hibbert comes up next.
Itâs such a worthy end to the Brown sistersâ trilogy! Probs my favourite of the 3.
I kinda wish there was another sister (or brother!), and hence another book, because Iâve really grown to love these characters :) They are all so relatable! I feel like I am a mix of Dani and Eve with some Chloe moments sprinkled on top. Canât wait to see what Talia Hibbert comes up next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Toxic friendship and Medical content
ashleighsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
this is my fav book out of the brown sisters trilogy. eve and jacob are so relatable and funny and real and i was rooting for them the entire time. talia hibbertâs character development is unmatched.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident and Toxic relationship
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
I was 99% sure Iâd love this book, and I was right. I knew I loved it as soon as I started reading. From cover to cover, it was fun, super cute, and highly amusing. Both of the previous books in the series had me laughing and swooning, and this one was no exception. I love Chloe, Dani, Eve, Red, Zaf, and Jacob with my whole heart. I love Gigi too, and honestly would love a grandma as eccentric and fun as her.
The only thing I didnât love was how little of the other two Brown sisters and their boyfriends we got to see. I understand that this is Eve and Jacobâs book, and they spend most of it in a small town a couple of hours away from where the previous protagonists live. The one scene where they were almost all together was brief and didnât include Jacob. Donât get me wrong, I still absolutely loved the book. I just wouldâve really liked to see the six of them hanging out and goofing around.
I can easily say that this bookâhonestly, this whole trilogyâis at the very top of my favorites list. In my list of top five contemporary books, three spots would be given to these books. Iâll definitely be rereading them, either because theyâre great pick-me-ups or I just miss the characters. :)
Representation
The only thing I didnât love was how little of the other two Brown sisters and their boyfriends we got to see. I understand that this is Eve and Jacobâs book, and they spend most of it in a small town a couple of hours away from where the previous protagonists live. The one scene where they were almost all together was brief and didnât include Jacob. Donât get me wrong, I still absolutely loved the book. I just wouldâve really liked to see the six of them hanging out and goofing around.
I can easily say that this bookâhonestly, this whole trilogyâis at the very top of my favorites list. In my list of top five contemporary books, three spots would be given to these books. Iâll definitely be rereading them, either because theyâre great pick-me-ups or I just miss the characters. :)
Representation
- fat Black autistic protagonist
- autistic love interest
- fat Black side character with fibromyalgia and chronic pain*
- fat Black bisexual side character*
- Muslim Pakistani side character with anxiety*
- Black pansexual side character in a sapphic relationship*
*only a few on-page appearances
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Ableism, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Medical content and Toxic relationship
memorable's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Oh I love the Brown sisters! And did I just read this book in a day? Yes, I did!
I loved getting to know Eve more as you already know her as a side character from the first two books; however, you donât know her that well.
What I really liked is the autism rep for both characters, but especially the fact that it was just a side note and both Eve and Jacob seemed to have different approaches to the label, yet accepted the otherâs without a doubt.
On thing I wasnât completely fond of was Jacobs behaviour at the end towards no other man touching Eve. That just seems a little too controlling for my taste.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book tremendously! And I guess Iâm gonna start with Chloeâs and Redâs story again as itâs been some time since my last read.
I loved getting to know Eve more as you already know her as a side character from the first two books; however, you donât know her that well.
What I really liked is the autism rep for both characters, but especially the fact that it was just a side note and both Eve and Jacob seemed to have different approaches to the label, yet accepted the otherâs without a doubt.
On thing I wasnât completely fond of was Jacobs behaviour at the end towards no other man touching Eve. That just seems a little too controlling for my taste.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book tremendously! And I guess Iâm gonna start with Chloeâs and Redâs story again as itâs been some time since my last read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Toxic relationship
Child neglectmaisierosereads's review against another edition
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
5.0
â Read my full review and see a themed reading journal spread on my blog! â
Thank you so much to the Hear Our Voices team for the opportunity to take part in their book tour for Act Your Age, Eve Brown, and to Harper Collins for providing me with an eARC so that I could write this review.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown was the first book I read by Talia Hibbert â although itâs the third book in the Brown Sisters series, as companion novels they can be read in any order. Since reading this book Iâve bought myself eBooks of the other two novels, read them, and posted 5 star reviews for them â which probably says a lot about how much I enjoyed Talia Hibbertâs writing!
Letâs start by talking about representation, since that was the main factor which drew me to this series of books.
Both of the main characters are autistic â Jacob was diagnosed when he was 12, and Eve realises that she is also autistic during the course of the book (as well as recognising autistic traits in her family members). This is probably the best autism representation Iâve ever read, and it filled my neurodivergent heart with so much joy that I a) cried and b) couldnât stop gushing about it to my fiancĂŠe. Every detail of their characters is so well thought out, and does a great job of showing how autism can present differently in different people. Jacob is able to run his business with an amazing attention for detail because he is autistic; he has weighted blankets on hand for any B&B guests that need them; he sleeps in a nest of blankets; he likes firm touch. Eve uses music to stim, either by listening to songs through one AirPod or by singing to herself, which helps her to focus; she mixes up words when speaking; she likes bright colours and glitter; she is highly motivated to help the people she cares about. Itâs so refreshing to read about two autistic protagonists not masking and still having the loving, supportive relationships they deserve! I also think it was wonderful that Talia showed how Eve worked out that she was autistic, given how many AFAB people (particularly non-white AFAB people) are not able to access a diagnosis until adulthood, if at all.
In terms of other representation, much like the previous books in this series, there are also several sapphic side-characters. Dani (Eveâs older sister and protagonist of book 2) is bi, and their grandmother Gigi is in a long-term relationship with her live-in girlfriend/yoga instructor, Shivani. Eveâs other sister, Chloe, is disabled due to a chronic illness; she (like me!) has fibromyalgia. The majority of characters across all three books are Black, and Daniâs boyfriend Zaf is Pakistani. All of the Brown sisters are fat, and their curves and stretch marks are portrayed in a beautiful body-positive way. When Talia Hibbert says she writes âsteamy, diverse romanceâ â she most certainly does, and she does it superbly!
As well as being great characters to start with, both Jacob and Eve go through some brilliant development throughout the book â something Talia Hibbert has a particular knack for! Eve is generally a very lovable character who will always help the people she loves (e.g. if youâve read Get a Life, Chloe Brown youâll know that itâs Eve who does Chloeâs food prep for her), and in this book she finds a way to balance that with taking care of herself, too. Jacob might seem like a big grump at the start of the book, but through his PoV chapters we learn just how caring he actually is, as well as him being very funny. You canât help but love a guy who runs outside in the middle of the night because he doesnât want ducks to ruin his guestsâ experience!
I donât want to say too much on the specifics of the plot because I wouldnât want to spoil it for anyone, but I will say that it felt perfectly paced to me, with just the right combination of every emotion you might want to experience when reading a romance. This book had me so hooked that I stayed up until an absolutely ridiculous hour (which may or may not have been 4:30am) to carry on reading it. Did that make my fatigue flare up? Yes. Did I regret it? Absolutely not.
All in all, Talia Hibbert is an extremely talented writer who deserves every bit of praise and success. Her writing in Act Your Age, Eve Brown is beautiful, heartwarming, emotional, hilarious, sexy, relatable⌠Everything I could possibly want in a contemporary romance! Whether you read for plot or characters or both, you wonât be disappointed. This was my favourite out of the three Brown Sisters books, and Iâm certainly going to be reading it on repeat â I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!
Content warnings: anti-autistic ableism; childhood neglect; explicit sexual content; injury; past toxic relationship
Thank you so much to the Hear Our Voices team for the opportunity to take part in their book tour for Act Your Age, Eve Brown, and to Harper Collins for providing me with an eARC so that I could write this review.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown was the first book I read by Talia Hibbert â although itâs the third book in the Brown Sisters series, as companion novels they can be read in any order. Since reading this book Iâve bought myself eBooks of the other two novels, read them, and posted 5 star reviews for them â which probably says a lot about how much I enjoyed Talia Hibbertâs writing!
Letâs start by talking about representation, since that was the main factor which drew me to this series of books.
Both of the main characters are autistic â Jacob was diagnosed when he was 12, and Eve realises that she is also autistic during the course of the book (as well as recognising autistic traits in her family members). This is probably the best autism representation Iâve ever read, and it filled my neurodivergent heart with so much joy that I a) cried and b) couldnât stop gushing about it to my fiancĂŠe. Every detail of their characters is so well thought out, and does a great job of showing how autism can present differently in different people. Jacob is able to run his business with an amazing attention for detail because he is autistic; he has weighted blankets on hand for any B&B guests that need them; he sleeps in a nest of blankets; he likes firm touch. Eve uses music to stim, either by listening to songs through one AirPod or by singing to herself, which helps her to focus; she mixes up words when speaking; she likes bright colours and glitter; she is highly motivated to help the people she cares about. Itâs so refreshing to read about two autistic protagonists not masking and still having the loving, supportive relationships they deserve! I also think it was wonderful that Talia showed how Eve worked out that she was autistic, given how many AFAB people (particularly non-white AFAB people) are not able to access a diagnosis until adulthood, if at all.
In terms of other representation, much like the previous books in this series, there are also several sapphic side-characters. Dani (Eveâs older sister and protagonist of book 2) is bi, and their grandmother Gigi is in a long-term relationship with her live-in girlfriend/yoga instructor, Shivani. Eveâs other sister, Chloe, is disabled due to a chronic illness; she (like me!) has fibromyalgia. The majority of characters across all three books are Black, and Daniâs boyfriend Zaf is Pakistani. All of the Brown sisters are fat, and their curves and stretch marks are portrayed in a beautiful body-positive way. When Talia Hibbert says she writes âsteamy, diverse romanceâ â she most certainly does, and she does it superbly!
As well as being great characters to start with, both Jacob and Eve go through some brilliant development throughout the book â something Talia Hibbert has a particular knack for! Eve is generally a very lovable character who will always help the people she loves (e.g. if youâve read Get a Life, Chloe Brown youâll know that itâs Eve who does Chloeâs food prep for her), and in this book she finds a way to balance that with taking care of herself, too. Jacob might seem like a big grump at the start of the book, but through his PoV chapters we learn just how caring he actually is, as well as him being very funny. You canât help but love a guy who runs outside in the middle of the night because he doesnât want ducks to ruin his guestsâ experience!
I donât want to say too much on the specifics of the plot because I wouldnât want to spoil it for anyone, but I will say that it felt perfectly paced to me, with just the right combination of every emotion you might want to experience when reading a romance. This book had me so hooked that I stayed up until an absolutely ridiculous hour (which may or may not have been 4:30am) to carry on reading it. Did that make my fatigue flare up? Yes. Did I regret it? Absolutely not.
All in all, Talia Hibbert is an extremely talented writer who deserves every bit of praise and success. Her writing in Act Your Age, Eve Brown is beautiful, heartwarming, emotional, hilarious, sexy, relatable⌠Everything I could possibly want in a contemporary romance! Whether you read for plot or characters or both, you wonât be disappointed. This was my favourite out of the three Brown Sisters books, and Iâm certainly going to be reading it on repeat â I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!
Content warnings: anti-autistic ableism; childhood neglect; explicit sexual content; injury; past toxic relationship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship