Reviews with content warning for Ableism - Act Your Age, Eve Brown

Talia Hibbert enlightens us with her third and final book in the Brown Sisters trilogy. In this book we follow the youngest sister Eve Brown as she is cut off from her parents trust fund until she can prove that she can hold down a job for more then a month. Trying to prove her parents wrong Eve comes upon a bed & breakfast eagerly applying for the cook position. After a failed interview she literally runs into the boss of the establishment breaking his arm. Jacob Wayne now must deal with this chaotic girl helping him run his business and trying to keep her out of his mind in the process.

The romance between Eve & Jacob has to be my favorite out of all the brown sister books! I really enjoyed their chemistry and their banter. Their moments together were so funny and genuinely sweet to read. I really liked the opposites attract aspect of their relationship, how they started out disliking each other then over time finding things they had in common. Finding out that they weren't so opposite after all. They both brought out the good in each other, Jacob brought some stability to Eve's life and Eve brought a bit of spontaneity to Jacob's organized life. I love couples who both benefit from being with the other and how they can bring out the best in each other!

My favorite part of this has to be the autism representation. Jacob is a man who has Autism and was diagnosed when he was a child and possibly Eve who may be Autistic finding out she might be when she is an adult. Not many books do you see a romance showcasing an Autistic character Falling in love with someone even rarer is two Autistic people falling in love. I really liked the portrayal of Autism, showing that each person who has it is different not the same as what most people think about Autism. Also Jacob's Autism isn't treated like it is his only personality trait or that he isnt capable of doing things neurotypical people can do. His Autism is just a part of who he is along with his personality making him be able to do things just in his own way.

The setting of the B&B is a perfect cozy location giving off such sweet vibes for the romance. Also like the other books the side characters are great as the bond with the family is amazing too. Eve how she grows as a person and stands up for herself with her family, her bond with her older sisters is wholesome and wonderful. The third act conflict was handled better like the second book and it was resolved quickly. This one is easily my favorite of the trilogy, I enjoyed this trilogy immensely and am glad that I got a chance to read it!

Content Warnings

tinysierra's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Act Your Age, Eve Brown is proof that neurodivergent people thrive in the right environments without ableist expectations being placed on them. They thrive when their needs are met.

This was a fun and sweet romance.

Talia Hibbert’s characters all jump off the page. They’re just so fun, humorous, and lively. I love their different dynamics with each other.

Content Warnings

witcheep's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.5

A childish woman comes across a hot but infuriating B&B owner, finds a job

that turns from a short quilt-generated pitstop into a passionate career

, falls in love and has multiple self-discoveries together.

"Look," he said the word a rasp, "There are many ways to fail."
"Trust me, I'm aware."
"And very few of them are actually controllable. Life has too many moving parts." He managed to sound resentful at the very nature of human existence, which Eve found impressive despite herself.

Besides the swoonworthy romance and delightfully strong nature of the main characters (they are willing to put a lot of effort into becoming better versions of themselves but also take care of themselves and each other), Hibbert writes representation admirably well into her book. Like in the previous books about the Brown sisters, Eve's book also addressess disabilities and different minority identities with respect. Hibbert is a master writer of representation that lives and breathes both respect and normalization of the different needs of people. Her writing feels like a warm hug in a world that too often offers only a cold shoulder to anyone who struggles to fit themselves into the molds offered to us.

Content Warnings

annamay1021's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny 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

4.5

Content Warnings

caelinsullivan's review

Go to review page

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

4.25

Content Warnings

katreena's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.25

Content Warnings

kirtreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

What a delightful read! I really enjoyed this book. The characters were amazing and felt like real people. The banter was great, the premise was great, and the enemy to lovers felt natural and not forced. It also had me laughing out loud as several different points.

With the disability/queer/BIPOC rep you won’t want to miss this one!

Tropes: enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, forced proximity

Does contain a third act break up but it’s quickly resolved and gives a very cute HEA.

Content Warnings

More...