Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

312 reviews

enfinlivres's review against another edition

funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is my first Talia Hibbert and I’ve already downloaded the next book from my library.

Chloe is the grump to Red’s sunshine…or is it the other way around? It’s a cute, quick diverse romance with a plus-sized, disabled, Black (and wonderfully stubborn FMC). These are included in the plot but, they’re aren’t the plot. This is a story about about a woman finding love.

The author is a Black woman with fibromyalgia and chronic pain - so the representation feels real and well-handled.

BONUS: For any BRIDGERTON fans, the audiobook is read by Adoja Andoh aka Lady Danbury!

Quick trope spoiler:

there is a third act breakup but, it feels akin to a couples first fight and it is resolved quickly in the next chapter.

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wardenred's review against another edition

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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

4.5

Because that’s how people should behave; they should fill in each other’s gaps.

This was really fun! I loved seeing the MCs go from clashing to gradually discovering how much they compliment each other, with this super low-key enemies to lovers vibe. Chloe is a wonderfully grumpy character with a biting sense of humor. I loved her relationship with her sisters (looking forward to reading their books already!) and the excellent representation of living with chronic pain. So, so relatable. And Red is such a sweet guy, I instantly loved him. His kindness always shined through even when he hit some lower mental places, and I loved how it was always clear from his chapters that he was an artist even when his art wasn’t mentioned—just that specific way he sees the world. His inner journey to recovering after an abusive relationship was well-handled, and I kind of liked that he was the one with that storyline: in m/f romance it’s far more common to see the female lead in this position, and it was refreshing to see another angle.

The book is absolutely packed with delightful banter. Whether these characters communicate face to face or via e-mails, there are always lines to laugh at. Hell, they pack witty one-liners even into their inner monologues, and it always happens so naturally. I kept laughing and smiling as I read. At the same time, the prevalence of humor never cheapened or downplayed the more serious, heavier topics the book touches on.

It would’ve been an absolute five-star read for me if not for how the third-act break-up played out. I know those are a staple of the romance genre—the characters need to have that moment of doubt before they fully commit to their happy ending and all that. But the way it happened, idk, it came a bit out of the left field. On one hand, Red’s backstory does explain why he reacted the way he did, but by that point I would’ve expected it to be a shorter knee-jerk reaction followed by talking it out quickly. The fact that instead it turned into a semi-prolonged drama clashed for me with the character progression both Chloe and Red had earlier over the course of the plot. It’s the kind of dramatic misunderstanding I can accept in YA, but in adult romance like this it feels sort of contrived.

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teeclecticreads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny sad 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

Talia has become an auto-buy author for me.

“Get a Life, Chloe Brown” gave me everything I love in a romcom and more. I got fun banter, I got diverse characters and I got important, sensitive topics being discussed with such care and realness. Crohn’s and Fibromyalgia are different but I related a lot to some of the symptoms that Chloe experienced. I fell for all the characters’ personalities and the pacing of the story felt so natural and real. I think this is the first time I didn’t even mind a third-act breakup because of how well it was written and how reasonable it felt to the storyline.

I’m so grateful for stories like these with disability representation that show that people who are disabled deserve to and can be loved like everyone else. It’s something I needed especially right now as I experience difficult days in the hospital because of my own disability. Even though I may feel like it sometimes, I’m not a burden, I’m not a setback and yes my chronic illness may cause challenges but I deserve a fun, fulfilling life.

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sydoodle's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

One thing about me I am gonna fuck up a grumpy/sunshine pairing, ESPECIALLY if one of the characters is disabled and it's normalized/accommodated. EAT YOUR HEART OUT TALIA HIBBERT!!!!!

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thatsssorachael's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-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

2.5

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btothebooks's review against another edition

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funny 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? Yes

4.0

It took me about 75 pages to get into this (and I slightly considered DNFing it, but pushed through), but it was enjoyable and flew through once I got to it. I also like that this epilogue didn’t go directly into marriage but just a continuation of their list building.

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