Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

342 reviews

missmarshey's review against another edition

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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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, I was totally backing Chloe all the way and felt her pain and want! Would definitely recommend.
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lags2much's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring slow-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

I absolutely adore this book. It should be required reading for anyone dating someone with chronic illness. 
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wardenred's review

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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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yarisbooksandbevs's review against another edition

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funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. Chloe and Red are so funny and cute and adorable. Their relationship is so beautiful. The way Red cares for her and the way Chloe puts herself out there! The sex scenes are nice and spicy. The representation is so well done. Chloe’s disability is a part of her but doesn’t define her. I was giggling and laughing and smiling I loved it.
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craftysnailtail's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

This book was rather delightful. It's absolute brain candy, but I really appreciated the uniqueness of a main female love interest being chronically ill and disabled. 

I also liked Red quite a bit, which is surprising because I'm usually not a big fan of men in romance novels. But he reminded me of my partner, with his compassion and always paying close attention to Chloe and anticipating her needs. I saw some reviews complaining that he was a mind reader, but I disagree. He simply paid attention to her physical signs of pain and exhaustion and acted accordingly. Literally the least we can expect from a devoted partner, in my opinion.

The smut wasn't for me, but that's not unusual. It also was unnecessarily dramatic at times, but I feel like that's easily forgiven with books like this. 

Overall, I found it to be a very relaxing and fun read with much appreciated diversity and accurate disability representation.
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meat_muffin's review against another edition

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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

4.75

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iridescentdreams's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative 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

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readingqueerly's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.75

I read and loved another Brown Sisters book last year and I was right to finally pick up another one. This author truly has a way of writing simple but real stories with characters that are deeply flawed yet so incredibly likeable and relateable. 
I saw so much of myself in the MC. And seeing her learning to take a leap and break through her conditioned behaviour is honestly a little healing, especially when it comes to dating and relationships. 
Really enjoyed this book, really connected with everyone. We love a man written by a woman. We love  good representation for black people, Plus-Size people, and disabled people. 
This just made me chest feel a bit warm and fuzzy and  made me feel a little bit braver to stray from my set ways of life that may be comfortable, but aren't actually helping me in the long run.
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mdavis26's review against another edition

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3.0

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martapsalvado's review against another edition

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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

3.75

I'm finding this book hard to rate because I read it in 4 days and had a lot of fun, but it's not quite my type of romance. Loved the representation and how funny the dialogue is. However, the relationship felt a bit rushed and the third act breakup annoyed me. 
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