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emlittle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall thoughts: Talia Hibbert continues to snag my heart. I first read “Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute”, and was so excited to get into her adult books starting with the Brown sisters trilogy. The story was sweet and fun while maintain Hibbert’s trademark of dealing with an unpleasant reality without it feeling defeating. Simply put, I loved it ♡
I adore Hibbert for writing romance for the people we don’t typically see getting romance: those who are disabled, have mental illnesses, or are chronically ill; characters who for one reason or another aren’t seen as a typical love interest. Chloe Brown has fibromyalgia, an illness that leaves her exhausted and in pain often. It’s revealed that in her past, people often leave her life when they feel her illness makes her “too much”, including a fiancé. But Hibbert makes her the beautiful, desirable female main character in a love story because Chloe can have an illness AND be all of those things. This book is one of those “i just love that it exists” cases, because I love that women with chronic illness/pain get to see themselves in a story where they’re not desirable IN SPITE of their illness, but are desirable and the illness is accepted and worked with- Redford Morgan is a book boyfriend everyone should aspire to.
Speaking of our leading man, Red Morgan’s story is equally special. While he’s the tall, well muscled, and handsome main man in a romance, he’s also been traumatized by a mentally and emotionally abusive relationship. We get to see him go to therapy, begin to unpack that, and implement coping mechanisms. This makes me particularly happy knowing this trilogy is on its way to the screen- someone needs to tell men it’s okay to go to therapy.
There were two elements that took this from a 5 to a 4 star read for me:
A third act break up. No further explanations.
Sometimes I struggle when two characters who dislike each other already know each other and the author tells us how much they dislike each other instead of us getting to see the dislike form/grow. It unfortunately made some of the writing at the beginning of the story a tad bit repetitive
That said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fun, engaging, real, and ~*steamy*~ when needed. I loved both of the characters and loved seeing their story unfold and connection grow even more. I’m really excited to read the other sisters’ stories!!
I adore Hibbert for writing romance for the people we don’t typically see getting romance: those who are disabled, have mental illnesses, or are chronically ill; characters who for one reason or another aren’t seen as a typical love interest. Chloe Brown has fibromyalgia, an illness that leaves her exhausted and in pain often. It’s revealed that in her past, people often leave her life when they feel her illness makes her “too much”, including a fiancé. But Hibbert makes her the beautiful, desirable female main character in a love story because Chloe can have an illness AND be all of those things. This book is one of those “i just love that it exists” cases, because I love that women with chronic illness/pain get to see themselves in a story where they’re not desirable IN SPITE of their illness, but are desirable and the illness is accepted and worked with- Redford Morgan is a book boyfriend everyone should aspire to.
Speaking of our leading man, Red Morgan’s story is equally special. While he’s the tall, well muscled, and handsome main man in a romance, he’s also been traumatized by a mentally and emotionally abusive relationship. We get to see him go to therapy, begin to unpack that, and implement coping mechanisms. This makes me particularly happy knowing this trilogy is on its way to the screen- someone needs to tell men it’s okay to go to therapy.
There were two elements that took this from a 5 to a 4 star read for me:
A third act break up. No further explanations.
Sometimes I struggle when two characters who dislike each other already know each other and the author tells us how much they dislike each other instead of us getting to see the dislike form/grow. It unfortunately made some of the writing at the beginning of the story a tad bit repetitive
That said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fun, engaging, real, and ~*steamy*~ when needed. I loved both of the characters and loved seeing their story unfold and connection grow even more. I’m really excited to read the other sisters’ stories!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
froon's review against another edition
2.75
maybe, i just am not a romance girly :( this has been on my tbr forever and, while i liked it, i didn’t have the absolutely life-changing experience i’ve seen other people have. my two biggest complaints are how horny red and chloe are for each other when they’re supposed to hate each other (which ruined the tension a bit for me tbh) and the third act miscommunication moment (my head started to hurt because i was so annoyed).
however, this book is fun. once red and chloe started their friendship, their dynamic was so playful.
honestly, i really, really couldn’t get behind red. ESPECIALLY after that one solo red pov chapter where he fantasizes about chloe,, it’s such a turn-off. then he continues to sexualize her through the chapter, which is ick because she’s just trying to help with his website…
the writing style didn’t wow me. and i found the pov switching to be a bit annoying, especially when it would cut in the middle of dialogue. however, it was easy to read, even if it was a tad too long.
my favorite aspect of the book was chloe’s experience with fibromyalgia and how it impacted her life. also, the fear of getting close to people in fear that they’ll leave… oh my sweet chloe.
overall, fine! i probably won’t continue with the brown sisters series. chloe, live your best life.
however, this book is fun. once red and chloe started their friendship, their dynamic was so playful.
honestly, i really, really couldn’t get behind red. ESPECIALLY after that one solo red pov chapter where he fantasizes about chloe,, it’s such a turn-off. then he continues to sexualize her through the chapter, which is ick because she’s just trying to help with his website…
the writing style didn’t wow me. and i found the pov switching to be a bit annoying, especially when it would cut in the middle of dialogue. however, it was easy to read, even if it was a tad too long.
my favorite aspect of the book was chloe’s experience with fibromyalgia and how it impacted her life. also, the fear of getting close to people in fear that they’ll leave… oh my sweet chloe.
overall, fine! i probably won’t continue with the brown sisters series. chloe, live your best life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Domestic abuse
jessiiiru's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
caelinsullivan's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical trauma
ellysiap's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
2.75
Wanted to like this more than I did, it felt rushed and a bit too cheesy for me. The chronic illness rep was really refreshing though and the spice was fun!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Toxic relationship
murve's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
bibliomich's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
What I loved:
- This was a true romantic comedy (emphasis on the comedy).
- Hibbert is a master of writing chemistry and spice. 🌶
- The protagonist’s struggle with fibromyalgia is written in a really authentic way, and I appreciated that the character was surrounded by supportive loved ones.
What didn't quite work for me:
- The pacing felt a little off. I felt like the enemies-to-lovers transition happened really quickly, and I would have loved to see their relationship evolve in a slower and more complex way.
- I also just wanted to see Chloe's other relationships developed out a bit more. It was clear that her sisters were an integral part of her life, but I felt like those relationships weren't given quite as much attention as they could have been.
Overall, I enjoyed this one & would happily read more of Talia Hibbert's books!
- This was a true romantic comedy (emphasis on the comedy).
- Hibbert is a master of writing chemistry and spice. 🌶
- The protagonist’s struggle with fibromyalgia is written in a really authentic way, and I appreciated that the character was surrounded by supportive loved ones.
What didn't quite work for me:
- The pacing felt a little off. I felt like the enemies-to-lovers transition happened really quickly, and I would have loved to see their relationship evolve in a slower and more complex way.
- I also just wanted to see Chloe's other relationships developed out a bit more. It was clear that her sisters were an integral part of her life, but I felt like those relationships weren't given quite as much attention as they could have been.
Overall, I enjoyed this one & would happily read more of Talia Hibbert's books!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
jamie_cruz's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.5
This was such a cute read, and I loved Chlo and Red.
Usually, I've read books with chronic illness, and they really just state how the mc is tired and not go into depth of the pain, and the other effects come into play. Talia did amazing describing how pain goes in your day to day life, and the feeling you get for feeling such pain especially how doctors don't really understand until you've told them 100,000 times. I know Chloe will stay my favorite. I can't wait to read the other Brown sisters stories !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Emotional abuse
Minor: Physical abuse
zias's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the humor in this book and the representation - BIPOC main character, chronic illness, therapy! It was easy to discern the cause of the third act breakup early in the story, but I otherwise enjoyed this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
ell_n's review against another edition
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol and Panic attacks/disorders