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divine529's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This follows our main protagonist Chloe Brown, who has fibromyalgia, who almost gets hit by a car and uses that as a wake up call to "get a life" and she creates a list and enlists her lovely superintendent Red to help her with her list and things go from there.
I absolutely loved the chronic pain/illness and healing from a toxic relationship representation in this. As someone who can relate to both of those things, I really loved both Chloe and Red and saw myself in both of them.
I also loved the ending of this book. I know a lot of people really struggle with the miscommunication trope, but I thought it fit really well with the characters and their experiences and it was done well. Plus miscommunication is something that's pretty common in real life too.
As for the romance, overall I liked it, since it shows a healthier relationship and promotes loving people as they are without wanting someone to change, and all kinds of body positivity and all of that was great, however, there were some things that I felt like were just a bit much (for me personally). I don't mind smut in books, but I'm not a huge fan of public sex and lust at all times. It just makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. I also wish that things between Red and Chloe were a bit more fleshed out as the pacing felt off at times (I particularly would've loved to hear more about when they first met and what it was that made them dislike each other so much, we got a little, but I needed just a little more)
I also wish we got to spend more time with Chloe's family (I know Dani and Eve get their own books, but I wanted more of their interactions with each other) and with Red's family and with Annie and Vik. I really enjoyed all of the interactions we got, but I would've loved for more.
All in all, I really enjoyed this (and honestly read this at exactly the right time) and I'm looking forward to picking up the others!
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse
Minor: Grief, Car accident, Sexism, and Ableism
cady_sass's review against another edition
- 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
Update 4/17/23:
I am SO glad I gave this one a shot! It’s so fun and sexy but also relatable and inclusive. The main protagonist is chronically ill and not “traditionally” pretty/thin (ie western beauty standards) but neither of those things are the focus- they just are. And a love interest who just gets it and is a human about it? The bar is on the floor, ladies, I know. But that’s sexy and hell.
Also, side notes: I’m not sure why but I thought (perhaps some mixture of the title and cover art? Idk) and it is NOT. this book is spicy as hell. 🥵
Take my audiobook sensitivities with a grain of salt but I actually believe this audiobook is legit horrible so just skip that and read the book/ebook
Graphic: Cursing, Medical content, Body shaming, Classism, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Sexual content
ecravens's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Cursing, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, and Drug use
kellyskubic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Chronic illness and Medical content
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Emotional abuse
bookswithlauren's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
carina_dreamer's review against another edition
- 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
• Illnesses aren't my type of topic, I always cry. Fibromyalgia was a safer bet and I was curious to know how they would describe chronic pain. To me, it seemed realistic, from the care needed to the different degrees of pain and symptoms.
• The way Chloe faced the list she made throughout the book had good development. Made me think.
• Red seeming like a bad boy but actually being such a sweet man was a nice surprise. His character had nice and interesting aspects to it like his attitude facing his art after doubting himself and also how he felt after a very toxic past relationship.
• I really liked the sisters (I'm going to read their books) and the grandma (I want to adopt the progressive lady as my own grandmother)
• The banter between Chloe and Red was so nice, with sarcasm and flirting, love it 😍. The romance was so thoughtful and sexy, one of those you think "too good to be true". We read to dream, right? The 🌶️ is great, I got 🥵 and they weren't even kissing.
• The only things I had to point out were: it would be more interesting if Red's life and his problems weren't solved so quickly, his mother and therapy; and the book should have two more chapters to solve their traumas suitably. Chap. 21 was so well written but solved quickly.
• The book is perfect for those who want to start diversifying the authors they read and include more protagonists of colour. A very good rom-com with 🌶️ that I recommend.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Minor: Drug use and Car accident
danaslitlist's review against another edition
- 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
Chloe Brown is the eldest three sisters and the stereotype for most eldest daughters; a perfectionist, incredibly thorough and reliable, if not a bit closed off (well, a lot closed off....).
Red is a hardworking, kind hearted, fix it Felix type both in the personal lives of those around him but also professionally as an apartment super. A relationship blossoms in a subgenre of enemies to lovers as they begin to rely on one another. The characters are so loveable even in their not so shining moments, because you understand where they are coming from and the reasons behind their responses.
But my biggest reason for loving this book alongside the spice and utter hilarious dialogue is disability representation.
Disability representation in books is few and far between with proper representation even less common. More often than not I find myself rolling my eyes at the inspiration porn that follows the character or at the fully offensive portrayal of the disability. It's even less often that I see disability in romance media where the disabled character is one of the two love interests.
So when I started reading Get a Life, Chloe Brown not knowing that Chloe was disabled and I was presented with a gift. Talia Hibbert beautifully described what is like living in a disabled body I nearly cried. To see Chloe having made peace with her body while at the same time not glossing over the real difficulties she faces daily, to see that she has a family who understands and as the book progresses, to see Red easily accommodate Chloe's needs without question was representation that I've so desperately craved in books and was surprised to receive here.
I could gush over the representation for hours; about how we see Chloe's different coping mechanisms, where we are shown how isolating it can to be disabled because it's "too hard" for others to be around, to her frustration and fear that she may be left behind and even more. I will leave it here by saying thank you to Ms. Hibbert. Thank you for giving me a disabled woman who is a full person on her own and whose disability is apart of who she is unapologetically. Thank you for allowing me to see myself reflected in your romance novel. Thank you.
Moderate: Vomit and Drug use
Minor: Domestic abuse
The abuse is not shown on page and is not perpetrated by the lead characters (it's discussed while talking about past relationships) which I think is important to note!hannahwhiteyy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Cursing
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Car accident, Ableism, Alcohol, and Stalking
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Chronic illness and Sexual content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Drug use, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
annahamburger's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Ableism
Moderate: Gaslighting and Drug use