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A review by classicsandromances
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
4.0
this is it. this is the romance.
being very burnt out from my studies, starting my MA, and looking for a job I needed an escape. I could either re-watch Bridget Jones as I do every Christmas (but I made a promise to my close surroundings not to over-celebrate it this year by starting listening to Last Christmas on the 1st of November) or reach for another romance and be bitterly disappointed.
but this time I wasn't.
let me preface my review with something or I'll jab myself in the eyeballs. I've heard many times that reading those silly little romance novels will make me stupid, is not ambitious, is not fucking literature, or that only horny millennials and bored housewives read them (btw this is very sexist, fuck you. and Zafir would punch you for that). WHAT IS THIS ROMANCE SLANDER? do we need to be reading Sylvia Plath, making ourselves even more depressed in fucking 2022 where the inflation is higher than the empire state building and there's a literal war going on? give ourselves a break. let's be Zafir. romances are not only entertaining but they also make us think! yes! they do! if you're my fucking professor (if you know you know) and you're reading it. yes, romances actually encourage thinking. it's not only David foster Wallace that has this great quality. They talk about anxiety, forgiving yourself, trying, about human connections.
comparing 'take a hint, Dani Brown' to its predecessor, 'get a life, Chloe Brown,' I must say that the first novel can hide under the bed, covered in dust bunnies, and NEVER COME OUT TO THE LIGHT.
my initial problem with the first novel of the trilogy was the 'spiciness' which somewhat overshadowed the connection and romance (with a fucking french pronunciation) I was looking for. this time, although explicit smut is simply not my cup of tea, I wasn't that bothered. why? well, maybe because of Zafir who might or might not be the first fictional man that I actually liked since my teenage years (and those were problematic and defined by toxic masculinity and repression of lesbianism)
Talia Hibbert also surprised me with how well she handled the anxiety factor of the novel. having read a book literally branded by mental health issues, it's a relief. anxiety is not overexaggerated, it's not the only personality trait the character has, and it's not superficial. it feels fucking real. it says how anxiety makes you angry. and I am at the point in my life where there's not telling if I will simply call you a cunt or murder you. or both.
also! the representation of the academics (insert crying emoji for yourself because I'm literally too lazy to do it) and actually addressing the fact that people tend to forget what brings them joy for the sheer purpose of striving for some unacknowledged goals. excuse me while I go and cry in my bed, this is too relatable. Inez Holly is not only Danika's Jedi master. I claim her too.
all in all, this book made me less anxious and sad in a very dark period of my life so you can choke on this long ass review in which I not only rant my life but also my ex-professor <3
being very burnt out from my studies, starting my MA, and looking for a job I needed an escape. I could either re-watch Bridget Jones as I do every Christmas (but I made a promise to my close surroundings not to over-celebrate it this year by starting listening to Last Christmas on the 1st of November) or reach for another romance and be bitterly disappointed.
but this time I wasn't.
let me preface my review with something or I'll jab myself in the eyeballs. I've heard many times that reading those silly little romance novels will make me stupid, is not ambitious, is not fucking literature, or that only horny millennials and bored housewives read them (btw this is very sexist, fuck you. and Zafir would punch you for that). WHAT IS THIS ROMANCE SLANDER? do we need to be reading Sylvia Plath, making ourselves even more depressed in fucking 2022 where the inflation is higher than the empire state building and there's a literal war going on? give ourselves a break. let's be Zafir. romances are not only entertaining but they also make us think! yes! they do! if you're my fucking professor (if you know you know) and you're reading it. yes, romances actually encourage thinking. it's not only David foster Wallace that has this great quality. They talk about anxiety, forgiving yourself, trying, about human connections.
comparing 'take a hint, Dani Brown' to its predecessor, 'get a life, Chloe Brown,' I must say that the first novel can hide under the bed, covered in dust bunnies, and NEVER COME OUT TO THE LIGHT.
my initial problem with the first novel of the trilogy was the 'spiciness' which somewhat overshadowed the connection and romance (with a fucking french pronunciation) I was looking for. this time, although explicit smut is simply not my cup of tea, I wasn't that bothered. why? well, maybe because of Zafir who might or might not be the first fictional man that I actually liked since my teenage years (and those were problematic and defined by toxic masculinity and repression of lesbianism)
Talia Hibbert also surprised me with how well she handled the anxiety factor of the novel. having read a book literally branded by mental health issues, it's a relief. anxiety is not overexaggerated, it's not the only personality trait the character has, and it's not superficial. it feels fucking real. it says how anxiety makes you angry. and I am at the point in my life where there's not telling if I will simply call you a cunt or murder you. or both.
also! the representation of the academics (insert crying emoji for yourself because I'm literally too lazy to do it) and actually addressing the fact that people tend to forget what brings them joy for the sheer purpose of striving for some unacknowledged goals. excuse me while I go and cry in my bed, this is too relatable. Inez Holly is not only Danika's Jedi master. I claim her too.
all in all, this book made me less anxious and sad in a very dark period of my life so you can choke on this long ass review in which I not only rant my life but also my ex-professor <3