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A review by gabberjaws
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
emotional
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
5.0
FIRST THING'S FIRST: Yes, I did read the second book in this series before I read the first and, yes, the fake dating aspect is what got me interested. I have ZERO REGRETS.
I loved this so much. It was sweet, fun and wholesome and thoroughly captivating - I speed read it in the course of a day. Zaf and Dani's relationship was SO sweet and real, with none of the excessive drama and miscommunications that I usually detest in romance novels or romance subplots. Zaf is my favourite kind of hero in that he's a built like a truck but is a sweet little puppy on the inside. A rugby player in touch with his feelings who loves romance novels? Take my whole fucking heart whydontcha. And Dani. Oh lord I loved her so much. The wit. The brains. The confidence. She could step on me and I'd thank her.
As someone who has gone throug almost exactly what Dani had been through in her past relationships, I've gotta say that I thought Hibbert handled it really well. From Dani's fears and insecurities (super relatable btw) to her unwillingness to commit to someone lest she be hurt again. Zaf and Dani's journey felt so... real. And grounded. It presented a really healthy relationship with boundaries and communications. Two people with their own goals, but who loved each other and, more importantly imo, liked each other as individuals and were willing to respect each others boundaries without compromising their own. So lovely.
Zaf and Dani's wit, as well as the banter between the two of them was also top-notch. Hibbert mentioned in her acknowledgments that the witter zingers were a pain to write, and I just wanna take this moment to thank her for her hard work on this because they were excellent, and had me laughing out loud more times than I could count.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go read the rest of this series.
I loved this so much. It was sweet, fun and wholesome and thoroughly captivating - I speed read it in the course of a day. Zaf and Dani's relationship was SO sweet and real, with none of the excessive drama and miscommunications that I usually detest in romance novels or romance subplots. Zaf is my favourite kind of hero in that he's a built like a truck but is a sweet little puppy on the inside. A rugby player in touch with his feelings who loves romance novels? Take my whole fucking heart whydontcha. And Dani. Oh lord I loved her so much. The wit. The brains. The confidence. She could step on me and I'd thank her.
As someone who has gone throug almost exactly what Dani had been through in her past relationships, I've gotta say that I thought Hibbert handled it really well. From Dani's fears and insecurities (super relatable btw) to her unwillingness to commit to someone lest she be hurt again. Zaf and Dani's journey felt so... real. And grounded. It presented a really healthy relationship with boundaries and communications. Two people with their own goals, but who loved each other and, more importantly imo, liked each other as individuals and were willing to respect each others boundaries without compromising their own. So lovely.
Zaf and Dani's wit, as well as the banter between the two of them was also top-notch. Hibbert mentioned in her acknowledgments that the witter zingers were a pain to write, and I just wanna take this moment to thank her for her hard work on this because they were excellent, and had me laughing out loud more times than I could count.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go read the rest of this series.