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A review by hanarama
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
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? No
3.5
Book at a Glance:
• Romcom
• Chronic illness in a MC
• Mental illness in a MC
• Interracial M/F romance
After Chloe Brown has a brush with death she decides to begin a journey towards getting a life. This means stepping outside of her comfort zone and acting in exciting and spontaneous ways.
When her building's superintendent, Red, hears about Chloe's plan, he's intrigued, and agrees to help her. He had always thought of her as effortlessly chic, but uptight. As the two work through Chloe's "Get A Life" list, the two grow more and more fond of each other. It isn't long before Chloe is editing her list to include Red.
Hibbert draws inspiration from her own experiences with fibromyalgia in writing Chloe. The result is a realistic depiction of chronic illness. Her disability informs her actions and thoughts, but doesn't define the character. Chloe is given the space to be deadpan, compassionate, organized, fashionable, and desirable.
Likewise, Red's mental illness and trauma are given respect. As a pair, Chloe and Red support one another in a really sweet and tender way.
My major gripe with the novel is in it's use of the misunderstanding trope. I have such a hard time enjoying this trope. It feels immensely frustrating to read characters eavesdropping on conversations only to misconstrue it to mean something bad and then refuse to communicate or look at evidence. It feels very romcom in a bad way.
Outside of this, I found Get A Life to be very charming and sexy. Will definitely be picking up the next book.
• Romcom
• Chronic illness in a MC
• Mental illness in a MC
• Interracial M/F romance
After Chloe Brown has a brush with death she decides to begin a journey towards getting a life. This means stepping outside of her comfort zone and acting in exciting and spontaneous ways.
When her building's superintendent, Red, hears about Chloe's plan, he's intrigued, and agrees to help her. He had always thought of her as effortlessly chic, but uptight. As the two work through Chloe's "Get A Life" list, the two grow more and more fond of each other. It isn't long before Chloe is editing her list to include Red.
Hibbert draws inspiration from her own experiences with fibromyalgia in writing Chloe. The result is a realistic depiction of chronic illness. Her disability informs her actions and thoughts, but doesn't define the character. Chloe is given the space to be deadpan, compassionate, organized, fashionable, and desirable.
Likewise, Red's mental illness and trauma are given respect. As a pair, Chloe and Red support one another in a really sweet and tender way.
My major gripe with the novel is in it's use of the misunderstanding trope. I have such a hard time enjoying this trope. It feels immensely frustrating to read characters eavesdropping on conversations only to misconstrue it to mean something bad and then refuse to communicate or look at evidence. It feels very romcom in a bad way.
Outside of this, I found Get A Life to be very charming and sexy. Will definitely be picking up the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Chronic illness