Life isn’t easy. Love isn’t easy. In the end they’re both pains in the ass but what I’ve learned in my old age (yes, my old old age of 30) is that laughter is pretty much the best medicine and it will get you through a lot of hard times. Laughter and love goes a long way and it heals you. Not completely, of course not, but enough to just give you that extra push.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown is a great example of this.

Chloe Brown is a woman of lists. Chronically ill and recently ailing from a near death experience she has come up with a new list to help her “Get a Life,”. Slash one off her list: moving out on her own.

After moving out she encounters her new apartment building’s handyman Redford ‘Red’ who somehow becomes entangled in helping her out with her list.

This is a love story of no other. One that involves gorgeous paintings, bike riding, and uncovering what makes two true opposites truly tick.

From the beginning I knew this book for me. Talia Hibbert tells a story that’s so wholly romantic yet funny that you’ll coo one moment and snicker with laughter the very next. Chloe Brown is prissy, eyeroll inducing, and completely relatable. This is a woman much about her shit and who she is and I for one commend her. I also love how we have a character who suffers from chronic pain and is very much I am in pain and I will not shy away from that fact. It’s so nice to see that representation especially in a black character.

Likewise Red is a great character as well with his past relationship issues. Everyone has a past. There’s good and there’s bad and Talia Hibbert does a great job in weaving it all together and keeping the story lighthearted and funny at the same time.

Plus, PLUS we have SMUDGE THE CAT.

I’ll be real. When I received this e-arc I was going through a bad breakup when I detested everything romance. I wanted nothing to do with happiness or love or anything resembling the goodness of couples. The thought made me cringe.

This book made me feel a way though. It didn’t make my feelings sink with despair or my heart ache. I was happy for Chloe and Red and felt hopeful for myself as well. Talia Hibbert is a talented author and does a great job with creating characters that while aren’t perfect are relatable and that’s what makes everything mesh so well.

As a person with a chronic illness who deals with symptoms like those that Chloe must face with fibromyalgia, I found this romance so satisfying. I am always looking for contemporary romances that reflect diverse backgrounds and experiences, and I was particularly excited to see invisible/chronic illness handled so carefully and kindly here.

“Love is certainly never safe, but it’s absolutely worth it.”

Chloe has a near death experience and sees her life flash before her eyes. She felt that the flashback showed there was little to be desired, and decided she had to make a change. In one of her many notebooks, Chloe made a “Get a Life List” with some very specific things to accomplish. These things would help her get a life, and start to experience her own. The first step was moving out of her families house.

Redford, Red, ran away from everything, a relationship, a career and friends. He escaped to something more controlled, to start over. His friend gave Red a place to stay and a job as the superintendent in his apartment building ... the same building where Chloe just got her own place.

To everyone around them, Chloe and Red seem to dislike each other. But neither can get the other off their mind. Red may be just the person to help Chloe complete her “Get a Life List”, and Chloe may be just the person Red needs to gain confidence and start painting again.

This book was so cute. I loved the variation of characters from you typical enemies to lovers rom com book. Chloe is not your typical heroine. Not only in physical features, but she also suffers from a chronic illness and is constant pain. But if those words weren’t written you wouldn’t know because she has so much sass and personality, which I loved. I also loved the positive body imagine throughout the book, it was a breath of fresh air in the rom com world ... and I am here for it.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for an ARC copy to read and review.

This book is outstanding.

To begin: Chloe Brown almost died. But then she didn’t.

After her near-death encounter with a drunk driver, Chloe Brown decided to get a life. You see, a close examination of the one she had lived so far was not particularly impressive, so Chloe made a list.

Across the courtyard from her apartment is that of the building superintendent, Redford Morgan. Handsome and handy and heavily tattooed, Red only catches Chloe at her worst moments. Like when she’s watching him paint at night. Other than those stolen moments of watching Red work (he paints half naked, you guys), Chloe avoids Red, and Red avoids seemingly snobby Chloe, with her sharp, upper class accent and her apparent disdain towards Red, which he assumes can only be because of their class differences.

Until he comes upon her, stuck in a tree, rescuing a cat, and their attempts at avoidance fall apart. In exchange for helping her complete items on her Get a Life list, Chloe, a web designer, agrees to create a website for Red’s art as part of his determination to relaunch his art career. Their increased time together finds Red realizing that Chloe isn’t stuck up and mean; she’s just, and I quote, “a cute little hermit who hisses at sunlight”. Red also finds himself, quite unhappily to start, attracted to Chloe, whose upper-class background and occasional stand-offishness reminds Red of his abusive ex-girlfriend, Pippa. Red’s emotional task through the novel is to recognize that Pippa and Chloe are not the same person (they’re not even similar), but the way that Pippa treated him affected Red’s willingness and ability to trust that other people are not going to hurt him.

Chloe, too, is wary of others. It took years for her medical concerns to be taken seriously and in that time the landscape of her life changed extensively.

For Chloe, fibromyalgia has meant more than living with chronic pain, exhaustion, countless medications, and years of medical dismissal. It has also meant living largely without other people. Besides her chaotic and marvelous family, Chloe has been utterly left behind by friends and loved ones who either thought she was lying about being ill or disappeared from her life as the coping mechanisms she employed to survive the years of untreated illness changed her lifestyle.

For Chloe, her list isn’t just about getting things done: it’s about jump starting herself again, helping her learn to be brave. Getting, or building, a life once again.

This book is heavy, with two people who have plenty of reasons not to trust others learning to let another in. But it’s also cute and funny as fuck. Looking for a book to hand to a newish romance reader? Pick this one. As hilarious as it is heartbreaking, Get a Life, Chloe Brown is a fantastic way to show new readers all that contemporaries can be.

I personally have been having a hard time getting through contemporaries recently, due to a lot of “I’m-not-like-other-girls” main characters and forced quirkiness. Get a Life, Chloe Brown is charming without feeling heavy handed, and Chloe has idiosyncrises that feel natural, as opposed to attempts to make her more unique than everyone else in the whole world. People in the real world are strange and goofy, have weird habits and off beat interests, but I find that the ability to naturally represent those traits is a tricky one. Get a Life, Chloe Brown does it fantastically.

I appreciate that ability especially here because some of Chloe’s things are my things too, like laying on the floor when emotionally compromised (ask me about that time I cried under a table at my college library), the overall inability to deliver jokes that are recognizable as jokes, and sharing a lot of general characteristics with grumpy old men. Chloe prefers buttons on all of her clothes, despite her inability to always work them, because they “add a certain dignity to an outfit”. She has a hard time thanking people for helping her. She would rather be alone than run the risk of being abandoned.

Red (a literal redhead by the way) is big and tough, has “MUM” tattooed on his knuckles, and blushes when people say nice things to him. He sees a therapist when said mum tells him to. He spends a fair amount of time thinking about how attracted he is to Chloe’s ankles and has thoughts like: “He had the strangest idea that his virtue wasn’t safe around her, which was the single weirdest thought he’d ever had.” Then, later in the book, he offers to give her an orgasm, because, ya know, endorphins are natural pain killers. If it is not immensely obvious to you already, Red is one of my favorite contemporary heroes.

Watching Red and Chloe unfold for one another is achingly good, as is watching them stand up for one another, often to the other person. Much like real life, few things in this novel are easily solved. The end of the novel is full of the growing pains of two people learning how to be with each other and to be with themselves. These are some of the things I love most in romance. I love people knowing that they fit with one another, but still being in the process of fully embodying that. I love: I love you, and I am still working on me. Get a Life, Chloe Brown shines in this: the representation of love, both of the self and of the other, as something that has to be invested in, over and over, again and again.

Towards the end of the novel Red tells Chloe: “I’m working on it, and I hope…Well, I hope that’s enough.”

And while Get a Life, Chloe Brown has a further HEA than that, that is enough for Chloe, and it’s certainly enough for me.

4.5 Stars!

This book was such a sweet surprise. This new-to-me author was blown me away with her unique storytelling. I’m a fan for life.

Chloe Brown is such a beautiful and endearing character. Our heroine suffers from an illness that has her in a frequent state of pain. She takes regular walks and on one particular day, she has a near death experience that leads her to re-evaluate how she is living her life.
As a result she decides to cook up a list of things she thinks will make feel like she’s “living”.

One of those things to move out on her own and gain some dependence.
There, at her new apartment complex, she has less than pleasant encounters with the superintendent.
The strikingly good-looking Redford was such a sweet soul. He has his own hang ups and issues from his past. And the author did an amazing job handling just sensitive subject matter.

I loved the witty banter and the dry humor between Chloe and Red. They had me laughing so many times throughout reading this book.
They didn’t really get off on the right foot in the beginning. But I so enjoyed the natural progression of their friendship and the romance that developed between them. It was built up in such a beautiful way, even with all the tension that drove me bananas - I loved it.

They both had a lot of personal issues to dealt with quite a bit of bumps along the road. Through it all, they always amazed me with their maturity with which they handled with their shortcomings in the end.

I so enjoyed this book and I’d definitely recommend.

3.5 stars

Sexy and sassy rom-com with a few interesting twists: Main character Chloe Brown has fibromyalgia and the book provides a glimpse into what her daily challenges are. Chloe was an active and healthy young woman before the disease hit, and she has retreated into snide bitchiness after most of her friends disappeared in the face of her illness. She is determined to rise above that and after a transformative near-fatal experience has compiled a list to get her to re-engage with life.

The first step was moving out of her parents' house, so she has a flat of her own. Enter building superintendent Redford Morgan, who is also an artist who abandoned his art after a destructive and esteem-destroying relationship with a rich bitch. These two damaged souls have to try and overcome their baggage to appreciate what they can give each other.

Irrelevant side note: this is also the story of an interracial romance but doesn't seem to be a factor at all except for a one-sentence discussion. Is that how it works in real life?

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Almost 5 stars!! I so loved this book! Chloe and Redford are such adorable characters. I just loved seeing them interact and their witty banter back and forth. The supporting characters (Gigi, Chloe's sisters, Smudge) were also fun as well. If you want a funny romance, definitely pick this one up!

Talia Hibbert knocks it out of the park with the first book in her new series, The Brown Sisters. It’s an utterly captivating and thoroughly entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance with unique, endearing characters and an authentic and heartwarming story. Chloe has a near-death experience and decides that she needs to get a life, and she makes a to-do list to accomplish her goals. She quickly tackles her first task and moves out of her parent’s house and immediately clashes with her building’s superintendent, Red. They both have reasons to be prickly and guarded, and they seem to bring out the worst in each other. But they call a truce after Red rescues a cat, and he agrees to help Chloe with her list. Their verbal sparring soon begins to heat up with rapidly escalating sexual tension as they get to know and develop feelings for one another. They both struggle to be vulnerable, and it’s breathtakingly romantic when they begin to drop their defenses down and confide in each other. I adore Hibbert’s ability to infuse vibrant humor and raw emotion into a story filled with light-hearted moments, gritty reality and sharp-eyed social observation, and her perceptive, nuanced storytelling is in a league of its own.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown is one of the best books I've read this year. You know when you read something and you're just so happy it exists? That's the feeling this book gave me. Loved it from start to finish.

The book opens with the heroine, Chloe, being several feet away from where a drunk driver crashes, and that kick-starts her list. Chloe is a website designer and has fibromyalgia, which controls a lot of what she is able to do. Please note this is set in the UK so there are no financial issues mentioned due to her medical treatment (though her family does have money). She moves into an apartment building where the superintendent is the hero, Redford, and promptly makes repeatedly bad impressions on him. Red was in a bad relationship with a woman who was quite wealthy previously and Chloe's accent and manner isn't helping in her favour.

Red is an absolute sweetheart of a hero. He is also stuck, but by choice, staying on as super in his friend's building even though it was supposed to be temporary. He is a painter and good at it (I really liked how matter of fact the book was about this). He is painting, but it's different, and while he has enjoyed some success previously he walked away from it.

Chloe and Red's relationship develops as he helps her with a few items on the list. She doesn't really have friends after they dumped her when her illness developed and she hasn't trusted since. So they're friends, and friends who reaaaaallly want to have sex, and it goes from there.

I don't want to say more because it's such a delight to let this novel unfold for the reader. I was constantly highlighting passages and wishing I could send heart-eyed emojis to the book. A must read for romance fans.

A cute book. There’s not much representation in books of people with chronic illness so it was a fun read and a cute love story about the processes we take to love ourselves. I’d recommend it.

This memorable romance sensitively handles challenging topics of chronic illness and abuse. Red and Chloe would individually be fantastic characters without the other in any book, but these characters as a combination are entirely steamy and swoonworthy. Chloe is learning to live on her own (and how to ask for help when she can't do everything), and Red is regaining confidence after an abusive relationship. These characters have to learn how to be sensitive to the other's needs, as well as getting to know each other and falling for each other. This book has been getting rave reviews, and they are well deserved.

Cute cute cute! This book deals with some heavy issues (chronic illness, recovering from an abusive relationship) but it's such a feel-good romp.

This was an utterly delightful read. The characters are dynamic and relatable, the banter is witty and humorous and most importantly it deals with chronic illness in such a realistic way. It shows Chloe's frustration being chronically ill and I'll be honest this might be a lot for some looking for an upbeat heroine, however I found it to be a realistic depiction of the ups and downs. It's not always pretty and motivational speeches/quotes do not always cut it. I liked Red's character because he was not only sweet but understanding. I was rooting for them all the way because they felt like people I would know.


I would recommend to those looking for a different kind of romance novel with a lot more heart.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced e-copy for an honest review.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I can’t believe I got an ARC of this. The plot goes like this, Chloe Brown is a sophisticated woman who loves to make lists, who also happens to suffer from Fibromyalgia, and after almost dying she comes up with a “Get a Life” list. A list that consists of seven things she needs to do, so in comes “Red” the superintendent of her building who is good with his hands and kind of a soft-boy that blushes. He’s also a painter that needs a website, which happens to be Chloe’s line of work, so they decide to make an exchange, his website for his help on completing her list. Also, there’s a cat in the mixed people!

Something very interesting happened to me while I read this book, I found myself identifying with both characters in a very deep way. As an artist (writer) I couldn't help but to see myself in Red’s hesitation with showing his work; this is something that haunts me a lot, the feeling of something that you love not being good enough and it’s scary and paralyzing. While in other stances, as a diverse abled woman, I could relate with Chloe on so many levels, especially on her ideas about dating with a disability. I really hope to overcome some of my insecurities at some point in my life, I wish to find confidence just like Chloe and Red, to put myself out there, because I do believe that is worth it.

This book is funny and sexy! I was laughing so hard with the dialogues! I loved all the relationships in this book, from Chloe and her sisters to Red’s with Vik. Of course, I also love the sizzling chemistry between Red and Chloe, and their Oh-so-good banter had me giggling for days! God! And those emails! Too funny.

In terms of writing and structure, I loved reading this book so much, I felt the descriptions were really good really well done. The dialogues, like a mention, we're strong; good dialogues are my favorite part of a book and this book nail that. The character development was really good too and at a believable pace. I loved how these characters didn't grow because of each other but in relation to each other. I appreciated the treatment the author gives to the fibromyalgia disability, as someone who knows people with fibromyalgia, I feel this author knew very well what she was talking about. The author also draws attention to the very important topic of abusive relationships, especially on the male side, which is not something you don’t see a lot in literature, and I appreciated that too.

This is my first time reading anything from this author and I have to say that I'm impressed, this might be my favorite Romance book of the year so far and I don't think another one will top it. If you're looking for a fluffy, funny and sexy read, this must be the book for you. So, go ahead and get your copy on November 5th, I already ordered mine.

Book's release date: November 5th, 2019 by Avon

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the advanced review copy of Get A Life, Chloe Brown! This was a delightful romance!

Chloe Brown wants to turn her life around. After living in chronic pain and then experiencing a brush with death, she decides to create a list of items that will make her life more interesting. In the process, she develops a relationship with her apartment handyman, Red. Red has some baggage of his own, and the two help each other face their emotional traumas with a healthy dose of steam as they embark on a cute love story.

This novel was funny, endearing, and diverse. I loved how Red recognized Chloe as a confident, strong woman when others found her weak and didn't care to understand her illness. Chloe's family was hilarious and their strong bonds were adorable! And one of my favorite cameos was Smudge, the cat.

I so enjoyed Get A Life, Chloe Brown! I can't wait for Talia Hibbert's next book!

Get a Life, Chloe Brown is adorable!  I haven’t had much luck lately with Rom-Coms but this one was great. In the beginning, it reminded me a little bit of Bridget Jones’ Diary.  Chloe is extremely dry and a little Darcy like, at least in the beginning. Slowly as the story progresses, and we understand Chloe her reaction to things begins to make sense.  

Chloe was very inspiring, I love how she realized she wasn’t living and tried to do something about it.  And Red, oh Red, what a man. I had no problem understanding why Chloe would fall for him. He was a genuinely nice person, and both he and Chloe acted like mature adults, at least most of the time.  

This love story was so sweet and so real.  I loved that these characters believed in each other and made each other better, they helped each other, understood each other, and isn’t that really what love is supposed to be?

It’s a golden age for romance novels.
This genre is rich with steamy, smart, diverse stories and Get A Life, Chloe Brown is another phenomenal addition.
The banter between Chloe and the aptly names Red is as electric as their love scenes. Both characters’ quiet suffering (hers with chronic disease, his with emotional trauma) unravels as the book progresses with incredible sensitivity and honesty.
This is as perfect as a book gets.

Thanks to Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be a complete delight. I really liked the invisible disability rep as well. Though I can't personally speak for how well it represents itself, I have heard from own voices reviewers that the disability rep is fab. These characters were flawed, but amazing in their own ways. Chloe was the spitfire that I wanted her to be, and Red helped her come out of her shell. It was kind of great. I didn't think they always made the right decision, but I do think that their characters were realistic in the best way possible.

This was my first Talia Hibbert novel. I have succumb to the pressure from my friends, and I don't have any regrets. I will definitely try out more of her works in the future.

Adorable, real, charming, and sexy.
I absolutely loved this book. Chole was so real and I could relate to her on so many levels. The witty and hilarious banter between Chloe and Red is so amazingly funny. You root for Red and Chloe because you fall in love with them and you want to have all the happiness in the world. This book has just made my top 10 for 2019. LOVED IT!

Discussed in SBTB’s bimonthly whatcha reading post: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2019/10/whatcha-reading-october-2019-edition-part-two/

I’m also reading Talia Hibbert’s Get a Life, Chloe Brown and liking it so far. I’m a sucker for “bucket list-type” books, and this one has a GREAT list (camping, travel the world with nothing but hand luggage, meaningless sex, etc). I love “bucket list” books because the protagonist assertively sets out on their journey looking for something specific, but often ends up finding and accomplishing things they never dreamed of. The book deals with serious issues (chronic illness, near death experience, etc), but I’m laughing and having a good time. Fingers crossed it stays that way.