Member Reviews

I loved Get a Life, Chloe Brown. So I had high expectations for Take a Hint, Dani Brown. And let me tell you they were well surpassed. I adored this book so much. I needed to see how it ended and yet never wanted it to end. It may have ruined me for all other rom-coms, okay probably not but...
Dani was introduced in Get a Life, Chloe Brown, and so I already knew that I would like her. She’s smart, witty, confident. She is basically my fictional hero. And Zaf, oh Zaf is major book boyfriend material. A former rugby player, who reads romance and is in touch with his emotions, um yes, please! This is a friends to lovers/fake dating romance. Normally I'm more of an enemies to lovers gal, but the banter in this book is on point! And the fact that they knew each other well, only added to the story.
Did I know how this book was going to end? Yes, but as Zaf points out that’s why we read romance, for the happily ever after. Personally, I’m not looking for major surprises in a rom-com. This book is truly everything I want in a romance, great characters, witty banter, and a story that is meaningful.

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Another awesome novel by Talia Hibbert! This series delivers laughter and lots of swooning. I can’t wait for the next installment.

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Danika Brown knew what she wanted and what she didn't want. She was looking to become a star in her field, and though she didn't have time for feelings, she still had "needs". She thought Zaf would be a suitable friend-with-benefits partner, but this hopeless romantic may end up being the one, who worms his way into her heart.

I fell in love with the Brown sisters, when they were first introduced in Get a Life, Chloe Brown. Each sister was so wonderful and unique, and it was such a treat getting to know Dani better this time. Watch out! Because Dani Brown is a force. I couldn't imagine how I would handle meeting Dani in person, because I was fully captivated by her on page. She was brilliant and driven, and wholly her own woman. She had a way with words, and often had me cackling.

And, then, there was Zaf. My goodness! Talia Hibbert writes THE BEST heroes. On the surface, Zaf was this built-like-a-brick house former rugby star, who commonly wore a scowl. But, underneath, he was a sensitive man, dealing with anxiety and grief. He read romance books, doted on his niece, and quietly started a foundation to teach boys about mental health issues, while combating toxic masculinity.

"Sweetie, are you crying?"
"No," he said. "I'm leaking masculine pain from my eyeballs."

The beauty of this union was that they both were so good for each other. He was supportive and encouraging of Dani's career aspirations, while she helped Zaf embrace his pain and grief. I relished those deep and tender moments, which Hibbert gave us in between the fantastic banter and steamy scenes. Zaf and Dani had an undeniable attraction and passion for each other, but they also had something that went much deeper. I had zero problems with this ship, and I was cheering for them the entire time.

Overall: A funny and witty romance, which made me laugh, smile, and swoon.

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I fell in love within the first two pages and couldn't put this book down until I finished reading it all. The character introductions to both Dani and Zaf made me laugh out loud. It was steamy; it was sweet; I cried more than once. I would eagerly ready stories centered around any of the secondary characters in this book!

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Hint: This Book is Perfection!

If you’ve read Get a Life, Chloe Brown you know that, middle Brown sister, Dani isn’t known for her delicacy but she’s fierce as hell! In Take a Hint, Dani Brown she finds herself smack in the middle of a viral moment with her friend/secret crush/would love to be bed buddies with Zaf.

Zaf has fought his way out of depression,
learned to control his anxiety, and is now channeling what he’s learned into a youth program. Oh, he also has the biggest crush on Dani Brown. When #DrRugbae starts trending they see it as their opportunity to help each other and maybe get a little closer - at least physically, or at least that was the plan.

I absolutely loved how Zaf and Dani see their own flaws but can only see the beauty and goodness in each other. The subtle things they do for each other and the way they commit to each other, even when they’re still “faking it” absolutely melted my heart.

If you like fake dating, only this one time, and friends to lovers with a touch of grump and sunshine (they take turns being each of those - squee!) and a hero who speaks the language of romance novels THIS is the books for you!!! And even if you don’t like those things, it’s still the book for you, it’s that good.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.

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Talia Hibbert's writing in Get a Life, Chloe Brown, was refreshing, and that stands true for Take a Hint, Dani Brown, too!

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I loved Talia Hibbert's Get a Life, Dani Brown. However, I didn't love this one. We knew exactly the whole time what was going to happen and it would have been nice to been left wondering just a little bit. I'll still read her next one about Eve Brown.

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I have, an ABSURD amount of feelings for this book. I’m still reeling, processing, crying the tears... in the BEST possible way.

Dani & Zaf. Where do I even begin? Talia Hibbert completely crushed everything with this book. Dani, our incredibly capable, BRILLIANT lead female is only afraid (nah, she’s not afraid of anything... but for the sake of this review, she is) of one thing... FEEEEEELINGS. Including love.
Zaf, our broody, massive, hunk of a lead male, is essentially... a hopeless romantic. Who got clubbed over the head with Cupid’s arrow.

Talia tackles SO. MANY. IMPORTANT topics in this book. Grief, loss, anxiety, unworthiness... I can’t even name them all. I felt this book deep in my bones. I related to both these characters because I could see bits of myself in both of them. This is my first by this author and now I just need to read everything by Talia Hibbert. Her voice, her incredible storytelling ability is mind blowing to me.
I’m still processing my emotions but WORLD. You gotta be ready for this one.

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Take a Hint Dani Brown was the perfect sequel to the first book. I love the diversity throughout the book. There are different religions, races, and sexual orientations and I’m here for it!! I love that this love story isn’t your complete typical love story & appreciate the representation of a character who isn’t your typical leading man. Zaf loves romance novels, takes care of his family, & wants to fall madly in love...Can I get a Zaf?! The steam in this book is top notch! Not too much and not too little! Overall this one gets 4 stars.

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I enjoyed the first novel by this author. It was a little more romance-y than I normally read but I liked the main character. This book was about her sister and just as enjoyable. It reminded me of the Marion Keyes books about that Irish family--same family, very different members and experiences.

This one had the added twist of a fake relationship is a nichey trope I always enjoy in movies and now books. It was light but the characters had depth. Perfect vacation read.

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While I was a fan of the first book in this series, Get a Life, Chloe Brown, I did have some complaints: Mainly, that I did not love Red's POV and found him overly horny to the point of cringe-worthiness and I didn't love reading from his perspective as much as Chloe's. Both of those issues were non-existent in Take a Hint, Dani Brown. While this book is still super steamy, the romance just felt more balanced and believable for me (give me a good fake dating trope any day) and I felt like Zain in general was a more well-defined character whose voice really enhanced the story. The rep, as always, is respectfully and wonderfully done, and Hibbert's voice is snarky and witty and fun to read. Very much looking forward to the third installment!

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Lots of twists and turns in this fun (and pretty spicy) romance -- you will not be bored! Dani is a PhD student who is the "victim" of many misunderstandings and half-truths as she navigates/manipulates a relationship with handsome Zac. A very likeable cast of characters and a well-paced plot, along with plenty of humor make this a terrific read.

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More Brown sisters, please! Dani and Zaf are just what the summer romance scene needs - a steamy romance and kick-ass female characters. Does Zaf seem a little too good to be true? Sure, but we could all use an escape from reality these days, couldn't we?

I didn't feel very connected to the sisters after reading Chloe's book, but Take a Hint gave me a stronger sense of their family bond, their "Who do I need to kill?" dynamic.

I'm looking forward to the third (and final?) installment. Bring the steam, Talia.

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4.5 stars!!

This was a super cute Brown Sisters installment! While I didn’t connect with Dani as much as I did with her sister in the first book, I still really enjoyed her character as a whole — her social aversions and career drive and her witchiness all gave her great depth that I really appreciated! However, I absolutely ADORED Zafir — he is a grumpy cinnamon roll and I loved him! Ever since reading a couple other books earlier in the year with similar male MC’s, my new favorite thing is men who read romance novels for the sheer pleasure of it and knowing Zafir’s reasons for his love of love and romance novels had me soaring through the sky!

I really enjoyed the fake relationship aspect of this story and it was heartwarming to see them grow together through their journey. Partially own voices, the author does a brilliant job with the diversity, not just of this book, but the whole series (and all her other books as well) — varied sexuality, race, and mental health representation throughout, and all represented respectfully and accurately! This is just a fantastic series and I seriously can’t wait for book 3!!!

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3.5 stars

This second entry in the Brown Sisters books can easily be read as a standalone. Danika Brown is a strong heroine - confident, sexy, scary smart and seemingly very sure of herself. She has a little daily mini-flirt going on with campus security officer Zafir. Unbeknownst to her, Zaf is a former famous rugby player who experienced a personal tragedy and sort of dropped from sight.

When he impulsively carries her out of a building during a disaster drill, it makes a big splash on social media. Zaf is trying to fundraise for a charity he started so the publicity is good news. He and Dani teasingly agree to faux date each other for a month to kick up more interest in Zaf's charity..

Zaf is almost too good to be true -- handsome, muscular, sensitive, loyal and very family centric. He struggled with depression and the book delves into his coping mechanisms a bit.

There is great sexual chemistry between the two from the get-go. But Dani has been burned and refuses to consider getting involved with anyone on anything other than a purely physical level.
Zaf on the other hand, reads romance novels because he wants to affirm that life can have happy endings. How can they reconcile their vastly different expectations?

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

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I love this book. I always love Talia Hibbert's books and this was no exception. The cast is diverse, witty and fun. It's funny and heartfelt and sexy and I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a wonderful summer read.

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A plot that involves a fake dating trope and a bisexual lead? Sign me up!!

This is the second book in a trilogy about the Brown sisters, but that being said it doesn't have that many appearances from Chloe, who we read about in Get a Life, Chloe Brown. When the books are like a sister each, I always get so nervous that the author will just recreate what she did in the first book with a new character. But that's not what happened here!

This book covers serious topics such as the male leads mental health as well as the sexuality of Dani. However, I loved that her bisexuality wasn't the story line and the only thing about her. It was very much just a part of her and not the focus which I LOVED.

Overall, I think this book was very well written, covered some important topics, while all at the same time giving you all the feels!! Highly recommend this one when it comes out!

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Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
......
“Because the world wasn’t split into unhappy endings and happily ever afters. There were blessings everywhere and a thousand shades of joy all around him. Every shade should be savored.”
......
Let me start by saying that this book is super steamy (I’d put it in the rated R category), so if that bothers you, then this one may not be the book for you.

This is the second book I’ve read by Talia Hibbert. She is a black British author who writes about diverse characters and this is her second novel in The Brown Sisters’ Series (Get a Life, Chloe Brown was the first). What I love about her writing is that she includes characters with strong, female voices. They know what they want out of life but they also grow and develop throughout each story. She also includes men who don’t pretend like they have it all together and are doing hard work to be better humans. Talia is a self proclaimed book snob and her wit and sense of humor come through on every page of her writing. There will be three total books in this series. Each one is about one of the Brown sisters falling in love. This second installment comes out in June! Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollins for providing me with this advance copy.
.......
#somecallmecrunchyreads #somecallmecrunchybookreviews #bookstagram

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Melt my heart and fell the feels! Dani is a strong independent woman who is on the fast track for a University tenure. Zafir is the security guard in her building. Friendship unites the too until Zafir rescues Dani from the elevator during a safety drill. This romantic moment is captured on film and becomes a viral sensation. Can their friendship last if strong feelings start to develop? Can the two learn to grow emotionally and tackle their mental health issues together?

Enjoy this steamy, yet touching romance novel from Talia Hibbert. I can't wait to read her next book!

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The whole time I was reading this, I kept giggling to myself, and forcing my partner to listen to entire passages.

This book is funny, with adorably squee-worthy characters and a plot that managed to be angsty AND low-conflict. I didn’t love it quite as much as the first book in the series, which had more going on in terms of plot, but this was far funnier.

Dani Brown is an unapologetically brilliant, chubby, and gorgeous PhD candidate but she’s not good at relationships. She’s super attracted to wounded, compassionate Zaf, but thinks he’s better suited to “someone serious, someone who didn’t accidentally work through their partner’s birthday parties or, when asked what day it was, respond with “The date of Sylvia Plath’s death” instead of “Our anniversary, of course, darling.”

She is wrong, and I loved seeing her realize she was just perfect the way she was. Also, this is a fake relationship plot with all of the joy and none of the stress. The bisexual rep was fantastic too.

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