Take a Hint, Dani Brown was absolutely wonderful, I loved it. Dani Brown is an overworked PhD student who is looking for a new hookup (she doesn't do relationships), when she decides that the goddess Oshun has sent her Zafir, her friend from work. Zaf, however, has a huge crush on Dani and is looking for more. When a video of the two goes viral, they decide to embark on a fake relationship to help his fledgling foundation, and hilarity ensues. I really liked the first book in this series (about Dani's sister, Chloe), but liked this one even more. (It works perfectly well as a standalone.) I loved Zaf - he is dealing with anxiety attacks and past trauma, and Hibbert writes so compassionately about what he's going through. Dani was hilarious in addition to being caring, but also dealing with issues from an ex who mistreated her. Watching the two of them figuring things out was lovely, as were their relationships with their families. Highly recommended!

An excellent addition to the Brown sisters! I loved this book and how real it is. I love Dani and Zaf and how they work to bring out the best in each other and learn from each other. Also, there are some great meta comments about romance novels. Highly recommend and can't wait for the third one!

WOW. I absolutely LOVED this book! Binge-read in one day.

What I liked: The writing voice was sharp, clever, and bursting with personality. I loved the diversity in the characters: Dani is a Black woman academic; Zaf is a big, strong former pro rugby player who is surprisingly in touch with his emotions. The chemistry between these two was sizzling hot! Zaf also has anxiety, and it was handled so respectfully by the author. To top it off, he loves romance novels and believes in happily ever afters. He has now joined my dream team of book boyfriends (along with Josh Templeman, Josh Im, and Gus Everett).

What I didn’t like: not much. This was close to perfect for me. Dani was occasionally frustrating but it worked in the context of her character. Also, the first chapter felt off-putting and disjointed and I nearly stopped reading (don’t do that! Keep reading!)

I will add that it was VERY steamy, more so than I usually enjoy, and pretty irreverent. That may put some readers off, but the love story and character arcs were so beautifully written that I highly recommend giving this a chance even if you’re typically more comfortable with moderate steam.

All in all, this was a MAJOR winner for me and is one of my favorite romances of the year. Many thanks to @netgalley and @avonbooks for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown is an another joyful, sweet, funny, and steamy diverse romance. In a time where I have a hard time concentrating on reading during the pandemic, I got swept away with Ms. Hibbert's writing. I was enamored by her characters and absolutely love that I got to read a book that celebrates diversity and joy involving people of color.
Dani is a remarkable character and one that we, unfortunately, do not see often. She is a black, professional woman who is confident yet flawed. She is a not a caricature and I appreciated her tackling with commitment phobia. I did want the conflict to be a bit stronger and appear sooner in the book, which are my only complaint of the book.
I absolutely loved Zafir. It is very rare that I have found a Pakistani Muslim man as a love interest. I loved how Hibbert normalized him as a man who has a sexual drive and devoted to his family without being misogynistic which is the stereotype of Muslim men. I also really appreciated how Hibbert addressed Zafir's mental health struggle with depression and anxiety, especially when mental health is still a taboo topic in the Pakistani community. I loved that Zain was able to identify Zafir's struggle and got him to see a therapist.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am very much looking forward to reading about Eve's story and more titles from Hibbert.

The second book in The Brown Sisters series introduces us to the sassy, brazen and highly ridiculous Dani who livens up any space that she's in. She's intoxicating which is exactly how Zaf feels about her. The two of them work in the same building - she a professor, he a secruity guard - and when a video of him rescuing her during an emergency drill gone wrong goes viral, they're instant superstars. Couple goals, baby! They decide to egg it for what it's worth so they pretend to date, playing it up to the gawkers to gain publicity for his youth program, Tackle It. As a former rugby player who's been through his own fair share of emotional turmoil, he espouses the importance of mental health especially in young boys whom society tells it's wrong to show emotions. A relationship, even a fake one is untested territory to Dani who likes to avoid commitment.

Talia Hibbert writes the BEST banter! Zaf and Dani flirt, bait each other and toss out quick retorts which amuses and keeps things lively. There's not a boring moment when these two have the most insane chemistry! Dani is straight up confident in her sexuality and her desires, and Zaf is equally honest. Attraction aside they do approach the concept of relationships differently, in part due to their personal struggles. Zaf suffers from anxiety but has developed ways to cope. I liked how Hibbert demonstrated the way his anxiety manifests showing that it differs for everyone. I was awed by how she had Dani be so patient and supportive through this because Dani isn't one to put someone ahead of herself. After a bad experience she vowed never to compromise for anyone ever so the fact that this vivacious person could be so quiet during one of Zaf's episodes and just be present with him is one of the little things that makes Hibbert's characters so lovable. Zaf's sensitivity and insistence on being in touch with his emotions is the anti-alpha move and I am all for it. Dani's effusive embrace of her femininity and sexuality makes her one of the most appealing characters I've ever read. Seriously, Dani and Zaf breathe new life for relationship dynamics. I'm not giving anything away here but let me just say that the ending is super sweet and shows how much they evolve.

Talia Hibbert is an enigmatic writer. I love how she phrases things, sets up situations and takes quirky to new levels. Though it's only the second book of hers I've read I know for sure that I can never know what to expect from her or her characters. Take A Hint, Dani Brown is genuinely hilarious, sexy and aspirational. It's good-feel vibes through and through.


~ Bel

Ratings (out of of 5):
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
Heart: ❤️🧡💚💙💜
Curvy, bisexual heroine: 👄👄👄👄👄
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Dani Brown doesn’t do relationships. They never work out so why bother? She does do,
casual, noncommittal hookups. But a little divine push (and a hell of an incident) push her into the arms of Zafir Ansari, her friend who works the security desk in the building where she teaches. Zaf is big, brooding, and unfairly beautiful. A former rugby pro and romance reader, Zaf needs a favor from Dani. It’s casual enough at first - just the way Dani likes it - until it isn’t.
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You guys, this book was so many good things: a good fake relationship trope + friends-to-lovers. It’s also Grumpy One/Grumpy One 😂. Zaf is brooding and wounded while Dani is snarky and defensive. Together? Resting bitch face magic I was HERE for.
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This book (classic @taliahibbert) manages to be hilarious, heartwrenching, and important at once - while also being breathtakingly romantic. Zaf struggles with anxiety. Hibbert writes this anxiety clearly but with such sensitivity that I (as a person who has it) felt so seen. Just lovely.
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At its heart, this is a book about how a soulmate isn’t the person who grand gestures you at every turn. Rather, that soulmate is a person who knows you fully, accepts you completely, and tills the soil around you to help you be the best version of yourself. Watching Dani come to realize this, while it took her forrrrever (take a hint, girl!) was so rewarding.
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It is feminist AF. Dani is strong, independent, and empowered (and not afraid to see to her own needs - both personal and sexual). Zaf, while an alpha mold in many ways, is infinitely supportive and only wants to be her hype squad. I’m loving this new feminist alpha trend in romance. More please.
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It was sexy, funny, and so goshdamn good that I squealed more than once. Loved and devoured it.
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Kiss and tell:
OHMYGOD, YOU GUYS. This book. Kissing is top notch. Then there’s the hand play, oral, and p&v penetration - all on fire. And Zaf’s bedroom talk? This is my ghost writing this review because it straight up killed me.

Let’s take a minute to address my reaction to the first book in this series and the fact that . . . . .

"It's not you, it's me."

I mean, it’s not always the case, but when it comes to romance series that focus on different main characters each book I try my darndest to not throw the baby out with the bathwater before giving an author another chance. Unless said author made me want to kick a puppy or something because their stuff was complete crap. That wasn’t the case with Talia Hibbert and the Brown Sisters series – I thought Chloe was insufferable in the first book and her beau Red definitely didn’t make me want to drop my panties anytime soon, but there was some potential there for sure.

This second go ‘round featured Chloe’s sister Dani agreeing to a fake dating bit of tropey yum yum with Zaf. And it had everything I felt was missing in the first book. I looooooooooved Dani and wanted to bang the weiner right off of Zaf. Not to mention this was seriously LOL sort of funny at times. Pretty much everything I expect in a fluffy summer selection wrapped up in one of these adorable cartoony covers. I’m giving it all the stars because it was just the escape I was hoping for.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

So, unpopular opinion alert. This book just didn’t do it for me. But, then again, neither did Chloe Brown. My biggest thing with CB was the steam. I thought it was because I wasn’t really used to reading steamy books when I read it so I wanted to give this one a chance. Make sense?

Things I liked about this book: I liked the on-going conversation about mental health. This is such an important topic so it was cool to read about someone who was working through these challenges. I also liked Zaf and the way he felt about Dani. He wasn’t afraid to show it. Dani was also a bad ass. It was good to read about someone who was kicking butt in their field.

Things I disliked about this book: I didn’t like the steam. It just made me cringe and I found myself skimming those parts. It was also written in 3rd person. I’ve found that I have a really hard time connected with characters when books are written in 3rd person. I want to feel like I am in the story versus told a story.

This is my favorite romance of this year so far. I loved Hibbert's Get a Life, Chloe Brown, so my expectations for this one were already high and it totally blew them out of the water. Dani and Zaf's grumpy, humorous fake dating turned oh so real feelings completely stole my heart and I've been yelling at anyone who will listen (and reads romance) that they need this book. Great representation (especially casual bi rep! body diversity!), a steamy romance, relatable complicated feelings, and some witchiness and feminist scholarship to top it all off.

This book was everything I want in a summer rom com. Feisty heroine, hilarious dialogue, a super sexy and sensitive hero. PUT IT IN MY VEINS, TALIA HIBBERT.

While I absolutely adored Get A Life, Chloe Brown, Take A Hint, Dani Brown was SO AMAZING. I literally started grinning the moment I read the first line and swooned my way through the rest of the book. Talia Hibbert write with incredible passion and at every turn, I was enamored. I couldn’t get enough and now I’m desperately waiting for Eve’s!

This book was fun, the characters are witty and diverse, and it didn't feel like every other romcom. I would highly recommend it to fans of Jasmine Guillery. Can't wait to read what else Talia Hibbert writes!

Take a Hint, Dani Brown is delightful. Talia Hibbert always does an amazing job writing characters that are flawed yet lovable, and this book is no different. We have Dani, a brilliant, confident, witchy professor, and Zafir, the grumpy, burly, security guard who's suffered a terrible loss. After accidentally becoming a viral sensation, they embark on a fake relationship.

This is a story where both characters treat each other with respect. It is just lovely. Yet again, Talia writes a story that is beautiful and inclusive, but will still make you cackle.

Talia Hibbert’s voice and talent sparkle in this new release. Get a Life, Chloe Brown was a highlight of my reads last year and I went into Take a Hint, Dani Brown with high hopes and an open mind. All of that said, this book surpassed any expectations I had.
Danika, or Dani, is a PhD student who has sworn off relationships because she is so driven that she has not been able to be the partner her past lovers wanted. She often works late into the night and misses meals or meetups when she is really focused. The book opens with Dani and her best friend casting a spell, Dani lamenting how her last friends-with-benefits arrangement backfired. Dani is instantly established as a queer woman with a healthy sex drive and a wariness of relationships. Zafir is the security guard at the building on campus where Dani teaches. They have a budding friendship and are secretly attracted to each other. When there is an emergency drill, Dani is trapped in an elevator and Zafir rescues her. He carries her out of the building and it is captured on video, which goes viral on social media with their own hashtag (#DrRugbae) once Zafir is recognized as a former rugby player. They are not actually a couple but the world sure thinks they are. When Zafir’s identity goes public, his meddling niece points out that the positive attention can help Zafir’s charitable organization. Zafir and Danika decide to fake date for the sake of their adoring public.
Difficult experiences in Zaf’s history led him to work against toxic masculinity and encourage boys to express their emotions. He is a true coach, and the way he unconditionally supports and appreciates Dani is a salve for the soul. We get to watch and cheer as they bravely face their fears to come together. Zafir also reads romance novels! He is a strong and sensitive lead character. In my experience, Talia Hibbert manages to write heroes that are considerate partners but don’t come across as being too perfect or generic. They are also smoking hot!
This book made me laugh out loud repeatedly. I learned of topics I had never heard of, I yearned for this couple to make it work, and I was inspired by their persistence at every obstacle. I loved the nature of Dani and Zaf’s interactions with their family members, friends, and mentors. This was immensely fun, sexy, and satisfying. It can be read as a stand-alone and I highly recommend it!

*Approved on both review sites, so the same review will be shared*

Oh, goodness. This book has me gushing.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown is a master class in the Grumpy Cinnamon Roll hero. Zaf is a big rugby playing, romance reading softie and I want to squeeze him.
He's into Dani on so many levels from the beginning. Not just "curves, yes please" but HER. This isn't insta-lust or a shallow affection. This is LONGING and it makes me ridiculously happy.
Often laugh-out-loud funny, this story is giving me pure joy. Like, sit-on-your-sofa-grinning-like-an-idiot-because-you-love-these-imaginary-people JOY.
The hero and heroine are work friends who embark on a fake relationship for reasons, and find out they've been hot for one another all along.
Hibbert addresses anxiety, depression, and toxic masculinity with examples on the page showing healthy ways to deal rather than using the easy out of Love Conquers All.
If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

4.5 stars

If you adored Get a Life, Chloe Brown, you'll fall in love with Chloe's sister. Dani, a young witch who has trouble with relationships and commitment, asks the goddess to identity the perfect sex partner. The goddess answers by presenting her work friend, Zaf - a retired rugby player who is helping young men process their emotions. The two of them start a fake relationship to help Zaf's nonprofit and slowly realize that they're compatible outside the bedroom.

I absolutely adored Take a Hint, Dani Brown! Zaf was the sensitive cinnamon roll I needed who listened to romance novels while at work and had a healthy supply of Beverly Jenkins' novels. Dani demonstrated self confidence but didn't trust that she was lovable and the two were so sweet together. Hibbert's banter and humor had me snorting the entire time and I never wanted this book to end. Take a Hint, Dani Brown was a worthy successor to Get a Life, Chloe Brown and I can't wait to return to Hibbert's imagination with Act Your Age, Eve Brown.

Discussed DARING AND THE DUKE with TAKE A HINT, DANI BROWN in Whatcha Reading post (link attached)

A: I’m doing something that I never do, and that’s reading multiple books at the same time. Alternating chapters is weird. It’s an experiment. We’ll see how it goes because so many folks read like this (sooo strange to me. How do y’all just STOP reading one book and flip back and forth?). I’m in awe because the process is not coming natural to me.

The first book is Talia Hibbert’s Take a Hint, Dani Brown. It is a freaking delight and a hug in book form. There are constant pauses where I set my tablet down and try to stop shrieking with laughter. My family thinks I’m weird enough; I don’t need Reading Snort Gurgles on my list of Aarya quirks. Witchy bi heroine, gruff rugby-playing bodyguard hero, fake relationship, and many other things designed to produce good book noises. Only halfway through, but I don’t anticipate changing my recommendation.

The second book is Sarah MacLean’s Daring and the Duke (out June 30). ( A | BN | K | AB ) It is polar opposite in tone to the Hibbert. Angsty AF second-chance romance with a villain hero. I struggle with villain heroes when they’re SO VILLAINOUS in the previous books of the series. The jury is still out; it’s going well so far, but I don’t know if there’ll be enough groveling to make me happy. We shall see.

C: Oh, I’m dying to hear if the groveling is sufficient!!

A: HE IS SO EVIL. But also maybe good? My heart can’t take it.

S: Me too. I can never get enough groveling, and that villain in particular has a lot to apologize for.

If you’re a romance fan and have not read any Talia Hibbert books, you need to fix that immediately. She is one of my favorite romance authors ever and if I have to shove her books at people to make them aware of her stories, I am more than happy to do so. Her latest book is Take a Hint, Dani Brown. It’s the second book in The Brown Sisters series which began with the brilliant Get a Life, Chloe Brown.

But this time we get to meet Chloe’s sister, Dani. She was in the first book a little bit, but this time we get to really know her and her “friend”, Zafir Ansari. Zafir is a security guard at the university Dani works at, a former rugby player, and a romantic who listens to romance audiobooks at work. *swoon*

At the beginning of the book, Dani and Zafir are already friendly. She brings him coffee, he brings her protein bars so she remembers to eat, and they both scare people with their intense stares (relatable).

But that friendly relationship soon turns into something else when a video of Zafir saving Dani from an elevator and carrying her out of a building hits the internet. The video goes viral and everyone immediately begins thinking Dani and Zafir are a couple.

At first, Zafir is horrified. It was his niece, Fatima, who posted the video, after all. But when Fatima points out the publicity it could give him for his nonprofit, Zafir starts to get an idea. His nonprofit, Tackle It, has boys play rugby while learning how to deal with their emotions and it isn’t doing great. The publicity could do wonders to keep it up and running.

But the publicity relies on people thinking Dani and him are actually together…There can’t be any harm in them faking a relationship for a little while, right?

If Zafiralso happens to have a huge crush on Dani…whatever. He’s not ridiculous enough to think he can change her commitment-phobic ways.

If Dani also happens to like him back and would like him to be her friend with benefits for a little bit, well…that should be a problem, right?. Besides, Dani knows Zafir is a hopeless romantic and that her need for short-term relationships does not work for him.

And yet! They decide to fake date.

Who doesn’t like this trope?? It is honestly the best. The longing, the “is this real or not” thinking, the “pretend” kissing, and the realization of real feelings. It’s a classic for a reason and Talia Hibbert uses it brilliantly.

Let’s start with talking about the banter because Dani and Zafir’s banter cannot be beat. They’re sarcastic and witty and hilarious and I could read a whole book of just them talking back and forth.

The character development is on par with the brilliance of the dialogue. Zafir has anxiety, lost his brother and father in a car crash, and is dealing with the loss of his rugby career. Tragic backstory is putting it mildly.

He has a couple of panic attacks throughout the book which as a fellow anxiety-haver, felt very real to my experience. But as the story goes on and he spends more time with Dani and as he works on himself, Zafir is able to deal with some of his issues. His anxiety isn’t magically cured by the end of the book (which I love), but he’s more comfortable with himself and his past.

There is one scene where Dani helps him through a panic attack that is so good I could cry. One of my favorite things in books or movies is when one person helps another through an anxious/panic moment and this one does not disappoint whatsoever. It’s so good!

Dani’s character development comes in her belief that she can’t have a long-term relationship. She really believes she can only do short-term or that her dedication to her work will always drive someone away. Throughout their fake dating journey, Zafir shows her that it doesn’t have to be this way. When you’re in a relationship with someone who loves and cares for you, it doesn’t have to be a struggle or constant fighting.

Dani is still the snarky workaholic at the end of the book, but she’s more open with her feelings. And it turns out she might like some of the romantic parts of dating more than she’s willing to admit.

These two also have chemistry that is off the charts and not just in their banter. They’re just as compatible in the bedroom. You may or may not need a fan and a bottle of water during these scenes. I’m warning you now!

Take a Hint, Dani Brown lives up to the brilliance of Get a Life Chloe Brown. You will laugh, you will smile at your book multiple times, and you might even cry a little too.

Now I can’t wait for the next book in the series, Act Your Age, Eve Brown, which according to Goodreads, comes out in March 2021.

This book was a cute read. There was something missing for me but ultimately  did enjoy it. The author is talented, I'm just not sure I'm a fan of the situationship turned relationship because rarely do situationships ever end in monogamous relationships.
I never warmed up to Dani. Her first introduction to me is being a witch, but I never got a clear view of what she practiced religiously. As a Black Caribbean Latinx person, I recognized Oshun being mentioned but her belief system seemed so linear and one-dimensional, I would expect this by white ppl interpreting african pagan religions but not a black woman. The fact the most she'd ever ask for from Oshun was to get laid felt like she was making fun of it.
Dani was so masculine, she didn't have any feminine traits. As a reformed hyper masculine woman due to what I'd been cultured to be, I wonder why light skinned, biracial or non-black/non-dark skinned women are never encouraged to be women who "don't need men".
She was amazing as a character but a little weak as a heroine. Her hero consistently gave gave gave but she rarely reciprocated even the smallest of things(like compliments or reassurance)even the ones that took little effort.
I understand this is a trope being turned on its head; Dani is wealthy and alpha-female and anti-commitment but she had very few traits that softened her. A man in this situation wouldn't deserve his love interest so I don't think she deserves her hero Zafir.
I love brown men in interracial. I think I'm disappointed that many of the brown men I've been reading as of recent weeks are a little boring. Zafir was a non-practicing Muslim and a cinnamon roll but much of what was adorable about him made him feel like financially he couldn't compete with Dani. I had to wonder whether this is the reason she never reassured him because he wasn't impressive in comparison to her so she reminded me of Molly from Insecure. She didn't really want to put in work she just wanted when her time was free to have a loyal partner.
Zahir was soft, I wish he'd had more Alpha traits but romance works better when the characters are opposite so I get it. Many of the things he did didn't seem realistic for a cis/het man. I'm all for challenging stereotypes but at times it felt like it was trying to be too feministy(I like feminist topics brought up but this one tackled too many). I also wished that all the characters he was close to who were practicing Muslims wouldn't have had Westernized names, especially because not every PoC needs a nickname easier to pronounce.

The narrator is pretty good and I commend her for finding a Black British narrator. I think as an American, I was already lost in translation for things, so I would've loved it if the name dropping of celebrity names would've featured more British Black women instead of American ones, because it would've forced me to learn and research celebrities I don't know as well.
At times it read too witty, and the banter was good but often never led anywhere since it took so long to get them in the sheets for me. I wish for as long as it took, that they would've at least gone on dates or hangouts that weren't booty calls. I never felt like they really knew each other outside of what they liked in the bedroom. Situationships rarely become deeper than that so while there's a desire for it, both parties rarely want more than what they're getting and because they did little to learn about each other, I wasn't sure it was this developed romance it's marketed to be.

Overall I think Zafir's mental health was handled well. He experienced panic attacks, had anxiety, suffered from depression and I didn't feel like it was too much. Dani wasn't my cup of tea but I loved that she was bi and chubby. I wish the descriptions had painted better pictures of them but she's not as descriptive as some authors I also read so maybe I'm just spoiled by certain authors.

It had a HEA so I'm obliged to give it at least a 3. I wish it would have at least been a 4 for me =/

When I read Get a Life Chloe Brown back in February I knew immediately I had found the best kind of a romance novel, lots of romance and depth! I knew I had to read Dani Brown immediately!

Dani doesn’t believe in romance, so she asked the universe for a friend with benefits. Zafir is the security guard that reads romance novels and wants a happily ever after. When Zafir rescues Dani from being trapped in an elevator and the video goes viral, they make a plan. Fake a relationship to help Zafir’s sport charity! Of course they both have other reasons for wanting to take advantage of their 15 minutes of fame.,

This was the perfect rom com. I found myself laughing out loud way too many times! The writing was incredible, and I often reread parts because the banter was just that good! It also discussed some serious issues with Zafir’s anxiety and some of his past. I loved that we got to visit with Dani’s sisters too! I’m so excited for the next book, which will be Eve Brown’s story!