“Take a Hint, Dani Brown” by Talia Hibbert, edited in Canva
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I am finally getting back into the swing of things when it comes to my book-reading goal. I kept putting off reading over and over again until, finally, I started. And once I did–once I just dove in and began the book–I realized that it was so easy for me to read. I actually didn’t want to stop. I had been so worried I didn’t have the time to do it, but I finished this book in a mere 3 days! I think that this simple little experience opened my eyes to a lot of other things in life: if I just start and take the leap, it won’t be as tough as I imagined.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Take a Hint, Dani Brown was written by Talia Hibbert. This is actually the second novel in the Brown Sisters series, the first being Get a Life, Chloe Brown which I wrote about for my August Book of the Month post! After reading two of her books, I have decided that I quite like Talia’s writing style. Yes, there are some clichés and silly moments, but after all these are romance novels. Her stories also delve into deep emotions and challenges that are relatable; she tackles real issues in relationships that I don’t often see addressed in typical romance fare. In my opinion, that really sets her apart. On top of depicting disabilities and disorders, she also writes with different ethnicities and races in mind, which I absolutely adore!
ABOUT THE BOOK
This book revolves around main characters Dani Brown, a bisexual PhD student with a fear of commitment, and Zafir Ansari, a former rugby player turned security guard and hopeless romantic with a tragic past. When Zaf is filmed by a student while carrying Dani out of a university building during a fire alarm test, the video ends up going viral. This newfound popularity causes some positive publicity for Zaf’s charity work, so he suggests that he and Dani keep up appearances by starting a fake relationship.
Zafir lives with anxiety, and having dealt with anxiety in various relationships of mine, it really hit me emotionally. I cried through a couple different moments; I felt like Zaf was a friend of mine that was struggling. It was a small-scale yet realistic representation of anxiety, and I appreciated Talia shedding light on what it can be like to live with that disorder.
Like Get a Life, Chloe Brown, some parts of the book are written from Dani’s point of view, and some sections are from Zaf’s. It is so nice to be able to read both characters’ thought processes; it really rounds out the story!
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
- Genre: fiction, contemporary, romance
- There are a few parts of the book that involve beloved characters Chloe, Red, and Eve, but you do not need to read Get a Life, Chloe Brown first.
- The book contains explicit sexual content.
- The third book in this series titled Act your Age, Eve Brown–which follows Chloe and Dani’s sister Eve–will be released in March 2021.
It was a quick read (remember I read it in just 3 days). I resonated with both Dani and Zafir throughout this book, and that made me love their story even more. I have always believed that if a work of art creates an emotional reaction in me, regardless of what that emotion is, then it has succeeded. I truly enjoyed this steamy novel and its intricate balance of raw emotion, romance, and comedy. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. ★★★★☆
Have you read this book? Wanna chat about it? Any questions? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below! ♡
