Take a Hint, Dani Brown

finishing this in a day because i love myself but most importantly i love dani brown so much more

all of my previous praises remain about talia hibbert's writing; it's fun and quippy and sarcastic and a breeze to get through. i laughed out loud several times, could picture her characters as real life humans, and most importantly just had a generally great time.

and what really stuck out about this compared to chloe's book, besides the much more likable love interest in my humble opinion, was the fact that i saw so much of myself in dani. outside of the superficial (bisexual sagittarius grad student), there were so many qualities of an overachieving academic that i saw in dani that i myself struggle with, and the fact that she could get her HEA means that there's hope yet for me as well!

also idk how but talia hibbert wrote the most perfect LI for an overworked, overachieving grad student like i'm about to hand this book to my partner and tell him to STUDY y'all

Ugh, this book was so good - I wish there had been more Fluffy and Gigi, because both of those characters are absolute delights, but that's a minor nitpick in a book that had me grinning all the way through and yelling in my head at Dani “you love him, you goofball, just admit it!” I loved grumpy-on-the-outside romance-novel-reading Zaf (and the cameo by [b:Tempest 35068495 Tempest (Old West, #3) Beverly Jenkins https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501935222l/35068495.SY75.jpg 56363953] and Beverly Jenkins!) and Dani was such an excellent character, all bravado on the outside and just a little bit of insecurity inside. I think the treatment of anxiety was really good, as someone who deals with that myself, I loved the reference to Dani having cramps (seriously, normalize periods in romance novels), and Dani's bisexuality just being a thing about her, not an issue. I want to live in the world of this book.(2020 summer romance bingo: happily ever after. Would also work for a loose “set on an island,” but I think that's all?)

CW: Anxiety, on page panic attack, talk of death of loved ones and depression in the past

To be honest, I knew I was gonna love this before I even started reading - not just because I've only seen rave reviews, but I just was expecting it after having so much fun reading Chloe Brown a few months ago. And it totally didn't disappoint.

The author is amazing at writing sassy sarcastic dialogue and banter, and it's on full display here. I was cackling for the most part and I totally needed that in my current state of mind. But there are also moments of quiet reflection, communication, pining and absolute love - and it all tug at my heartstrings. What beautiful writing. And on top of it, she deftly mixes up my favorite friends to lovers trope with fake dating alongwith some viral social media video (which seems to be theme in many recent romance novels but I can't say I'm a fan), and it was all just a delight to read. There is a decent amount of angst but not so much that it frustrated me (thank you very much) and the conflicts are also resolved very organically without dragging them out which I really appreciated. To top it all, I adored the use of text messages and Instagram comments interspersed throughout the story because they were so hilarious.

The characters are definitely the highlight of this book. I would usually start with the female MC especially because she is the titular one here, but I want to talk about Zafir because he completely stole my heart. He is the definition of gentle giant, a retired pro rugby player who has anxiety and runs a charity to teach young boys how to take care of their mental health. He is extremely kind, compassionate, lovable and protective and just the perfect book boyfriend material. And he loves romance novels

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert, is the BEST romance I've ever read.

I loved this even more than Get a Life, Chloe Brown.

This was such a cute story, and so well written. Talia Hibbert did such a great job with this one.

Dani and Zaf are the perfect couple. Their banter and friendship is adorable, so much so that you are literally rooting for them the whole time.

Our main character, Dani is afraid of commitment but she's also looking for a “friend with benefits”. She gets trapped in a lift and Zafir rescues her. He doesn't just rescue her, he carries out into the carpark where the whole of the collage campus is watching. A video of the rescue goes viral on Instagram #DrRugbae and Zaf realises that the video has brought attention to his non-profit charity. Together, Dani and Zaf come up with a friends with benefits deal - Dani pretends to be Zaf's girlfriend in public, and Dani gets all the sex she wants.

I honestly, loved this book. I enjoyed seeing them both develop as characters, both together and separately. Dani's fear of commitment is challenged when she realises she has feelings for Zaf, and Zaf who suffers majorly from anxiety is challenged to put himself out there for Dani.Seriously read this book!

I've read it again because I was feeling numb and in search of a reading experience that would make me smile.
i was not disappointed. at all.
———————-
Melhor que o primeiro.

Sinto que sou uma pessoa mega pervertida, pois esse livro é mais hot, sensual e... tudo mais de romântico-erótico que o primeiro, e amei cada minuto.
A linguagem segue muito “suja” e cheia de f*cks e suas variáveis; e penso que, se fosse em português, não leria esse livro (é estranho mas é real).
Porém, mesmo com vários temas sensíveis e cheios de diversidade, esse livro tem um tom que não precisamos levá-lo a sério completamente, e nos faz perdoar qualquer vocabulário chulo.

Esse livro traz vários tópicos que fazem meu estômago virar (por mais sem ninguém que eu esteja):

· Excessiva preocupação com o trabalho
· “Anulamento” pessoal em prol de achievements profissionais
· Medo de novos relacionamentos
· Avoiding romance for good = não quebrar a cara.
· Velhos hábitos
· A perda de familiares e como lidar com o luto.
· Depressão
· Ansiedade.
· Questões familiares

· Being worth of being loved

· Body positive, mesmo que de uma forma que deveria ser tratada sempre. VOCÊ CONFIANTE DE VOCÊ MESMA, NO MATTER WHAT.

E muitos outros, mas esses são alguns dos mais evidentes.

Deu um pouco mais de sentido ao amor condicional das três Brown Sisters; nos fez relembra que Gigi é a melhor avó do planeta e uma matriarca sólida na família. Que Red é o ruivo mais simpático ever.
Por último, mas não menos importante:

Duas palavras: Zafir Ansari
Essa mulher SABE escrever sobre homens. Sabe, como ninguém. Bonito como o diabo, lê romance, sem masculinidade tóxica, e ciente da cultura masculina que o esporte traz. Apaixonado pela família e extremamente irreal.
Sim, esse cara fez meu coração dar uma cambalhota.

Talia Hibbert is 2/2 in the 2/3rds of the Brown sisters trilogy I've devoured. This isn't a full 5 stars for me because Dani's commitment phobia is so similar to Chloe's, but is still relatable and charming, and the dynamic with her love interest is sufficiently unique to the first one to make it enjoyable if not surprising. Plus these books are funny! #DrRugbae forever. I am also always here for a bisexual protagonist of a heterosexual romance novel when it's not treated as a token schtick, and Hibbert is A+++ at including reality (e.g., anxiety disorders! chronic pain!) into her romance novels without weighing them down.

4.5 stars.

I loved these two. As I'm writing this review my face hurts from smiling. Also, I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud this many times while reading. Dani and Zaf are both well-written characters and I was firmly invested in their happy ending. Gigi is always and and forever the best!

Admittedly, romance has never been my favourite genre. I do read it from time to time when I'm looking for some light reading or to get back into reading if I feel like I'm in a reading slump. For that reason, the majority of the romances I read get a 3 star from me. What that rating means, in this case, is: I enjoyed my time with the book, it gave me what I was looking for, but I will most likely never re-read it or think about it.
Overall, this was a good book with a diverse cast revolving around the fake dating trope which, I'm not going to lie, I highly enjoy. However, there were a few things that affected my feelings toward Take a Hint, Dani Brown, namely:

• I don't know why, but I was never truly rooting for the main couple - Danika and Zafir. Now, this doesn't mean I didn't want them together. Even though I did enjoy their interactions, I didn't get giddy over them. Since this is indeed a romance, it is important one becomes addicted to the couple (I'm talking about fangirling and shipping, yes lol).
• There was a lot of telling, not showing. One thing that still stands out to me is how Zafir would make an observation about Dani's character/personality after she did something, explaining to us what was obvious. After coming across this more than once, I became annoyed.

The way I just keep devouring the lives of the brown sisters and loving it more and more each time! Can't wait to start Eve Brown but let's talk about Dani and Zaf!

The chemistry between our two MC's is gold. I genuinely loved every interaction they had wether it played into the fake dating trope or not! Wink wink! This book is the first book to make me cry in months, & that alone proves that this book is the most amazing romance i've read so far! No romance novel has made me cry so thank you Talia :)

One of our MC's Zafir Ansari is literally the sweetest guy anyone could ever come across, he's caring and loving and he's a great listener. With that being said, in this novel he is dealing with anxiety disorder along with the death of his brother and father. I myself have anxiety disorder so I do think the way I genuinely connected with Zaf is a reason why I love this book so dearly. & although I have never dealt with the amount of grief Zaf deals with in this book I 1000% sympathized with him and I cried when he talked about his loss. Our other MC Danika Brown is just as lovely! She's a fierce bisexual witch who knows how to make anyone smile :) Dani deals with some tough feelings throughout this novel due to past hurt & she really has a hard time processing her emotions when it comes to love and relationships. Watching her grow throughout the novel was truly inspiring and I love her so much.

With that being said pick this book up right now! You'll definitely thank me!

It's bloody hard to rate some of these books because I'm mostly responding to their place within my expectations and their genre but let me tell you, this book is leaps and bounds better than the first one in the series. There's so much grounded and believable characterization and relationship depth. They're both extremely attractive and likable. Is it trying to change the world or make you see the things differently? Absolutely not. But is it trying to be fun? Yeah, and it succeeds. It's a nice, escapist time.