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lizzie_b99's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read this after Take a Hint, Dani Brown because I was not initially aware that that title was part of a series. I have started Act Your Age, Eve Brown and I am really curious to see how her character develops from how she is represented in these earlier novels.
I personally prefer this novel to the sequel! Chloe and Red's relationship feels well fleshed out, though maybe a touch too fast (though maybe I'm just a bit of a skeptic when it comes to quickly developed romantic relationships). I love the focus throughout this series on mental health and disability/neurodivergence representation. I do not have fibro, but Chloe's struggles with spoons and having an invisible disability are incredibly relatable.
The romance genre often has a problem with allowing characters to violate their potential partner's boundaries with little to no punishment. I love that this title does not fall into that trap. Chloe and Red are both highly aware of the importance of boundaries. They constantly ask each other for explicit consent before deepening their romantic/physical relationship (and omg consent is sexy). The focus on boundaries, consent, and meeting one's partner's needs made Chloe and Red's relationship feel both idyllic and achievable. Their banter is adorable and now I need someone to call me Button (even though I'll pretend to hate it), and Smudge is absolutely the best name for a cat.
Late novel spoilers I am not a fan of third act breakups - I often find them to be used as an excuse to lengthen a novel that could have ended better 50 odd pages earlier - but the way this trope is used in this novel works in my opinion. Although the miscommunication trope is used to instigate this breakup (as is often the case), these tropes feel like they bring out the fears and triggers of the characters rather than being used just as a bit of late-novel filler. All in all, the use of tropes in this novel feel believable for the characters and not like an excuse to participate in a trope
I personally prefer this novel to the sequel! Chloe and Red's relationship feels well fleshed out, though maybe a touch too fast (though maybe I'm just a bit of a skeptic when it comes to quickly developed romantic relationships). I love the focus throughout this series on mental health and disability/neurodivergence representation. I do not have fibro, but Chloe's struggles with spoons and having an invisible disability are incredibly relatable.
The romance genre often has a problem with allowing characters to violate their potential partner's boundaries with little to no punishment. I love that this title does not fall into that trap. Chloe and Red are both highly aware of the importance of boundaries. They constantly ask each other for explicit consent before deepening their romantic/physical relationship (and omg consent is sexy). The focus on boundaries, consent, and meeting one's partner's needs made Chloe and Red's relationship feel both idyllic and achievable. Their banter is adorable and now I need someone to call me Button (even though I'll pretend to hate it), and Smudge is absolutely the best name for a cat.
Late novel spoilers
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Cursing
Moderate: Medical content, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident, Classism, Alcohol, and Racism
sblank99's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book! Both main characters were wonderful, their banter was top-notch, and there were multiple moments that made me laugh. I liked how much joy they took in making each other smile and laugh. It wasn't all fluff though. There was some real heart here and some heavier topics addressed. I really loved Red and how thoughtful and caring he was. He's definitely joining my list of favorite romance guys. He and Chloe both had their own issues to work through, and they felt like very realistic problems that impacted them in understandable ways. I don't usually like when there is a third-act breakup , but here it made sense why the characters reacted the way they did and how they found their way through it. I appreciated that they both apologized to each other as too often romance novels have only one person apologizing after an argument where both characters said or did hurtful things. I look forward to reading the other books in this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Ableism, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Classism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Alcohol, and Car accident
beccam22's review
4.0
This book was both pink clouds and pure sweetness as well as very serious around mental health and I really appreciated it. I am mainly an anything but romance reader now starting to read romance.
The mental health and chronic pain rep in this book was amazing. The feeling of being a burden to others while also learning to accept help when needed was beautiful.
The rediscovering yourself after previous relationships was handled okay. I think it handled it better than most books but still felt like they relied on each other as the reason why to change and grow rather than for themselves.
The mental health and chronic pain rep in this book was amazing. The feeling of being a burden to others while also learning to accept help when needed was beautiful.
The rediscovering yourself after previous relationships was handled okay. I think it handled it better than most books but still felt like they relied on each other as the reason why to change and grow rather than for themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, Sexual content, Abandonment, Ableism, Chronic illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Eating disorder, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
errie's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Ableism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Physical abuse
bucklace27's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Chronic illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Toxic relationship and Physical abuse
ellenwm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Delightful! I really enjoy Hibbert’s easy, charming, witty prose and how she captures the feeling of a developing crush. It took me a second to get into this one, but by the time the MCs strike up some banter in the emails they trade I was pretty well in the tank for it! Glad to have been in Chloe’s shoes for a time, including her experiences with chronic pain/illness. Thrilled to see that representation in a full, confident, growing woman MC. Might have enjoyed Eve Brown’s story a bit more, likely bc the portrayal of neurodiversity resonated with me personally, but it’s totally fine to read the series out of order.
I really liked how the characters were both adoring and amorous! The smutty bits were fun! Hibbert does a great job of choreographing hot, real scenes focused on women’s pleasure that don’t use cringey language that makes you want to crawl out of your skin midway through.
I initially found the audiobook narrator choice a little odd since her default narration felt like a better fit for Gigi (or Lady Danbury) than the voice she created for Chloe. But it grew on me a lot and was worth it for how swoony and specific she made Red’s dialogue.
I really liked how the characters were both adoring and amorous! The smutty bits were fun! Hibbert does a great job of choreographing hot, real scenes focused on women’s pleasure that don’t use cringey language that makes you want to crawl out of your skin midway through.
I initially found the audiobook narrator choice a little odd since her default narration felt like a better fit for Gigi (or Lady Danbury) than the voice she created for Chloe. But it grew on me a lot and was worth it for how swoony and specific she made Red’s dialogue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse and Ableism
hannahleebibliophile's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Cursing and Death
applesaucecreachur's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Rarely do I read the blurb of a romance novel and think, "yeah, that seems relatable and right up my alley." So in my journey of exorcising my internalized misogyny and embracing both womanhood and sex-positivity, this story of a Type-A, list-loving disabled Black woman learning to fall into love and the delightful chaos of life, seemed an accessible place to start. And Talia Hibbert delivered. I would actively groan in second-hand embarrassment, sigh in distress, and swoon while listening to this book. As an interracial couple from different class backgrounds, "posh" Chloe and working-class Red are a perfect example of opposites attracting in a loving, non-toxic way. They are aware of each others' hurts (both physical and emotional), respectful of boundaries, and push each other just enough to encourage growth without imposing unnecessary hurt (mostly) . I loved these two as primary characters and narrators. But even if Chloe and Red had fallen flat, I would've had plenty to enjoy in the secondary characters populating their world: Smudge the cat, Gigi the grandmother who knows her granddaughters better than they know themselves, Eve and Dani the doting sisters who pull no punches, and Alice the unlikely new friend . The only thing about this book that didn't sit quite right with me was how one of Chloe and Red's primary conflicts toward the end of the story was based in misunderstandings and miscommunications. That said, it did not follow quite the same as with similar tropes as the basis of the miscommunication was also their triggered old wounds discouraging them from talking things through. Even so, I wish there had been a little bit more substance than angst in this final conflict. This story healed something in me... while also awaking a new and potentially insatiable love for the genre.
For other readers new or naïve to romance, particularly of the Spicy category, I'd recommend not breaking into the genre with audio editions – There's only so much smutty dialogue read aloud that the shy (and persistently prudish) parts of me can handle! That said, the narrator Adjoa Andoh was fabulous and had distinct voices for each of her characters.
For other readers new or naïve to romance, particularly of the Spicy category, I'd recommend not breaking into the genre with audio editions – There's only so much smutty dialogue read aloud that the shy (and persistently prudish) parts of me can handle! That said, the narrator Adjoa Andoh was fabulous and had distinct voices for each of her characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
kcbatts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
While this isn't one of my top reads, this book was lovely. It felt dreamy, but didn't completely do away with realistic life experiences and I enjoyed the diversity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse