Cover Image: Take a Hint, Dani Brown

Take a Hint, Dani Brown

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Member Reviews

Characters
I definitely think that Hibbert’s books are very character driven. Each of her main characters are utterly distinguishable and unique.

Zaf was an utter sweetheart and I immediately fell in love with him. He’s strong and muscular on the outside but as soft as a marshmallow on the inside. He takes care of Dani so well and is so attentive to what she needs. He also struggles with anxiety and depression. I love seeing mental health representation in men. Men’s mental health is often overlooked and they are told to “toughen up”. But Zaf embraces his mental health journey and seeks to help other young boys deal with their problems in an open and honest way (whilst also playing a bit of rugby). I truly believed in Zafir’s charity and thought it was fantastic to see him open up to Dani and be vulnerable.

Dani on the other hand was as hard and as stubborn as a rock. I loved her confidence and no nonsense attitude to life and could relate to a lot of her insecurities about commitment. But I did get frustrated with her at times, probably because she was so similar to me. I don’t trust people easily and I don’t always feel comfortable with people doing stuff for me because I’ve always had to do them for myself. I feel like I could see myself in her insecurities and struggles surrounding her worth. I’m glad that Zaf was patient with her and gave her the space to face her insecurities head on. Also Dani is a bisexual queen and we have no choice but to stan.

9/10

Writing Style
I adore Hibbert’s writing so much. She is one of the few authors that gets me to laugh out loud multiple times when reading a book. Her writing is funny and witty and so sexy! The sex scenes were tastefully written and oh so hot. She does use a lot of swear words and there’s tons of dirty talk (which I appreciate). I know that people who don’t usually read smut might feel uncomfortable with these words but what can I say, it’s hot and gets straight to the point. No need to beat around the bush. Call it what it is.

9/10

Plot
I love a good ol’ fake dating trope coupled with social media stardom. There’s just something about shipping someone online and stalking their lives through your phone screen. I do wish that the social media aspect was focused on a bit more such as fanart being created, fanfiction being written, a movement being started. There should have been more to it than just a hashtag and a few new followers. It would have been great if it culminated into something like a big charity rugby match or a fundraiser for Tackle It.

This brings me to the ending. I’m not going to spoil anything, don’t worry. I do think, however, that the ending was a bit rushed. I think Hibbert could have taken more time planning out those last handful of scenes and made it a bigger deal. I felt a bit let down by those last handful of moments since I felt like we were running through them too fast.

7/10

Enjoyment
Overall, I had such a fun time reading this book. It made me laugh so much whilst also touching on some pretty important and heavy topics. I think Hibbert writes such strong, independent female leads and such complex and soft love interests. If you’re looking for an enjoyable romcom with some laugh out loud moments, I would highly recommend Dani Brown and her sister, Chloe too.

8/10

AVERAGE RATING – 8.25/10

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Possibly enjoyed this one even more than Chloe Brown. I think the best thing about these is the diverse & realistic characters with realistic problems. Personally I didn't find Dani a very relatable character but not because she wasn't realistic - I'm sure a lot of people would relate to her. For me this did mean I enjoyed the book a little less but I think that's very much personal taste. Will probably read the third one when it's available!

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LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED THIS. Such a magical read. Brilliantly written.

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I am so in love with these books, and honestly Dani is my favourite of the sisters so far! I love Zaf and how he is so real and deals with anxiety in such a way that he helps others. I really loved their relationship and I’m just so in love with this book I couldn’t put it down!

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As Dani was a personal favourite side character of ‘Get a Life Chloe Brown’ I loved hearing more from her. It was super funny parts, sexy at times and also tackled some serious topics such as death and suffering with anxiety. Such a great read!

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I read Take A Hint, Dani Brown during my slump and let me tell you, this was brilliant. I saw Vera review it and she also read it during a slump so it impacted her enjoyment, for me it was the exact opposite. I hadn’t been able to properly concentrate on most books but this one I couldn’t stop reading. I mean, I was one chapter in and had already written a note that Dani was a goddess and a woman after my own heart with her sass. There was never any doubt I’d love this one.



This book is about Dani and Zaf. Dani is Chloe’s sister, from the first book Get A Life, Chloe Brown, so you knew Dani would be aces. She was a woman committed to never being in a true relationship and was single minded in pursuing her work at the university. It was impressive, I admired her work ethic and loved how fun she was. I did worry about her though, her last relationship was purely physical with a friend and the pair fell out when Dani was unwilling to let emotions get involved. Then there was Zaf, a gruff ex rugby player who was working at the university on security. He was friends with Dani and most of the university were scared of him but he was a total softy. I mean, we first meet him listening to a romance audiobook, how could you not fall for a man who is a fan of romance? Once we learnt there was more to Zaf and there was a reason he was a squishy cinnamon roll, well I was in love. I was ready to fight everyone to keep him from harm.



This book centres on Dani and Zaf pretending to be in a relationship to help boost the profile of the non-profit Zaf runs and when Dani and Zaf find there is a definite attraction between them getting to explore their sexual side as well was a bonus. I was nervous about their fake relationship, though. It may be my favourite romance trope but. Zaf was a total sweetheart and I could see him getting hurt in that situation. I didn’t want to hate Dani because she hurt Zaf. He did get hurt, but so did Dani and the grand romantic gesture which followed was worth it.



As I said, this was a sequel to Get a Life, Chloe Brown and I loved the small glimpses into Chloe and Red’s domestic life. I forgot how much I loved Red as well, he was total prepared to murder Zaf at Chloe’s request because they thought he hurt Dani (the request was soon retracted when they found out Dani wasn’t the only injured party).



This book was fantastic and I could go into all the ways of how but I don’t want to spoil things for those of you who haven’t read it yet. Just trust me, it was brilliant. If you’re a fan of strong women seeking success and soft men in touch with their emotions and out to support the woman they love then you will love this. It was such a great book and many bloggers have probably explained why much better than me. Just read it, ok?

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The perfect balance between a lighthearted read and an engaging one, this romantic comedy is simply designed to be be made into a film. Whilst touching on hard hitting issues, it manages to captivate you and draw you into the world of Dani, having you shouting mentally at her to get it right at times. Written with the brutal hilarity that is real life romance in action with just a tweak of perfect fiction writing, there is something to be found for everyone in the pages of this book.

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A welcome distraction in today's world. I loved this book even more than Chloe Brown! Talia Hibbert has fast become one of my must read authors and I look forward to picking up more of her books in the future.

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I loved this. I would normally feel guilty about enjoying a book like this but it is a welcome distraction during today's world and negative news. Reading it was a distraction and I loved it.

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I’ve seen so many good things about this book, and there’s so much love for this author on Book-tube and bookstagram that I was intrigued to read this. This was a fairly easy and fun read, with a humorous and warm writing style.
This is told from the POV of two characters: Dani and Zafir. Dani is a PhD student, she’s a curvy bisexual British-Black young woman, strong and confident looking for a friends-with-a-benefit after her situation with her colleague ended bitterly, and Dani has her eye on the cute security guard, Zafir, who’s works in her university building and who she gets coffee for in the mornings. Zafir is a British-Muslim of Asian heritage. He’s grumpy and surly. A former rugby player who quit after his family died in a car crash. He has a crush on the quirky and vivacious Dani, but doesn’t express his feelings as he heard about her relationship with a female colleague and assumes she’s a lesbian and sticks to safe friendly interactions where she gets his coffee in the mornings and he provides her with an energy bar because Dani always misses her breakfast.
One day there’s a drill in the building and Dani ends up stuck in an elevator. She’s rescued by Zafir who carries her in his muscular arms and they’re videoed which goes viral and people start shipping them...
Zafir also runs a charity sports workshop for young marginalised men to de-stigmatise the topic of mental health and tackle toxic masculinity. His new charity is in dire need of funding, which was rejected, so when the video goes viral and people assume the two are together there’s high media interest and his charity gets needed attention. For his charity he asks Dani to play along and they pretend to be in a relationship...

Overall this was a cute story, a sweet romantic-comedy genre read for readers looking for something light and enjoyable. The dialogues were quick and snappy, even if a bit sugary and too cute at times. Character-wise while it’s great to see a black woman as a protagonist in a genre that usually reduces black woman to sassy best friends to their white female friend, I did find the the quirky, and adorably strange Dani annoying at times and a bit derivative of the manic-pixie dream girl model. I found Zafir to be the more intriguing character with scenes that were hilarious whilst displaying compelling characterisation and moving the plot forward. He has more inner demons to grapple with therefore I just found his character arc the more interesting one. Had Dani had inner struggles of her own and perhaps if she was more grounded and real, rather than reading like a stereotype, I would’ve found her character more engaging. Instead she was slightly arrogant. For example she’s desperate to get laid and wants no-strings-attached sex yet when a bland albeit handsome, tall blonde man, who would’ve been perfect for emotionless sex, approaches her she shuts him down and proceeds to obsess over Zafir even though she doesn’t want to commit 😏 The author could’ve easily used his religion, which doesn’t permit pre-marital sex, as a convincing obstacle. Also Dani had a no-strings-attached relationship with a colleague who works in the same building that ended badly, yet here she is thinking about starting another one and her friend encourages it 🤦🏻‍♀️
Furthermore what sucked out the tension out of the story for me was that both characters fancied each other but just had misconceptions about the other, so I wasn’t thinking “When will they fall in love”, instead I was waiting for the plot to put coincidental scenes in place and the two would realise their attraction is reciprocated and they can get their happy ending which did make this is a predictable read. This is the same problem I had with The Flatshare. There just wasn’t compelling conflicts in the story, which is a shame as you have an interracial relationship and they aren’t exactly smooth sailing. Lastly as a British Muslim woman myself I couldn’t believe a Muslim man’s family, who are observing of their faith (the women in his family wear hijab 🧕🏽 for goodness sake) would casually encourage their brother/son to date a non-Muslim, especially since dating even isn’t permissible. Often in an observing Muslim family if a male member does fall into a relationship with a non-Muslim there’s an expectation that his partner will convert so they can marry Islamically, unless the man decides to renounce his faith and lives separately from his family. It just wasn’t an accurate representation, however this wouldn’t have been a problem had his family not been observing and less strict in their ways. I did find the snippet of the next book following Eve Brown interesting, however, which follows 26-year old Eve who lives with her parents and can’t hold onto a job quite interesting and engaging, so I will look forward to that.
On the whole this was an okay, fun read for readers craving something light. 2.5/5.

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Another stunning book by Talia Hibbert! Take a Hint, Dani Brown is packed full of humour, compassion, romance and heart with characters who I would love to have in my life. I laughed, I cried, I hugged my Kindle to my chest with joy - this is the perfect romance.

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This is the second in @taliahibbert’s Brown Sister’s series and is all about Danika Brown. Dani is a PhD student working in the university building where handsome, but grumpy, security guard Zafir works. During a test drill Dani finds herself stuck in the building and Zafir comes to her rescue like a true knight. Their story unfolds from there.

Dani and Zafir’s dramatic rescue goes viral and they both have reasons to keep up the pretence that they’re in a relationship. This is one of my favourite tropes to read because you can almost guarantee the outcome! The pair are already friends and it was lovely to see them becoming even better friends and getting to know each other on a deeper level.

Talia writes diverse characters with representation of real issues. Her writing is confident and bold and I love the way she forms her characters who are very real, very relatable and make you want to succeed in whatever they want in life!

This book has a fake relationship and friends to lovers trope so if you’re a fan of either of those then this is for you. I’m so glad I came across Talia’s books. She was a new to us author over the last couple of months and now I want to read everything she’s written!

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Such a refreshing love story, that actively went against some gender norms that I have seen in other books in the YA genre. This book gave me laughs and made me cry with joy at the beautiful relationship that is formed in this book, and loved even the side characters that were not a main part of the story. I will definitely be reading other books by the same author.

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Between Take a Hint, Dani Brown and Get a Life, Chloe Brown, Talia Hibbert is now one of my favorite authors. I loved Take a Hint, Dani Brown. It's funny and sweet, with characters who reflect the real world and have real world problems, and are treated in such a loving and compassionate way. This is a fake romance to real romance romantic comedy, with the main characters Zaf and Dani moving through mutual attraction to fake relationship to real love. The characters have loads of chemistry, the supporting characters are wonderful, and I'd love them to each get their own stories, Especially the Brown sister's grandmother, Gigi. This story made me laugh and touched my heart. I also loved the inclusion of anxiety as something that both Zaf and Dani experience, just as Chloe's chronic illness in the previous book was handled, the mental health issues Hibbert takes on in this story are presented in such an empowering, yet gentle way. We need more authors like Talia Hibbert getting their stories published because honestly, this book gets all the stars and Get a Life, Chloe Brown, and I'm so excited for the next installment in the series. Read this if you love feel good love stories. There are some explicit sexy bits, and if you're not comfortable with those, it's pretty easy to skim past them, so I wouldn't let that put you off such a wonderful book.

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The sequel was even better than the first novel, I thought Chloe Brown would always be my favourite sister but Dani has now won my heart! (Sorry Chloe!) I think Dani's character represents many young adults in their 20s who have taken the path dedicated to education and/or working and struggle with that life-work balance. This really is a beautiful novel with such important conversations embedded into the pages, this is the kind of romance novel I'm here for. Now please don't make me wait for Eve's book!

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This book was absolutely amazing! I loved the relationship between Zaf and Dani. They were so amazing together and you could immediately tell the chemestry they had, and how they each brought out the best of each other. Amazing couple.
This is my first book by Talia Hibbert and now I definitely know that I have to read her other book (Get a Life Chloe Brown). I feel like she creates such amazing and relatable characters. For example, Zaf's anxiety I felt like it was dealt wonderfully.
The romance in this book was absolutely perfection. The sex scenes were so steamy and as I said before you can really feel the chemestry between the two characters. I can wait to read the next book in this series.

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This book was perfect. That is all I have to say. End of review!
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Ok fine come back, I have a LOT to say:

Firstly, just that Danika and Zafir are such a POWER couple, and their witty banter was everything! I am absolutely obsessed with them!!
If you loved "Get a life, Chloe Brown", (the first book in the series), much like I did, then you definitely need to pick this one up! The characters are smart, witty and all around ADORABLE, and I was hooked till the very end.
The last word in fact, because that epilogue was EVERYTHING! The perfect ending in my opinion, (especially for my little bookworm heart).

And now I've marked the release date for Talia Hibbert's next book in my calendar because I can't wait to read about the last Brown sister in "Act your age, Eve Brown"! I mean the first line of the synopsis is "Eve Brown is a certified hot mess", and um excuse me, but I'M ALREADY SOLD!!

You can bet your noses that this book is going on my "favourite romcoms" shelf, and i'll be coming back to it whenever I need a little comfort read!
(In fact i'm highly considering the notion of rereading Get a life, Chloe Brown right now, because seeing them in this book made me MISS THEM SO MUCH!

Please read this book if you enjoy romance with a supportive friends to lovers relationship. And if you want to smile, (because you'll be beaming!)


~Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Group UK and Talia Hibbert for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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If you read my review the other day for Get a Life, Chloe Brown you know that I was excited to read this book. BOY DID I ADORE THIS BOOK! I need more books like this in my life and I also need a Zafir as well. I will definitely have one of him please..

Take a Hint, Dani Brown is the second in the Brown Sisters series by Talia Hibbert. Its a fun and sexy contemporary read that gets a little steamy in all the right places. It also touches on some strong topics that are dealt with superbly by Talia Hibbert.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown is you guessed it is about Dani Brown. We met her briefly in Get a Life, Chloe Brown and I knew then that I would lover her character. She is a strong women who knows what she wants, she has a plan for her career and no one is going to get in her way of that. She has also been burnt before by love so has decided that relationships are not for her, after a bad experience when she was younger.

In this book we meet Zafir Ansari, he is an ex-pro rugby player AND OH BOY. I literally would love to have a Zafir as well. He is sweet, kind, gentle, sexy and wants to find someone to love. He himself has had a hard time, he had lost his father and brother in a tragic accident and he has suffered with anxiety his whole life.

Together these two are my favourite couple. They are so right for one another, and I love the witty banter between them. I love that Dani doesn't care and goes for what she wants. I love that Zafir reads romance books, and wants to love Dani. I even liked them more than Red and Chloe and I adored those two!

The steamy sex scene in this book was even steamier in my opinion than the one between Chloe and Red. You could tell that there was pent up passion between Zaf and Dani for a while and they just exploded (no pun intended) when they finally got together. The thing is you could tell that they respected one another and that to me made their relationship that more special.

They both supported one another in their goals, for Dani it was speaking on a Panel with one of her idols. For Zaf it was to get his charitable business up and running to help those that need help with their mental health through sport, in particular Rugby. The relationship started out as Fake to help Zaf's business but it grew into something more. Dani being a little gun shy took a little longer to catch up to Zaf but boy did they.

Talia Hibbert's writing again in this book was electric. I loved every second of reading this book, more so than Chloe Brown and I adored that book. The Characters Dani and Zafir took centre stage with some interruptions from some secondary characters which made the book more enjoyable. The dynamics between Dani who is outspoken and strong to Zafir who is also strong but silent.

Again there is strong topics throughout the book, one being Mental Health. This is a topic close to my heart working in that field and I found that Talia Hibbert wrote about Anxiety so well. Each person who suffers from it has different reactions but found that her descriptions of it was spot on. There was also a brief mention about Dani's sexuality in this book as well. I am happy to see more representation for the LGBTQ+ community.

Again another fabulous book by Talia Hibbert and now to wait for the third instalment!

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this was such a cute book! I really like the author's grasp of characters, which obviously started in Chloe Brown. She has a real knack for taking heroine's who are a little bit more unusual and fleshing them out. Danika is smart and confident, a PhD candidate whose big goal in this book is to impress her academic idol at a symposium and i LOVED her. She's bright and vivacious and so fucking dedicated. She thinks she knows exactly what she wants and, tbh, for the most part she super does!!! I loved Zaf too, who was so fascinating to read -- grumpy and super kind and struggling with his own mental health issues after a traumatic event. I loved them and how they reacted to each other; I loved their banter; I loved how they encouraged each other. The romance is such a huge and important part of this sort of book and it was adorable. There were multiple times that I found myself grinning like mad at my book!

I also really liked how Hibbert was very clear on showing how the wrong kind of relationships can mark people and how the right kinda are just super important for self-fulfilment. I liked that there were several unexpected character traits that are explained and talked about. I really, really liked that both Dani and Zaf have their own passions and they're so supportive of each other. I thought it was great to see.

Outside of the central romance, I had a few problems with the pacing and I didn't necessarily think that the prose was the best, for me, but I really enjoyed reading it and I loved the couple so :').

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I somehow loved this even more than the first one which I would not have believed possible this time yesterday, when moving straight onto Dani’s story felt like a betrayal.

I love the way that Talia Hibbert has created a cast of characters that all have their own, distinct voices complete with their own believable and relatable motivations, hang ups and idiosyncrasies. I love Zaf. I love the way that she has seamlessly integrated mental health into these stories as a fundamental but not all-defining part of the human experience. I love Zaf. I love the way she’s taking established, favourite romance tropes and elevating them to new, lofty and compelling heights. I love Zaf. I love the way she continues to give toxic masculinity the finger, the vulnerability, sensitivity and kindness of male leads who are sexy as hell and take consent seriously. I particularly love Zaf.

As one of three sisters, the sibling bonds that run through these first two books fill my heart with joy but I hope that Talia Hibbert has some secret siblings to unveil or otherwise plans to give us Gigi’s full story because three books is not going to be enough.

I don’t often have ‘must read’ authors but I’ve absolutely discovered one this week.

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