At this point I can well and truly say that I am a Talia Hibbert fangirl, her writing just works for me, so it was no surprise that Take A Hint, Dani Brown was yet another winner for me! I love being back with the Brown sisters and Dani's book was everything I wanted and more. This story has the typical Talia signature of being angsty, emotional but also incredibly funny and heartwarming.

Let's talk about Zafir Ansari because damn, does Talia know how to write a hero! Zaf is one of the best romance hero's i've ever had the pleasure of reading. He is an ex-rugby player who now works security and in his spare time he coaches teen boys in rugby to help them overcome negative feelings and toxic masculinity. He is truly the ultimate cinammon roll.

Then we have our heroine, Dani. Dani was another excellent character, who's outwardly more prickly than our loveable Zaf but she has a heart of gold. Dani fights their relationship, she doesn't believe in romance, but I loved seeing her character development and how she started to overcome the hurt that had been done to her in the past.

I say this every time I review a Talia Hibbert but it's because it's true, and that is that no words I write here can express how truly brilliant her work is. She is easily one of, if not the, best authors around right now. This book was romantic and sexy whilst also dealing with some heavy topics - Zaf is struggling with anxiety, and also grief, but Talia does such a good job at weaving these subjects into the story but still keeping that humour in there so it never feels too heavy.

We do get a couple of scenes with the other Brown sisters in here and Eve always manages to grab my attention when she's there so I cannot wait to read her book next year, I have no doubt it'll be yet another winner.

BOOK REVIEW: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by @taliahibbert

4.5 stars

I just want to start with appreciation for Talia Hibbert. Her bio says that Talia "writes sexy, diverse romance because she believes that people of marginalised identities need honest and positive representation." In Chloe Brown and Dani Brown we have different ethnicities, mental health issues, body positivity and chronic illness which very few authors touch on. It is what makes her books so special.

Onto the review...!
I am OVER THE MOON that I loved this just as much as the first book in the series "Get a life, Chloe Brown".
Dani Brown is a fierce woman that is incredibly clever, driven and knows what she wants. It was lovely seeing Dani grow from the no nonsense fierce woman to someone that shows their vulnerable side and perhaps doesn't exactly know what she wants. Dani is an absolute knock out of a character, hilarious and incredibly engaging!

Zafir....oh Zafir! He has stolen my heart! What a beautiful character with so much love, care and devotion and so generous and determined to help others. He suffers from anxiety which was written really well and helps young boys learn to deal with their emotions whilst teaching rugby. Zafir and Dani bounced off each other so well and the humour was spot on!

The romance starts off as fake dating which is one of my favourite tropes! It was quite amusing and a different take on fake dating (which I won't spoil).
The general storyline was pretty obvious but it was done so well that you didn't care. Also the smut was done well too!!
What I do wish there had been is more scenes of Dani with her sisters. I feel we got more of those in Chloe Brown and I missed that aspect a little.

To sum it up, Take a Hint, Dani Brown was a fantastic romance book. Diverse, smart, witty and very romantic. I urge everyone to read this series!!

Please note that I was #gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you @littlebrown @littlebrownuk

#littlebrownbooks #takeahintdanibrown #taliahibbert #getalifechloebrown #bookreview #bookigers #booksandflowers #bookstagram #romancebook #romance

Danika Brown is a whip-smart, bisexual babe who refuses to fall in love. Zafir Ansari is the sweet, anxious, hopeless romantic, rugby boy of my dreams. When a video of Zaf ‘saving’ Dani goes viral, fake dating, some not-so fake dating, and general shenanigans ensue.

The warmth and humour is what makes this book such a little gem! Just like its big sister, Take a Hint, Dani Brown is original and witty and I just love Talia Hibbert’s writing. It’s vibrant and familiar, and so clever in places too. While, again, there is too much on-page sex for me (I prefer a closed door or even an ajar door... like pls just push it to, just a lil bit, you know I’m here, right? Pls stop making eye contact AAAAAH. What was I saying? Oh yeah!) The romance was lovely, I really appreciated the way that Hibbert handled Zaf’s anxiety and I honestly fell in love with Zaf a bit in general. Is that what it means to have a book boyfriend? 👀

All in all, an enjoyable time was had all around and I excitedly await the third baby in this series! 💃💃💃 Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest (and ridiculous) review.

One of my favourite books of the year, for sure. Maybe ever. Talia Hibbert is one of the best romance writers out there right not, and this book just proves it. This was the perfect romcom, with perfect characters and the perfect ending.

I loved grumpy romance reader Zaf and sassy, take no prisoners Dani. I loved their banter. I loved their vulnerabilities, which were painted so beautifully and carefully. I loved that Zaf was trying to break down toxic masculinity in sport. I loved that Dani was a badass academic in Gender and Race. I loved how they supported each other. I loved the chemistry between them. I loved the hashtag #DrRugbae. I just loved it all.

Absolutely blummin’ marvellous. I adored this book so much. A sizzling romance but full of heart and laughter. I loved seeing both Dani and Zaf deal with insecurities and issues and coming together over the course of the book. Dani learning to express herself and how she feels and falling for romance and love. I adored how well the author deals with Zaf’s anxiety, it is treated with respect and compassion and as a sufferer myself it was so lovely to see this treated seriously and so well. I loved this so much, I mean I adored Get a life Chloe Brown, but I think this is another level completely. I will be buying all Talia’s books in future as they are just pure gold and happiness, a real mood lifter and great balm for my anxiety and stress at the moment. The perfect pick me up and you definitely should.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

"Take a Hint, Dani Brown" is a steamy but also sweet romance about Zaf and Danika, who pretend to be a couple in order to help Zaf's business to grow. The business is Tackle It, a sports charity, and thanks to a video of Zaf carrying Dani in his arms, it finally has a chance to get off the ground. Dani is looking for some casual sex, Zaf is a romantic to the core - what could go wrong?

New Talia Hibbert's romance is a second in the Brown Sisters Series, and once again, the author does it sooo well. There're definitely some sparkles between the characters, there are some funny scenes, and contrary to some old-fashioned ideas, it is Dani who needs to learn how to express her feelings and deal with the emotional turmoil. Both main characters have a lot of internal stuff to unpack and it is a pleasure to watch how their relationship develops. Zaf's struggle with anxiety is mentioned gently, with compassion and understanding, as is the incident in his past that led him to a severe depression. There are some hot sex scenes, but consent and pleasure are always important to both characters. After two great and entertaining novels from Talia Hibbert, I am excited to read the third instalment in the series!

New fav rom com??
I am swooning from this, Zaf and Dan, wow, how loveable and so darn real at the same time, the incorporation of Zaf and his loving and tenderness and his obsession with romance novels had me smiling so much the whole way through. Dan with her plant obsession and strive to achieve had me feeling so empowered! Talia Hibberts writing is so addictive and just sweeps my off my feet and is so captivating! I absolutely adored Get a life Chloe Brown but somehow think i loved this one even more! Zaf struggle with anxiety and his experience with depression was so real and intertwined in the book beautifully. There is a TW for death of a parent but Hibbert handled is so remarkably. I’m in absolute love with Dan and Zaf and the added snippets of Chloe and Redford had me smiling too! Overall such an addictive, loveable read that you never want to end.

What do you get when a bisexual commitment-phobe who's passionate about feminist literary theory hits it off with a romance audiobook-listening security guard who wants to shed light on the importance of men's mental health?

Well, you get this novel. And it's a delight.

Danika "Dani" Brown is the younger sister of Chloe, star of the previous novel in this romance series, who's a 27-year-old PhD student and practising witch who loves sex but, rather ironically, isn't in love with romance. She's friends with the gruff yet sweet security guard, Zafir "Zaf" Ansari, who works at her university, and both of them have been checking each other out for a while.

Zaf winds up 'rescuing' Dani after she gets stuck in a lift and a video of the rescue goes viral. Suddenly, the two of them are #couplegoals and, when Dani discovers the publicity could really help Zaf's mental health charity get on its feet, she agrees to fake a relationship with him, with the hope she might be able to tempt him into becoming her perfect friend-with-benefits in the process.

I have to be honest that I wasn't sure what I was going to think of this novel when I first opened it. I expected to like it - I love having a contemporary romance series that's set in the UK as opposed to the US - but I'm always a little hesitant when I see a man in a romance novel described as 'brooding'. It makes me think of the dark YA years of the early 2010s, when it was perfectly acceptable for love interests to be arseholes. Luckily, Zaf is lovely and not someone I'd describe as brooding.

Zaf is simply private, and someone who seems to suffer from resting bitch face, and an experience with the media that ended his rugby career after a bereavement has made him wary of sharing everything about himself with the people who don't deserve to know. He also reads romance novels, and listens to the audiobooks at work, because he loves happily ever afters and he's honestly one of the sweetest, healthiest love interests I've encountered in contemporary romance.

His passion for discussing mental health and pushing past toxic masculinity is so wonderful to see in a man who has the figure of a 'manly' man who's tall and well-muscled. He's adorable. Plus it was nice to see another mixed race romance in this series, but this time a mixed race romance that doesn't involve a white person. I feel like we don't celebrate mixed race romances that don't involve white people as much as we should.

I also loved getting to know Dani, though. She's so unashamedly herself and she's funny and witty and so passionate about her area of research. Yet again, just like Get a Life, Chloe Brown, I loved Hibbert's emphasis on the idea that a romance works because the people involved in it want it to work, not because they give up something else they love for it. Love is about compromise, of course, but Zaf himself points out that living happily ever after is living with someone who's worth compromising for, because it won't feel like a compromise.

Dani loves her work and Zaf loves his, but they also love each other and, while they'd still continue their work without each other they don't want to do it without each other.

I did sometimes feel like Dani's fears of commitment were a little overplayed for the sake of having some kind of obstacle for her and Zaf to overcome, but I did really appreciate that neither Dani nor Zaf were entirely in the wrong. Sometimes, in romance, one person makes a mistake and the power balance in the relationship can feel a little off as a result, but that's not the case here at all. Dani and Zaf are friends and equals, and I so wanted the two of them to be happy together.

If you need a quick, fun read that's going to lift your mood, then I suggest you get your hands on a copy of this book!

If you like racy books then this is one for you! For me there was probably actually a bit too much of a sexual focus on this and not enough actual storyline. The first chapter really confused me and I did debate carrying on with the book as it couldn’t get what was happening.

The story did get better and I was eager to see how the relationship between Danika and Zafir would pan out. As always with romance books you’re waiting for that big romantic moment but I thought this didn’t quite deliver. I think I’d have liked to find out more about the other characters in the book and the relationships outside of Zafir and Danika. I wanted to know more about Zafir and Jamal or Danika and Sorcha as I think seeing a characters friendships is such a powerful message. I wanted to see more communication of feelings to others rather than just individual thoughts.

Ultimately, if you’re after a boy meets girl book with a lot of sexual content then this is a book for you. It did have me laughing a loud at points but this was due to the shock of the text - be warned there’s not much left to the imagination!

I have been looking forward to this since Chloe Brown, and I was not disappointed!!! I just LOVE the Brown sisters and think that Talia Hibberg writes the most fantastic women (and men) and those friendships and just brilliant! Zaf is such a gorgeous character. I think he is so warm and loveable and I love that he’s the romantic out of the 2 of them.
The way that Talia writes strong, confident women is just fantastic! I love Dani Brown just like I loved Chloe Brown and I so desperately want to be friends with them.
Hibbert writes characters you can relate to and like. They’re 3 dimensional and not cliched. I just loved this book and I am so so looking forward to Eve’s book!!

Talia Hibbert is one of my favourite romance writers and this book is one of her best. Following Dani and Zafir as they fake a relationship for social media buzz to accelerate Zaf’s charity start up for publicity and donations, the inevitable romcom ending is satisfying and heart-warming. This is real page-turner, as I finished it in a day, falling in love with Zaf and Dani by the end. Talia Hibbert always writes complex interesting characters with depth, and these characters, plus all the background characters, are no exception. I really appreciated that although it was racially diverse, the book made more of the neurodiversity and mental health than ethnicity, as it felt very human and fresh compared to other biracial romances. Really recommend this book – you don’t have to have read Get A Life Chloe Brown to read this but you will want to by the time you finish this one!

Thank you to Net Galley and Hacette Press for the free advance e-book copy of this title.

4.5/5🌟 #TakeaHintDaniBrown
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What a cute read this was!!!
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After reading this book, I straight away felt the need to purchase Get a Life, Chloe Brown! Talk about a book hangover!
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Both of the main characters are so amazing, I just couldn’t wait for them to get together! The storyline is perfect - who doesn’t like fake dating stories?!
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Very fun, feel-good, non-intense read. It’ll definitely make you smile and probably will melt your heart!
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Note to all rom com fans - most definitely the series you want to get on to!
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Thank you #NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Last year, I read and adored Get a Life, Chloe Brown, and since then I have been eagerly and impatiently waiting for Take a Hint, Dani Brown. And it really, really does not disappoint. (Although, now I’m in the situation of really desperately wanting to read Eve’s book right away. March 2021 cannot come soon enough.)

The book follows Dani and Zafir, who start fake dating following a viral video showing him carrying her out of a building, which prompts interest in his youth sports charity. Dani is a focused and driven worker, studying for her PhD, while Zafir is an ex-rugby player who works security. They are, nominally, friendly with one another, although Zafir has a massive crush on Dani.

First things first: Zafir Ansari is the only man with rights, ever. He is such a lovely character and the type of male love interest that actually makes me enjoy reading m/f adult romances (I mean, given my options for anything not m/f in that bracket currently…). He is still, unfortunately, somewhat of an anomaly though, but that just makes me love him all the more.

And Dani! I love Talia Hibbert’s heroines a whole lot, they are always sympathetic and complex, and you know that meme with the woman carrying Kevin Hart? Well that’s how you’ll feel about Dani. I don’t really know how to put into words just how much I loved her, but she was by far and away the best part of the book (even if I did get frustrated with her “love no one, never get hurt” schtick. But there was a reason behind it, and that’s just a trope I personally dislike).

If there was a teeny-tiny thing I didn’t like as much, it was that I don’t always feel like the angst in Talia Hibbert’s books makes total sense when it comes to the character arcs (certainly, I felt that about Get a Life, Chloe Brown). Here, it did mostly make sense for me at least for how the characters had been established, however, regardless of how much I would have preferred them to talk things out. But at least it wasn’t based on a stupid misunderstanding.

All of which to say, this is a series you definitely want to get on to.

Before reading this book, I had never read the previous instalment of "Get A Life, Chloe Brown" by Talia Hibbert. I knew that this book took place around the sister of the first book's protagonist, and it just sounded exactly like something I'd love to read. We follow Danika, a bisexual workaholic with no room in her life for love, and Zafir, a moody security guard with a love of romance novels and a secret crush on Dani. After a video surfaces of Zaf saving Dani from a building, they quickly become viral sensations for a relationship they don't have. They stick with the idea of a fake relationship to boost Zaf's projects, with Dani wanting to start a friends with benefits situation, because her number 1 rule is: no relationships.
I really did fall in love with this book so quickly. The characters are fun and easy to read about, and you very quickly find yourself just wishing they would get together. I thought the book explored Zaf's struggles with grief and generalised anxiety disorder really well, and it didn't feel unnecessary or romanticised. The romance was absolutely adorable, and also very steamy in a few parts, it was the perfect mix of the two for a good romance plotline. I loved the family dynamics we saw in both characters' families, and the side characters were perfection.
I'm 100% going to check out the first book as soon as I can, because this was so much fun! Definitely recommend for all my romance readers! Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for sending me this ARC for review 💛

Well, usually when i read a sequel it doesn't live up to the original but Take a hint, Dani Brown is the exception to the rule!! This book has everything, Bisexual Dani Brown and the most realistic mental health representation I have ever seen in a book, peppered with a good dose of smut!

When Dani and Zaf agree to a fake relationship to boost the profile of his youth group tackle it, which supports young men in both rugby and tackling their emotions, the viral success is more than either of them could bragain for! We follow their dual narratives of them both trying to navigate the fake relationship while healing scars that the past has left them with. This book managed to make me laugh (out loud), Cry and also feel VERY turned on all in one go!

This has pipped Chloe Brown to the post of top book of 2020 so far and I am going to preorder the next book straight away!

I loved this book so much.
Dani and Zafir were both amazing characters and I wanted them to get together so badly!! Fake dating is one of my favourite romance tropes so I really enjoyed this. I rooted for them both so so much.

Talia Hibbert dealt with so many issues in such an inclusive and understanding way, especially her focus on anxiety - I thought this was so well done.

The romance in this one was so cute and I was hooked immediately! It’s such a fun read and so heartwarming, with some steamy scenes which were very well written (so if this isn’t your thing, you might not be too keen). I loved how sex positive this book is and how Dani was so open about her wants and needs. So important for a modern audience to read!

I can’t wait for the final instalment in this series and am so sad that it’s not out until next year! I’d highly recommend both this and ‘Get a Life, Chloe Brown’.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fast and fun novel about romance and friendship between two opposites that I could not stop reading. It’s funny, sexy, and Hibbert gets the emotional stuff spot on - just the right amount of romance without it being cheesy. I also always love it when a romance novel doesn’t rely on tired gender and hetero tropes, and so the love interests being a PhD student of race and gender in post-slavery literature and a campaigner for men’s emotional health respectively made this is a very refreshing read!

Oh. My. Goodness.
Talia Hibbert knocks it out of the park AGAIN.

I read Get A Life, Chloe Brown with my book club earlier on this year and absolutely loved it. And I was over the moon to hear it was going to be a series. So when I was granted the eARC of Take A Hint, Dani Brown, I was on cloud nine.

I adored Danika Brown from the offset in this book, I thought she was fantastic. And I had no idea that she was Bisexual going into this so that was a pleasant surprise.
Zafir Ansari is my new book boyfriend (Sorry Rhysand!) I absolutely adored everything about him.
Together, they are the ultimate power couple and I just couldn't get enough of them. Also, the fake dating trope is my all time favourite trope, and its brilliantly done in this book, so bonus points for this as well.

My heart broke for Danika time and time again with regards to her reluctance to be in a relationship. At first, I couldn't understand it but as we got to know Dani more, I was devastated for her.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown definitely deals with some hard hitting topics: Death of family members, cheating, gaslighting.

Overall, I cannot fault this book at all. I love Talia's writing, I love Dani and Zaf, I also love the side characters, Socha, Jamal, Fatima, Kiran and it was nice to see Chloe, Red and Eve make appearances as well.

I am so so hyped for Eve's book. It'll be my most anticipated book of 2021 I think (I'm assuming that's when it'll come out)

Couldn't love this book enough!

As someone who is very new to romance novels, I must say this was very funny, sarcastic and smutty. And I loved it! I really felt for both Dani and Zaf's characters and really wanted to bash their heads together and make them realise. Which to me is mission accomplished for the author! I have read this as an Arc copy from Netgalley and will definatly be buying the book when it comes out and book 1 in the series. Funny, witty and loving! Perfect.

I feel I gotta put up a full disclaimer that romance is not usually my thing AT ALL. I read Chloe Brown and enjoyed it - although I am big fat prude and could have done without the graphic sex scenes.

The same is true for this! The main characters are well-rounded and believable, side-characters developed well (I could fully picture Zaf and his fam!), and all with excellent dialogue throughout.

Sex-posi, workaholic, emotionally-closed-off Dani and giant-teddy-bear-with-emotional-intelligence Zaf, cute but cringe interactions, outspoken about mental health and self-care - am here for all of it. The sex scenes were not for me but are very easily skipped through - and if you love a bit of filth then you're in for a treat. I think if you loved Chloe Brown then this is a must-read.