Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2)

Talia Hibbert has done it again with the second book in her series about the Brown sisters. I loved this book so flippin’ much!

Take A Hint, Dani Brown is everything I love about contemporary romance. First of all, the steam. THE STEAM! I think my kindle was smoking at times during this book and my cheeks were definitely flushed! Dani and Zaf have some smokin’ hot chemistry and I loved every page of it.

The characters in this book are multi-faceted, complex, and truly unique within the romance genre, maybe even across all book genres. Dani is a black, bisexual, curvaceous woman and proud of it. She is fiery, gutsy, focused, ambitious, and passionate about life. In contrast to her bold exterior, she has a vulnerable core and struggles with self doubt and her measure of self worth. She’s been hurt by love and relationships in the past and has set up a system of rules to protect herself for being hurt again. I related to Dani on so many levels and really adored her story. And then there’s Zaf. I’ve never read a hero like Zaf. He’s a big, brooding former Rugby player who’s now working as a university security guard. He’s the strong silent type. He’s also Pakistani-British, sexy, a beast between the sheets, sweet, supportive, and emotionally intelligent. Are you swooning yet? Because you should be!

After accidentally starring in a viral video and earning their own ship name, Dani and Zaf decide to fake a relationship while they each benefit from this moment of stardom. And did I mention that these two are quite opposite each other on the personality spectrum? So we’ve got opposites attract and fake relationship — two of my all time favorite tropes! This book was destined to be a winner for me!

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Get A Life, Chloe Brown, but I really, REALLY enjoyed the second book. This was a brilliant 5 star read for me. I feel like I can’t stop talking about this one and I just might not!

/5 steam rating

Thank you @avonbooks @this_is_edelweiss for an ARC of this title!

I believe what I’m enjoying the most is the wittiness amongst the sisters and Gigi. I love the sisterhood and friendship shown in both books. This second series was just as enjoyable as the first. I love the fact we have this huge man that is Zafir, all physical qualities screams MAN and ALPHA, but he is a huge romanticizing marshmallow. In terms of Dani he is understanding and appreciative of her person. That is so important in a relationship, especially for someone with the insecurities Dani has. She knows who she is yet feels like her personality hinders her from finding love. I can personally relate to that. But when you find a person who loves you, your mind, quirkiness, “faults” & your insecurities, that is a person who sees you. I truly enjoyed their HEA and Dani realization of her capabilities of expressing her love for Zafir.

I think the Brown sisters suffer from lack of social skills, emotional vomit and a lack of social cues…lol, I see a little bit of myself in them. I just wish I was as cheeky and witty as them. Can’t wait for Eve’s story.

5 STARS

I received a review copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Have you ever started a book, and just known from the beginning that this was going to be a new favorite? Because thats what happened with me and this book. I read Get a Life, Chloe Brown in the beginning of the year, and immediately added Take a Hint, Dani Brown to my TBR without even reading the synopsis. I loved Chloe Brown enough that just by seeing the cover of Dani Brown I was sure I was going to love it. And I was right!

Before I give some more details about what this book is about, let me just say that this book is perfect for all the trope lovers out there. Because essentially this book has friends to lovers and fake dating all wrapped with some steamy times. It follows Dani Brown who asks the universe for a sign to point her in the direction of her next friend-with-benefits. When a video goes viral of her super hot security friend, Zafir, rescuing her from a building, they decide to pretend to date to help Zafir get more publicity for the organization he runs that uses rugby to get boys to tap into their emotions in order to help dismantle toxic masculinity. Of course, things dont stay platonic for long!

Now one of the first things that I noticed about this book was that its laugh out loud funny! I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss, and 10% in I was enjoying myself so much that I pre-ordered a physical copy for myself right then and there! I think I knew even then that this book would be a favorite.

One of the things I loved most about this book was definitely the characters. Let me start by talking about the love interest, Zafir. My heart! I love this man. He reads romance novels, and as I mentioned in the synopsis part, he runs a rugby program dedicated to teaching young boys how to get in touch with their emotions in order to fight back against toxic masculinity. Zafir has been through a lot, but hes such a sweetie and a hopeless romantic. He is the textbook definition of someone who looks all big, scary, and grumpy, but is actually a smol cinnamon roll that would do anything for those he loves.

Zafir also struggles with grief and anxiety throughout the book, and it was handled excellently! There was one paragraph in particular that just struck a chord with me as someone who has suffered from mental health issues for many years. It was so nice to see Zafir talk about his progress and his coping mechanisms, and to see him surrounded by such a wonderful support system.

As for Dani, well, shes fantastic! Shes motivated and determined, shes blunt and shes confident, but she also protects her heart at all costs. She values her success in her academic field, and it was so wonderful getting to read about someone who so obviously loved what they did, and was not ashamed to put their focus on their work rather than other places.

The relationship between the two characters was just perfection! Danis bluntness, and Zafirs emotional intelligence ensure that theres frequent communication between these two. Even when there is inevitably some drama towards the end, it made sense, and was resolved pretty quickly, because these characters talked through things instead of just acting like idiots. Not only that, but each one took responsibility for their portion of the drama, as opposed to what you usually see, which is one person groveling for forgiveness even if the other party had some hand in their altercation.

Theres also this wonderful conversation about the difference between changing yourself for someone else and someone encouraging you to grow and become a better version of yourself. This is such an important distinction and I was so glad to see it discussed in a romance book, where many times the characters feel the need to change themselves to be with their love interest, which should not be the case!

I think my love for this book knows no bounds because every aspect of this book was exactly what I wanted and what I needed from a romance! As an overview, this book has great friendship, romance, mental health, discussions about emotions, discussions about grief and anxiety, minimal but realistic drama and more.

I have so much more that I love about this book but Im struggling to be coherent about all the little details that made this book so wonderful! I think the best advice I can give is for you to read this book!

In case you couldnt already tell, this was a five star read for me! Everything about it is perfection, it immediately was added to my favorites shelf on Goodreads, and I would like anyone reading this review to go and pick up a copy for yourself this very moment!

Take a Hint, Dani Brown is the hilariously romantic tale of Danika Brown, a PhD student, and Zafir Ansari a rugby-player-turned-security-guard. Dani is an ambitious realist, and an all-round badass. Zafir is the brooding, sensitive, hopeless romantic. A video of them quickly goes viral, and as the internet dubs them #DrRugbae, they take advantage of the publicity to help Zafs start-up charity.

Both the protagonists are bursting with personality in this book. Their sharp back-and-forth highlights Hibberts talent for playful conversation. Their dynamic was so entertaining! Theres something about insults with flirty undertones that will always be funny to me. And I found the dialogue to be one of the most captivating elements of this novel.
I also love the diversity between the Danika and Zafir. Their race, body type, sexuality, and personality differ but they fit together perfectly. The secondary characters are delightful too. Danis sisters are amusingly quick-witted as always, while Zafs family are adorably charming.

Dani is a cynic when it comes to romance. Despite her fiery and blunt personality, she still comes across as very loveable human. Nevertheless, Zaf is easily my favourite character in the book (and funnily, Red was my favourite in Chloes book). I love that Zafs a romance-reading titan. All he wants is a happy ending. He also suffers from grief and anxiety, which is openly discussed throughout the book, and expertly covered. I found his way of thinking to very relatable and realistic, and his vulnerability is refreshing to read. He comes across as a big, aloof, grouch, but in reality hes a bit of a gentle giant. His goal is to combat toxic masculinity through sports and therapy hes too pure!

Ill forever be a fan of Talia Hibberts writing. The way she portrays thought, emotion and awareness always makes her books so compelling! Its difficult not to become wrapped in the lives of these characters because theyre so well-layered and refined. The drama, which occurs in almost every contemporary romance, is very believable. And I think the main reason is because the nature and traits of the characters are so well-developed, theres little for the reader to question. As I saw the events unfold I thought, Yep, thats exactly how Dani would react. Components like this make even the conflict a gratifying reading experience.

In comparison to Chloes story, I felt this book didnt have the same addictive flow. I struggled with the pacing in the middle, as the characters and the storyline fell into a bit of a limbo. Fortunately, Hibberts moving and expressive writing made up for this, and the story picks up again as it rounds to a close. Although this book didnt beat Get a Life, Chloe Brown for me, it was still an enjoyable (and swoon-worthy) read. I cant wait to read Eves book next year!

Overall, Take a Hint, Dani Brown is an awesome addition to The Brown Sisters series. If youre a fan of the friends-to-lovers and fake relationship tropes, as well as diverse romance that sits on the steamier side, this is the book for you.

PS: Talia Hibbert included a trigger warning at the beginning of this book. Why dont all authors do this?!

Anika | chaptersofmay.com

This is going to be a short review because the book was just brilliant.
Great storyline? Check
Loveable characters? Check
Laugh out loud parts? Check
Fan yourself parts? Check
Can’t put it down? Check
What else do you need? Talia Hibbert has a way with words that continues to amaze me. Topics are dealt with sensitively, the conversation between characters is fab and there is absolutely nothing to dislike about this book! If you are looking for your next great read this is it!

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