Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters, #1)

by Talia Hibbert

• ISBN10: 0062941208
• ISBN13: 9780062941206
• Publish Date: 5 November 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 9 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Avon Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.com.au/9780062941206

Reviews

[Rach Wood]

This rom-com was an easy, fun, sometimes to laugh out loud read, with a great chronic illness rep. It also addresses the process of healing after an abusive relationship in a sensible and well-executed manner. But I ended up not loving it as much as I expected, thus the 3-stars.

The first few chapters were thoroughly entertaining. The main characters are relatable and even lovable and I enjoyed not only the flirty banter but also how their relationship grows from haters to friends to lovers. And how real and healthy their love is (“I’m something without you and I’ll survive without you, but I don’t fucking want to”).

Unfortunately, the slow burn led to steamy scenes that felt jarring and cringeworthy. Although the story has a sweet tone overall, it suddenly seems completely focused on Red and Chloe’s physical attraction, and then Red is cracking out some smutty dirty talk, and I’m just… OMG, please stop it, man, I can’t! Honestly, I would prefer to see more of those silly e-mail exchanges.

As for the last ⅓ of the book, the conflict was expected but still felt unnecessary and heavy-handed, especially because it was resolved so quickly. In hindsight, I wish I had seen more family interactions (more Eve, more Danika, definitely more Gigi!) and Chloe's relationship with Annie (I feel like the author missed the opportunity to show the beginnings of an amazing female friendship). Other than that, definitely enjoyable.

[natpatreads]

This is one of those books that I enjoyed in spite myself. Now what do I mean by that:

1. I loved the characters! Chloe and Red were hilarious, and I shipped them throughout the entire book.
2. I enjoyed reading about a romance where a condition like Fibromyalgia played a factor. I thought that this book treated it quite well, and it made me think more about it and the effects that it would have on every day life. It was not just a “lack of communication” trope which is always overdone.
3. They discussed mental health and looked at ways to help each other (and also realized that just “love” and “support” isn’t always enough). You often do need to get help from other professionals.
4. Chloe is a full on computer geek and it is amazing.
5. Cats….just there are cats and I am so happy about it.
6. The sisters are the best.
BUT on the other side:

1. I almost wished I could see Chloe live her life without a relationship for even longer (I know…I know – I cannot just want to read a romance book without the romance. It kind of defeats the purpose).
2. It took me a while to warm up to Red – I definitely did, but it took some time.
3. (Me preference) I always prefer a book that has more about the relationship from an emotional and growth side of it. I am not a huge fan of “spice” in my books, and this one was just a little too much of it for my personal taste. (Again, I know that this is definitely a preference).

All -in-all this was a really good book. Any romance that I read in one day if nothing else has gripped my interest. (And I enjoyed the characters more at the end of the story than at the beginning and I didn’t feel like all the characters were always making the worst life choices – I’m looking at you any story inspired by Romeo and Juliet…can we just stop that?).

[scarr]

I really loved this book. It was so funny, sexy and did such an awesome job of talking about disability and intimate partner abuse. The dialogue about the emotional trauma was well done. The main characters were genuine and vulnerable. I laughed out loud so many times and also felt all the feels.

[mrs_mander_reads]

The audio for this book is superb. I loved every minute of it.

[Romance Schmomance]

Reading this was well overdue and my focus has been all over the place. And I was absolutely elated that I could finally finish a book, it sure has been a while.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown was my first time read by Talia Hibbert and I loved that she covered different areas with her characters such as chronic illness, an interracial relationship, AND I loved that the heroine was a grumpy one! I'm used to the hero being the grumpy, so it was definitely a nice change.

Chloe and Red were quite the duo that definitely had some misunderstandings between one another. I understood Red's hang ups when it came to Chloe, but I also wished we got to explore a bit more of what he went through in his previous relationship. But I couldn't stop swooning over this guy.

From beginning to end, they definitely come a long way with their friendship/relationship. There were even some moments that had me crying my tears out.

Even though I found myself coming in and out of this book, I can't wait to read another Talia Hibbert. I'm such a fan of her writing.

[Kait ✨]

really enjoyed this up until the last 25%, when I felt like it got overly trope-y and cheesy.

[Steph L]

A fun New Adult novel

This was a hyped book and I can say that this novel in 100% worthy of all the hype. It is a fun romance with engaging side characters and a great premise. This is one of my favorite reads of 2020 and all time.

[nitzan_schwarz]

I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Things I Liked

* Chloe and her chronic pain. Honestly, it was super interesting and I actually identified a lot! I don't suffer from anything on Chloe's level, but the amount of random pains my body produces without any apparent reason has always been a source of contention with me, especially since no one ever finds something wrong. So... seeing a character dealing with something like that, was actually really inspiring.

* RED! HIS CHARACTER IS SUPER IMPORTANT! I don't feel like it's really a spoiler since there is a trigger warning before the novel starts, but just in case I'm going to talk about Red being the abused party in an abusive relationship. This is so important, yo! The most heartbreaking scenes were Chloe having to tell him that it's okay to not be okay, and him being shocked by her doing things for him. Because the Bitch he was in a 'relationship' with convinced him that he was making something out of nothing and that he was useless and URG. I hate that woman. And I think it's so important to show a strong, confident MAN being abused. Yes, people, abuse is NOT the property of women, and it has nothing to do with being weak, etc...

* It is so very British. Like, no way you gonna accidentally think this was set in America. And I am A okay with it.

* Their relationship was super sweet!

Things I'm so so about
* I enjoyed the writing style, but I'll be actually impressed with it if for different works Hibbert changes it. The way Red thinks fit an artist, but it would not actually fit anyone else. I do think Hibbert differentiates because Chloe doesn't think the same way, but I'm curious to see if that differentiation comes from personality... or gender.

Things I wanted to see more of
* FAMILY! These two people have lovely families, but we only see them before the two start to get acquainted, and then they are relegated to maybe one more scene and that's it. Where is meeting the family? Where is Red's mother meeting the woman who is actually good for him? Where is Chloe's family meeting Red and being an absolute menace but in a loving way? Where is the family interactions between them? SHOW ME, goddamit!

[leahrosereads]

This had two tropes that I don't normally enjoy - enemies to lovers (which I DID enjoy here) and miscommunication (which I STILL disliked here), but none of that mattered because this story was fantastic! And I flat out refuse to give it less than 5 stars for some messy drama nonsense.

I absolutely loved the representation here and will 100% be picking up another book by this author and in this series.

I know it's only February, but did I really just read one of my favorite books of the year? Very possible.

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After a brush with death, or well, a car, Chloe decided that she needed to get a life. What she didn't expect was for her extremely attractive building superintendent to be on board with helping her tick the items off her list. And, she definitely didn't expect for him to worm his way into her heart.

I am a steadfast romance reader. I have read many, many, MANY romance books, and I have to say, I am welcoming Hibbert onto my list of must-read authors, because she delighted me to no end with this book, and I had so much fun tagging along as Chloe and Red attempted to check those items off her list.

I absolutely adored everything about Chloe. Her affection for sparkly pens, her nerdy nature, her wit, her love for Smudge -- all these things endeared her to me, which was why I was so happy that she was able to connect with someone, who cared enough about her to try and understand her needs.

Chloe declared that she had to "get a life", because she had watched so many of her so-called friends abandon her, as she dealt with her fibromyalgia. But, not Red. Red took the time to understand her signs and symptoms. He understood, when she was not physically up to something, and he was ok with the fact that some days would be better than others. That's friendship. That's love. And, I am a big fan of seeing more of the "invisible" illnesses getting some attention in books, because it's a good reminder to those out there, who are lucky enough to not have to deal with such health issues.

Let's talk about Red. He owned my heart from our very first interaction. When he pretended to like his elderly tenant's veggie casserole to protect her feelings, I knew he had a heart of gold. He kept showing this lovely side of himself as well, but he grappled with his unresolved hurt from a previous abusive relationship. When he shared some of the things that woman did to him, I wanted to hunt her down like the dog she was, and give her what for. Because, Red was wonderful, and he deserved better, and you know what? Chloe was better.

I found they formed quite a beautiful union, with each giving so much to the other. Oh, and they were also fire together. Yep. There was not denying the attraction they harbored for each other, and yeah, I think there were some flames jumping off that page.

I thought the best part about this book was Red and Chloe, but it may also be that this was book one in a series. I am beyond happy, that we will be getting more of the Brown family, because this book hit all the right notes for me, and I just want to sit in this world a little longer.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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