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

by Talia Hibbert

[whisperingchapters]

This is my first novel by Talia and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! It went on my list of fave reads of 2020 and a 5-star! You know how picky I am assigning those two classifications to a book, so yes, this book was that good!

"Oshun, I need a regular source of orgasms."

One of my top three favorite tropes is fake-relationship, and even better when they're already friends! This trope came about when there's a drill happening where Danika works and she ends up being stuck in an elevator. Zaf, the security guard managing this drill notices Dani never made it out. He goes in all macho-man, acting as if this was a real thing. He saves her from being stuck and proceeds to pick her up bridal-style and carry her out of the building. What they don't know is they're being recorded, and soon after, they go viral.

She found herself wanting to kiss the broad curve of his nose. In a purely abstract manner, of course. In reality, Dani would never do something so pointless. Faces were for sitting on, not for kissing.

Dani is dead-set on no relationships. From her experience, she's a robot, incapable of loving, tending and caring for someone else. So this fake-relationship which could possibly come with orgasms is just what she needs. What she didn't count on was how understanding, loving, and accepting Zaf is.

"When you ask me things like that, Danika, it makes me think someone hasn't treated you right."

I adored Zaf so freaking much! He had me swooning throughout the entire novel. I think what helps is that he reads romance novels (I'm such a sucker for men who read them and aren't ashamed of admitting it) because he totally knew what he was doing. Zaf melted my heart. He has such a caring nature. He even has an organization called Tackle It to help young kids. Zaf is also special in my eyes. He shows so much vulnerability throughout the story, sharing his grief and anxiety. Even with his own stuff to deal with, he's still patient with Danika and supports her.

When the video goes viral, Zaf's family sees this as a way to bring attention to his organization. This is where we get introduced to his family, which I also adored! His niece, sister-in-law and friend are so amazing and supportive and motivate him to possibly fake-date Danika, the girl he's been crushing on for a while. I just love how Zaf is such a grumpy to everyone, except Dani. He basically melts at the sight of her.

"I'm the catch of the century on paper, if not in reality, [...] No one's going to believe you've been blessed with my affection if you stand there glaring at everything like the world pissed on your pillow."

The author definitely brought the diversity to this one. We have Danika, a black, bisexual, and curvy PhD student, and we have Zaf, a British Pakistani Muslim, who's a former Rugby player. Not only is it diverse, but I LOVE that Danika loves and accepts herself. She's the kind of confident I wish to be. She totally owns her body and her beautiful.

"For future reference, there's never any need to emphasize my attractiveness. As you say, it's already an established fact."

There's so much more I'd love to say about this novel, but I'll probably spoil it. This book definitely will live in my heart. There's so much to it: the diversity, family, friendship, acceptance, learning to take care of oneself, being open, mental health, etc. It really packs it all and flows so smoothly. Talia Hibbert has made me a convert. I now want to read everything she has ever written!

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