Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Ratings299
Average rating3.9
A sweet romance that explores dating while disabled but also emotional abuse and the importance of therapy.
Loved this book so much! Chloe and Red are amazing characters.
Review coming soon
Leuk en schattig boek met een goede mix van luchtige en serieuze onderwerpen.
Heel fijne, toegankelijke en vlotte schrijfstijl. De schrijfster weet ook heel snel echte en volledige personages te scheppen, alleen vond ik ze soms in bepaalde scènes uit hun karakter treden.
Heel fijn boek en ik ga zeker ook de volgende verhalen over de zussen lezen.
4.5✨ one of my fave romances i've read this year! my full thoughts can be found in my latest reading vlog about hyped romances on booktube
i've never related to a character more than chloe brown. as a woman who struggles with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and other chronic illnesses this book really spoke to me. the way Hibbert described chronic illnesses was so spot on !! i loved this book w all my heart
Wow, this was such an annoying read! Chloe Sophia Brown comes across as a pampered, snobby whiny, weak damsel in distress who needs rescuing. From this outset, I already didn't like her. Someone who describes herself like this... “This mind-blowing bore had zero friends, hadn't traveled in a decade despite plenty of opportunity, liked to code on the weekends, and never did anything that wasn't scheduled in her planner. Don't cry for her; she's in a better place now. Even Heaven can't be that dull.” ... is simply someone who is wallowing in her own shitty quality of life. Chloe thinks, feels and behaves like a victim of her fibromyalgia (chronic pain, pressure sensitivity, tiredness, sleep problems, etc.) and Hibbert never ceases to emphasize how horribly suffering her heroine is. Not only from her illness but from being abandoned by her ex-fiancé, every single friend she ever had (we ask ourselves: what kind of “friends” were those?), her family (apart from her sisters) and who knows whom else.In addition to being ill, Chloe is overweight and black. At times, I've wondered how Hibbert managed to not make her an amputee as well or clinically depressed or maybe blind... Yes, sorry, I'm being sarcastic because Chloe was so annoying. Then there's her “love interest”, Redford “Red” Morgan, whose previous relationship was with some kind of glamour girl who oh-so-horribly abused the poor guy: She hated his motorcycle but used it for glamour photos. Wow! What abuse...Furthermore, she is described as somewhat bitchy. It was all so horrible that poor Red (who is, of course, a ginger!) fled London and, gasp, changed and tried something new! What tragic development! Apart from that he's an uneducated moron who doesn't know the word “indisposed” and reacts to it like this: “He was going to have to buy a bloody dictionary to keep up with her vocab, but he could read between the lines.” Or he could take some English lessons and, thus, extend his two-hundred-words vocabulary. In addition said vocabulary seems to be dominated by the word “fucking”. It features prominently in every second sentence or thought of his. (Chloe has a similarly obsessive relationship with the word “pussy”...)I'm not averse to some swearing but does it have to be all the time? “He watched her as closely as he could, which was pretty fucking close.” and next he decides to tell Chloe “You're cute as fuck, you know that?” - why? Is there really a woman who would want to hear that? (I have no doubt there are enormous numbers of male morons who think so...) And Chloe swoons at that... Red, at times, is outright creepy, e. g. when he “[drinks] in every detail like some sexually deprived Victorian bloke”. Urks... At other times, he's more of an animal: “She snorted, rolling her eyes, but he could tell she was pleased. It oozed out of her like jam from a layer cake, and he was lapping the sweetness up, desperate for more.” Is he a dog?! When it comes to creepy, Chloe isn't exactly innocent either: “This hunger was urging her to sneak inside his head and devour everything she came across. But that would be a little creepy, possibly violent, and probably illegal, so she settled for asking questions.” “Possibly violent”? Devouring his brain? Thanks, but no thanks! Last but not least, the book is full of what my children kindly informed me is called “fake-depth” or calendar mottos to me: “Bliss should be held on to with both hands.”“Good things usually hurt in the end.” Ultimately, this book failed miserably for me on many levels: For a mindless romance (which I expected) it's too complicated; for a serious book, it's too shallow and simple.In the end, to me this book was one of suffering - of Chloe's and of mine reading this stuff... Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram
Cute and fluffy and that's about it. Reads with the naïveté of YA, but with descriptive sex scenes.
At the start of this book, I thought I was really going to like it. By the time I got 2/3 of the way through it, I knew I would not be rating it highly. Unfortunately, the relationship between the two main characters, Chloe and Red, began to annoy me. I would have DNF-ed the book if I weren't already so close to the end. I was invested in finishing.
For the first half of the book, I really liked Chloe and Red. I especially liked Red's character because he was so genuine and sweet. I liked that Chloe was stepping out of her comfort zone. They seemed like they would make a good couple once they got past their misunderstandings about each other. Then, they got together, and it all fell apart for me. I did not care for the smutty sex scenes. I am not looking for that in this kind of contemporary romance. I also did not like the way the characters started acting. They both were way too caught up in their past issues and overreacted to every little misunderstanding. It just didn't feel like the way real people behave. I no longer liked either one of them by the end of the book.
On a positive note, the writing was very easy to read. I flew through this book, even when I wasn't enjoying it.
Overall, it was a cute premise, and I enjoyed the story line of Chloe's list; however, as a romance it just didn't do it for me.
A romance novel that doesn't insult your intelligence. Hibbert would only use words like “petal” or “member” to describe flowers or politicians. Make no mistake, there are sex scenes to make your grandmother blush, but there are also diverse and complex characters.
CW: talk of past abusive relationship
This book has been on my tbr since it's release and I had a feeling I was gonna enjoy it, but I just kept putting it off. And I'm glad I did because I really needed a fun lovely book yesterday when I started it and this story really was soothing balm to the heart.
I own a couple of Talia Hibbert's books and I think I actually DNFd one because I couldn't connect to it much, but thankfully this was a very different experience. The writing is funny, full of witty and sarcastic quips, a swoony love story and on the whole, something that is great to read when you need a smile on your face. The pacing is steady, so it was very easy for me to complete in just a couple of sittings. The author does a brilliant job treating her character's disabilities and mental health issues with a lot of sensitivity, and I appreciated that. I also alternated between the ebook and audiobook and I have to say that the narrator made this an even more enjoyable and entertaining experience with her voice and storytelling style.
Chloe is surviving with her invisible disability but she is finally ready to live a little. She is witty, self-deprecating, a bit prickly because she wants to protect herself from getting hurt, loves her nosy family but is also mildly annoyed when they worry about her too much. She is just a delightful character to follow and the narrator does a stunning job bringing her to life. It really hurt getting to know her backstory because we all hear stories about how medical professionals deny any diagnosis for many people suffering from chronic, and the author showed the kind of impact that can have on the overall life of a person. But Chloe is a survivor and she maybe scared of caring for someone new, but she is brave and admirable in every aspect of her life.
Redford (aka Red) is an artist who is struggling with this own past abusive relationship, is a kind, charming, sweet person who can't stop feeling attracted to Chloe. But he also has to work to convince himself that Chloe is different from his ex and while he understands this on a subconscious level, certain situations trigger him and it broke my heart whenever he panicked. But he finally decides to start therapy because he wants to move on and I really appreciated the author normalizing the need for help.
The banter between them is a joy to read about and I loved every scene between them. The emails were particularly amusing and I was hoping for me. It's not exactly a slow burn relationship but it never felt too fast or unrealistic, and I loved how they both respected each other's limits and boundaries and just were there for each other in whatever way necessary. But they also had baggage which led to some misunderstandings and fights, but it was great to see that they always gave themselves and each other a chance to explain and understand what went wrong and how to work through it. It just felt like a beautiful aspirational relationship and I adored them so much.
The familial relationships in the book are also such a joy. Chloe's family might be nosy and quirky, always up in her business, but they support her completely and were the source of a lot of laughs in the book. Red's mother only shows up a little but the mother-son love is totally evident and their dynamic was so fun. I even enjoyed Red's best friend Vik who was damn sarcastic and kept wishing he would show up a bit more.
To conclude, this is a beautiful and fun love story featuring two wonderful characters who've survived a lot and are finally trying to move on. It's an amazing relationship based on love, respect and support and I really liked that. If you enjoy romances with witty but softhearted characters, delightful banter and a great relationship, then this is perfect for you. And I would definitely recommend the audiobook because the narrator just brings this story to life and will delight you from the first page.
On recommendation from some book friends I read this one and I'm glad I did.
Chloe is amazing. She has taken a crippling disability, embarked on some scary changes, and made her life, and herself much improved.
Red is equally amazing. Coming from an abusive relationship, he takes the path needed to heal, while essentially healing some parts of Chloe too.
Love isn't perfect, and neither are people. Realizing who you are, that you need help, getting that help and making life changes is what allows healing and personal growth.
Loved this, loved Chloe and her sisters, loved just how prickly Chloe was on bad pain days - I don't have fibromyalgia, but I have endometriosis, another chronic pain condition, and when it flares, I'm not fun to be around. I really just enjoyed this book a whole lot, honestly; the MCs' problems and insecurities made a lot of sense and were worked through in a realistic way, and I also liked that there was no last-minute appearance from the evil ex (on either side, really, but I mostly meant Pippa), which can sometimes be effective but is usually not my favorite trope. I'm so happy this is going to be a series, and I would also like to respectfully request a flashback novella or something about Gigi, who is awesome and needed to be in this book even more.
CRUMBLED LIKE FETAis an actual simile used in this book, mid sex scene. Crumbled like feta. I reread it six times to be sure, and that's what it says. Crumbled like feta. I'll never get over it.Chloe is Black, plus size, and has fibromyalgia. Red has a working class background and is recovering from an abusive relationship. Red is the superintendent for Chloe's apartment building. They despise each other. Or do they? This is a romance novel, so no.I found it oddly refreshing to read romance about chronic illness, especially as opposed to terminal. It was also a change of pace to read about a straight man recovering from abuse. Hibbert makes important points about how anyone can be physically abused, regardless of size difference and muscle mass. She also starts the book with a content warning, which I've not seen before and think is a considerate heads up.The romance was pretty hot and cold. There were a lot of sex scenes (I am faint of heart and prefer fade to black), followed immediately by one or both characters feeling very insecure. Feelings develop (then undevelop) very quickly, over and over. It's tiring after a point. I still haven't read much adult romance, so maybe this is a staple of the genre, but it's boring and bad to me. Still, the representation is compelling, and some of the time, I really liked it. I'd recommend to fans of [b:Eleanor Oliphant 31434883 Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564647507l/31434883.SY75.jpg 47327681], [b:The Flatshare 41150287 The Flatshare Beth O'Leary https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539959222l/41150287.SY75.jpg 58189559], and [b:Queenie 36586697 Queenie Candice Carty-Williams https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539882662l/36586697.SY75.jpg 58334513].
A great rom-com with a perfectly prickly protagonist, a hot artist, and a cute cat. What more do you need?
me: I just read historical romance... contemporary are lame
also me: after reading Get a Life, Chloe Brown
I LOVED THAT BOOK!! I adore Romance, it´s so heartwarming, and I do believe in love, the true one, the one that writes letters and notices your likes and tastes, and make you feel capable of believing.
Just barely gets 4 stars from me. Talia Hibbert's voice doesn't quite work for me, although I admire a lot about her books. We totally need a black, curvy heroine with chronic pain issues who finds her HEA with a wonderful guy. I like that he is the caretaker and she is the grumpy one. I think Hibbert does a great job at showing Chloe and Red gradually fall in love through their shared conversations and experiences. But the type of snarky humor she readily employs comes across as too cutesy and unrealistic, and I thought the last minute crisis was manufactured, not earned. I didn't feel enough trauma from Red's previous relationship that I could understand and forgive his explosive angry outburst at Chloe.
I'm glad that this author is getting rave reviews and that this book is on many reviewers' Top 10 lists for 2019. To me, it was a good contemporary romance but not an especially memorable one.