Take a Hint, Dani Brown
Ratings183
Average rating4.1
I really enjoy this series. It's comforting and sweet and also spicy. They are just truly delightful. I love that the characters are intelligent, layered and dynamic.
The way I just keep devouring the lives of the brown sisters and loving it more and more each time! Can't wait to start Eve Brown but let's talk about Dani and Zaf!
The chemistry between our two MC's is gold. I genuinely loved every interaction they had wether it played into the fake dating trope or not! Wink wink! This book is the first book to make me cry in months, & that alone proves that this book is the most amazing romance i've read so far! No romance novel has made me cry so thank you Talia :)
One of our MC's Zafir Ansari is literally the sweetest guy anyone could ever come across, he's caring and loving and he's a great listener. With that being said, in this novel he is dealing with anxiety disorder along with the death of his brother and father. I myself have anxiety disorder so I do think the way I genuinely connected with Zaf is a reason why I love this book so dearly. & although I have never dealt with the amount of grief Zaf deals with in this book I 1000% sympathized with him and I cried when he talked about his loss. Our other MC Danika Brown is just as lovely! She's a fierce bisexual witch who knows how to make anyone smile :) Dani deals with some tough feelings throughout this novel due to past hurt & she really has a hard time processing her emotions when it comes to love and relationships. Watching her grow throughout the novel was truly inspiring and I love her so much.
With that being said pick this book up right now! You'll definitely thank me!
this popped up on the library website while i was reserving other books so i borrowed it and i guess i knew it was a romance novel but wasn't expecting it to be so cute and also horby??? then i found out all of my coworkers love the series :)
“She could feel his heart pounding, or maybe it was hers, or maybe they shared hearts now.”
Take A Hint, Dani Brown was wonderful. Dani; a strong, and intellectual Black bisexual witch was exactly how I expected her to be. I loved seeing her grow and learn about her self-worth. Her fear and apprehension towards relationships were completely justified but she was brave. So, she overcame that— she learned to love and be loved in return.
Zaf; a beautiful and kind Muslim man who loves reading romance (aka my ideal man). He was always so patient with Dani and loved her so much. But he also had goals for himself and wanted so badly to move on with his life after the tragic passing of his dad and brother. I loved seeing the representation of mental illness and how he used his experience with it to help others.
Dani & Zaf were amazing together. Their chemistry and banter would either make me sigh in delight or laugh out loud at their absurdity. They were both quick-witted with their quips so their back and forths were usually very funny. I just loved how much they loved each other. In the end, they just wanted to make the other smile.
Zaf and Dani are amazing characters! I was hooked by their banter and their romance was sooooo steamy and sweet. Loved it!
Rating this book a bit higher than the first one, mostly because of the character dynamics. It is a fun read, but suffers from the same issue of conflict being thrown in and then resolved in the span of three chapters. I also feel like Dani could've had more chapters going into what she actually went through in the past, instead of just a vague picture of relationship failures. Especially because the only “failure” that seems to matter enough to get an actual explanation is her relationship with Mateo (and to some extent, Jo) while the others just got bundled up together and summed up as “it didn't work”. Zafir is fleshed out so nicely, so why can't the same be done to Dani too?
That being said I still quite enjoyed the read, and I plan to read Eve's book soon.
Talia Hibbert's romances are quite enjoyable and funny. This second installment in the Brown Sisters series is an easy, fun read with a very likable love interest. Even though the main character, Dani, is frustrating as a character, I really liked reading this book.
Dani Brown doesn't do romance, but she is all in for a purely physical relationship with ruggedly handsome Zafir, a former rugby player who currently serves as the security guard at the university at which she teaches. The two begin a “fake relationship” for publicity purposes in order to help get Zaf's foundation off the ground. Zaf is a romantic who hopes he can break through Dani's tough shell.
Dani has many hang ups about romance and relationships. Some are warranted and some seem a bit of an overreaction to events in her past. Her denial of her own feelings is frustrating for the reader. Zaf, on the other hand, is completely open to love and is very patient with Dani. He is an extremely likable character.
The sex in this book is quite steamy, so the reader should be prepared for that. The romance is sweet when the main character allows it to be. The conflict toward the end, which is a staple of all romances, feels really unnecessary. I found myself quite annoyed by Dani's behavior.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. There are elements of it that I find frustrating, but the reading experience was pleasurable.
I liked a lot about this book - the characters, the diversity rep, the banter, the romance - but there was a slight disconnect for me. I seem to be in the minority here but I think I Chloe's book was my favourite, I just connected more to her character. Still a totally adorable, funny romance but Chloe just takes the top spot for me! Looking forward to Eve's book next.
Finally! This is what I've been waiting for!
I've only just started reading romance so I don't have much to compare to. But I've never liked anything as much to give a 5 star to because most of the time it just feels so blah!
Finally I've read a romance that breaks some stereotypes. Finally I've read a romance with some depth and portrayal of realistic and complex emotions and not just filler content with a random over the top fight scene (over something so trivial that it's bloody annoying) and wild make up sex after.
Yas. Finally!
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert, is the BEST romance I've ever read.
I loved this even more than Get a Life, Chloe Brown.
This was such a cute story, and so well written. Talia Hibbert did such a great job with this one.
Dani and Zaf are the perfect couple. Their banter and friendship is adorable, so much so that you are literally rooting for them the whole time.
Our main character, Dani is afraid of commitment but she's also looking for a “friend with benefits”. She gets trapped in a lift and Zafir rescues her. He doesn't just rescue her, he carries out into the carpark where the whole of the collage campus is watching. A video of the rescue goes viral on Instagram #DrRugbae and Zaf realises that the video has brought attention to his non-profit charity. Together, Dani and Zaf come up with a friends with benefits deal - Dani pretends to be Zaf's girlfriend in public, and Dani gets all the sex she wants.
I honestly, loved this book. I enjoyed seeing them both develop as characters, both together and separately. Dani's fear of commitment is challenged when she realises she has feelings for Zaf, and Zaf who suffers majorly from anxiety is challenged to put himself out there for Dani.Seriously read this book!
Funny, sexy and cute! A light and wonderful read that also dealt with important topics of grief and anxiety.
I mean, you know they're gonna fall in love because she's like no you can't fall in love with meee but okay #fakerelationship. Also Zafir is just the best. Everything about him is the best.
But you can't tell me a 28-year-old Ph.D. student and a 31-year-old former pro-athlete don't know how Twitter works. #lies
Ugh, this book was so good - I wish there had been more Fluffy and Gigi, because both of those characters are absolute delights, but that's a minor nitpick in a book that had me grinning all the way through and yelling in my head at Dani “you love him, you goofball, just admit it!” I loved grumpy-on-the-outside romance-novel-reading Zaf (and the cameo by [b:Tempest 35068495 Tempest (Old West, #3) Beverly Jenkins https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501935222l/35068495.SY75.jpg 56363953] and Beverly Jenkins!) and Dani was such an excellent character, all bravado on the outside and just a little bit of insecurity inside. I think the treatment of anxiety was really good, as someone who deals with that myself, I loved the reference to Dani having cramps (seriously, normalize periods in romance novels), and Dani's bisexuality just being a thing about her, not an issue. I want to live in the world of this book.(2020 summer romance bingo: happily ever after. Would also work for a loose “set on an island,” but I think that's all?)
I know everyone raves about Talia Hibbert but I guess she's just one of those authors about whom I have the minority opinion. Loved the hero, but couldn't understand why the heroine was so intent on avoiding relationships. She had one bad boyfriend and that soured her for life? Sorry, I wouldn't tolerate that in a hero and it's not my cuppa for a heroine either. YMMV especially if you, like most people, are a big fan of the author.
Danika Brown is fiercely independent, outspoken, headstrong and determined not to fall in love again. After having her heart broken she has decided relationships just aren't for her. Instead, she just wants the perfect friend...with benefits.
Zafir Ansari is sweet, strong, funny and madly infatuated with Danika. They see each other every morning when she comes to work and they share mere minutes of chatting and flirting. Zafir wants more but doesn't have a clue how to take it beyond that.
Fate steps in, as a fire drill ends up getting Danika stuck in an elevator, turns Zafir into her rescuer, and captures the end of said rescue on video that goes viral on social media. Now it seems Danika & Zafir are to be in a fake relationship, as it seems everyone believes they are in a real one due to the video and Zafir has begged her to play along.
Being in a fake relationship has its perks and rules...rules that are meant to keep things informal and feelings at bay. What happens when those rules get broken and hearts turn tender? Maybe what fate had planned all along.
This was a fantastically fun and laugh-out-loud read. Danika Brown is a great character and I love how confident yet vulnerable she is, and could relate to so much she was going through. Zafir is strong yet sensitive and knows it's ok to not to be ok sometimes. It was great to see this in a male character.
Talia Hibbert has a way with words and will have you laughing, holding your breath, tearing up, and feeling a bit anxious...all while getting completely lost in the story. Such a great pick-me-up book!
CW: Anxiety, on page panic attack, talk of death of loved ones and depression in the past
To be honest, I knew I was gonna love this before I even started reading - not just because I've only seen rave reviews, but I just was expecting it after having so much fun reading Chloe Brown a few months ago. And it totally didn't disappoint.
The author is amazing at writing sassy sarcastic dialogue and banter, and it's on full display here. I was cackling for the most part and I totally needed that in my current state of mind. But there are also moments of quiet reflection, communication, pining and absolute love - and it all tug at my heartstrings. What beautiful writing. And on top of it, she deftly mixes up my favorite friends to lovers trope with fake dating alongwith some viral social media video (which seems to be theme in many recent romance novels but I can't say I'm a fan), and it was all just a delight to read. There is a decent amount of angst but not so much that it frustrated me (thank you very much) and the conflicts are also resolved very organically without dragging them out which I really appreciated. To top it all, I adored the use of text messages and Instagram comments interspersed throughout the story because they were so hilarious.
The characters are definitely the highlight of this book. I would usually start with the female MC especially because she is the titular one here, but I want to talk about Zafir because he completely stole my heart. He is the definition of gentle giant, a retired pro rugby player who has anxiety and runs a charity to teach young boys how to take care of their mental health. He is extremely kind, compassionate, lovable and protective and just the perfect book boyfriend material. And he loves romance novels
5 stars My god. This was even better than Get a Life? IDk. I love them both. So much. But Dani and Zaf. PERFECT. Talia Hibbert keeps wowing me. Bi rep! I'm a little bit in love with her. Can't wait for Eve's book!