Book Review – Take a Hint, Dani Brown

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

Author: Talia Hibbert

Publisher: Avon

Publication date: June 23rd, 2020

320 pages

4.5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.

When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?

Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his… um, thighs.

Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?

Review

“Because he knew her well enough to realize she’d rather be holed up in here like Gollum, stroking books and murmuring, “My precious.”

First off, this quote is amazing and far too true for most of us bookworms out there (even if Zaf was referring to Dani’s textbooks and research studies). Anyway, I loved Get a Life, Chloe Brown but I have to say, Dani and Zaf’s story has stolen my heart and moved up in the rankings past Chloe! Dani and Zaf are such good characters and their love story is heartwarming and relatable, but there are also very serious undertones to this story which adds depth to the characters. But also, FAKE. DATING!

Shoutout to Talia Hibbert for writing a love story about the woman who cares more about her work and career than falling in love, and the woman who gets denigrated for that and gaslit by men. It happens in the real world far too often and I respect her creating a character who is invested in her career. Also, the mental health rep for both Dani and Zaf is both amazing and needed. Repeat after me: females do not need to be stereotypically romantic and “girly”.

I need me a Zaf in my life (hope my fiance isn’t reading this), because he is the soulful, loving her from afar type man who also defies typical gender roles in relationships. Zaf is the one who worries about getting in too deep while in the fake relationship, not Dani. Normal rep is the opposite because of how “emotional” women are in relationships. Again, it just goes to Hibbert’s attention to flipping the script and rewriting the narrative.

Basically, I loved it. This is a very steamy book, so if that isn’t your jam maybe read at your own peril. It is hot and it is frequent. Maybe even more than Chloe to be honest. I love it, but I know it isn’t for everyone. Also, be on the lookout for the third book, Act Your Age, Eve Brown publishing in 2021!

Happy reading, folks!