Review: Take a Hint, Dani by Talia Hibbert
I’m going to be honest and begin this review with saying that I didn’t love Get a Life, Chloe Brown. I didn’t love Red, the romance felt super forced, and I just wanted more about Chloe and living with chronic illness. So I didn’t have any plans to read Take a Hint, Dani Brown, the second book in the companion series. But then Ashley loved it and hyped it up to me on Read It Or List It so…I caved.
And I am SO HAPPY that I did. Seriously, I really loved this one! Zaf is a dreamy book boyfriend and Dani is the heroine we need. I loved the representation of a sexually liberated, bisexual Black woman studying to be a professor.
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 big, brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it's an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and former rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact to him, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Suddenly, 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 is 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.
The easy lay Dani dreamed of is now 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?” —From the publisher
What I Liked:
Zaf—Not only was he dreamy, his struggles with anxiety were at the forefront of the novel. I loved the representation and discussion of anxiety, the coping mechanisms, and that it was discussed so openly and proudly. I struggle with anxiety so I really appreciated it.
The slow burn—This has the fun Fake Dating trope that I haven’t read a lot of and I really liked it! It makes the tension worth it and especially fun to see the characters’ communication grow.
The Relationship between the Brown Sisters—I love the relationship between Dani and her sisters. We get Eve Brown’s story next! Since I loved Dani, I will be reading that one when it releases next Spring!
I also really loved that Dani was the character with commitment issues. I think it’s really important to break down toxic masculinity to see that men are capable to wanting relationships and women aren’t necessarily the clingy ones.
What Didn’t Work:
It was just the dragged out ending! I think that’s typical of romance novels, especially once the characters get together, but I felt like the last 50-70 pages could have been wrapped up a bit more quickly.
TW/CW: Anxiety, loss of a parent, loss of a sibling, car accident
Character Authenticity: 4.5/5
Steam Rating: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 4.9/5