Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - Take a Hint, Dani Brown

I really like the way Talia Hibbert writes romance. I love the handling of the fake dating trope and watch each of the main protagonists grow both as individuals and in their relationship. I really loved the way grief and mental illness were handled and this was just generally a fun read with some more emotional moments.

I would add on as a note that the weird JKR references didn't land well, you could just not mention her especially when combined with the weird antisemitic conspiracy theory jokes in the book. Also the muslim rep is ... questionable to put it lightly.

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kshertz's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was just as awesome As Chloe brown. I love how badass the women protagonists are. I love how they fall in love. I love how they find a way to have their own unique love story. It’s light and fluffy and sweet but also a different kind of romance.

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livreads16's review

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challenging emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book is so lovely. I feel so seen. The characters are so lovable, the dialogue is so easy and witty, and the pacing is perfect. It’s so we’ll written. Talia Hibbert does it every time.

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kbairbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What the fuck. Is Talia Hibbert the queen of romance? I think she might be. The romance is believable and there is chemistry and it’s hot. I love her characters… I mean… a bisexual sex loving witch?! A romance reading Indian rugby player?! Fake relationship? Plants? Goddesses? Career focused woman? Fuck I love it.

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armontheroad's review

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Let me preface this by saying I love Talia Hibbert and the relationship she created in this book. However, I think people are recommending this book without properly giving warnings about it and that is absurd.

For starters, Talia Hibbert uses car accidents throughout this entire trilogy as a motivation for the characters' storylines without giving a content warning. I have not seen any reviews talking about this. As someone with car trauma, it took me by surprise and was very difficult to get through at points.
Let’s move on to the paragraph with the two antisemitic lines. “...He might be some lizard overlord wearing human skin. ….Dani didn’t have a problem with lizard overlords as long as they left her books alone.” This is the second time I’ve had to call out authors putting this antisemitic conspiracy theory into their books. It doesn’t matter that Hibbert called out another author’s antisemitism at the start of the book if she’s going to use an antisemitic conspiracy theory as the butt of the joke later on in the story.
Thirdly, Talia Hibbert has a very short scene in one of the early chapters where she calls out JKR’s antisemitism and racism. Which is fine! However, you cannot ‘call out’ an author and then spend the rest of the book dropping references to their most popular book series. Once again, there were no content warnings from any of the creators I follow discussing the JKR/HP references in this book.

DANI BROWN was set up to be my favorite in this trilogy. An interracial relationship (where neither of them is white!!), friends to lovers, fake dating. This had everything I could have wanted. I truly believe I loved Dani and Zaf’s dynamic and story better than Chloe and Red from book one! However, I cannot let all of the little problems pile up without mentioning them. I won’t have other readers blindsided by the content in this novel. I would still highly recommend this book and the entire trilogy! I would just like people to be aware that even the most talented writers make mistakes and they should always be reading and reviewing critically ESPECIALLY when it comes to media they love! You never know what harm you can cause by not acknowledging the issues in the media you consume.

CWs/Tws: Racism (minor), antisemitism, fatphobia (minor), car accident and death (past), Harry Potter/JKR references.

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readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I absolutely LOVED this as everyone said I would. Fake dating is my JAM and this was one of the best instances I've read; the gradual, slow realisation that they weren't faking their feelings and were actually falling in love with each other was EXQUISITE. Dani and Zaf were so sweet and so considerate of each other's emotions and needs. We love a romantic relationship built on mutual trust and respect.

I adored Dani and Zaf's interactions with each other and the writing in this book was so snappy, witty and fun. Talia Hibbert truly is a master of her craft. It was great to see bi rep front and center and I know I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time. (The only thing I'm not sure about is the Muslim rep, so I'd recommend checking out own voices reviews about that.)

Content warnings for confinement, panic attacks, discussions of anxiety, depression, racism, biphobia, loss of a family member, fatphobia.

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agnesbebon's review against another edition

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4.5

I love fake dating, I love friends to lovers, I love a strong female main character, and I love Take A Hint, Dani Brown.

Zafir? Hot. Dani? Hot.

I loved and greatly appreciated Hibbert’s ability to write about the fatphobia fat women experience in a funny and non-triggering way. “Oh dear he thinks I’m a fat slut. I might die of a broken heart” had me cackling and was so relatable. I don’t know how to describe Talia Hibbert other than fucking delightful. This book is witty, charming, revealing, and full of spice. I love and appreciate Hibbert’s ability to write fat characters without focusing on body insecurities. I love her ability to write with both characters voices within one sentence and I found myself rereading scenes so they wouldn’t end. This is a perfect romance novel.

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bexi's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

If Zafir were real and I had an ounce of talent, I'd write him Taylor Swift-style love songs because he'd be King of My Heart.

But I thought Dani was kind of toxic, I'm sorry. Did I think that because the way she treated her last "partner" throughout the entire book (yes even the ending) hit a little too close for me and my feelings were hurt? Maybe. My feelings are valid and I said what I said 😭

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