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The Brown Sisters, Book 1
From the publisher:
“Absolutely charming… a flawless balance of humor, heat, sweetness, and depth, and I loved every page.” – Helen Hoang, USA Today bestselling author of The Bride Test
Talia Hibbert, one of contemporary romance’s brightest new stars, delivers a witty, hilarious romantic comedy about a woman who’s tired of being “boring” and recruits her mysterious, sexy neighbor to help her experience new things—perfect for fans of Sally Thorne, Jasmine Guillory, and Helen Hoang!
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?
Enjoy a drunken night out.
Ride a motorcycle.
Go camping.
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
And… do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.
Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.
But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…
This is a British import and a wonderful read! I read the advance copy, an e-galley, on my Kindle. I’m telling you this because most of the time, I can’t see the cover of the book. Either it’s just plain white with the title and author in black text, or as in this case, it is the actual cover but small. At least until it is opened, but I started reading this on my phone (yes, I do that, especially when I’m waiting…in line, at a red light, to pay, whatever!) My point being, I never really looked at the cover so I didn’t realize that this was a book with a biracial couple until I was about halfway through it. That just seemed meaningful to me for some reason. I’m not going to analyze it but did want to mention it.
The push for diversity in romance has been strong, and we, the readers, are reaping the benefits. It is lovely to read about someone who looks like you or acts like you, and everyone should have that opportunity.
Chloe has fibromyalgia and other various ailments, most of which leave her in pain most of the time. She tires easily and takes a lot of medication to manage her pain. And she’s smart, book smart, but not necessarily people smart. She’s been hurt by the people who should never hurt her; her friends, and her fiance. Ex-fiance, and former friends. So she lives a somewhat lonely existence, save for her two sisters, and the rest of her family.
Red thinks she is gorgeous, but also stuck up. Snooty rich girl, like his former girlfriend. But as Chloe tries to accomplish her goals, she learns Red is not the scary, tattooed biker she assumed him to be. And Red learns that Chloe, while maybe from a family with money, is nothing like his ex. Of course, it takes most of the book for them to reach those conclusions, and there is a lot of fun, and some angst, along the way. And a lot of sex, too.
I loved these characters. I was completely immersed in their world, and could not put down this book. Happily, there is a sequel coming, centering around one of Chloe’s sisters. If it’s only half as good as this one, it will still be another terrific read. I loved this book!
11/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert. Avon (November 5, 2019). ISBN 978-0062941206. 384p.
Posted by Stacy Alesi 
Other quibbles – the cover, and the title, and even the synopsis make this seem like it is a Christmas book, which it is not. It is written sort of like a journal, with dates starting each chapter as they move through the year from December to December. It is mostly told from Jess’s viewpoint, but Alex has several chapters as well. I didn’t love that changing point of view, it seems a bit like cheating to me. The author wanted to make sure we understood that both Alex and Jess had feelings for one another even though they date/sleep with other people and don’t declare their feelings for one another until the end. Not really a spoiler since this is a romance, and that is a very common ploy. There is no explicit sex here, just implied (for lack of a better word,) and that didn’t affect me one way or another.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 