Named one of the Best Romances of 2020 by Apple, Kirkus, PW, Washington Post, NPR, BookPage, OprahMag, EW, Insider, Buzzfeed, Bustle, and Amazon!
USA Today bestselling author Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him “rescuing” her from their office building goes viral…
Danika Brown knows what she … goes viral…
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?
“Talia Hibbert is a rockstar! Her writing is smart, funny, and sexy…” – Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Little Bridge Island and Princess Diaries series
Featured in OprahMag, Bustle, Parade, PopSugar, New York Post, Essence, Travel & Leisure, Ms. Magazine, TheSkimm, Betches, Shondaland, Buzzfeed and more…
more
4.5 Stars
4/5 Steam Rating
This is the second book in the Brown Sisters series but can easily be read as a standalone. Once again, Hibbert has written a cute but steamy romcom with underrepresented characters!!
What I enjoyed:
Dani is not your stereotypical smart girl seen in books, she’s feisty and I love it!
Our main characters are both BIPOC
This is a faux-mance/ friends-to-lovers
I love the way that grief and anxiety are discussed in this book. It’s such a heavy subject yet approached with a light touch
There’s a lot of steam, even more so than in Chloe’s story
I liked how social media propelled this story, it gave a very modern twist
If you enjoyed Chloe’s story, I have a feeling that you’ll love this one too!
Dani’s story was pure rom-com magic! I’m in love with another Brown sister. A steamy, sassy, swoony stand-out read. Hibbert’s trademark witty writing and wonderful characters make this one you must move to the top of your tbr list.
Take a chance, Dani Brown!
Zaf and Dani were so sweet and fun, a couple worth cheering for! Smart writing, perfect narration, engaging couple. What’s not to love?
I 100 percent loved this book! The humor, the heat, the magic, and the messages. But, most of all, I loved Zafir! Emotional maturity is damn sexy! Can’t wait for Book 3 of The Brown Sisters series.
A worthy follow-up to the first book in the series. These Brown sisters somehow manage to find the best, sweetest, most caring boyfriends–even when they’re not looking. In a reversal of the usual gender roles, Dani is the one with major commitment issues and Zafir is the one trying not to smother her with his dreams of happily-ever-after inspired by the romance novels he devours. Both are sweet and kind, and their relationship rings true as they are first friends who only engage in a fake relationship when a viral moment is caught on social media and misconstrued. When Zaf’s niece suggests the exposure would benefit his nonprofit helping boys engage positively with their emotions, he reluctantly proposes the ruse to Dani. Of course, we all know how well fake relationship situations turn out–and even Zaf does, but he goes for it anyway since he’s not-so-secretly smitten with Dani.
This book made me frequently smile, laugh out loud, and thoroughly enjoy all the warm fuzzies presented by the caring families of both protagonists. A delight!
I really loved this book! I actually thought it was a lot better than the first book as well. There just was more going on, the characters had a little bit more depth and I liked Dani’s character as a whole just so much better than Chloe. I connected more with Chloe on a mental level and really related to her, but just for pure enjoyment and strength of the character, I heavily prefer Danika.
I am not part of the main fandom so this might be something others have said before or has been confirmed/denied, but I wanted to share it. Dani really struck me as demi-romantic, or atleast gray-romantic in some way. She really is sex positive and absolutely wants to get laid regularly, but she is not interested in romance, nor does it naturally come to her. It actually takes a great deal of bonding and spending time with the love interest, even though they had been friends for a while, before romantic feelings become relevant. And even when they did, Dani couldn’t make sense of them right away as she doesn’t have much experience with romance. I really loved this portrayal and even if she isn’t on the aromantic spectrum, I am honestly just glad the main character doesn’t fall head over heels right away.
One last thing: As someone who is both on the aro and ace spectrum, romance is just a weird genre for me. But, this series and this book specifically has so much more to offer than just swooning and sex. And honestly, a lot of said swooning and sex was genuinely quite comedic for me as I sometimes really do not understand allos. So, if you are (on the) aro/ace (spectrum) aswell, I think you can still really enjoy this book and series. Just mind it’s really sexy at times, but in my opinion you can skip the sex-scenes, or atleast mostly, without losing on the plot.
I can’t wait to start the third book; if Eve is as much better than Dani as Dani is than Chloe, I will be in for an absolute treat.
Full comments soon! For now, let’s just say, I’m a superfan. I can’t wait for Act Your Age, Eve Brown!
This is a wonderful entertaining romp thru a romantic story. Easy read to lift your mood and take you out of the ever day humdrums.
It was good. Dialogue was funny.
I really enjoyed reading a romance that did not star your usual characters. A healthy woman of color and a man with Islamic roots certainly caught my attention. However, the author’s creation of unforgettable characters with many issues kept me up reading until I finished the book. I love her portrayal of male characters who have insecurities and make mistakes. Anyone growing tired of the usual romance should give this author a chance.
Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 5 stars
I absolutely loved this book! It was hilarious, heartfelt, and oh so sexy. Zaf was everything I love in a book boyfriend. Loyal, sweet, kind hearted, thoughtful, and that perfect amount of possessive alpha (who’s actually a giant teddy bear). He is definitely going into my book boyfriend hall of fame.
Watching Dani and Zaf’s friendship evolve and grow was wonderful. The fake dating trope is always a fun one and this played out perfectly. I loved Zaf and Dani’s chemistry and the build up was so delicious. There was a little predictable drama at the end, but it still felt true to the characters and I appreciated that it was resolved just as quickly as it began.
The narration by Ione Butler was fantastic! She truly elevated the story to a whole other level. She gave such an emotional performance, but also had perfect comedic timing. Talia Hibbert’s writing is phenomenal and I can’t wait for Eve’s story next!
I loved Get A Life, Chloe Brown, so reading this second book of the Brown Sisters series, I knew this book, Take A Hint Dani Brown, was a must read for me. Talia Hibbert’s writing style and humor really put me in the best mood! The writing was incredibly sexy and fun – I really enjoyed Danika and Zafir together.
If you haven’t read this one yet, I recommend the series for an amazing read I know you will enjoy!
I’ve been sitting on this review for a hot minute because how do you even articulate all the feelings of a book that captures your heart and soul from page one? All I can say is that TAHDB is one of the most delightful books I’ve ever read. The anxiety rep was astounding, Dani and Zaf belong in the romance hall of fame, and I’m fairly confident Talia could take on the project of rewriting a phone book and find a way to make it clever, moving, and simply perfect. READ THIS BOOK. DO IT. /5
Wonderful and unique romance with characters I can’t stop thinking about weeks later. Absolutely loved Zaf and Dani together, and their families rounded out the cast beautifully. Will definitely go back and read the rest of this series!
Talia Hibbert did it again! Read this. Dani’s drive, sarcasm, and her surface self-awareness hit me in the gut. Also, Zaf might just be the sexiest, bossiest, man alive!
Talia Hibbert’s writing is just so great. I love the way she describes Zaf and Dani’s thoughts and feelings. You know how you can feel along with the characters when they’re starting to trust and fall inlove with each other?? Yeah I felt that with this book. It was like those little moments they have together end up meaning so much more, which led them to falling for each other. I love that and I am here for it.
Alright, so I listened to Get a Life, Chloe Brown earlier this year, which was a solid four star read for me. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers story love and Chloe and Red’s banter. That being said, Talia with Take a Hint, Dani Brown, Talia Hibbert knocked it out of the park (Note: this book can be read as a standalone!).
27 year old Danika ‘Dani’ Brown is a highly ambitious academic whose sole focus is her career. Both a Black and bisexual female, Dani doesn’t have time for romantic entanglements. She appreciates the orgasms, but everything else takes a backseat to her career goals.
Zafir ‘Zaf’ Ansari is a former professional rugby player who is now a security guard at the University that Dani teaches at. Zaf is your typical standoffish and brooding male who has clipped interactions with Dani…or so we think. Little does Dani know that Zaf is actual a huge romantic who is addicted to romance novels and dreams of happily ever after.
After a social media misunderstanding, Dani and Zaf find themselves at the center of attention. They realize this would be the perfect opportunity to get free publicity for Zaf’s charity, but the caveat is that they actually need to be a couple. That’s cool. They can fake it. But what happens when the sexual tension finally boils over? Can these two just be friends with benefits or will they inevitability catch feelings?
Before I get into straight gushing, I want to comment on both Dani’s and Zaf’s characters. I love that Dani is upfront and honest about her sexuality. She makes no excuses and could care less what anything thinks. Dani also knows the struggles of academia and refuses to let academia beat her down, which happens to females (especially Black females) too often. Zaf. Oh my heart didn’t realize how much I needed a male character like him. He has this rough exterior but he’s anything but. He is a true romantic at heart. He battles with both anxiety and depression, and Hibbert does a phenomenal job of addressing both of those with grace.
In terms of plot, the reason why I connected with this one so much more than Chloe was because there is a level of trust and respect between Dani and Zaf even if it’s not acknowledged at first. Of course there are still jabs and banter, but you can tell how much these two meant to each other just from their work interactions before the whole fake dating even started. I mean come one, Dani brings Zaf coffee every day and Zaf always has a protein bar for her to make sure she eats (if that’s not love I don’t know what is).
Now, y’all already know that there was going to be steam in this book. Hibbert has already proved that to us in Chloe. While I felt like most of the time, Chloe and Red had anger sex due to their initial hatred of one another, Dani and Zaf just felt natural. The sex wasn’t gratuitous. Honestly, I just can’t get enough of those two.
Overall, if you didn’t read any of the above, just pick up this book. It’s incredible, and I promise you it’s worth it.
Thank you to Avon Books for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
Every time I read a Talia Hibbert book, I’m reminded why she is one of my favorite authors. The way that she is able to articulate emotions in such a way that they resonate deep within my soul and helps me to really connect with her characters in a way that makes an indelible impression on me that extends long after the last word is read. Dani and Zaf are such unique characters and I LOVED how they viewed each other and valued each other in the exact way that the other needed – it was so beautiful. And don’t even get me started on the steamy bits, the inclusion, and the banter. As much as I can ‘t wait for Eve’s story, I also don’t want this series to end – I love the Brown sisters so much! Maybe she’ll bless us with grandma’s story 🙂 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
I love Talia Hibbert’s writing. I love how inclusive it is, as well as entertaining. This is a great installment to the series.
I absolutely loved every single word, paragraph, page and scene of “Take A Hint, Dani Brown”.
I was immediately immersed, the characters I cared about instantly and the story was so masterfully-crafted that I was torn between wanting to slowly savor every moment and yet wanting to speed through the whole fun, fast, romantic adventure.
Dani is a brilliant, adorable, book-nerdy snark. And Zaf is the epitome of a gentle giant with his own brand of blunt charm. They are the most perfect couple ever!
There are loads of hilarious scenes in this book. Especially the one about the perils of listening to audio books at work. In addition to the humor, it’s got all the feels too.
The chemistry between Zaf and Dani is totally on point and steamy. And their family and friends are fun chaos added to an already entertaining tale. Just a pure joy to read. It’s my new all time favorite book. Ever!