I'm introducing a new feature to my blog to spotlight my favorite authors in various genres. Sometimes you come across an author that you cannot help but love everything they put out into the world. 

The author I'm bringing to you today is Talia Hibbert. She has become more well known with her Brown Sisters series, but she has been in the game for quite some time now. 

My love story with Hibbert's books began with a gorgeous novel called A Girl Like Her. It is the first book in the Ravenswood series. 
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A Girl Like Her  is probably the first book I ever read that included a leading female character that was not only Black, but was also on the Autism spectrum. Ruth is considered the "black sheep" in Ravenswood and she's keen to stay away from the world in her apartment filled with comic books. Ruth's new neighbor, Evan, slowly and oh-so-patiently gets to know her and eventually, you guessed it, falls in love with her.

I loved this book for many reasons. Like I mentioned before, the MC is a Black female on the Autism spectrum. However, I also loved this book because Ruth has family that does not give up on her and are quirky and lovable on their own. And Evan. I loved Evan. I loved him for his emotions, for his patience (though, if you were to ask him, there was no thanks needed because he just is with Ruth), and ultimately for his ability to think about people other than himself. I love that in my imaginary and real people. 

Then there are the books that Hibbert has become widely known for, the Brown Sisters series. With this we have:  Get a Life, Chloe Brown, Take a Hint, Dani Brown, and ​Act Your Age, Eve Brown. 

The main characters in these three books are sisters, they are Black, and each has an internal battle. Chloe has chronic pain and feels she should live life more. Dani is a commitment-phobic academic focused completely on her academic career. Eve is constantly being told to focus on finding a career and never feels good enough.

Each of these books stole my heart for different reasons. If you look about Instagram and people's posts about these stories, you'll find that people try and identify which Brown sister they are most like. I, to my great amusement, am a bit of each for various reasons. However, if I were like any sister...I'm an Eve, through and through. 

These books are funny and heartfelt. Eve Brown in particular really hit me. It is not difficult to identify with feelings of doubt, not being good enough, or not trusting your own judgement because of what others have told you in the past. 

Just like in A Girl Like Her, the leading men in each of these stories has their own emotional journey. They are, or eventually become, comfortable with talking about their own fears and doubts. The men in Talia Hibbert's world are allowed to feel and communicate and I love it. 

Something to add about Hibbert is that her books ALWAYS have a list of possible trigger warnings at the beginning of the book (I wish more authors would do this). And also, do not let the cartoon covers fool you - these books are damn sexy and a bit dirty in the best of ways. 

Hibbert has many other stories that I have yet to read (and a novella entitled Mating the Huntress that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. It's Halloween themed!). Believe me when I say this, I will read them all. And you know what? You should try them out too ;)

Get a Life, Chloe Brown
by Talia Hibbert

Synopsis

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…

You know - sometimes a book comes along that is almost everything you never thought you’d get in a book. That is what Talia Hibbert’s Get a Life, Chloe Brown ​has been for me. This book is full of all kinds of representation. Chloe is black, has a chronic illness, and deals with social difficulties. Red is a “tough” guy who has experienced quite a bit in his past (I can’t say because I consider it an important spoiler) and who has a tendency to be prejudice toward women who seem to have money and a bad/entitled attitude. 

I instantly fell for Chloe. She is so funny, caring, take no bullshit-say no bullshit kind of person.  This was made even more special because the author does not make chronic illness to be Chloe’s identity. It is a part of who she is, of course, but she is portrayed as a flesh-and-blood, determined, and truly just hilarious person who happens to have a chronic illness. There isn’t a magical cure and the road to happiness isn’t easy - just like I wouldn’t expect it to be. I took a little more time loving Red, but only because he got the wrong idea about Chloe from the get-go and I find that to be an annoying behavior. I might have also become so in love with Chloe Brown that I was feeling a bit protective of her haha! However! That was just a smidgen of a feeling against Red because he is quite lovable in his own way. Both characters have their walls built up and Talia Hibbert has written them in such a way that it’s impossible not to join them on their individual and joined journeys. Believe me, you will become invested in these characters and their stories. I mean, look at me! I talk about them like they’re real!

(Honestly, if Chloe were a real person, I would love to be friends with her. We can be funny and awkward together.)

I recommend this book to everyone. For some of us, we will hopefully feel “seen” and the perspective will help others get a hint of living on the other side of the coin. All in all, this book is hilarious, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. I might have cried while reading it. Maybe. 

Let me know what you think if you read it! I’m currently reading the second book in the series, Take a Hint, Dani Brown​ and loving it so far!