Parenting

'Take A Hint, Dani Brown' Is The Rom-Com You Need In Your Life

by Maria Guido
Scary Mommy and Talia Hibbert

Talia Hibbert’s Take A Hint, Dani Brown is an absolute blast to read

We were feeling some romance, and so glad to find this pick for the Scary Mommy Book Club. Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert is so damn refreshing we want to send it to every romance lover we know. Listen up, publishers — more thick, juicy heroines that love themselves please! Dani Brown is the fierce protagonist we’ve been waiting for in the romance genre, for real. All usual scripts are flipped in this impossible-to-put-down book, and the CHEMISTRY — whew! Zaf and Dani’s sexually charged connection is just so fun to follow. Never got sick of their banter and was honestly rooting for both of them to just live happily ever after, dammit. You’ll fall in love with these two, and appreciate the depth of their stories — Zaf’s battle with anxiety and loss will be relatable to many, and Dani’s fear of commitment will too. This is the perfect summer read with topics that frankly aren’t explored enough in this genre, and we now can’t wait to go back and read about Dani’s novel-sister, Chloe, in Get A Life, Chloe Brown. If you love a good rom-com, you are going to love this book.

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We asked Talia a few things we were dying to know about Dani, who she’d like to see bring her characters to life on the big screen, and her favorite books of the moment…

Dani is in love with her curves and unapologetic about her sex drive and it’s something we so appreciated about the book. How are these details significant to you?

I think the media we consume has a big impact on how we see the world and how we feel about ourselves. So I try to write books with representation that I’d be positively affected by. I believe everyone should exist in an environment where they can fall in love with their body and with themselves. So I try to make my books that kind of environment.

The idea that these two were noticing each other and doing special things for each other before the “fake relationship” transpired (daily coffee and protein bars, etc) was a detail that stood out. How much do you think our preoccupation with our own lives and pain inhibits us from seeing what’s right in front of us?

Oh, all the time. One of the reasons I love romance novels is because, often, the main characters have to deal with their own personal issues before they can fully see and accept the relationship they’ve always deserved. This genre is about love, but it’s equally about self-love, and I think that’s amazing.

Who would you want to play Dani and Zaf if the book ever hit the screen?

I really struggle with faces, so the only actors I know on sight are Viola Davis and, like, Will Smith. LOL. I’m horrible at this question. I do love Michaela Cole, and she’s an amazing comedic actress, so maybe she’d work for Dani? And one of the last films I saw before lockdown was The Personal History of David Copperfield. Dev Patel killed that, so let’s have him, too.

Can you recommend three books to get readers through quarantine life?

It would be a lot easier to recommend 300. But if you’re kind of anxious like me and you need something sweet and comforting, I would recommend Office Hours by Katrina Jackson, Go Deep by Rilzy Adams, and Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian.