Talia Hibbert Tackles Representation and Trauma in ‘Get A Life, Chloe Brown’
Romance tends to be a genre of many misses and very few hits — which is particularly why you’ll find the same books on recommendation lists, on book club schedules, and on every other post on bookstagram, if that’s your game.
There’s something deeper at the root of this issue aside from the simple question of whether or not a book is “good” — a conundrum that is entirely subjective depending on the reader. The fact of the matter is that it’s not easy to write romance. It doesn’t pop out of thin air, or develop magically as fairytales do. Real romance takes time and energy, and yes, heart.
And that’s a fairly difficult task to tackle for any author.
In the case of Talia Hibbert and the first of her Brown Sister Trilogy, “Get A Life Chloe Brown” — she does exactly that.
Romance Roped In By Reality
Chloe Brown is the oldest of three sisters and is categorically sarcastic, sweet, and in chronic pain. After a near death experience, she heroically decides to “get a life” and stop letting her fybromyalgia control her life. Except, she’s terrified of getting close to anyone, because it’s a universal truth that people always, always leave.
Redford Morgan is an artistic mess, coming out of an abusive relationship that not only shattered his heart, but also his sense of self. He finds Chloe to be stuck up, and classist, and he wants absolutely nothing to do with her. Until he finds her rescuing a cat in a tree.
It’s a romance dream: two opposites attract, but not in a cheesy rom-com way. In fact, Red and Chloe’s relationship is painfully realistic. Hibbert is a genius at building suspense and adding the right romance elements when needed. It results in a beautiful novel that is inclusive, diverse, and quirky all at once.
It was so good that I didn’t want it to end.
The Slight Downfall
The first half of the book is what all romance readers dream of. The perfect balance of tension, sweetness, and realism. But it seems as soon as Red and Chloe get together, shit — metaphorically and literally — gets real.
Before we know it, they are exchanging the big three words, and everything is rose colored and happy and then, of course, it all blows up. And when it does — it reminds readers that while Red is sweet, he still has a lot of work to do to overcome his past trauma. And Chloe needs to understand that when the tough gets going, it shouldn’t be instinctual to think that people are going to leave her.
This energy carries through to the end, leaving readers feeling high and dry after reading a 50% slow burn book. But this comes back to the point I made earlier: romance is HARD to write.
So yes, the ending is rushed, but it doesn’t take away from how the book stands as a whole.
It’s a romance novel that cherishes facets of humanity that was so often looked over, or forgotten entirely in this genre. And that’s exactly why it’s worth a read.
