S2E2: Take a hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
I got to read a lovely book and speak to an even lovlier guest, what more could one ask for?
Episode Summary
Talia Hibbert is one of the romance queens and Margaretha and Lauryn finally got a taste of her New York Times Best Selling Brown sisters trilogy.
Dani Brown is an ambitious PhD student who is not interested in romantic relationships. She is however in the market for a friend with benefits. Zaf Ansari is a big hearted security guard/NGO founder who has a huge crush on Dani. After a fire drill goes Ary, they find themselves trending as #couplegoals online and decide to keep up the charade for the sake of Zaf’s charity before things get physical and evolve into much more. Join us as we gush and giggle about their love story.
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Transcript
Lauryn 0:12
I kind of like that voice as well. Okay. Hi. Hello. My name is Lauren and you are listening to the Normal Girl Book Club here. I have fun conversations with wonderful guests, guests about books that we love. So today’s guest is Margarita. How are you?
Margaretha 0:29
Hey. Hey, hey. I’m good. I’m good. I’m enjoying Sunny. I’m in the car right now, so I’m enjoying that. But I’m good. Good. How are you?
Lauryn 0:37
Absolutely lush. I am good. I’m tired though, because it, it’s been one of those weeks at work where <laugh>, the urgent and the importance have shown up at the same time. So, you know, we managed it. We’ve made it to Friday. I’m about to just like potato in my bed, watch tons of movies, read a book just like Blaze about Oh, I, You
Margaretha 1:03
Have to. I love it. Honestly, I wish I could do that, but you know what, it’s my last official like weekend here in a class.
Lauryn 1:10
Don’t waste
Margaretha 1:12
Hitting in club. Next we hit another club. Another club. <laugh>.
Lauryn 1:16
No sleep. No
Margaretha 1:17
Sleep. <laugh>
Lauryn 1:20
You, you an experience
Margaretha 1:23
And then gonna a wedding tomorrow.
Lauryn 1:25
Yeah. See, So I, so I don’t know anyone who’s like, of marriageable age. I don’t know. Like I haven’t attended a wedding since I, myself was like a child attending like an aunt. No.
Margaretha 1:35
Are you serious? Wait, where are you from?
Lauryn 1:37
I’m Zambian and
Margaretha 1:40
African. You’ve been to an African wedding recently? Sure.
Lauryn 1:44
No, I dunno. People getting married.
Margaretha 1:47
No, but having your parents dragged you.
Lauryn 1:49
That’s what I’m saying. The last, the last weddings I’ve been to were like weddings my parents dragged me to and I was yeah, 18 and below. So in, I’m 23 now. Oh wow. Okay. I don’t think I’ve seen a wedding in at least five years, if not more.
Margaretha 2:02
Trust me, it’s coming. They’ll be coming up <laugh> as you’re getting cl past 25. It’ll be coming up <laugh>.
Lauryn 2:09
I’m really excited for that. And every time I like people who are like in that season of their lives, they’re like, No, it’s horrible. Like, you actually both wanna attend five weddings a year. Like, it’s actually not nice. Yeah,
Margaretha 2:20
Well I haven’t experienced that to be fair. Even though I’m like, I just turned 32 months. July.
Lauryn 2:26
Happy
Margaretha 2:27
Birthday, <laugh>.
Margaretha 2:30
Thank you. I haven’t been to that many. Like, I’ve been to weddings because of family and family, friends, but not like friends, friends, weddings. I have two close friends that I really like that are really close to me, that are married and that’s really it. I haven’t been to like a wedding cause Oh, they’re my close friend. Apart from my two best friends that’s, it’s
Lauryn 2:51
Are both about to enter that season where all of our friends gonna get married and are gonna just be, you know, like another wedding. Another wedding. Just,
Margaretha 2:59
I have friends who have, who are experiencing that right
Lauryn 3:01
Now. Because like, you got the Hindu, I mean, I’m assuming for that it’s
Margaretha 3:05
Shower, all that stuff fitting in. Yeah, being a bridesmaid is not easy. I’ve done it once and I, I was like your age, I think when it, when I did it and I didn’t take the role seriously. I’m not gonna lie, like I thought just a woo. But it’s a lot. When I started realizing, okay, this is serious. That’s what I was like, this is not fun.
Lauryn 3:27
This is not free, this not, this is
Margaretha 3:28
Not fun.
Lauryn 3:29
Someone plan a wedding and Yeah, I I imagine there’s like a lot of like, just like a lot of ground to cover. Like the lists is, list is,
Margaretha 3:38
That’s when people want to show you their devil side. Like as, I don’t know what it is. Cause I was close to bride. It’s like she was saying as soon as she announced she was getting married, it’s like everyone wants to now show them pep pepper. Like, oh, I’m, you know
Lauryn 3:53
What? That’s actually positive. No, no, no, that’s good because now I, I know I don’t need to invite you to the wedding and pay for your plate. Like, actually thank you. Thank you for clarifying this because I was gonna take this away, bring you to that moment, but you don’t wanna be in the next chapter of my life. It’s not that. Yeah, she
Margaretha 4:09
Said that actually you really showed her who her credit friends were. Cause people were letting her down, you know, promises didn’t come through. Like, so Yeah, I that’s the good point. Yeah. It really shows you who’s deaf for
Lauryn 4:20
And not even like in a bitter, like cut her off way. She’s like, No, no, no. Let set you free to be with the people
Margaretha 4:26
You love.
Lauryn 4:27
I’ll actually meet you on the street and say hello. But you know, maybe we’re not besties and that’s perfectly fine.
Margaretha 4:35
Exactly. Yeah, it’s
Lauryn 4:37
True. It’s all good.
Margaretha 4:38
Yeah. Hmm. Maybe no experience, but if we do, you know
Lauryn 4:43
What, it’s maybe we cope with that if it comes up. Exactly. Also, you know, all the beautiful friends in both of our lives. Like, I want, I wanna, I really want to see my friends when we’re older. I’m, I’m really married to like, you know, one day I I, you know, I I hope to have children and I, you know, hope to set them up for life and then like, I really want them to move out of my house so that I can just like have like, you know, a hot girl decade. Like, you know, I don’t know when my, you know, my kids would be settled and have jobs and whatever. Yeah. But kinda from that point, me and whoever I married to and my friends and whoever they’re married to, just doing holiday four times there.
Margaretha 5:16
I love it. But you know what, in this moment, this season that you’re in, have that go year or two before you meet the person. You know, like, I don’t think you should wait.
Lauryn 5:26
No. At present. I’m, I’m, I’m trying to do the trips. I’m trying to do the self care, all
Margaretha 5:31
Of it as
Lauryn 5:31
You can also at present my budget. Um, and my
Lauryn 5:38
what I, you’re
Margaretha 5:39
Preaching
Lauryn 5:40
When I, after I’ve had my kids and like, you know, I got them through school, then it’s like, cool, bye now all of my money is just for me and I don’t have to like see for retirement. Like saying we enter a stage and it’s like, you know what? I have, you know, I had, I had my twenties there a good time and then like, I gave some time to my children and my, you know, family in whatever way. And now I’m richer and wiser. I’m just going to like live my absolute stress life. Because today we actually have to check the bank balance once a week to make sure that every, everything is aligning. And I’m not saying that like, you know, older people are checking their bank balance, but you know, I am not yet in the design back of my life,
Margaretha 6:23
Their finances in order by then, you know? Yeah.
Lauryn 6:27
And that’s the hope. So there there’ll be some money and some good friends and some stories from, you know, the last many decades and many, many holidays.
Margaretha 6:37
Amen. Amen. We claim it
Lauryn 6:39
For both of us.
Margaretha 6:40
Amen.
Lauryn 6:41
<laugh>, we’re getting distracted. You and I actually read a book and I enjoyed it so thoroughly. I like when I was done with the book and got to, you know how, so we read a romance novel and romance novels always have the epilog and you get to the, and you get to like, enjoy knowing like the confirmation that the love that you, you know, watched grow has continued. And when I finished that epilog, I was still sad. I read it like again, I just immediately like flipped back two pages to reread the epilog and just be like, wow. And I’m still kind of not moved on.
Margaretha 7:13
So I have a question about the Epilog. It left me confused. I read it once and then I read it twice and I was like, am I interpreting it right that she’s pregnant?
Lauryn 7:26
What are you saying?
Margaretha 7:28
That’s how I interpreted it. <laugh>
Lauryn 7:31
<laugh>. No, I’m gonna need to read. Look. Whoa. ‘cause
Margaretha 7:34
Let me open it. I’m sorry. I was like the letter that she wrote to him, you know? And
Lauryn 7:40
That is true.
Margaretha 7:44
I suppose you are right about this anniversary, blah, blah, blah. On the one hand, it seems twisted to celebrate the growth of your embryonic connection to another, the, the word embryonic. You
Lauryn 7:56
Were really giving like, you know, like English lit school, you really said meaning of words,
Margaretha 8:01
<laugh>,
Lauryn 8:02
You know, you know though, like, and you had to like submit like two pages basically being like, for the word they used to describe orange implies this. That’s what you’ve done right there. See? I absolutely did. That’s
Margaretha 8:14
Funny you said that. I love English lit. I took it for a level, but I didn’t take any further than that. So I used to be like in class breaking downwards. But yeah, I’m thinking embryo pregnant. Okay.
Lauryn 8:26
You know what? Yeah, that would be a very interesting turn for Danny Brown because when we met her,
Lauryn 8:34
that woman is embryo at all.
Margaretha 8:38
Pregnant winter, you know?
Lauryn 8:40
No, she was being witchy business. She was house doing witch. Can you send me a fuck buddy?
Margaretha 8:47
Listen, she was not on that. But it just shows you like the full circle of life. You could be a one stage in one year and the next year your life is just completely different for the better or for the worse. So
Lauryn 9:02
I mean, preferably for the better mm-hmm. <affirmative> and definitely for her and him for the better.
Margaretha 9:08
Yeah. Yeah.
Lauryn 9:09
Uh, <laugh>. Okay, so I accidentally said the name of the heroin a little bit earlier. So I’m guessing some people could guess that the Booker read was take hit Danny Brown by Talia. Hi.
Margaretha 9:22
Mm-hmm.
Lauryn 9:23
What was this for you? Was it, was it a two story, which I, okay. Or was it like a glowing five starts?
Margaretha 9:31
Um, so I love, especially in the summer when I’m away, I love reading books like this. It just gives me, you know, the feel, the tingles, youness, summer romance, you know. So I would give this a four outta five just cause Yeah, because it, I mean, not, it wasn’t like the best summer romantic novel I’ve read, but it, it wasn’t, I I’ve been let down recently by a lot of romance novels. So to read this was refreshing. I think that’s why I’m also giving it four out five. So, um, yeah, it, it, it was straight to the, some parts dragged for me a bit, but most of it was straight to the point. You know, we got to meet the, um, the romantic part, the guy quite quickly. Usually they kind of drag it like, where is your guy? How are
Lauryn 10:20
You? I like this version of events because also I think I quite like those romance novels that are like, I mean this, this one was like dual perspective. So it’s like, chapter one is him. Chapter two is her. And I’m like, Yeah, amazing. I don’t want to meet any fake love interest. I don’t wanna be confused.
Margaretha 10:34
Oh, they love doing that, don’t you think? Like,
Lauryn 10:38
See if if you, if you, it gives, I do not finish the book. It was also, I want you to build him up from day one. I, I really need to understand why I’m rooting for this couple. I never want to be confused. I never want to be like, But why does she like him? No, I
Margaretha 10:52
Dunno. If you, I don’t know if you read the Bible, but it gives me like, ishmail and what’s devil, devil one’s name, vibe, You know, when like it was, Abraham had this, this is not your real, well its your son, but like the promised son was, what’s his name? Isaac. Yeah. But if you up having Ishmail first threw a way that was not approved by God. So it kind of reminds me of that when they bring that fake, Oh, is this the guy? This is not the guy, you know,
Lauryn 11:16
I don’t wanna fake love un unless I only tolerate a fake love interest if it’s not romance, but it’s like contemporary fiction. So in contemporary fiction, we are like, you know, our protagonist who is a woman is just like going about her life and, you know, making mistakes and growing. I’m fine with meeting, you know, one terrible guy and then one guy who’s like good, but not like the right guy for her. And then the the perfect guy kind of becomes clear in the final like 30% of the book. I’m fine with that mm-hmm. <affirmative> if it’s like contemporary fiction. But if it’s romance, I want to very, very quickly be rooting for the couple.
Margaretha 11:47
Yeah. Yeah. I wanna get to it quickly now. That’s what I like about this. We just met them. There is, you know, it wasn’t like a when, where’s the guy? Yeah, no, it was good.
Lauryn 11:59
Oh, good. I also gave it four stars. I, i, a lovely time. It was, I do lots of reading in transit and it’s just like a great book to read on the train because you’re just like, quickly, you quickly in the thick of things, you’re quickly just like driven, um, by, you know, their feelings for each other and what’s happening in the story. Whereas other books, I’m not very good at reading them on the tube because they take more time and energy to get into. Mm. And so if I only have like 20 minutes between stops, it’s like, oh, this is, uh, whereas this one is like, oh my goodness, I’m reading it on the escalator as I come up and down, I’m reading it on the train. I’m attempting to walk while reading, which is really dangerous and stupid to
Margaretha 12:37
No. Are you one of those, like in the movies?
Lauryn 12:40
I I can be one of those. Give me the right book. I would definitely be that person, but I try not to do it. Well, Disturb other people under hurt myself. So I, I would do that in a park.
Margaretha 12:50
Why did, are you hoping to bump into like a potential love interest like in a movie or,
Lauryn 12:54
Or something? <laugh>, I too deserve a meet huge
Margaretha 12:58
<laugh>.
Lauryn 13:00
I’m sorry. I mean, I have a boyfriend and he’s absolutely lovely. Oh, okay. Yeah. Like what, what is wrong with just, you know, if the universe wants to send him to me that way, that I’m, I’m good with that.
Margaretha 13:14
I mean, that is very un brand. You know, you love reading books, you know how, you know how fit
Lauryn 13:19
Him. But I need to have a good story to tell when someone is interviewing me about this <laugh> not that thing that was trending on the internet about the one who was like, Oh, we met un bumble. He canceled on me twice.
Margaretha 13:30
Oh my God, God, I had, I read this. I was like, why do you come up and tell us
Lauryn 13:35
This? It’s
Margaretha 13:37
Kept to yourself honestly and truly. Why did you, nobody asked.
Lauryn 13:42
Listen. So part one is just like, why, why, why, why, why, why would I sit down and via email or via Zoom when person on the phone we tell this story of it’s love story. This, this is, this is a warning. Okay, this is not a love story. And then part two, I almost feel like the newspaper like shouldn’t have published it. I’m kind of a, and and maybe this is a me thing. Maybe this is a me thing, but I just, I in the business of platforming black love and that, that’s not to say that no one else can have love or da da da mm-hmm <affirmative>. But just, I imagine they’ve had many, many, many stories about, you know, other kinds of people falling in love. And those stories have been great. And then maybe the one like black love story they’re gonna publish in like two or three months has to be this raggedy as story. Could they not interview a different person and find like, like, you know, a nicer story and she can be proud and happy and married. And I wish them both were best, but it’s just like,
Margaretha 14:38
It lacks a, a weird taste, you know, like, girl, are you sure this is cute? Like, you really sat down and thought, Oh, this is, this is gonna go viral. This is amazing. Like, it’s
Lauryn 14:50
Mature. So maybe they didn’t like think about like, the viral potential of the story.
Margaretha 14:54
I don’t, I I think they knew they were gonna go viral, but I think they thought it was cute. Like, you know how some stories like, oh, he didn’t really like me that much, but then he ended up loving. Do you know what I mean?
Lauryn 15:02
I don’t like that story.
Margaretha 15:04
I don’t like their stories. Some women, they, they, that’s how they get their man, you know, they bug
Lauryn 15:10
Them down before it needs to be, We always had a good vibe, but we didn’t, you know, think it was romantic, right? That’s be <laugh>. It can’t be like, no, she looked like a toad. And then I realized she was a princess. It needs to be like, no, I always thought she was lovely. I always thought she was great. But just like, you know,
Margaretha 15:25
Unfortunately some women, that’s their love story, you know, but they don’t see as unfortunate. They see as okay. Like that’s how I got my man. You know. So I just, Yeah, no it didn’t. If Yeah, it didn’t.
Lauryn 15:41
Does everyone read Talia? Hi instead.
Lauryn 15:46
Okay, I’m going to read the summary of the book so that we can get into the conversation. Okay. So take a hint. Danny Brown by Thalia hiit. It was published in 2020, I believe. Um, Danica Brown knows what she wants. Professional success, academic renowned, and an occasional role in the hay to relieve all that career driven tension. But romance been there, done that. Burn the t-shirt, romantic partners, whatever their agenda are, a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Danny asks the universe for the perfect friend with benefits. Someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom. When brooding security guards the fear and, sorry, rescues Danny from a workplace fair job gone wrong. It’s an obvious sign. PhD student, Danny and ex rugby player zap, are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic scene goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping hashtag Dr. Rugby and Zap is begging Danny to play along. Turns out his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity lying to help children who us could refuse. Danny’s plant is simple, fake a relationship in public. Seduces zav behind the scenes, the trouble is grumpy Zav security secretly a hopeless romantic and he’s determined to corrupt Danny’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 walls around his heart as thick as his, um, thighs. Suddenly the easy lay Danny dreamed of is 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?
Margaretha 17:37
Take a hint.
Lauryn 17:37
Danny Brown. Take, take a hint. Danny Brown. First of all, Talia HIIT is already like she is. I’ve read one other book by her. It was the Roommate Risk. And it was, it was, it was so much fun. And it was like friends to love us and he fell first and he felt really hard. It was, ugh, it was lush. I had a wonderful time. And she’s like, 26 has really published over 20 romance novels. And all of her books are romance. So like Paranormal Romance I think. And on her website it says Sexy diverse Romance. And she like has super realistic characters. She has diverse characters, which is like, you know, sometimes a weird thing to say, she’s just writing about people who don’t happen to be white,
Margaretha 18:19
Right? Um,
Lauryn 18:20
Danny Brown for example, is, uh, Fat and bisexual. Zav is a Muslim. They just occupying this love story.
Margaretha 18:28
Mm mm-hmm <affirmative>. That’s it. This is my first time reading her work. I’ve heard, I’ve seen the name around, but I just never have like, got around to reading her book. So yeah, I’m glad I have like, I’m gonna, Cause I believe this is part of a series that’s taken Hint. Done.
Lauryn 18:44
Well, random, you read book two in a series of three,
Margaretha 18:48
So I think I’m gonna go back and read book one. Cause I think it’s her sisters, right? That we get from their point of view. Yes. So that’s what, um, I read the Epilog for the, was it the, Yeah,
Lauryn 18:59
I thought I, I did not read the start to the next book. I was like, no, no, no. When I, when I’m ready to read the whole book, then I read the mm-hmm.
Margaretha 19:05
<affirmative>. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Yeah. So I said to myself, Okay, I’m gonna check out the other books in this trilogy.
Lauryn 19:10
The other books that Get a Life. Chloe Brown is book one and then book three is Act Your Age, Eve Brown. And you meet both Chloe and Eve in this book as well.
Margaretha 19:20
Yeah. Yeah. I like that. They’re also in this Take a hint Danny Brown book. Like the stories are all kind of linked in some sort of way. Yeah, it is. It just kind of makes it more realistic. Cause in life you are linked to some people, obviously you’re siblings. Yeah. But like, I like that sometimes your stories are linked to people in a weird sort of way, you know? Yeah. So I like that.
Lauryn 19:41
I think the best, you know, like many romance novels turn into series because like yeah, you fall in love with this character, fall in love with writer. I might as well like keep the formula going. But it’s, it’s great when like they, the, you know, in the book where you’re a background character, like in this book for example, Chloe and Eva background characters. Mm-hmm. You get to understand enough about their personality that you care about. Like, okay, hold up. I do want to like be in her perspective, experience her love story specifically. Cuz she seems like a cool person. Like I love bumping into like something on TikTok and being like, yeah, sure, I read that one book and then find myself reading like five books. Yeah. But it’s like, no, no, I really like this. I really like this. And she does that really well.
Margaretha 20:20
The last time I really was into like a series, this was when I was a teenager, Med Kaber, the Princess Diary,
Lauryn 20:26
She’s really
Margaretha 20:27
Good at med is a series queen. Like she has, there’s others I can’t remember now top of the like, honestly like I used to read all her series. Like,
Lauryn 20:37
So yeah, no, I love, I love the <inaudible>. I also, I saw the movie before, like I knew it was a book. I read the book.
Margaretha 20:42
Oh, okay. I read the book first. So then I, the movie was a care or you know, it never lives up to the name. But anyway,
Lauryn 20:50
Adaptations do their best. But yeah, so in the world of romances, we have tropes. This book’s trope is fake dating, but it’s not, you know, I don’t, I think it’s a, it’s a very self-aware modern book. So like, it it, it positions the fake dating in a very specific context. Also spoil alert before, before I get too specific. So they fake date because Zap wants traction on social media. That’s a very like 2020 idea. That’s a PR relationship. Like Yeah.
Margaretha 21:19
You know, every, literally, Sorry Interrupt, but it literally reminded me of Laurie Harvey and what’s that guy’s name? The one that the girls like Michael B. Jordan. Because nobody can tell me otherwise. That was a PR stunt if I ever saw one. And, and Danny Brown and
Margaretha 21:38
I’m sorry, was giving very much Laurie Harvey and Michael B. Jordan, I’m sorry to say I and dad, I’m so sorry.
Lauryn 21:45
Listen. As one of the women on the internet who like almost shed it here when I heard Michael B. Jordan is no longer single.
Margaretha 21:52
Oh please girl.
Lauryn 21:54
Michael b you for it. No, no, not necessarily like for the relationship, but I was, I was sad that he wasn’t single anymore. Michael B. Jordan, I believe he’s my celebrity, like gun to my head. If you say Laura and like who’s just led you crush, I will say Michael, be Jordan. I think he’s beautiful. I think he’s incredibly talented. I’m excited for the rest of his career, right? So when I heard he wasn’t single, I was properly sad, but I was also like, oh, he dates black girls, which I think is is everyone who’s like, Oh, this is a PR relationship. I think that’s what they say. They were like, Oh, he needed to date a black girl to prove that he does.
Margaretha 22:27
Ding ding, ding. Yep. I think so too. I really think so. I think because he knew his biggest core fan base were black women. Right? And you know, other black actors, aka ta Diggs has kind of gone down the drain because he, I don’t know his career has not been able to
Lauryn 22:44
Listen. I do love ta digs, ex-wife Adina Mizel. I enjoy her.
Margaretha 22:48
Yeah, she’s
Lauryn 22:49
Great.
Margaretha 22:49
The fact is not that people didn’t like him because he was married to white woman. It’s the comments he was making about being married to a white woman and like his romantic history, you know? So it was kind of going the same.
Lauryn 23:04
I hear you.
Margaretha 23:05
Yeah,
Lauryn 23:06
Because I think something that, that, that bothers me. Like, you can date whoever you want. Like it, it, unless you’re dating me, it shouldn’t be my business. Or like you’re dating my baby sister, in which case it’s still my business. But like, you know, whatever you’re doing that, that has nothing to do with me. That being said, you can’t like date anyone of any specific like group and then, um, speak angrily and derogatory. There you go. Look at the word, the word field come out, but like, speak badly of black women. Like you can’t be a black man who, you know, chooses or chooses or happens to not date black women. And then be like, Yeah, because white women are so much better because Asian men are so much better and <affirmative> and like, the same is true of like your immediate Asian woman. You can’t then say like, other women are gross. Like that’s really wild and dodgy. Yeah. So as long as you’re not doing that, it shouldn’t bother me who you’re sleeping with.
Margaretha 23:55
Yeah. Yeah. No, I don’t think black women were bothered with the whole, oh, he’s, he’s married to white woman. It was just the comments and that kind of stuff. So they were seeing Michael b join going through the same route. A lot of these black actors in America going through, you know, just they, they speak a lot of pro-black and it’s not by force speak with a black woman, but then you are in history is just looking very different. So I think his management would probably be like, Okay, we don’t want you to lose your co audience. So <laugh> and obviously Laurie needed a bit of help after day in that feature. So
Lauryn 24:35
This made, if it was love, I hope that they, you know, had a wonderful relationship. And if it was pr I hope the pr like achieved, you know, the goals of the assignment. I think
Margaretha 24:44
It did. I really think it did. It did what they need to
Lauryn 24:46
Do. Peace, love, and success to them.
Margaretha 24:48
<laugh>. Yeah. So yeah, that’s what, that’s what Danny and Z was giving
Lauryn 24:53
Me. But Danny and Z have, have a, have a back and forth before the whole PR situation starts at the beginning of the book. You know, they work at the same university. He’s a security, they have cheeky chats, you know.
Margaretha 25:04
Oh, I’m not saying that their relationship is fa like I’m saying the whole fake relationship thing just reminded me of Laurie Harvey. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I believe obviously like, um, um, Zza and Danny, you could kind of feel their chemistry. Like I could feel it like I’m there, I’m watching like, you know, with my binoculars or something like Yeah.
Lauryn 25:24
I could, I mean all, everyone in this book, like the reason like hashtag Dr. Abe gets zap so much traction is that the students basically begin to stalk them.
Margaretha 25:32
Yeah.
Lauryn 25:33
It’s like recording videos of them having lunch, which a gives us tons of wonderful scenes with Zap and Danny are going for these like photo opportunity lunches, but also like, wanting to have lunch with each other. Like, I, I enjoy fake dating because what happens is you would never fake date someone you hate it. Like, if I hate you, I’m sorry I don’t be around my problems. I’m not trying to pretend to kiss you. That’s weird. But like, you know, there, there’s, there’s a, there’s a layer of, you know, willingness and chemistry to like the fake dating trope. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So, but then fake dating then gives this excuse for them to, you know, not have to like awkwardly become more than friends, but just kind of pretend you’re more than friends
Margaretha 26:09
Feelings. Yeah. So let’s just pretend
Lauryn 26:13
You just pretend and then wake up one day and you’re like, oh, like in this book, and this is much later in the book, but it’s like Danny’s there. Like, I don believe Jeff loves me. Like she’s crying in her sister’s house and everyone around her is like, you’re a fucking idiot. Cause they’re all like, Yes, this man has loved you and yes you love this man. Like, how are you clocking now? How are you realizing on page like 200? I’ve been scared. She knew. She’s
Margaretha 26:37
Just scared. She sees, she knew she was just scared. You know, a lot. It is very realistic cuz that happens in real, real life as well. You know, sometimes you don’t wanna face something so you mentally like, Oh, cock see it? Nope. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nope. You know, I mean, so yeah, no, I I get it, I get it. But if the guy as fine as that girl fake relationship,
Lauryn 26:59
He sounds beautiful. And also exactly romance novels, which we find out super, super quickly and immediately I was like, I am Team Z I don’t care what this man does next. Yeah, yeah. A man who reads romance novels is a man I’m getting behind.
Margaretha 27:13
Yep, yep. No, I I, yeah. Her description of him
Lauryn 27:21
Well does, Yeah. The
Margaretha 27:24
Thighs,
Lauryn 27:24
It’s for me. No, I just kept thinking about his beard. I was like, that sounds that, that this Oh, oh,
Margaretha 27:32
And the Honey brown. Oh yeah.
Lauryn 27:34
I was also, this is something I put out of the book. There’s a lot of sense in this book
Lauryn 27:41
when they meet each other. There’s tons of like, he smells like oranges and there’s a lot of that happening in the book. You
Margaretha 27:48
Know, when you are physically, when there, when there’s a chemistry between you and somebody, that’s what you pick up on. Like, you’re just sent, your smiley senses are tingling. You smell like what you, you just,
Lauryn 27:59
Yeah. I I am going to read you a sample because truly, And also I expected it to be like the same sense the whole book. Cause it’s like, Oh yeah, cause you know, he has a perfume or something. No, no, no. They both were like, so examples at some point Zav goes, she was warm skin and fresh fruit and the sweet smoke of a blown out birthday candle, number one,
Lauryn 28:20
that specific zav. Okay. Very, I
Margaretha 28:23
Like birthday candle
Lauryn 28:24
At some point he’s like, she smelled like honey. Okay, cool. Fine. She smells
Margaretha 28:28
Now I remember. I like that. Yeah.
Lauryn 28:31
Zach is describing like his feelings for her and it’s, and he goes, it smells like honey and candle wax. And I’m just like, first of all, I enjoy, I enjoy books that like bringing all the senses. I love books have really, really strong sense of place. Like I, I’ve read the books about nothing. I’ve enjoyed some of them, but there’s something to be said for like, you literally giving me the picture and I just get to enjoy this ride. And I’m also like getting, and I’m like, oh,
Margaretha 29:01
I think I know A levels, they call it something when the writer like taps into all five senses. I can’t remember what it’s called now, but it’s a method that a lot of, um, writers use. So you can just literally place yourself there. You can smell what the character smell and you can touch and feel it. You can see it. You can hear it. Yeah. It’s really, it’s a very powerful, um, tool to use. Yeah. Especially in the, in the, in like romantic world in romantic sense. Like sometimes especially if you like, you like someone and they’ve left you, you can smell their, like their scent still like that is like, you know, when you like someone. So it’s like relatable. Realistic. Definitely.
Lauryn 29:43
And you also, I think there’s something to be said for being in love and like you’re just saying being in love and being like hyper aware. And so us reading like them, like having these like specific small specifically like this is like Danny Brown, you love this man, you are wasting my time with the friends benefits
Margaretha 30:00
Thing. It’s love, you know, because if you don’t love somebody, I would never know. Exactly.
Lauryn 30:03
I, I do not know.
Margaretha 30:05
Oh, it’s my, I keep it moving. Like, I’m not trying to sit and think Mm,
Lauryn 30:08
No clue.
Margaretha 30:09
Candle wax. You know what I mean? Like, I’m not
Lauryn 30:11
Trying to like, I’m not trying to be like, Is this your go boss? Like, I’m not guessing what you smell like unless I can,
Margaretha 30:17
Yeah.
Lauryn 30:18
It’s not my business. Uh, what did you think about the progression of the romance? So, you know, we meet Zap and Danny, Danny, you know, in the summary and in the book is looking for a family and Zap is, you know, a man who reads romance novels. So, you know, that implies that he’s kind of looking for a once in a lifetime love.
Lauryn 30:39
And obviously this is nobody get together at the end. How do you feel about how the Rs are kind of like mapped that emotional journey?
Margaretha 30:48
I thought she got in straight away. You know, like we literally, especially with the whole fire drill thing, I was like, Oh, this is quick. Like, you know what I mean? Like, they were, it happened quite, she didn’t drag it like it happened quite quickly. I would say she kind of, for me anyway, maybe that’s me being like <laugh> pervy or whatever. But, but like, she kind of dragged the first, like the sex, initial sex scene cuz she thought it was gonna happen, but then it didn’t, but then it ended up happening, so she kind of dragged it just a little bit. But yeah, like where, when are we getting to it? Kind thing. But it was, it was, it was worth it when we got to it.
Lauryn 31:26
<laugh>, I like the dragging because it’s,
Lauryn 31:30
I, I know Talia write spicy books. I was like, Oh, they’re definitely having sex. And I mean, also Danny Brown, page one is like, please God. Yeah,
Margaretha 31:38
Yeah,
Lauryn 31:38
Yeah. Like, I need someone to help me out with this. But there’s, there’s something I, I like watching them independently like decide to take the step in the relationship and make it physical. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Cause like Danny had always wanted that. Um, but in a way it was almost like not struggling to communicate it, but like took a minute to communicate even though from dayDo she knew that’s what she was here for. And then you have z have to zap who’s aware that he has some kind of feeling for her. And also like historically, isn’t someone who like does casual relationships also watching him like struggle with the like, Okay, do I want to do this? Can I handle this? Like, you know, the decision making that might go behind this. I enjoyed how like, it almost happens and you get the pause where they kind of independently like affirm consent with like, no, yeah, I’ve thought about this. I totally want to do this.
Margaretha 32:27
Mm. Yeah. Um, I thought she was going to annoy me with her whole, Oh, I just like denial all her feelings. But its odd. It was oddly like, realistic. I think a lot of people are like that our age, like group our generation right now. So I wasn’t as annoyed with, Well cause when I first read the summary, the blurb, I was like, Oh, that right until the end of the book. And then she’s like, Okay. Oh my God. Like, I mean, it was like that. But then I feel like
Margaretha 33:00
I’m like, you know what? The way she’s written Danny, um, this is a lot of people, like, honestly, like people don’t really face their feelings or emotions or like delve into it. They’re not very self aware. You know, like they just rather just hide it in, you know, sleeping around or work or do you know what I mean? And that’s the issue I think in urgent Right. A lot, especially in our generation. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. No, I, I was personally surprised. I was not annoyed with her back and forth. And this is just, the
Lauryn 33:33
Iisha was a little bit annoyed with Danny Brown. And listen, like I said before, I was team up. So I, I had, I had a few moments where she was convincing all of us, and I mean also like she’s convincing herself, right? And I was just like, these are cheap excuses. Like, I had many moments where I was like, fuck, say Danny, I understand you’re not listening, listening. But then also like we do, you know, maybe two-thirds into the book, like get the backstory and we know why She’s like relationship averse. Exactly. And you know, part of it is that, you know, she is, she’s very into, like, she’s a PhD student. She’s very into her area of study. She’s really invested in that. And to do well in this area and to do well as a black woman in this area, you gonna have to put in the hours. You’re gonna have to make the time commitment.
Margaretha 34:18
People you can balance if you really want
Lauryn 34:21
Love. I mean that, that’s what teaches her though. That’s,
Lauryn 34:26
that’s emotional art, is realizing that compromise is not a bad thing. If you love the other person, if you love the other person, you, you will make the time for them. But also, like, she meets z who’s someone who’s like really supportive of how intensely obsessed you with her golf. And he’s like, Cool, find great, you wanna study all night? I’m gonna be here like reading my novel on the couch.
Margaretha 34:47
Yeah.
Lauryn 34:48
Like, cool, I will make dinner and you will study. And when you’re done studying, when I give you some food, they’re gonna go to bed. Like also it, Danny just needed to find a partner who doesn’t think, who doesn’t find her career threatening or insulting to them. She needed to find someone who’s like, Hey, you wanting to do this? Does nothing about you wanting to spend time with me. Which was that.
Margaretha 35:10
Yeah. I,
Lauryn 35:11
She was really surprised to meet a person who was like totally fine with it.
Margaretha 35:18
Yeah. I’m glad she didn’t up and he was patient enough to like, I mean, he did lose his patient. Like, but like, I mean he wouldn’t, but he’s, Cause he’s an all around great person. I don’t think most guys would have that patience that’s needed to kind of break down, down in his,
Lauryn 35:39
He, he did have to practice a bit of patience, but like, don’t forget, like Zach’s in love with this woman by page 50 or something. Like, he, he hasn’t said it yet, but you’re like, Oh, you love her. Like you, you think you just have like this small card. Like you absolutely love her. Um, and like love love makes you like, you know, compromising and forgiving. That’s true. But then also like, I think he like properly just respects, respects her, respects her work and is energized by how energized she is by her work. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So like, yeah, like there are many guys and like, you know, guys and Danny guys and girls cause Danny’s bi but there are people in Danny’s Ament history who are like, you’ve spent three days studying and I haven’t seen you in like, oh my gosh. And like, I’m that person. Cause my love language the time. So like, I’m gonna throw a fit, but because Zav like, you know, his love language might be something entirely different. And he like, I mean he reads her articles, which she finds like astounding. She’s like, What do you mean? He’s like, Yeah, like I go to libraries and I type in your name and I read the stuff you’re publishing. And she’s never had someone do that. So also, even though fl like isn’t also like a what PhD student in Misogynoir post chat slavery. He’s just like, Hey, you wrote this and you’re a dope writer and I’m gonna read it. And that’s interesting to me. And that kind of person will understand that creating such articles is gonna, you know, mean you’re gonna make gonna spend like a Sunday at home working. Yeah,
Margaretha 36:54
That’s true. He’s understanding, he’s not threatened by it because he’s got his own thing. Like he was a rugby,
Margaretha 37:01
I wouldn’t, I dunno about Star, but in his own right star. So like if the guy, if he didn’t have anything going for himself, then I feel like he’d be more insecure about it. But I feel like he’s had a level of success where he, he understood you had to be dedicated. You had to be focused, you know, know what I mean? So he can understand that.
Lauryn 37:22
I mean like, speaking of Zap, so a big, um, storyline for Zap is that he was a rugby player on like a local team, you know, was doing really well. He was a star. His brother and father, um, passed away in a car accident. And he finds out because some reporter comes to practice and is like, Oh, do you have a comment? I knew that starts kind of, you know, a little downward little and very understandable downward spiral for him. He stops playing, he slips into depression, anxiety that he’s had, you know, you know, for a lot of his life gets significantly amped up and you know, now we’ve like med staff much later and he’s, you know, worked through his depression and anxiety and he’s building this charity that is, um, partly like, you know, young men playing football and rugby. But also they get like emotional resilience training and learn that like feelings are good and healthy. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, absolutely obsessed with his arc for him. But yeah, like a lot of the, I like that like confronting his anxiety and depression and learning to share it with Danny.
Margaretha 38:22
Um, I like, cause you know what? Society does not allow little boys to like,
Margaretha 38:28
embrace their feelings, you know, sit in it. It’s okay to be sad, to feel vulnerable to and to show it, it, you know, especially minority kids. So like the fact that he’s got this non-profit doing that, I, I was like, Oh, this is so cute. Like, this is needed. You know, like I wish there was something. I’m sure there’s something like this in
Lauryn 38:47
Real life, but Oh, okay.
Margaretha 38:49
Yeah, it’s definitely needed. Cause especially in a world where they tell boys to stop crying, be a man, da da da when it’s not their time yet to be a man. It’s just, you know, crazy.
Lauryn 38:59
Even mentioned cry all of terrifies me so much. So it’s like, be a man. Why you such a pussy? First of all, first all <laugh>,
Margaretha 39:07
Everyone is a pussy. <laugh>.
Lauryn 39:09
I mean, I would argue that pussies are very strong, but like, maybe I’m not discussing that today, but it’s just what, what, what is crying not a strong thing to do personally. I cry to let off steam. Like I’m actually little getting frustrated and then you cry and you like, you know, release some of that like anxiety or stress, whatever it is. And then be able to, I guess I confront whatever emotions are bothering me without like the emotional high. Like, I cried, the high is gone and I can look at them.
Margaretha 39:39
So I’m gonna confess, um, one, I was one of those people that you think, oh my God, if you cry, you’re like a pussy. Like, I don’t like to cry, I don’t like to cry. But you know what, sometimes you just need to just let it out and then be the bad bitch that you are again. You know what I mean? Like
Lauryn 39:55
<laugh>. Exactly. I mean, Meg Stallion just dropped trauma in, um, I love her. But yeah, Trane’s a great album and it, she has an entire song just about her anxiety. Like Meg Stallion is like, I am that girl and I’m an actress girl. And like, that doesn’t mean I’m not that girl. So who am I to see that? My small anxiety, I’m, no, you can cry. Whatever outlet works for you. But like you said, young boys, young boys of color, you know, the culture and social situation hasn’t allowed them to cry. Hasn’t allowed them to be soft. And and it starts like really quickly, like wildly honestly. Like you can cry as a baby then kind of from like four years old, they’re like, you’re a boy. What? You’re a big boy. You’re
Margaretha 40:40
Honestly, I’m,
Lauryn 40:40
I’m four years old. You’re,
Lauryn 40:44
let me cry. What?
Margaretha 40:47
It’s crazy. Honestly. Like <laugh>. Yeah. I saw today actually some little boy being smacked crying. It’s like, instead of why he is crying, don’t see
Lauryn 40:56
Him. What a college. Excuse me. Hi. What is distressing you? Honestly, let’s discuss it.
Margaretha 41:02
So then what’s the message you’re showing him? His feelings don’t matter. Why it doesn’t matter. Just shut up.
Lauryn 41:09
Your feelings don’t matter. And people who show their feelings are weak. So then when he like, you know, goes and makes friends and his friend like, has a moment in Christ, he’s like, Oh, my friend’s weak. And when he becomes a father himself maybe, or just like becomes someone who spends time with children, he would do that to other young boys.
Margaretha 41:25
I mean, we experience it now. A lot of us, not a lot of us, but there are a lot of guys, you know, that have now grown up and they can’t even express how they feel. And it’s, it’s annoying. This even reminds me of the, you know, the article that came out last week? I had everyone in the article, The Rise of Learning Men <laugh>.
Lauryn 41:40
Cause
Margaretha 41:41
The new generation of women are asking for emotional intelligence. You need to tap into emotions. You need to, And they are struggling. They are buckling. They don’t know what to do. And this is because they’ve been told to shut up. Keep mute. Don’t cry, don’t facial your emotions from a young age, especially with, you know, black masculinity. Like what that looks like, what that presents like. You’re not supposed to tell people you are scared, you know your problem. So it’s Exactly. So it’s something that big, big men are now facing because they can’t drink type of stems.
Lauryn 42:12
And then how do you learn? I think tapping into your emotions, it’s just, it’s something, you take a muscle, it’s a muscle. And like you, you, you, um, work that muscle and you develop language to explain the problem. And you develop coping like mechanisms to deal with it. And it’s,
Lauryn 42:29
and it’s like you can’t suddenly ask a 35 year old man, or even like a 21 year old man. He doesn’t have the fault, he doesn’t have the language, he doesn’t have the toolkit.
Margaretha 42:38
Yeah.
Lauryn 42:40
That’s it. Yeah.
Margaretha 42:43
So yeah, what Zapp was doing is great.
Lauryn 42:46
Z has the toolkit and it sounds like Z just had a wonderful older brother who, you know, acknowledged him and accepted his anxiety and got him like, you know, support from his parents and I guess medical professionals to be with anxiety and just was all around. Lovely.
Margaretha 43:03
Yeah, no, I, I like that he didn’t let this bring him down and put him in a whole, in a cycle of wo is me. I can never be, you know. Wow. Like he, he used his pain for something good. That’s what I like. Like he didn’t just stay in this, you know, situation and it kind of just,
Lauryn 43:24
He found some purpose.
Margaretha 43:25
Yeah, exactly. This is it. Purpose is a good, Yeah, it’s great.
Lauryn 43:30
And he, he’s doing something wonderful, but he’s also like, you know, not doing it super well because he doesn’t like social media and he refuses to, you know, say my name is a, an sorry on the website and I was a professional rugby player. Like, he’s not, he’s not sharing the, his his personal story and how it aligns the mission. And uh, well it’s called Tackle It Tackle. It’s not really very well, which is why, you know, fake dating Danny Brown might be changing the game for tackle tackles. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But obviously he’s not fake dating Danny Brown. He’s dating the love of his life and he just needed an excuse people, <laugh>
Lauryn 44:06
liar. Both of them
Margaretha 44:08
By the way. The hashtag the hashtag like rugby.
Lauryn 44:11
I loved it.
Margaretha 44:12
I was like, what the heck? Now I’m like, now that I’m saying it out loud, like, oh, um, from
Lauryn 44:18
Bay hashtag Dr. Rugby. I loved it. I I was like, me too. I would be on the hashtag Me too. And it also seems cute, iconic content. Like she’s like, this little black woman was like multicolored hair. Like this week it’s red. Tomorrow it’s green. I, it’s like huge buff, beautiful beard. Like I get, I get it, I get, Can
Margaretha 44:39
I say how Zap is described, how he presents in the book? It’s a complete opposite
Margaretha 44:48
to like how the media usually presents or lit, like, or books present Asian men, South Asian men.
Lauryn 44:57
Thank you. I did not think of that, but you’re right. Like, like only other Talia I read is also a South Asian man, black woman.
Margaretha 45:06
What did you say? Sorry.
Lauryn 45:07
The only other Tahi book I read was also South Asian man, Black woman.
Margaretha 45:11
Okay. I feel like this is something personal to her, but yeah. <laugh>. But like, I had to do a double read, like, wait, is he Asian when I was reading his description, But now for, hold on, that’s my bi my unconscious bias
Lauryn 45:24
Speak
Margaretha 45:24
In because why did I have to question if he was really Asian? Because she described him to be muscular and be Asian guys can be muscular and big. Like, and
Lauryn 45:33
You can hate the gym.
Margaretha 45:34
Thank you. They and they do, they do reheat in the gym. But it’s just because of this imagery I had in my head, you know, be it from media, whatever, like, just bias,
Lauryn 45:46
You know what I mean? Is that she writes diverse books and you know, she happens to be a black woman writing about other black women falling in love. That’s great. But she expands like, you know what that might mean. So, you know, I think Chloe Brown has chronic pain, I think is what’s happening there. Um, and yeah, like the love interests are not always just like, it’s not, it’s not always like black women, white men. Which is, which is fine. But there are other come
Margaretha 46:09
To death
Lauryn 46:10
Of multiracial relationships. Like we are very used to like black man white women or black women, white men. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> best of luck to them. But you know, other kinds of people are matching up.
Margaretha 46:22
Yeah. Yeah.
Lauryn 46:24
And like, that’s just it. Like, it’s so I love how um, Zap and Danny never get into the weeds of that. Like, they’re just like, Oh, I like him. He’s hot and she, he just like, loves her cuz she’s herself. But there is like a moment in the book where they’re on a radio show. No, no. They, yeah, they’re on the radio show and they’re talking about like, oh, some people say mad things on the hashtag. And I was like, ah, again, realism has entered the conversation. I
Margaretha 46:45
Thought that, I was like, people racist. Okay.
Lauryn 46:50
The internet would go very, very mad for this combination. And like, and many people would support it. But you know, this, this is a book in our shared universe. Mm-hmm. And yeah, Talia like drops that in, like, Oh yeah, no, they’re totally trolls as well. <laugh>. Oh,
Margaretha 47:04
For sure. That made
Lauryn 47:05
Think trolls
Margaretha 47:06
That made me think, oh, people were saying some stupid crap because I know people go mad, especially when black women are not seen with black men. I don’t know why, but even in real life, like as if we can’t date who we want, but like, they just go crazy when it’s just with a white man, let alone, like, I remember when was dating that Arab billionaire,
Lauryn 47:30
I was happy for them. Cause I don’t like asap. I don’t like asap. I’ve been scammed by the <laugh>. No, I was really ready for a billionaire with a billionaire. I was excited. And now asap. ASAP doesn’t people
Margaretha 47:43
Like, I don’t get it.
Lauryn 47:45
He doesn’t like black women.
Margaretha 47:47
Oh
Lauryn 47:48
One. He literally said black women, I, I will find this for you and send it to you. Okay. We keep, we keep having too much fun in the weeds of the conversation. Yeah. Before we get distracted again, um, what did you think were like the main themes in this book?
Margaretha 48:06
Um, immediately, well, not immediately, but like, um, as the book was going on, mental health, um, in terms of, especially with Z like also with Danny, but Z was more obvious than Danny’s, I think. Um, mental health, um, you know, in terms of anxiety dealing with grief. So loss of a lot on dealing with grief was another big one. Um, I would say RA race, but not, it’s not like the ma it was underlying, it was in the background. It wasn’t like in your face like grief or mental health. Or, there’ll be a few comments here and there. Like the whole suggestion of maybe, um, the hashtag rugby had, you know, some comments. Cause I think Zapper said an interview that he would, he goes through the hashtag and deletes, Oh, he was gonna come after anyone who, do you know what I mean? So that made me think. Okay. There were some comments about the two.
Lauryn 49:03
I agree with you on the like mental health anxiety stuff. I don’t think race was a theme just because I’m like, these are just like racialized characters. And so that happens. It’s like very, very early in the book. Eve is like, why I say e this is Danny. Danny is with her best friend in like a coffee shop. And this like, man comes up to her and is like, you know, Hey, how you doing? When are you free? Like, he’s like trying to ask her out mm-hmm. <affirmative> and she’s not interested. And he like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think just calls her like a fat luck bitch. Like I think he very quickly gets there.
Margaretha 49:30
Yes. That’s
Lauryn 49:31
Just like, you know, that’s just something that happens to like black women who say no to cancer.
Margaretha 49:35
There’s not really a theme. It’s just this is what happens. I mean, it’s not something we should small, we should brush under the rug, but this is part of
Lauryn 49:42
Our life. Exactly. Like, that’s why when Tanya like adds bits like that, it’s like, yeah, this, this isn’t a book about like Danny Brown’s like struggles as a black PhD student. Yeah. Which like, which probably exists. It’s a book about Danny Brown falling in love, but the reality is she’s walking around a fat back body so things will happen.
Margaretha 49:59
Mm mm You know why You’re right. Yeah. It’s not the main focus of the book. Her main focus is like the love life, her romantic life. Yeah. So yeah. So it’s definitely then yeah, a mental health grief. What else would I, Those are the two, the obvious ones that I noted down.
Lauryn 50:15
I think something I wanna, I wanted to bring up, and this, this isn’t like a full theme, but just something that, you know, I was thinking about as I read it. I think Danny Brown is trying to practice like ethical or non-monogamy. Okay. No, no. Oh, Lauren. Lauren. Lauren’s losing the part, but like, she’s trying to like ethically have like non-committed relationships. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> like, she, she’s like, you know, think you and I can sleep together. She, there’s like a storyline where a previous partner of hers is another lecturer at the uni and it ended Oh yeah. Drew. Yeah. And now it’s like just really awkward. And it, it’s a bit,
Margaretha 50:45
This is why I think these things never work out. But anyway, that’s the
Lauryn 50:49
Sad point. <laugh>, it’s very uncomfortable. But then through like, you know, her relationship with Zap and Loving Z she finally understands why, like the reasons Joke was upset and is able to give like a genuine apology. Apology,
Margaretha 51:04
Yeah. Beat her. That was the, I think that was her full circle moment. Like, okay. You know? Yeah. So I think that was her moment. But I think the moment for Zza before things went a bit shit was when he called Jamal. Or was it he was trying to call his sister-in-law.
Lauryn 51:24
Yes. I love that.
Margaretha 51:26
And Jamal picked up
Lauryn 51:27
Jamal’s, by the way, for anyone listening who like, I don’t know, hasn’t read the book.
Margaretha 51:32
Yeah, sorry. Yeah. So, um, it was like Kirin, he tried to
Lauryn 51:36
Like, Yeah. His technically brother’s wife, but also just sister.
Margaretha 51:41
Yeah. And his best friend Jamal, I believe that’s his best friend, right? Yeah. So like, um, he picked up, So there’s this thing that where he suspects something’s going on between those two, but no one’s confirmed. It’s awkward. But anyway, I think he spoke to ki she kind of gave him some good advice. I can’t remember the quote, but that was my, I was like, Oh my God, it’s so true. Something like the feeling is worth or something like that. Like it’s worth, Yeah.
Lauryn 52:05
It was like love is worth it. Love. Like I, you know. Right. I, my husband, it broke me. Yeah. But like, I, I would never, like not love him and I’m trying to, cause like I, I continue like my, my heart and my soul are alive and falling in love again is like reminding me that, you know, they are alive and I am alive.
Margaretha 52:25
Exactly. So I think that for him was like, Okay, I’m gonna tell Danny how I feel. You know, That was his aha moment. Yeah. So that was, yeah, those were the two moments that stood out to me. Um, I’m trying to think of like other things. Um,
Margaretha 52:45
those two are the main ones. Them, Cause I have written down. Yeah. Those would’ve, I don’t know. What do you think?
Lauryn 52:51
Um, a hundred percent on the anx. I, I don’t think the book was like about anxiety, but like, it’s a book with the charact managing anxiety. Exactly. That’s just like a good example. We should have in books. In books and TV shows. Many people have anxiety, I’m sure Covid and that’s
Margaretha 53:04
All
Lauryn 53:04
People to like situational anxiety due the pandemic. Mm-hmm. The world, the world is continuously ending. Like it’s just, you know, <laugh>, it’s very, I haven’t watched the news. The news is stressful.
Margaretha 53:15
I don’t watch it anymore. That’s why I don’t watch it.
Lauryn 53:18
<laugh>. I watching the news
Margaretha 53:21
<laugh>
Lauryn 53:22
Because during Covid you would watch the news to, to be like, I must know what’s happen in the world. And they’d genuinely be like a death count on the news. And it’s like,
Margaretha 53:29
Literally this is not normal.
Lauryn 53:32
Honestly. This is, this life is hard. But yeah, like, you know, anxiety is something that many people are living with and managing. And Zap is just an example of a character who’s living with and managing anxiety and like, just like being in, in his mental space. And like he has that huge panic attack when he’s about walk into like the radio studio. Yeah. And you get watch like him, you know, do what he needs to do to sort that out. And maybe if you have anxiety, you can learn from his s coping mechanism. And you also get to watch Danny be just like a, a sensible, supportive person in that situation. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Which is also like, hey, if you’ve read this book now you kind of know what you should do if someone around you suddenly starts to have a panic attack. Like you just need these little things like you representation matters as the cliche goes. And it, it does matter. And it doesn’t always have to be very, I mean I think we should like respect, understand, and continue to learn history. Please don’t bring the books. But also like little examples like this are really important.
Margaretha 54:24
Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. No, I liked, I was looking, you know, that scene I was thinking I wouldn’t have known what to say, you know, if that was me.
Lauryn 54:32
But also like she didn’t say anything. She just kinda like crashed down with him and I was like, You’re good. He said no. She said co I’m here then. And just, you know,
Margaretha 54:38
Sometimes that’s enough.
Lauryn 54:39
Waited, just waited it out. And when he like, you know, wanted the comfort of her touch, she gave him a hug. He gave her hug. I don’t know, but like, she was just supportive. Even though when you enter like for a point of view, she’s like, Oh, I don’t know what to do. She just did what she could to help him. Huge thing that we’ve already talked about in a way it’s just that Zap is a nice example of like, you know, you don’t have to practice toxic masculinity. Like he’s a very masculine man.
Margaretha 55:05
Yes.
Lauryn 55:06
And he’s very touch with emotions.
Margaretha 55:08
Yeah. You can do it guys.
Lauryn 55:10
<laugh>, we can all do it.
Margaretha 55:12
<laugh>. We can do it. Look. Exactly. Yay. But yeah, no. So what other themes apart the ones I mentioned did you think came up to you? Or was it just the same one?
Lauryn 55:22
I mean, I think, I think this isn’t an issue book. And when I say issue book, like there’s some books that are like about a thing and you like emerge with a learning romance. Novels are like wonderful and important and joyous and some like have issue narratives, but like not this one. So, you know, we just like are seeing people very specifically rendered people, you know, real life individuals really experience their life. So like seeing, you know, Zach as someone who manages anxiety and grief, um, Danny is someone who, you know, practices overwork and doesn’t share a lot with her family and friends as a coping mechanism. And this isn’t the book about those specific issues, but like those things are apparent in like the very specific character she gives us.
Lauryn 56:06
And you just like a world and a story and the, the people are like really finally drawn and feel very realistic.
Margaretha 56:14
Yeah. Oh gosh. Yeah. Yeah. No, um, yeah that was well done actually. Yeah.
Lauryn 56:22
And Danny has this horrible wave. I think his name was Mateo and he like cheated on her because she didn’t give him enough girlfriend. I don’t know. Terrible story. Also important learning from this book is like if you have a Mateo, don’t walk into the rest of your life with like, I learned this from Mateo. People
Margaretha 56:37
Do this though. Leave
Lauryn 56:39
Him cry and then like, just shit on this name for the rest of your life.
Margaretha 56:43
People have this one experience and let that bug them carry that bag. Like Erica produced a bag lady just carrying that bag around you life just dragging you down, letting you, stopping you from experiencing potentially new great experiences. So yeah, that I was just like, girl, let Mateo go. But I get it as well. You know, if you’ve been really hurt by someone that could really taint your future experiences if you don’t let it
Lauryn 57:10
Go. So yeah, please that
Margaretha 57:11
Go
Lauryn 57:12
Let that set that set that pain down a bit because like that’s Danny’s big thing and and I love how honest Danny and Zapp are like, you know, at whatever point they talk about this and she just goes, Yeah, had a boyfriend, his name was Mateo and this is the situation Of course that is like, I will murder him. What’s his last name? <laugh>.
Margaretha 57:30
Yeah.
Lauryn 57:31
I’m not telling you what his last
Margaretha 57:34
Same, I was like
Lauryn 57:39
Yeah, tell people things like, you know, they romantic relationship is born of a strong friendship and like tell your friends and tell other people so that they can say hey, hi, that’s ridiculous.
Lauryn 57:52
Instead of you just like continuing to suffer and carry a burden,
Lauryn 57:57
which like might not at all be yours to carry. She didn’t even tell her sisters that situation,
Margaretha 58:02
Which I was shocked. Cause God Aren not close to your sisters. Like what?
Lauryn 58:08
I mean you can be close to family and just, you’re not the people I come to with romantic problems. I hope she told her
Margaretha 58:14
Friends, You know, you’re right. See I don’t have a sister but, so I always assume people who have sisters, like you can tell them anything like that. That’s your
Lauryn 58:24
Diary. Having sisters is a bit mad. And also like my sisters and I are finally getting to an age group where we can be friends for a long time. Like you, you were just like, you know, in whatever hierarchy you’re in
Margaretha 58:36
My daughter kind of
Lauryn 58:37
Situation. So like, I’m like, I I am, I am. I was born whatever my next sister is three years younger than me. And the one after that is eight years younger than me and five years after, um, after my like middle sister mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So until, and basically not even yet, but not even yet in the season where we can all three be besties. Cause my younger sister is still 15, so she’s still like kind of a child. Oh
Margaretha 58:58
Yeah, she don’t like
Lauryn 58:59
You, but like my other sister’s now 20. So it’s like, okay, you and me are approaching all waves. Um, so it it’s like, yeah, like I love and adore my sisters. They do not know many things about what’s going on in my life, but I totally give them a kidney.
Margaretha 59:14
<laugh>
Lauryn 59:15
Totally offer an organ, but they can’t borrow my clothes.
Margaretha 59:21
See the whole sharing thing to me is wild. Cause I’m the only girl so I don’t even like doing that anyway. <laugh> like, cause I don’t have to do it. So when like it first happened with friends at uni, I was just like, I don’t wanna, I’ve never had to do this.
Lauryn 59:35
I don’t know. I Yeah, it’s dirty. I can’t give it to you. I haven’t washed it. It’s sturdy <laugh>.
Margaretha 59:41
Exactly. I don’t like that. I’ve never had to do it. Everything’s always been for me. So <laugh>. But I’m used to it now, but yeah.
Margaretha 59:50
Okay. So yeah. Okay. So you get why she didn’t share that important piece of
Lauryn 59:54
I I see. I see it as possible. Like, you know, maybe you maybe like her and her sisters, at least from like Danny’s perspective, I just like in the hierarchy and they’re close and they have dinner once a week or something like that to each a fair amount. But like, yeah, I mean also like Danny just doesn’t sound like a, she, I think she’s like a very cerebral, independent person who’s decided on things that she’s decided that she’s smart and she’s decided she’s like creative and interesting. But she is also kind of like, but I’m not, I’m not the anyone’s dream girl and I’m fine with it. Like maybe she’s also like decided that she’s not someone who like gives her problems to other people. Yeah. Like that’s very true of many women.
Margaretha 1:00:36
One minute someone’s,
Margaretha 1:00:45
Hey, sorry I’m back.
Lauryn 1:00:47
No stress.
Margaretha 1:00:50
Okay. What were you talking about?
Speaker 3 1:00:53
I dunno. <laugh>.
Margaretha 1:00:56
Wait,
Speaker 3 1:00:56
I’m down.
Margaretha 1:00:58
Um, um, we’re talking Oh,
Speaker 3 1:01:02
<laugh>.
Speaker 3 1:01:04
<laugh>.
Speaker 3 1:01:06
I
Margaretha 1:01:06
Think it’s And sisters.
Lauryn 1:01:08
Yeah. It doesn’t give her problems to other people.
Margaretha 1:01:10
Yeah. Okay, cool.
Lauryn 1:01:13
Yeah. Like maybe that’s just true and like, you know, hopefully one of the things she’s learned now is that, cause I mean every in that scene where she like, I think what happens is I heard and Z break up and she like goes to a chip shop and it’s just like crying.
Margaretha 1:01:25
Yeah. Is
Lauryn 1:01:26
Crying so hard that her friend like just goes to get her like, Ooh, I just must pick you up. And she, you know, doesn’t even tell her best friend what’s going on. Just gets kind of taken to a sister’s house where she continues to cry and all just watching her like, my god, what the heck? What happened here?
Margaretha 1:01:40
Yeah.
Lauryn 1:01:41
She has been broken
Lauryn 1:01:43
and Yeah, like she tells them and they’re like, first of all, no shit, Sherlock, you have been loving this man. And second of all, why didn’t you tell us about Mateo like six years ago? I never fucking like him anyway. Which is prob potentially a lie because I would totally lie about that. <laugh>, I’m never again, I too would lie. Like, you know what? He was trash. Even if I him a bit did hate him. I hate him.
Margaretha 1:02:07
Sometimes we take her Ls in silent, in private, we don’t tell everything. You’re right. You know what? You’re right. Cause some, I know people don’t really tell everything to their friends. Cause not every l that you must, your friend. So I suppose the same must be for sisters. Like not every situation shape relationship that’s broken down that you’re gonna tell people. So
Lauryn 1:02:32
You share what you share. But I mean, she has grown who is a hopeless romantic, has found his other half. And, and I mean, let’s spoil the epilogue, which you already said is apparently announcement of pregnancy. But like for me,
Margaretha 1:02:47
That embryonic word did it for me. I was like, Oh,
Lauryn 1:02:51
Okay. I love that. So as you said, Zachary’s romance, Mass Nobles, he has many of these in the epilogue. It’s like a, it’s the one year anniversary and he’s keeping it simple. Cause Danny Brown’s like, what is the one anniversary like Valentine? She goes out, anniversaries do not exist. And she’s in their bedroom and he’s like, Hey, I’m home. And he’s like, Cofa and she’s just like hiding this room for hours. And he’s like, What is she actually doing? He goes in and she gives him his books and he’s like, um, babe already own these.
Margaretha 1:03:20
Yeah. <laugh>.
Lauryn 1:03:21
And what he finds out is that Danny has been stealing his favorite books and getting them to his favorite authors Tob signed.
Margaretha 1:03:28
Which
Lauryn 1:03:28
Oh that is an iconic romantic gesture. I have my spirit sold. I said,
Margaretha 1:03:36
Oh my god that I found that so cute. Like, you know what, like that’s hold on.
Lauryn 1:03:42
That, that is a high effort romantic. Just you need to track these people down, send them the book by post or go to like an event with them. Like she has surely been doing this for six months. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> like at the very least. And that is wonderful.
Margaretha 1:03:57
Did say that she’s someone that she’s got a target. She’s gonna try and, cause the target wants to be emotional and in touch with her feelings. You know what I mean? So it’s a big full circle moment for her. Cause she started off with, you know, I only know man, I just want f buddy to, you know, romantic gestures with her man. So
Lauryn 1:04:18
A big thing that’s happening in the book is that she’s gonna speak on a panel with her icon and like her idol. Yeah. And studying horribly, like studying herself into the ground to know everything. So she can’t be embarrassed. And she goes up to her in the bathroom and goes like, Do you have advice for me? And she tells her, Yeah, you need to have balance in your life. You know, you can’t just working every day. That
Margaretha 1:04:37
Was
Lauryn 1:04:40
Brown’s like, I can’t be dying every day for my degree If, if I, I’m gonna bring all of my type A energy to this romantic gesture that my boyfriend really appreciate. And like that’s that’s a lovely like, you know, evolution of her character. That’s a great place to leave her. Where like, she’s obviously still like kicking ass at the university, but she’s creating more time for other things and creating more time to be with Z and also expending that energy in like romantic gestures. Which a year absolutely disgusting.
Margaretha 1:05:11
No, I love this for her, honestly, the Epilog, I was smiling like a smiling idiot and I was reading it. They’re just like, Oh, this is so cute. Not you be romantic.
Lauryn 1:05:23
No. You being the romance girl, not you being a lover girl. Danny Brown is a love girl. Oh no. Just as a book lover
Lauryn 1:05:32
Romantics. Yesterday I wanted to scream,
Margaretha 1:05:34
I
Lauryn 1:05:34
Wanted to scream. I was like, oh my God.
Margaretha 1:05:37
And you’re about to be a mama. Okay Danny
Lauryn 1:05:40
Brown, you’re gonna have to tweet.
Lauryn 1:05:45
I’m stressed cause this book is old enough that surely some, if it is this, it’s surely come out by now, you know,
Margaretha 1:05:51
I’m up because I can’t be the that read into that and embryonic pleases. Like I really can’t.
Lauryn 1:05:58
I was just like, no, she’s got a PhD in English. I’m sure. Like I’m, I I like she’s just being, you know, extra.
Margaretha 1:06:04
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. No. Cause I feel like she’s saying, okay now you’re about to be a f I’m giving you a gifts of life. I don’t know, like it was just giving pregnancy announcement.
Lauryn 1:06:17
I’ve your first us guys, if Hub confirms this, you know where it came from. Listen, where I came from saying, you know,
Margaretha 1:06:28
News baby,
Lauryn 1:06:30
Everyone is pregnant.
Lauryn 1:06:33
Do you have any final thoughts about the book? Anyone that you’re like, Oh, this person has to read this book.
Margaretha 1:06:42
I feel like I would like to find out more about Jamal and Karen.
Lauryn 1:06:46
I’m hoping that they might have a standalone book. I don’t know. I haven’t checked, but I think it would be great. Like look at like, you know, a widow finding love. Mm-hmm <affirmative>,
Margaretha 1:06:55
You don’t really hear that lot. But I haven’t. But yeah,
Lauryn 1:06:58
I don’t think I have, I’ve only recently started reading like Second Chance Romance novels because just kind of on principle I was, I’m not a
Margaretha 1:07:05
<laugh> <laugh>. Why are you reading that?
Lauryn 1:07:09
Me personally, when I was younger and less mature, I was like, there’s no reason that it didn’t work out back in the day and you want to come back? No, No. I did not like it as a trope. You know how you can kind pick troops?
Margaretha 1:07:20
Oh, I still don’t by the way, I still don’t my baby.
Lauryn 1:07:23
I don’t Then read seven days in June by Tia Williams.
Margaretha 1:07:27
See I like that. You know what,
Lauryn 1:07:29
That’s a lovely second chance
Margaretha 1:07:31
That pissed me off. At first I was like, you know what, have a heart. So I was like, you know what, this is actually not,
Lauryn 1:07:36
That’s a great book.
Margaretha 1:07:37
I read it last summer. I was like, I don’t like that. He Nah girl, move on. But I for
Lauryn 1:07:43
No, they’ve spent, I don’t know like how many years have like passed between but like, they spent like writing lives, writing about each other. Yeah. Oh my God. Yeah. I just, ugh. I loved it. I loved it. And I was
Margaretha 1:07:55
Myself. Well what was the guy’s name again? You bet, you bet. You bet her not f the up again.
Lauryn 1:08:02
And he kinda immediately does small spoiler for seven days in June. Like he does have that where she’s like,
Margaretha 1:08:08
There you go
Lauryn 1:08:09
Again. I’m a single mom. You disappointed me once back in the day. Will you do it again? And he’s like, No, of course not. And then he like kind of immediately does
Margaretha 1:08:17
That was like, Oh my God, what are you doing? He’s an ex alcoholic. Like, are you okay? But you know what,
Lauryn 1:08:22
No, he had a rough youth. They had rough childhoods.
Margaretha 1:08:27
Yeah. But she got it out. She made it out alive. I,
Lauryn 1:08:31
No, he’s giving New York Times birthday.
Margaretha 1:08:34
He was giving, um, still a torture soul. Do you know what I mean? Like it
Lauryn 1:08:38
Was, I thought he was really clean.
Margaretha 1:08:40
<laugh>, I dunno was he was giving me,
Lauryn 1:08:43
I think he had sorted himself out like as a teenager. But
Margaretha 1:08:46
When that
Lauryn 1:08:46
Boy very scared in the teen, I was like, that
Margaretha 1:08:50
Is when that boy died. The, his mentor, his mentee died. Do you remember? Yeah. I was like, Oh, are you going to go back to a bottle?
Margaretha 1:09:03
But yeah, no, that was a good book. Do you know where you’re write? You’re right. Redemptive
Lauryn 1:09:07
Be So I’m, I’m a fan of a fake dating, so like thank you. Take a hit. Danny Brown and Talia. Hi. Also Honey and Spice Bluba. It’s Fake Baby. I’m
Margaretha 1:09:17
Gonna read that soon and I can’t wait. The ugh.
Lauryn 1:09:19
Yeah, I read it in a day. It’s amazing.
Margaretha 1:09:23
Really.
Lauryn 1:09:24
I also went for, I went for the launch event. It was like in this church converter to a bar. And the event was a day before the book came out. So there was a Blu there. And I asked the question and she said she liked my dress. And I, I continue to be happy about that comment. Like, I’m still buzzing. This was in June, Shirley, but I’m still buzzing. Um, and it was, the event was hosted by Troll, um, of like
Margaretha 1:09:50
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Lauryn 1:09:51
Yeah. It was such, it was such a fun event. Cause I mean also like Troll’s A Love Girl is a love girl. They had a great chat about the book. Um, we of course hadn’t read the book at that point because that was the day for lunch. So you could buy books like on the day. And then I saved it until I was flying home. Cause I was like, I’ve put two eight hour flight and I that I did not sleep. It was just me and Malachi and Kiki banjo. It was so good.
Margaretha 1:10:14
Then I go, I’m gonna read it. I next mom’s book, club book.
Lauryn 1:10:18
It is, it is September’s book Club, I think
Margaretha 1:10:21
September’s book. I’m I’m I’m about to
Lauryn 1:10:23
Read. You’re you’re Gonna
Margaretha 1:10:24
Late summer read, Late summer early
Lauryn 1:10:27
Read. I know that people are like, Oh no, in summer, that’s when you read like the romance novels and the comedies and then winter read, like lit, read whatever you’re gonna read. Like I, I would totally read Random Romance novels in the peak winter
Lauryn 1:10:39
when it’s cold, you’ll find me.
Margaretha 1:10:42
Do you know what I, there’s something about reading Summer Love book when you’re on a holiday when the
Lauryn 1:10:48
Sun is I hear it. I hear it. You could also
Margaretha 1:10:51
Just get that, you know, I’m in the book.
Lauryn 1:10:56
I read Crazy Rich Asians when I was in Zaba and that was perfect.
Lauryn 1:11:02
Outrageous that. So I maintain that crazy Rich Asian might be the last iconic romcom.
Margaretha 1:11:09
Really?
Lauryn 1:11:09
That the movie is epic. Like the movie is, the movie is so well done. I love the movie so much. And then when I read the book I was like, well obviously this will be better because books always better. Yeah. And the book is better. But it, it’s like, it’s not like the book is better read the book, don’t watch the movie. It’s like, no, the movie’s lit and the changes they made from book to movie were really smart and make perfect sense to me. And then also, like the books are absolutely lit. So I do need to put into series actually. So I do need to get back to it and read like book two in the crazier Asian series. But yeah, like I hear you for like, you want just like funny, you know, eclectic characters just like chuckling to yourself when you’re like, you know, on a sunny holiday or just like in the park summer and maybe in winter you’re more willing to read like the heavy, like books that some people would like to recommend. But I just think like, you know,
Margaretha 1:11:54
It’s true. There are rules. Just do what you wanna do in it.
Lauryn 1:11:57
Just do enjoyment. Like just mm-hmm. <affirmative> have a, So yeah. So, um, do you have a romance recommendation that you wanna leave with the listeners before we say goodbye?
Margaretha 1:12:11
I’m gonna, I haven’t read a good romantic book in a while, so this was refreshing.
Lauryn 1:12:16
What is a romance that you like read ages ago and you’re still like, Oh no, when people ask me, I recommend it.
Margaretha 1:12:23
Oh God, let me think. So I, you know what I really did like seven days and summer last summer I read it. Um, I need to be reminded. Let me go my Kindle library. I’m so bad at like titles and stuff. I’m quite visual so when I see the book like, oh yeah, I read this. But a book is not romantic about any means. But it just left a last impression of my mind was nearly all the men in LA Mad.
Lauryn 1:12:50
So I read that short lecture in February and it might be my favorite book this year. It’s definitely top three. This
Margaretha 1:12:58
Can’t be real. This is not People’s Real Life <laugh>.
Lauryn 1:13:02
What I think that’s fantastic. Like, recommendation to leave everyone with. Please, Please, Please. Nearly All the Men in Legos are mad is hilarious. The
Margaretha 1:13:11
Book shop Run to Amazon.
Lauryn 1:13:13
Run to Amazon. I think if you have like, uh, Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free as well. Okay. It’s, listen, it’s a short story collection. Um, all the short stories are based in Lagos, Nigeria. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, the writer spans all kinds of like, because I mean, it’s a book about men being disastrous. So she spans all kinds of relationships with men and each individual story is just very specific. So it’s, you know, you’re not like, oh these are like the same kinds of characters. No, all the characters are very different. Oh Lord. Do you remember what like, one of your like favorite stories in that collection was?
Margaretha 1:13:51
Oh my gosh. There was the one where the, she was having an affair with a married man and he had what her, all these things, the house. And she was, I think it’s when she realized that, Oh, what have I done? Kind of that really stood out to me. There was another one, I read this earlier this year, My wife, my mind going blank,
Margaretha 1:14:11
Was she trigger woman? Was she not being raped or something? There was somebody that was,
Lauryn 1:14:16
Okay. So there, there was one story about a girl who like had a really dodgy boyfriend and like the, the first story is definitely him. Like, I mean, I think she gave consent, but I think it, it wasn’t comfortable and he kept going.
Margaretha 1:14:30
Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. Yeah. I
Lauryn 1:14:32
Like a really wild sexual experience. And then she goes on like marry him and um, yeah. And then, then she leaves him because he’s fucking terrible.
Margaretha 1:14:42
Yeah.
Lauryn 1:14:42
He’s always cheating. You know, that was one of my favorite stories, to be fair. Cause it was very funny cause he keeps cheating and she keeps like, and getting mad at the girls. So you get, you get to this person who’s like, I will beat you. Why you sucking off my mind when it’s like, no, no, no. Why your
Lauryn 1:15:00
babe, babe, babe. What is your man in the situation? What’s going on?
Margaretha 1:15:04
Ask
Lauryn 1:15:05
The question. At the birthday party, either, it was either her birthday party or the party. She was
Margaretha 1:15:10
Kept. I’m too young. She was like a teenager
Lauryn 1:15:13
Something. Yeah. No, this man scammed her from like, you know, 16. And then she like basically married him and he was horrible, terrible. But then she met another man who I remember like, I think he eats
Margaretha 1:15:25
And stuff.
Lauryn 1:15:28
Is this how other people having sex?
Margaretha 1:15:32
What, what?
Lauryn 1:15:33
No, my favorite story, I mean, I think I loved the whole collection. Two stories I loved was, there’s that one about like catfish, where there’s like a girl who’s like super hot. I
Margaretha 1:15:43
Have to read the book again. I’m sorry, I, I remember this.
Lauryn 1:15:45
There’s a girl who’s like, like, she’s fine, but she’s shy. And then her roommate is like, less shy, but not shy. And then there’s like a rapper who they,
Margaretha 1:15:54
That rattled me
Lauryn 1:15:55
That story. I, I was, I was reading, which I was meant to be going, but you know, you’re like, I’m gonna sleep soon. But then I had it on my phone, so I was just like swiping in the dark and I woke up my boyfriend, I was like, No, no, no, you must hear this. No, no, no. Wake up. I have to what I’m reading. That
Margaretha 1:16:09
Was, I remember now that story was like, this girl is sneaky.
Lauryn 1:16:12
That was, that was mad. And then the other good one is the one about the pastor’s wife.
Margaretha 1:16:19
I think I remember Didn’t he cheat on her? He was cheating her. She wasn’t going.
Lauryn 1:16:24
I mean, it was the one where it was like, it’s like an organization of women whose white, whose husbands are gay. Was it pastor? Like I,
Margaretha 1:16:33
I remember. I
Lauryn 1:16:34
Remember. And then they were like trying get rid of one of the wives who was not serious. <laugh>.
Margaretha 1:16:40
The book was, um, like, I can’t believe this people’s lives. I’m gonna read the book again.
Lauryn 1:16:46
I, I think, I think I should,
Margaretha 1:16:48
I just reminded myself, I’m gonna read a book cause you know, I just saw it on my Kindle. So I was
Lauryn 1:16:52
Like, yeah. And you’re like, nah, this book is,
Margaretha 1:16:53
I’m gonna, So you know what, another book I liked, it wasn’t completely focused on romance, but it was a big element. Hop and glory. I liked the, um, hop
Lauryn 1:17:04
And glory’s on my shelf. I haven’t read it, but it’s on my shelf.
Margaretha 1:17:07
The main, it’s not the main thing, the romance, but it’s in there. And I think it’s a bit rushed, but I did like, like it was quite, cause it was quite realistic, you know, London, I mean I’m not from South London, but they were from South London, you know, kind of a road guy turning into a good guy. Oh, you know, Yeah. So it was, it’s in there, but it’s not a main focus, you know, So that was also the’s. But yeah, I think I, I’m looking at my Kindle library. I don’t see what I’ve been reading this whole year. Just self-help books.
Lauryn 1:17:35
It’s like that. It’s ok. Improve yourself. It’s not boring at all.
Margaretha 1:17:39
Another book I really like was his only wife that was good as well.
Lauryn 1:17:42
So his only wife. Um, I, I, I wanted to read it for ages and then I bought it for myself and then say I bought it for myself over Christmas. And then I went to my aunt’s house for Christmas and there was like another guest I like taking gifts with me. Then there was like a random spare person. So then I, I wrapped the book and gave it to them as, as like a Christmas present.
Margaretha 1:18:01
Oh, how nice. You buy again, Read a girl, it
Lauryn 1:18:04
Hide back as well.
Lauryn 1:18:08
But anyway, I, I I do not, you know, begrudge the gift. Like I’ve given it’s fine, but because I’ve already bought it now when I’m in shops that I see it on the shelf, I’m like, but I’ve already paid for you <laugh> Die.
Margaretha 1:18:21
The Kindle version.
Lauryn 1:18:23
It’s really good. I love, like, it’s
Margaretha 1:18:26
Based in a, it’s it’s based in Ghana, so I, that’s why I’m like, oh, not Acra another town Inana. But it’s, it’s interesting. It’s interesting.
Lauryn 1:18:35
I mean, there are incredible books coming out by African writers. I read the short stories that were up for the, um, can prize for fiction this year. And they were very good.
Margaretha 1:18:46
I’m
Lauryn 1:18:46
Excited. Check it out. But yeah, thank you. Thank you, thank you so much for doing this with me. It’s been really fun.
Margaretha 1:18:53
No worries. It was fun. I had a lot of fun. Thanks for having me First podcast.
Lauryn 1:19:00
And thank you for picking this book. I, I’m usually like, I’m up for everything. I mean there’s certain like, categories of books where I’m like, there’s no way I’m that. But like, you know, you were like, I’ve been wanting to Talia hiit. I was like, you know, at the Brown Sisters series is one of those like books that’s, that always like reemerges on TikTok as like, these books were great. So thank you for like finally getting me to like sit down and pick one up because it was an absolute pleasure.
Margaretha 1:19:23
Yeah, no, I enjoyed it. Thank you so much for having me. Honestly, I really enjoyed it. I
Lauryn 1:19:30
We can always do it again
Margaretha 1:19:32
<laugh>. Definitely. I’m down, I’m down. Done. Oh,
Lauryn 1:19:35
What if I put in the calendar, just schedule it down. Pick another fire book. Keep it going. Yeah.
Margaretha 1:19:40
Unfortunately I live near the airport so you can hear a plane. Sorry.
Margaretha 1:19:46
But um, yeah,
Lauryn 1:19:47
No stress and trouble. Okay. Thank you to everyone who’s listening. I hope that you do pick up a copy of taking him. Danny Brown and there, the Brown Sister series. I think Talia Hiz is wonder, so all of us need to like go and check her stories out. But yeah. Bye.
Margaretha 1:20:03
Thank you. Bye. Have a good weekend. Enjoy Carnival.
