There are moments when I think about the books I used to read when I was younger. Those moments often come when I read a book I think the younger version of me would have enjoyed, but this version of me doesn’t. I’m a different reader to who I was as a kid. Back then, I would read anything I could get my hands on, and sadly, those books were limited. Despite this, I rarely think about what I wish the younger version of me could have read. GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert changed that.

GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert is one of the best books romance has to offer.

In fact, if I didn’t care about Talia so much (don’t tell her that; emotions make her uncomfortable), I would resent her talent. Except that’s a lie, too, because I can’t resent a book that gave me, a romance reader, an example of why I love this genre so damn much.

Let me explain.

Chloe, the heroine, has a near-death experience and decides to make a list to help her “get a life” because she doesn’t want to die “boring” (there’s obviously more to this, but I’ll leave it simple for now). A couple of months later, she’s living in an apartment complex with a sexy superintendent, Red. He’s the hero and the only man who can help her tick things off her list. Fortunately, he agrees, and chaos AKA love ensues.

Now here’s the juicy stuff.

Talia always gets her characters right. And this time, she gives us a plus-sized, chronically ill Black heroine who is one of the best characterised characters I’ve read in a long time. I can only imagine how much it would have meant to young me to read a heroine of colour with an illness that’s been a part of my family for as long as I can remember. These facts alone are important. However, Talia adds to that importance by making Chloe’s illness and identity a part of who Chloe is. Talia doesn’t expect a pat on the back for including this pivotal representation either. It’s incredibly refreshing.

But she doesn’t stop there.

If Chloe jumps off the pages with her primness, her passion, her sense of boundaries, Red does so with his quiet strength in the aftermath of an emotionally traumatising relationship. We see this relationship purely from his perspective, which means we get first-hand experience of Red’s pain and growth. His trauma has him seeing a psychologist; negotiating a new relationship in the face of his fears; and facing emotions in a relatably honest way. It’s the kind of hero we don’t get to see very often, but deserve.

You deserve to read GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN.

Do it for the younger you who probably didn’t get to see books like this very often. They deserve it, too.

Get the book here.

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