Get a Life, Chloe Brown
by Talia Hibbert

Synopsis

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?

• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And... do something bad. 

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job. 

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit. 

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

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

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

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

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

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