Early Book Review: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

 Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert is the third book about the Brown sisters, and while fantastic as a series they do each stand up on their own. It is currently scheduled for release on March 9 2021.

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong. So she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It's time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she's not entirely sure how. Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car, supposedly by accident. Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen, and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore, and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown is a thoughtful look at romance between two characters that have never felt like they fit in. I loved watching Eve come into herself, exploring her own wants, skills, and needs rather than trying to fit into the roles others have tried to shove her into, and that she willing tried to fit into because it was less drama that way. Similarly, Jacob has his own struggles and issues, and seeing Eve and Jacob figure things out together was an enjoyable ride. Clearly, not everything goes smoothly so there are some moments that had me shaking my head or dreading the next sentence- but everything fit the characters and situation. I really enjoyed the read and the honest way neurodiversity and some of the struggles that come with it can affect people. I also liked that the range that diversity is acknowledged- and that there is some much possibility and joy that can be found if only we take the time to understand ourselves and each other. 

Act Your Age, Eve Brown had me grinning from the start, and took me on a wonderful ride. Hibbert is now on my must read list after two fantastic reads in a row (I still need to go back and read the first Brown sister book).