Act Your Age, Eve Brown: A Novel (The Brown Sisters, 3)

I don't think I've laughed so much at a book in forever! Talks Hibbert made Eve's book the perfect conclusion to the the sister's series. From page one I was laughing. So we know that Eve has flitted around aimlessly from job to newest endeavor for her adult life all in an effort to please everyone around her. When her parents cut her off from her trust fund and tell her she must get a job and housing, that's not the kick in the pants. It's the implications that they're embarrassed that does it for Eve. She finds herself at a B&B that is need of a chef, Eve has dabbled in culinary arts so wth? The owner, A grumpy, m grump who has an opinion about everyone! However, his best friend Mont is there to keep him in line. Of course straight laced Jacob is wondering what a candidate is doing showing up without a resume and looking like she's been in a wet t-shirt contest...he's not hiring this woman! Mont reminds him of the situation he's in and he can't be too demanding due to his circumstances. After an unfortunate accident, she's hired. Their forced proximity leads to a slow burning romance and I did not expect the BOM, Chicka BOM BOM out of buttoned up, glasses Jacob. It was Clark Kent turning into porn star Superman. I loved that because he understood his diagnosis, he could see the subtlety in Eve that no one ever thought of. This book was amazing on so many levels and I would say that Talia saved the best for last. So many great scenes and quotes, a variable swoon fest at times. Jacob found his Sunshine and neither needed a reason to run or shut anyone out!💕💕💕

**Thank you to net galley and Avon books for providing an advanced copy of this book**Everything in this review is my honest and personal opinion based on my personal experience just so we’re clear.This was the best piece of autistic representation I’ve ever come across. I especially appreciated that I could even relate to the cishet white male representation because he wasn’t the stereotypical cardboard cut out Sheldon Cooper portrayal of autism. I’ve said from the start of this series that the brown sisters have autistic traits so it was nice to finally have that representation in print. Eve’s story of feeling like a failure and her parents putting pressure on her to grow up was far too relatable to me and I absolutely sobbed in the first chapter. Not because anything was sad but because I felt seen. Talia Hibbert was able to put into words what I have never been able to.As for the romance between Eve and Jacob while unconventional, it was true to their characters and realistic to me as an autistic woman. It was the kind of relationship I hope for some day. Talia Hibbert always makes sure to put an emphasis on compatibility and understanding, dismantling the idea that you love someone “in spite of their faults” and it does wonders for my internalized ableism.I cried through most of this book, even when it wasn’t sad, because I felt understood and I have never related to a character more than I have Eve Brown, (although Chloe Brown is a close second). This book brought me a lot of joy.

“It sounds like your dream broke, and you’ve been picking up shattered pieces and blaming yourself when your hands bleed.”Ok, there were SO MANY good quotes from this book, but this one just wiggled its way into my heart and stuck there. Act Your Age, Eve Brown was beautiful, hilarious, witty, and very *hot* 🥵😍 BUT! It was also so heartbreaking and heartwarming. A beautiful story of learning to love yourself exactly as you are, when the world around you makes you feel like you’re too different or difficult to be loved. About insecurities and how to grow from them, instead of letting them color your life and relationships. This was the ultimate enemies to lovers, sunshine and grump, forced proximity, *taboo* employee/employer romance. I loved every single second of reading it and I just want every single person to read and love this series as much as I did!!

I adore this series. It made me cackle with delight, it made me swoon so hard, and now as I write this I'm literally crying because there's just so much emotion. It's so funny and so swoony and it just tipped me over the edge. Eve and Jacob are so wonderful together and this book is a gift. Thank you Talks Hibbert!

I am surprised and happy to say that I liked this book. Surprised because I didn’t love the first two books of this trilogy. I may even have grumpily rated them at only a 2. So why did I bother to read this story of the third sister? Determination to finish what I started, I suppose, combined with curiosity as to why these books are so popular. And they are wildly popular and well-rated. I just didn’t get it. Until I did. This third book was the charm for me. I got the humor and wit of the conversations. I liked the main characters, and even the various friends and eccentric extended family. And I appreciated the portrayal of an adult on the autism spectrum learning to accept their differences and living a happy and productive life. The scenes of *ahem* intimacy were a little too explicit for me in all three books, but I think that is part of the trilogy’s popularity. And It’s easy enough for me to skip those pages. It was especially nice to see all three sisters together, along with their respective boyfriends (Red is still my favorite). I doubt I will reread these books, but I will probably give the author’s future publications a try.

I love everything Talia Hibbert writes, she is a romance goddess, but this book! So absolutely and positively delightful. In terms of actions, it's a very gentle, beautiful story about two people dealing with some emotional damage finding each other and falling in love.The beautiful thing, though, is that as well as falling in love with Jacob, we get to see Evie fall in love with herself.I would happily reread this book a hundred times over. If you're a romance fan, definitely add this to your collection!

This account is a Talia Hibbert Stan account. If you don't know, now you know. She. Does. Not. Miss.I loved this book. Eve is sunny and chaotic and Jacob is a grumpy git who's secretly the kindest man on earth.An enemies to lovers, "I hate everyone except you" story? Be still my beating heart.Eve and Jacob are the sweetest power couple, this read was so fluffy I died. It still did have enough angst to tug at my heartstrings, and a real depth of emotion I've come to expect from Talia's books. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. I think I can say Eve's book was my favourite in the trilogy, even though Chloe will always have a place in my heart.To me, this book was everything I wanted it to be. It was the perfect end to the Brown Sisters trilogy.

I feel so warm and happy after finishing this book! It was such a delight from start to finish. Eve is my first of the Brown sisters and now I absolutely MUST read the others! The love story is so sweet and sexy and hilarious. I also really appreciated Jacob, his kindness and thoughtfulness, a thoroughly decent man.The autistic representation in this book means a lot to me as my wife was recently diagnosed. She doesn't normally read romance but I think I will pass this book on to her as I think she will feel a lot of validation and comfort through reading Eve's story.I also greatly appreciated the elder queer representation in Eve's grandmother Gigi and her partner. It's so rare in any novel, let alone in the romance genre, to find queer elders depicted; also older queer couples in general; also HAPPY older queer couples! Thank you, Ms Hibbert!

Okay, how was this better than the last two incredible books in this series! Talia Hibbert is the Queen of incredible characters – writing honest, human characters coping with the struggles that life throws at them. She gives people characters to look up to and love. This book was no exception. Eve is simultaneously unapologetic and terrified of failure, whilst Jacob’s autism means that he is comfortable with order and routine. They balance each other out and they don’t question each other’s quirks/neurodivergence, nor do they make each other feel guilty or uncomfortable. I could not stop smiling – it is utterly delightful and sweet. It’s the perfect example of the sunshine vs grumpy one trope!

I really did love this. Eve and Jacob were charming both as a couple and as seperate characters. The banter was some of the best I've probably read since Dani. When I really sank my teeth into this, I couldn't put it down.It made me swoon, it made me hungry, and it made me think of other things. I am sorry to see the Brown Sisters go, but I'll visit them again, for sure. TW: childhood neglect Tropes/rep: Grumpy x sunshine, workplace romance, caretaking, forced proximity, opposites attract, dislike to love, disability and poc rep