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

Talia Hibbert

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AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In Talia Hibbert’s newest rom-com, the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.

Featured on Parade, PopSugar, Marie Claire, Oprah Mag, Bustle, Shondaland, CNN.com, Kirkus Magazine, Bookpage, USA Today, Bookish, Bookriot, and more!

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. Yeah, right.

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.

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Posts about this title from chronicallybookish

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jul 16

romance books where both characters are disabled!

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chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jan 25

February is almost upon us! If you’re participating in the Read Disabled 2026 challenge, you may be planning what to read for February’s prompts, so I wanted to tell you a bit about the books I’m planning to read, and recommend some other books I’ve loved that fit next month’s prompts! \ \ February Main Prompt: A Book by a Black Author \ \ What I’m Reading: King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin (ADHD representation, lived experience)\ \ February is Black History Month here in the U.S., and I wanted to honor that with this month’s prompt. For much of American History, Black voices and their role in our country’s history was silenced. The aim of Black History Month is to uplift those previously suppressed stories and the impact that the Black community has had on America, as well as continue to strive for racial equality and justice.\ \ Because Black History Month celebrates Black History, specifically, I originally wanted to prioritize a historical fiction book by a Black author for this prompt. However, because I am choosing to read only books by disabled authors for this challenge, I was unable to find a book that fit those prompts.* I will be prioritizing books about Black history in my reading outside of this challenge, and decided to instead choose a book about Black disabled joy with King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin. This is a YA coming-of-age novel in verse following Pernell as he finds his self-expression and first love while working to catch up on his classwork during summer school. \ *There are not no books by Black disabled authors that are historical fiction! In my searching I found Sorrowland (set in the 20th century ft. low vision rep) and An Unkindness of Ghosts (technically this is futuristic scifi, but the society that the MC lives in is based on the Antebellum South ft. lived experience autism rep) by Rivers Solomon, however these books are also horror novels, which is a genre that I personally cannot read. Alternately, Octavia E. Butler’s works all heavily metaphorize disability in their themes and worldbuilding according to modern disability scholars, which makes them eligible for this prompt as well–I just chose to go with a literal representation of disability in my choice for this prompt. I intend to also read Kindred in February, just not specifically for this challenge.\ \ My Recommendations:\ \ Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (non-verbal representation)\ \ I do not know how to pitch this book, but bear with me–it feels high concept literary-fantasy to me, while still being accessible to read, as it is a YA novel written with teens in mind. Our main character Lucille lives in a utopian world in which monsters no longer exist, but when her blood seems to accidentally summon Pet, a winged and horned creature, she is forced to reconsider what she has always been told. Pet says that he is here to hunt a monster, and Lucille must learn what monstrosity really is, and save the world from the monsters that no one else will admit exist.\ \ My Rating: 3.75 stars (circa 2024)\ \ Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (autism representation, lived experience)\ \ If you have not read Get a Life, Chloe Brown, start there–but since our book club already read books 1 and 2 in this series, I thought I’d skip straight to book 3 for this recommendation. Eve Brown is the youngest of the Brown sisters, and she’s also kind of a hot mess. Desperate to prove herself, Eve interviews for a job at a bed and breakfast…and then proceeds to run over the owner with her car. Now Jacob is in a cast and Eve has taken the job and committed herself to taking care of him as he heals. Though Eve and Jacob could not be more different on the surface, the more time they spend together, the more the animosity between them grows into something else.\ \ My Rating: 5 stars (circa 2022)\ \ Icarus by K. Ancrum (EDS representation, lived experience)\ \ Another YA book that reads like literary fiction, though this one pitches itself as a contemporary romance. Our titular character Icarus is a thief who steals priceless artefacts and replaces them with his father’s forgeries. When Icarus is caught by the son of the man he is stealing from, he expects to be turned in, but Helios has been under house arrest by his father, and he gives Icarus something far more dangerous in exchange for freedom: friendship that grows into something more, something that could damn them both.\ \ My Rating: 3.75 stars (circa 2024)\ \ February Bonus Prompt: A Romance Novel \ \ What I’m Reading: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams (unsure of representation)\ \ February is, of course, also the month that features Valentine’s day, and as such a romance prompt is all but required. The book for this prompt does need to be capital-R Romance, aka genre romance–and not just romantic fiction. Paranormal, historical, and even (arguably) fantasy romance all count, so long as the romance storyline is the A-plot and the book ends in a Happily Ever After (or a Happily For Now).\ \ I decided to go with A Love Song for Ricki Wilde for this one because I adored Seven Days in June and finally snagged myself a copy of this one back in November. It’s also set in February, which makes this the perfect time to read it. I’ve seen this one on disability recommendation posts with a mixture of vague disability categories assigned to it (“mental health”, “invisible illness”, “chronic pain”), but have been unable to ascertain specifics. If it turns out there isn’t disability representation I’ll end up using the Chronically Romantic book club’s February pick ( Dukes and Dekes by Torie Jean) but I’m trying to push myself to read additional books alongside the book club selections to push myself to read even more books by disabled authors.\ \ I know very little about this book except that it follows our main character Ricki as she moves to Harlem to chase her dream of opening a flower shop, and on one February evening meets a mysterious man who turns her life upside down. There is a magical realism bent to this one as well, and I believe it involves time travel/blurring between the present day and the Harlem Renaissance.\ \ My Recommendations:\ \ Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese (anxiety and autism representation, both lived experience)\ \ Chloe Liese is a master of disability representation, and Two Wrongs Make a Right is no exception. This is a Much Ado About Nothing retelling following Jamie and Bea, who could not be more wrong for each other, as they join forces to concoct a plan for revenge on their meddling, matchmaking friends: They’re going to fake date, and then they’re going to fake a disastrous break-up. But the longer they pretend, the less they feel like they’re faking, and they can’t help but wonder if their friends were so off the mark with their matchmaking.\ \ My Rating: 4.75 stars (circa 2022)\ \ You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie (anxiety, lived experience)\ \ Vale’s life revolves around soccer, but when she starts a fight with her long-time rival Leticia, everything she’s been working towards becomes suddenly out of reach. Her only hope for redemption? Winning the tournament at her summer soccer camp. But when she arrives, she learns she will be co-captaining the team with none other than Leticia herself.\ \ My Rating: 4.75 stars (circa 2023)\ \ Finding Gene Kelly by Torie Jean (endometriosis representation, lived experience)\ \ If I have the opportunity to recommend Torie’s books, I will be doing so. She writes what is, truly, some of the best chronic illness representation I have ever read. When Evie needs a fake date to bring home to keep her overbearing mother at bay, she last person she wants it to be is Liam Kelly, her childhood friend turned nemesis, but when he unexpectedly turns up in Paris, it appears he’s her only hope. But in order to make this farce convincing, Liam insists on practice dates that ignite long-suppressed sparks in Evie.\ \ My Rating: 5 stars (circa 2022)\ \ Both Prompts: A Romance Book by a Black Author \ \ I know for some people, reading two books per month for a reading challenge can be too much of a stretch, but if you’re interested in being a completionist: here are books that count for both prompts simultaneously!\ \ Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant (migraine representation, lived experience and dyslexia representation)\ \ This YA contemporary romance follows Reggie and Delilah when they first meet on New Year’s Eve, and then continue to connect through chance meetings on subsequent holidays (Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s Day, etc)--as if the universe itself is pushing them together. I loved this book, and I don’t want to say more for risk of spoiling things, but it’s one of my favorite YA contemporaries.\ \ My Rating: 4.75 stars (circa 2023)\ \ Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan (depression representation, lived experience)\ \ This is one of the (if not the) best books I have ever read in my entire life. It will tear your heart out of your chest, crush it into a million pieces, and stitch it back together in a way that makes you believe in love like never before. After the devastating loss of a stillbirth, Yasmin and Josiah’s marriage fell apart. Now, they are finding a new rhythm, coparenting their children and learning to find joy again. But they are drawn to each other, even know, and as they heal they begin to reconnect–but doing so reopens old wounds, and they must find out if it is too late for them to find forever.\ \ My Rating: 5 stars (circa 2024)\ \ Outdrawn by Deanna Grey (anxiety representation, lived experience, and carpal tunnel representation)\ \ Noah has finally gotten her foot in the door to achieving her dream–her viral web comic scored her a job at a legendary comic company. There’s nowhere for her to go but up, if not for the fact that Sage is standing in her way. Sage and Noah have been rivals since art school, and now they’re assigned to work as a team on a career-defining comic release. The more they butt heads and are forced to spend time in close proximity, the more sparks begin to fly.\ \ My Rating: 4.5 stars (circa 2024)\ \ What will you read? \ \ I love how much people show up for the Read Disabled challenge every year, and I love seeing what everyone reads--if you've decided what you're reading for either prompt, leave a comment! \ \ And if you have Storygraph but haven't officially joined the challenge yet, you can do so HERE.\ \ While reading books by disabled authors is not required for this challenge, it is encouraged, and all of the authors featured here are disabled, though they may not have the specific disabilities represented.\ \ Thank you all so much for participating--I hope you enjoy your February reads!

February READ DISABLED Prompts and Recommendations!

16 books

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chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jul 27 2025

Author Q&A Recording- To a Darker Shore with Leanne Schwartz

Recording of the Chronically Bookish Book Club livestream for their April pick To a Darker Shore with author Leanne Schwartz

15 books

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Posts about this book from across Bindery

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jul 16

romance books where both characters are disabled!

#bookstagram #romancebookstagram #dating #disabilitybooks #disabilitypride -paid partnership-

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chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jan 25

February READ DISABLED Prompts and Recommendations!

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Wanderland Reads\ \ Sayer\ \ • Aug 17 2025

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[In a world obsessed with narrow beauty standards fueled by media, advertising, and social platforms, it can be hard to see and love your body for what it truly is. It feels like all the books that go viral on BookTok and Bookstagram feature some 26 year old size 2, zero body fat, with huge boobs and a round ass. She’s ridiculously bendy and has the ideal beauty standards popular in western societies, aka the beauty standard of white supremacy. \ \ But here’s the truth: body diversity is beautiful, and every single body deserves love and acceptance. The journey toward body positivity starts within—by practicing self-love and embracing your unique shape and size.\ \ Our bodies come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and abilities. There’s no one “ideal” look—only the incredible variety of human bodies. Society often promotes a limited idea of beauty, but the reality is that every body has worth. Whether you have a small frame, luscious curves, scars from life, or are navigating disability, your body is an essential part of your identity.\ \ Celebrating this diversity is key to building a more inclusive world—and to your own self-acceptance.\ \ Many of us carry internalized societal messages that promote shame, making it hard to love ourselves. Book covers often show ‘perfect’ bodies that are unrealistic and unrepresentative, if I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard authors complaining that they can’t find plus size stock images. Comparing yourself to these images can lead to feelings of inadequacy. Past criticisms, whether from peers or family, also contribute to negative body image.\ \ In a world obsessed with narrow beauty standards—think tiny waists, zero body fat, and boobs so big they have their own zip codes—it’s honestly exhausting. Seriously, if I had a dollar for every BookTok or Bookstagram viral book featuring some 26-year-old size 2 with a six-pack, a round butt, and bendy flexibility that’s borderline superhero stuff, I’d be buying islands by now. It’s like the “perfect” bookish body is a white, Western, societal fantasy that’s basically a cookie cutter nobody actually looks like.\ \ But here’s the real deal: body diversity is so much more beautiful than any airbrushed Instagram filter or viral TikTok star. Every single body on this planet deserves love—whether you’re rocking some stretch marks, an apron belly, scars from life’s adventures, or navigating disability. Your body is part of your story and who you are, and it’s time we stop pretending there’s just one “ideal.”\ \ Celebrating all kinds of bodies isn’t just some ‘nice’ thing to do—it’s essential for building a world where everyone feels seen and accepted. We’ve all internalized some level of society’s nonsense, and it’s easy to look at those glossy book covers or scroll through Instagram and start thinking, “Ugh, why do I look like this, and why isn’t that image more ‘normal’?” If I had a nickel for every time I heard an author complain about the difficulty of finding realistic, plus-size book covers, I’d probably be sipping margaritas on a yacht somewhere, on the island I already bought with all those dollars. Comparing yourself to those impossible standards? Yeah, I see you—been there, done that, bought the emotional distress T-shirt.\ \ The first step is recognizing these barriers and challenging them consciously.\ \ Practical Ways to Embrace Your Body \ \

  1. Practice Daily Affirmations\ \ Start each day by telling yourself something positive. Focus on your body’s strengths, like “I am grateful for my legs that carry me,” or “My smile is beautiful.”\ \
  2. Limit Harmful Media\ \ Follow body-positive influencers and accounts that showcase beautiful diversity in appearance and lifestyle. Unfollow or mute content that triggers negative feelings.\ \
  3. Wear Clothes That Make You Feel Good\ \ Clothing is a form of self-expression. Select outfits that reflect your style and boost your confidence—comfort over conformity.\ \
  4. Celebrate Movement and Health\ \ Engage in activities you love—dancing, swimming, hiking—not as a way to change your body but to honor what it can do.\ \ \ If you struggle with deep-seated shame or trauma related to body image please make sure you are talking about this with your therapist, but also, consider these approaches:\ \ Cultivating Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself. Challenge negative self-talk by asking, “Would I say this to a friend?” Focus on your strengths and accomplishments. Remember, the goal isn’t perfection—it's self-acceptance. Recognize that every small step counts. If you’re learning to love your body, celebrate the victories, no matter how tiny they seem.\ \ The power of community and support looks like surrounding yourself with people who uplift and support body diversity. Join online or local body-positive communities, share your journey, and listen to others' stories. Supporting each other creates an environment where everyone feels valued.\ \ Challenging societal standards can look like using your voice to advocate for representation of all body types in media, fashion, and advertising. Small acts—like complimenting someone’s style or speaking out against unrealistic beauty ideals—can create ripples of change.\ \ Don’t think I forgot to add the Romancelandia lens here, these novels are more than escapism—they can be tools for body validation. Reading stories with diverse MCs who love and desire themselves creates a sense of possibility and acceptance for your own body. Seeing characters with different body types celebrated for their confidence and sensuality helps solidify the idea that all bodies are worthy of love and pleasure.\ \ I remember the first book I read with a plus size heroine, and the first book I read that had spicy times with a plus size FMC. I was like…skrrrrr…wait, people actually have sex in plus size bodies. Granted I was young and had been conditioned to believe that my body was undesirable, repulsive even. But the more I read books with fat FMCs, the more I unlearned that, you know what, fat girls fuck. \ \ So my non-exhaustive list of books I LOVE that have plus size FMCs\ \ Like all of Olivia Dade’s books, let’s just get that straight right now.\ \ The Brown Sisters Trilogy and The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert\ \ Whirlwind by Kayla Grosse (for fans of Twister)\ \ The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez\ \ Curvy Girl Summer and Plus Size Player (good LORDT THIS ONE IS HAWT-If ‘talk her through it was a man”) by Danielle Allen\ \ My Best Friends Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner \ \ At Her Feet by Rebekah Weatherspoon\ \ For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding\ \

Body Positivity Begins With Self-Love: Embracing All Body Types

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chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jul 27 2025

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Author Q&A Recording- To a Darker Shore with Leanne Schwartz

Recording of the Chronically Bookish Book Club livestream for their April pick To a Darker Shore with author Leanne Schwartz

15 books

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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jan 22 2024

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book recs to get you back into reading in 2024!! | lit fic, fantasy, romance

Hope you enjoy xx

15 books