This book was a cute read. There was something missing for me but ultimately did enjoy it. The author is talented, I'm just not sure I'm a fan of the situationship turned relationship because rarely do situationships ever end in monogamous relationships. I think my love for this book knows no bounds because every aspect of this book was exactly what I wanted and what I needed from a romance! As an overview, this book has great friendship, romance, mental health, discussions about emotions, discussions about grief and anxiety, minimal but realistic drama and more. Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the scoreandknows their way around the bedroom.

Then what's the murder glare for?" With complete seriousness, he told her, "This is just my face. I have a murder face." I'm a coward. I'm lost. I'm addicted to being around you and I don't know what I'll do when it stops. Maybe it shouldn't stop.

I think especially in British literature, it's quite a humorous convention to have this very posh, very well-off family that's disconnected from the world in a humorous way. As an academician she is really workaholic and she doesn’t do relationships because she tells everyone it is a distraction to prevent her keep eye on the ball and work for her career oriented aims. But of course she keeps lying to herself because her first serious relationship broke her heart into smithereens and she thinks she’s emotionally cold and awkward so she doesn’t have anything to give anyone and she cannot change her emotionally disabled situation.

Last year I read Get a Life Chloe Brown, and while I liked it a lot it was one of those books where I didn’t quite get the hype. This book… I totally get the hype. I absolutely LOVED Take a Hint Dani Brown. Zaf and Dani were both fantastic characters and I enjoyed reading this so much. Eighteen-year-old Mallory Greenleaf is no longer interested in chess, not since her hypercompetitive dad left—the game calls up painful memories. But she grudgingly agrees to play in a charity tournament as a favor to best friend Easton Peña. After she unexpectedly beats current world champion Nolan Sawyer, she’s offered a fellowship that will prepare her to play professionally. Even though Mallory doesn’t want to play anymore, she needs the money that winning would provide; she’s delayed college to support her family, since her mother is chronically ill with rheumatoid arthritis and is unable to work regularly. The more time she spends with Nolan, the more Mallory comes to like and respect him—and the more time she spends playing chess, the more she remembers how much she loved it. But when she learns that Nolan has been keeping a big secret from her, she isn’t sure if she’ll be able to move past it to build a relationship with him. Filled with the author’s signature humor, well-developed characters, and realistic conflicts, plus the fully realized setting of competitive chess, this captivating romance will delight teen readers as well as Hazelwood’s adult fans. Mallory and Nolan are both cued white; there is some racial diversity among the supporting cast. Mallory and Easton are queer. This was just such a bummer to read. It was so, so repetitive, and it focused on so many things I didn’t care about, and I felt like the entire romance was telling not showing, and in the end I just didn’t...FEEL anything.Also, whereas GALCB had heavy topics like this one, it was dealt with differently, using humour and cuteness, which made it so uplifting! TAHDB felt heavier, and not as upbeat. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it was just different. Dani is a cynic when it comes to romance. Despite her fiery and blunt personality, she still comes across as very loveable human. Nevertheless, Zaf is easily my favourite character in the book (and funnily, Red was my favourite in Chloes book). I love that Zafs a romance-reading titan. All he wants is a happy ending. He also suffers from grief and anxiety, which is openly discussed throughout the book, and expertly covered. I found his way of thinking to very relatable and realistic, and his vulnerability is refreshing to read. He comes across as a big, aloof, grouch, but in reality hes a bit of a gentle giant. His goal is to combat toxic masculinity through sports and therapy hes too pure! Major or minor, if something keeps you human when pressure makes you feel like a volcano, hold on to that thing by whatever means necessary." Dani is a confident woman who knows what she wants out of life and intends to get it. I loved that Dani knew her own mind and wasn’t willing to settle for anything less than what she wanted. Dani does have a poor outlook on love as it’s never worked out for her in the past. After learning Dani’s history, her reaction to love made sense and I could see why she avoids it. Dani is a bit of a workaholic and her dedication to her work definitely led to her personal life suffering. Her family is fantastic and I love the relationship she has with her sisters. Dani, Chloe, and Eve are all so wonderfully supportive of each other and I love it.

I believe what I’m enjoying the most is the wittiness amongst the sisters and Gigi. I love the sisterhood and friendship shown in both books. This second series was just as enjoyable as the first. I love the fact we have this huge man that is Zafir, all physical qualities screams MAN and ALPHA, but he is a huge romanticizing marshmallow. In terms of Dani he is understanding and appreciative of her person. That is so important in a relationship, especially for someone with the insecurities Dani has. She knows who she is yet feels like her personality hinders her from finding love. I can personally relate to that. But when you find a person who loves you, your mind, quirkiness, “faults”& your insecurities, that is a person who sees you. I truly enjoyed their HEA and Dani realization of her capabilities of expressing her love for Zafir.Don't get me wrong, though; while Zaf was the shining light for me, I adored Danika, too. She isn't my favorite of Talia's heroines (that one's still a toss-up between Ruth Kabbah and Dani's older sister Chloe), but she was certainly fun, and I loved the fact that she was a practicing witch! I related so much to every scene that touched upon her faith and practice, and having never seen a modern witch in a romance book before, I ate it right up. Of course, Dani could be a bit cruel to my sweet Zaf at times, but without spoiling anything, trust me when I say our lovely lady impressed me to no end with how far she progressed. As for Dani, well, shes fantastic! Shes motivated and determined, shes blunt and shes confident, but she also protects her heart at all costs. She values her success in her academic field, and it was so wonderful getting to read about someone who so obviously loved what they did, and was not ashamed to put their focus on their work rather than other places.