Narrated by: Ione Butler
Publisher: HarperAudio
Genre: Rom-Com
Format: Audiobook
Release Date: June 23, 2020
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Listening to this was like sitting in a warm bath. There’s just so much joy here, along with just-the-right-amount of angst, tension, and steam for this to make an absolutely delightful rom-com. Oh! And it’s funny, too, of course. I’d been meaning to read one of The Brown Sisters books for a fair while, and ended up somehow with this on Audible before realising it was the second, not the first book. Luckily for me, right before I was able to finish this I picked up a copy of Get a Life, Chloe Brown, so I will be reading that at some point.
Back to this book. Danika is more focused on her career than anything else, and after being in a few unsuccessful relationships, she’s decided to give romantic relationships a miss. Too much effort. But what she does need to help ease her tension is a friend-with-benefits, and the universe is about to throw one right into her path. Enter Zafir Ansari, captured on video carrying Dani out of a not-burning building, and the heroic rescue goes viral – #DrRugbae is trending, and Zaf – ex-rugby player and security guard – could use the publicity for his sports charity. So Dani agrees to a fake relationship, just for a few weeks, just to help the kids, and not because she’s convinced Zaf might just be her perfect FWB, of course…
This being a Romance, it’s safe to say these two fall in love, and they do it in the best possible way. We get to really see the relationship develop, the way these two attempt to evade their own growing feelings, and we get a front row seat as to why Dani and Zaf are absolutely perfect for one another. The chemistry sizzles off the page, and had me jumping for joy whenever they took another step forward.
Favourite moment is when Zaf reveals – in an absolutely adorable way – how much he really knows about Dani and her work. Dani is totally driven by her work, and used to loved ones zoning out when she talks about it. Zaf is different, and every time we got him reflecting on how smart Dani is had me squealing. It’s so great to see a male character absolutely swooning over a woman’s intellect, without feeling anything but joy and admiration for it – more of this, please!
Both Dani and Zaf have their own struggles, and they really do grow throughout the book. Dani’s partly comes from her ambition and feeling forced, in previous relationships, to do things she didn’t really want to do. Zaf’s comes from an awful incident in his past, and struggling through grief while journalists took advantage.
It’s very clear I adored this, as much as Zaf and Dani adore each other, and if you’re looking for a fun, sweet read with hundreds of reasons to root for the main couple, this is a strong recommendation from me.
Reading Challenge
2023 Tarot Reading Challenge
Prompt: The Lovers
Progress: 3/164 Completed
Unwrapping Words 