Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

5*

Youngest sister Eve Brown, in this final book of the Brown sisters trilogy, is a failure...at school, at jobs, at friendships, and at romantic relationships. When her wildly successful, loving, and supportive parents threaten to cut her off until she can prove that she can support herself for a year and grow up, her hurt and anger propel her to drive aimlessly until she stumbles upon a quaint B&B in the Lake District. When she spontaneously requests an impromptu interview for a chef position, rude, glacial owner Jacob’s disdain and dismissal have her fleeing...until he comes to his senses, follows her to her car, and gets promptly run over. With his concussion and broken wrist, he has no choice but to put her in charge while he recovers. What ensues is a funny, awkward, enemies-to-lovers romance that proves that “normal” is a social construct which sets up those on the autism spectrum to fail. As Jacob thought, “the world would be a much better place if they stopped congratulating themselves on being normal and started to accept that there were countless different normals, and Jacob’s kind was just as fine as everyone else’s.” 

 

Jacob’s childhood experience has conditioned him to believe that anyone he cares for will ultimately leave, and Eve is unable to believe that what she sees as failures are, in fact, fragments of a broken dream. As Jacob said, in one of the most beautiful lines I’ve ever read, “It sounds like your dream broke, and you’ve been picking up shattered pieces and blaming yourself when your hands bleed.” I love how they just get each other and, in so doing, instill confidence and comfort.

 

It’s astonishing to realize that author Hibbert is only in her mid 20s, yet has the  maturity and insight to write novels with such depth and understanding of the human psyche. Although all 3 sisters are quirky, it isn’t until this final book of the trilogy that she matches one with a man who is unashamedly autistic and just “gets” Eve’s idiosyncrasies. It’s sad that neither of their parents recognize that their differences make them exceptional in a good way, instead seeing their behavior as something to be rejected, at worst, or managed, at best. As an autistic person herself, she gives her readers a clear view of the challenges and triumphs of those on the spectrum and treats her well-drawn main characters with dignity and respect. 

 

It’s also a profound pleasure to read about women who embrace their large bodies and who all find men who love all of their curves, rolls, and “brown velvet skin.” Like in Book 1, Get a Life, Chloe Brown, Hibbert blasts holes in fat phobia with positive, glowing comments from her male protagonists and body positivity embraced by her heroines. For these reasons and more, I highly recommend this sweet, cute romance in which neuro-divergent behavior is normalized and where Eve and Jacob find a home in each other. 

 

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Avon through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.