People find unusual habits more charming when they are included. Eve had always known that, in the back of her mind, but it was something she’d resented, and so she tended to ignore it. Now, though—now, here was Jacob, laying it out like a military tactic rather than some sort of moral directive. Like a strategy they were smart enough to deploy upon people who just didn’t understand, rather than a behavioral correction.
– Act Your Age, Eve Brown
Summary and Thoughts
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.
This was an incredibly sweet novel. As a fan of Talia Hibbert’s previous works, particularly those in the Brown Sister series (Get a Life, Chloe Brown and Take a Hint, Dani Brown), I was excited to see how she would end her trilogy. This story follows sunshine creative Eve Brown and grumpy B&B owner Jacob Wayne as they crash into each other’s lives (literally via car) and fall in love. Additionally, there’s some great Autism representation here, which is especially heartening as Hibbert is Autistic as well (#OwnVoices).
Like all of Hibbert’s books, Act Your Age, Eve Brown has great banter, lovable characters, and spicy scenes written to uplift and entertain. I loved seeing Eve and Jacob develop as characters and found their love for each to be genuine and sweet. The plot itself is very character-based, with little propelling action except for a cooking event at the novel’s conclusion (there isn’t too much anxiety leading up to it though – aside from the main romantic tension). For me, personally, I think the novel could have benefitted from more plot tension, as I found my attention wandering towards the middle of the novel. As much as I loved the main romance and understood the ups and downs of its development, I still felt like the pacing caused their interactions to drag on and on and on without much pulling them forward. All that being said, though I really enjoyed this romance, I think Hibbert’s previous books were stronger. Perhaps start with those before picking this one up!
Notable Reviews
For Those Who Enjoyed
- The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
- The Roommate by Rosie Danan
- Along for the Ride by Mimi Grace
- The Write Escape by Charish Reid
Star Rating
3.7/5
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