Book Review: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert – The Greatest Sunshine and Grump Romance that Defeats Autistic Stereotypes and Is Hot AF

Blurb:

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.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown is the third and final book in the Brown Sisters series (and you can read them in any order; they are companion novels!). The story opens with a dreaded ultimatum. Eve’s parents tell her that after another job that she has given up on, this time disastrously with some doves she needed to set free at a wedding she was planning, she must prove herself with one last hurrah at adulting and holding down a job independently. She comes across a quaint bed and breakfast in Skybriar where she applies to trial a job with her new boss, Jacob, the B&B’s owner.

Book Recommendations – Funny Books That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud

In case you’re new to the Pond’s book recommendation posts, the recommendation posts are brought to you by Varian, the Pond’s very own Toadshifter who is knowledgeable in all kinds of magic! One of Varian’s ambitions is to get better at sewing, hence why whenever Varian has come up with their latest costume, they will always recommend a few books that inspired them!

Sometimes, I think we can all do with a book that makes you laugh.

Nothing feels better than reading a book that is just so charming and funny that it pulls you into the character’s world – and helps you escape the rush and mess, even if it’s for a little while. I’ve had the privilege of reading some truly hilarious books this year, so I thought I would put together a list of the books that literally made me laugh out loud – a feat, since I’m actually a very stoic reader!

Book Recommendations: Books With #OwnVoices Autistic Characters!

When you visit Varian’s corner of the Pond, they look like they’re busy doing… needlework? When they see you approach, they wave and beckon you over with a big smile.

“Good day to you, friend,” greets Varian. “Give me one moment, I’m almost finished.”

You look over Varian’s shoulder and see a rainbow infinity symbol cross-stitched into the fabric they are holding, and right next to it is a rainbow heart! The cross-stitch isn’t too neat, but you can tell that Varian put a lot of love into this cross-stitching.

“And done!” says Varian as they snip off the thread. They hold it up to you, and give you a shy smile. “Gen suggested that I take a break from making costumes because, even though I love it, it can get pretty tiring! So Xiaolong suggested that I do some cross-stitching — I’m not very good yet, but it is very relaxing, and I quite enjoy it.

“The rainbow infinity is for Autistic Pride Month, and the rainbow heart is for diversity. I want to support our autistic friends, so I also want to recommend some books by autistic authors to you as well.”

That sounds great! It looks like Gen had a lot of fun cross-stitching this, and you have a feeling they are going to have fun recommending some books to you as well.

Hello friends! I hope you all are reading some wonderful books. ✨

In case you’re new to the Pond’s recommendation posts, the recommendation posts are brought to you by Varian, the Pond’s very own Toadshifter who is knowledgeable in all kinds of magic! One of Varian’s ambitions is to get better at sewing, hence why whenever Varian has shown you their latest costume, they will always recommend a book that inspired that costume.