My Thoughts:

This is a YA Bridgette Jones except if Bridgette were a black 17-year old who wants to go to the uni and make a mark in corporate law just to crush her deadbeat father at his own game. The voice of Celine Bangura is very sharp, witty and self-absorbed like Bridgette and I could see a younger, more modern Bridgette also having a Tik Tok channel focused on aliens and conspiracy theories.

Celine is the slightly chunky, "I don't need anyone or anything to succeed [especially my former best friend and arch nemesis Bradley Graaeme who is annoyingly beautiful]" social media star who is bullied by the cool kids for her theories on aliens. She doesn't care, except for the fact that Bradley was her person until he abandoned her for the popular jerks/jocks that he hangs out with. That is her side of the story.

What readers will automatically know even before they start is that of course Celine and Bradley will be friends again and even find out that they are still each other's person. That is super obvious by the genre and the title.

What readers will be surprised by is that Bradley will get equal voice in this novel. Not only that, but Bradley has not only (mostly) found ways to deal with the spiraling thoughts from his OCD that Celine would help him through when they were younger, but also that he really is the moral center and the emotional rock of this story. He is definitely a keeper.

This book will give you all the feels you expect from a YA rom com with just enough coaching, controversy and mental health strategies to be helpful without being preachy. The characters do a lot of soul searching and maturing, even if as readers we know how it will end. The joy, after all, is in the journey, even if we know where the journey ends.

From the Publisher:
Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption—yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)

These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

Publication information:
Author: Talia Hibbert
Publisher: Joy Revolution (Jan 3, 2023)
Age range: Gr 9 and up

Talia Hibbert does it again! I loved everything about this. YA is a fine line but these teenagers definitely lean on the mature side so conflicts don’t last long and it’s relatively angst free. I appreciate that everything doesn’t magically resolve for Celine, but she still gets to have it all while figuring out her stuff, and Brad? Sweet sweet Brad. Thoroughly enjoyed myself during this entire book, but especially the second half.

I am a huge Talia Hibbert fan, so when she announced the release of this YA I jumped at the opportunity to read it.
I used to read loads of YA so I thought I was ready for her to change up her adult storylines for the voes of growing up and yet.

Maybe it's me and the book will resonate so much more with the teens about whom and for whom it is written, but for me, the pace was slow, the stakes were low and the resolutions, though meaningful, didn't quite have the gut punch I needed.

It isn't bad, don't take my review that way.
It just isn't for me and though I will continue to read adult Talia Hibbert, I might not return to her YA books if she puts more out in the future.

I am a huge Talia Hibbert fan, so when she announced the release of this YA I jumped at the opportunity to read it.
I used to read loads of YA so I thought I was ready for her to change up her adult storylines for the voes of growing up and yet.

Maybe it's me and the book will resonate so much more with the teens about whom and for whom it is written, but for me, the pace was slow, the stakes were low and the resolutions, though meaningful, didn't quite have the gut punch I needed.

It isn't bad, don't take my review that way.
It just isn't for me and though I will continue to read adult Talia Hibbert, I might not return to her YA books if she puts more out in the future.

First, Thank you for Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 star read!

I’ve loved Talia Hibbert ever since her Brown Sisters trilogy. When I heard she was writing a YA romance, I just had to read! Just like her other books, I had a hard time putting this one down.

The banter between the MC’s was amazing (as always with Talia Hibbert) and they are just … as the title of the book says, unfairly cute. Overall if you are looking for a great, fun, and awesome read, pick this book up today!

I'm not usually into YA romance, but I thought this book from one of my faves was excellent! Talia Hibbert always knocks it out of the park, so I shouldn't be surprised. The way that she approaches writing about mental health struggles is so gentle and careful, and I wish more authors would follow her lead. If you like enemies to lovers, strong female leads, and sweet cinnamon roll bi dudes, this one is for you!

This was a super cute story that I think my students are going to love. I think the representation was done really well and the students reading this book will definitely be able to see themselves in these characters. The writing was also done in a really well done way.

What a fun YA book from Talia Hibbert! I will admit, I thought it started off a bit slow - but I ended up loving the dynamic from these friends - turned enemies - turned friends - turned romance. And the setting of a wilderness adventure? Loved it - something fun can always happen when you're surrounded by nature, mud and wild animals.

Overall, I think Talia Hibbert fans will enjoy this one - as long as they go in wit the mindset that it is YA! It was a cute read!

We Stan a young queen who’s unapologetically herself. And a young king that knows how to match her energy.

Celine is no joke and Bradley is no slouch.

The back and forth between the two is cute, but it’s clear as day they’re crushing.

The way they notice each other’s smell and the things that make them individually them. really enjoyed the way the author took her time developing things with these two. Things weren’t rush and we even got the back story. There’s an important lesson of communication here, it truly is key when it comes to navigating relationships. I would love to see more of these two, a series perhaps

I always keep a place for YA in my heart. This story gave me all the feels.

I

First of all, I loved The Brown Sisters by Talia Hibbert, so I knew I had to get my hands on Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, and it was perfection in all its opposites attract, rivalry, and forced proximity goodness.

Celine and Bradley are enemies.
They haven't always been.
Now they have to show teamwork and leadership... From the same side. And as university deadlines loom closer, the stakes are high.

Celine is finishing her school days dedicated to staying top of the class and beginning a university study in law. When her friend finds a scholarship opportunity being presented by one of her female law idols, she signs up for a wilderness leadership experience, convinced she can overcome any obstacle and win the scholarship.
In a painful twist of fate, her enemy Bradley ends up signing up too because the scholarship would allow him to follow his own career path without debt. And also not have a roommate, which appeals to his OCD self enough to overcome his fears and disgust of the outdoors.

Together, through the challenges of the wilderness experience, leadership challenges, their school year and family dramas, Celine and Bradley aren't sure enemies is accurate... In fact, quite the opposite.

This has all the humor, banter, strong personalities and descriptions that define Talia Hibbert writing. In teen form, her writing was just as engaging, just as complex but in a way that would hit teens in the right way. The demonstration of wanting to be an adult, feeling grown up, and actually growing up being different points of life was beautifully done.

#arc
#netgalley
Highlysuspiciousandunfairlycute

This book was wonderfully cute and often laugh-out-loud funny. YA romance isn't my primary preferred genre, but I was rooting hard for Brad and Celine at the end. I loved them as characters and found this book to be sweet and satisfying.

I really did enjoy it and practically finished it in one sitting. Loved the relationship between Brad and Celia. I'm always a sucker for friends to enemies to lovers. Also enjoyed the parallels of their own individual conflicts and how it offers insight for one another. Although, there were some points in the beginning where the stereotypes and bias got too repetitive for me. Also, I felt some very minor substories did not get closure.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's Joy Revolution for my copy of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute.

Special thanks to the author, @joyrevbooks, & @netgalley for my advanced readers copy!!!

I kinda have a love-hate relationship with this book right now. The pacing started off to slow for my liking. It dragged all through the middle then finally picked up toward the end. In all honesty I wanted to DNF this book but I didn’t LOL my own fault.

We have a dual POV from two MC’s Celine and Bradley. They were once friends then had a major fallout over a minor misunderstanding that resulted in them becoming enemies. When they both signed up for an outdoor survival competition to win a scholarship. They’re paired together in a group forcing them to rekindle and set aside their differences.

The relationship between Celine and Brad really seemed forced. I didn’t see a true connection or chemistry between the two. Kind of think they were better off as just being friends. The secret romantic moments they shared were awkward. Just a lot of we shouldn’t be doing this, we can’t let anyone find out, I want you so bad moments.

My main dislike was there wasn’t much detail into why Celine and Brad became enemies. I get that she felt left out when Brad started hanging with the popular kids in school. But we all know peer pressure can be a tough thing to deal with. Brad conformed and she didn’t which made her feel betrayed. I slick feel like she made herself the outsider stepping away from their friendship and blaming it all on him. Their whole falling out and becoming enemies really wasn’t worth it in my opinion.

The character development was okay but Celine got a little annoying after awhile. Brad was very likable. But I just expected a little more out of the book. This was my first read by Talia and I’ve heard her other books are great but this wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be.

The premise was cute and I loved the cover which is why I wanted to read it. But I wouldn’t say this book was 100% for me definitely recommend for a younger audience. I’m a fan of YA but feel this one fell a bit flat. It had potential but the delivery made it boring.

This is Talia's first dive into the Young Adult genre and I really hope it won't be her last! This was such a sweet story will well fleshed out characters, funny banter, and the cutest love story in the midst of it all. Can't wait for more YA stories from her!

To no one's surprise, this was another super entertaining book from the great Talia Hibbert. I loved that like all of her other books, these characters had "flaws" that made getting through their day a bit more challenging than others. I also thought the romance was sweet and heartwarming and loved how the book ended. I think the only reason it didn't get a 5-star from me is that I've already read some of her adult books. Using adult characters makes the challenges and the plot a bit more complicated, and the romance steamier. So to go from those to this felt like a step-down, personally. However, I do genuinely believe this is a great book for teens and a great way to segway people into trying her adult books. I would definitely read another YA by her and will of course read her adult ones.

I absolutely loved this book! I love Talia Hibbert’s characters - she writes diverse, fun, cool characters flawlessly. The banter in this was beautiful, and we even get some cute, awkward, YA-ified, steam-adjacent moments which I LOVE. The plot is so crazy in the best way. Seeing both characters find themselves and gain confidence as they fall in love? Chef’s kiss.
I think it was a great first venture into YA as nothing felt too adult or too dumbed-down. The dialogue wasn’t cringey and out of touch at all, which is somewhat bare minimum but still fantastic. And things manage to feel down-to-earth and high stakes all at once. I think high school age kids will love it as they face similar struggles, but it’s not by any means too immature for adults to read and connect with.
Celine and Brad are kicking my feet and squealing worthy levels of adorable, and their friends and families fill out the world perfectly. I love it!

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Review:

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review and place on this blog tour – thanks!

I am quite please that this was my first read of the new year as it was an absolute blast. Celine and Bradley were too characters filled with so much sass and energy, that you cannot help but love them. Talia Hibbert’s YA debut is certainly one you should not miss, and I hope mine and all the other posts on this blog tour make you see why.

I thought that the British slang glossary was a neat addition to this book, even as someone who has consumed enough British media to understand most of it. I always can appreciate when authors take the time to do this extra work, and it was helpful especially in the description of their schooling system. I still don’t fully understand it, but I was certainly less confused.

At times this book was all over the place, but I think that was part of its charm. The time skips weren’t entirely consistent or with any noticeable reason, but it helped to move the story along and set it apart from other YA books for that reason. We don’t really need details of every day of their school life, considering the BEP is the main focus of the book. One thing I will say is that this choice does negate the changes in Celine and Bradley’s relationship and makes their strides from frenemies to friends to maybe more a bit harder to believe.

This is a story not only about friendship, but about family. It has deep messages about agency, and that not everything you do needs to be approved by your family. But at the same time, both Celine and Bradley have such sturdy familial support systems, who help them to see this.

Fans of Hibbert’s other works will certainly be a fan of this, and perhaps this can be a book for fans of Alice Oseman as well (my apologies that I am not more familiar with other British YA contemporary authors). It was a wild ride, filled with lots of laughs, smiles, and the cutest (and perhaps most oblivious) ship. This book will be a new favourite for many I am sure. It has certainly encouraged me to pick up more of her books this year.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute released January 3rd, 2023

I adored this novel! Yes, this book was UNFAIRLY CUTE! This is a YA, former best friend turned nemesis trope and it was just so sweet and charming. I really enjoyed the dual POV and the will they/won’t they that just fits so well in a high school book. I listened to a portion of this audiobook and the British narration added a lot to the story for me. The story was cute and the detail of Celine being a content creator that discredits conspiracy theories - love it!

Talia Hibbert debuts her first YA novel and gives readers plenty of the sass and snark that she is known for in her adult books but also some sweetness in this teen rom-com. Bradley and Celine are former best friends turned sworn rivals when they are paired up in a wilderness competition. As they learn to work together, they begin to remember all the good parts of friendship and realize that maybe they want more than friendship. Hibbert gives us layered, relatable MCs dealing with real teen issues and also loveable side characters that help round this story out. I definitely recommend.