guyssssss this book is the one 🥹

it’s so incredibly good and adorable, i found myself giggling and kicking my feet and it’s just so adolescent. i loveeee celine and brad so so much they’re relationship was one i could not only relate to but i found so fresh and rewarding. i loved it.

Based on the reviews I have seen, my opinion of this book is not the norm. All the other reviews I have seen have been 4+ stars. I went into it with such high expectations because I loved Talia Hibbert's other books but this just did not do it for me. Also, to be fair this is a YA and I am far passed the age of being considered a young adult.

I just could not connect with these characters which is such a shame because I have absolutely adored Talia's previous characters.

If you are in your early 20s I would say to give this one a go. If not, I think I'd stick to her other books.

I didn’t like this book as much as I anticipated I would but that’s probably because I didn’t like Bradley for just dumping Celine once he got popular and I was biased from the beginning. Talia Hibberts writing remains fantastic. Her ability to emerce the reader into an environment remains stellar. Overall, this was just okay for me but I definitely love Talia Hibbert and will read anything she writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Publishing for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to read this and while I did in the end enjoy the story I found it to be kind of slow since it didn’t really hold my attention so I had to really focus as I moved through the story. The characters were well written and it had great banter that I enjoyed but some parts just started to feel repetitive. Overall it was a cute and funny story just kind of drawn out.

First of all, I LOVE Talia Hibbert's writing, books, everything. So I was so very excited when I had the chance to review this arc. I can't tell you how adorable this book was! I loved being there with Celine and Bradley as they figure out their relationship...hate and love are often the other side of the same coin. This book has overcoming what you think you know and plan for yourself, sticking up for what you love, and camping. I also love how Talia brings forth something that so many people have and live with (OCD) and educates while having it seamlessly be a part of the story. This YA romance is just what you need to read this year.

4.5
I love me a Talia Hibbert novel.
I have to admit I’m not into YA anymore and that’s okay.
However I liked this story about Celine and Brad and the lines that had me laughing out loud. One of my favorites “not with these lashes. She bats her falsies at me (I think I feel a breeze)”

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review.

this was, indeed, unfairly cute.

i remember thinking to myself when i read my first talia hibbert book over a year ago that her voice would lend perfectly to YA. i am pleased to announce that i was correct. highly suspicious and unfairly cute is everything i love in a talia hibbert book: voicey, compulsively readable and full of heart. the humour is just as brilliant as always—only talia hibbert could have me giggling at a glossary! her characters are three dimensional and impossible not to root for and the main romance is equally compelling (and downright adorable).

Talia Hibbert is a must-read author for me. I requested an ARC for this book before realizing it was YA. When I finally noticed, I was a bit nervous. YA just hasn't been hitting right with me lately. But I had to give it a shot. And I'm so so so happy I did!

This was just pure fun, dripping with cheese and laughs. I found myself sneaking chances to pick up the book anytime I had a down moment—at the dentist's office, waiting in line, while my partner was in the bathroom at the bar. Anywhere!

I was so happy to see Talia Hibbert's strong voice carry over to this from her adult books. The wit and pace of her narration are so engaging and absolutely delightful.

And her characters are complex, three-dimensional beings—something I was scared would get lost in YA. But these young characters have so much going on in their lives, and they tackle those problems in a realistic, youthful way—often incorrectly. I loved seeing the mistakes and subsequent growth in each of our protagonists. This felt like a piece of their journey and that they would go on to entire lives afterward.

Overall, what a joy to read! I had so much fun and will be picking up anything from Talia Hibbert in the future—YA or adult—no questions asked!

I fell in love with Talia’s books with The Brown Sisters trilogy and this one did not disappoint! Her first YA novel it didn’t have the steam of her romances, but it had the chemistry and it was just so cute! So sweet and heart warming, I loved it!

I'm a huge fan of Talia Hibbert's adult romances, so I was super excited to pick up her YA debut. As a fan of both childhood friends-to-lovers and academic-rivals-to-lovers, I was always destined to fall in love with Bradley and Celine. Their banter is top notch. I actually don't know which character I related to more. Celine and I are both overachieving weirdos with control issues who get insecure trying to make new friends. Bradley and I are both bisexual aspiring authors, and though I don't have OCD, many of his symptoms are familiar from my own struggles with my anxiety disorder. They challenge and support each other so well, even when they think they're mortal enemies, and I cannot get enough of it.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is Talia Hibbert’s YA debut and it is positively delightful. I’m a huge fan of Hibbert’s adult romances - I mean, Eve Brown is one of my favorite books of all time, so when I heard that she was writing a YA contemporary, I was fully sold - sign me up. This has all of TH’s quintessential charm that you love in her adult books - it’s clearly YA but doesn’t sacrifice the emotional complexity that she’s known for! Her writing is always a highlight, but it really shines in this book - it’s playful and over-the-top in the best possible way.

As a person with obsessive and intrusive tendencies, Bradley Graeme is an absolute joy to read. He is the type of character that I *needed* as a academically-focused hypochondriac teenager (and even now as an adult). I found so many of his lines and intrusive thoughts deeply relatable - especially in his acknowledgement that his the scenarios playing out in his head are implausible. Having this type of character, especially with such realistic and authentic OCD representation, is revolutionary for the YA genre and definitely needed - I know that it would have been life changing for me to know that I wasn’t alone in those thought spirals.

I adored Brad and Celine’s relationship throughout - I, obviously, felt more personally attached to Brad, but I deeply understood Celine’s walls and hesitancies,, so watching them slowly crumble throughout the story was extremely gratifying. Brad and Celine’s relationship was so swooney the entire time - even when they still “hate” each other. They have top-notch, laugh-out-loud banter and chemistry throughout. But on top of that, it felt like the characters truly understood each other - and Talia Hibbert does a remarkable job of infusing empathy and vulnerability between them.

I also really loved the side characters. Gisele and Celine’s mom were fantastic - and they provided a lovely contrast to Celine’s abandonment issues from her dad. Aurora, Raj, and Sophie were also incredibly fun and likable characters. For the little time that we had with them, they made a lasting impact.

Also, this has one of my absolute favorite Author’s Notes of all time: “This story also involves highly fictionalized portrayals of existing forests. I am very sorry for all the geographical inaccuracies. In my defense, I did it for the feels.” This is the PERFECT way to set the tone for this book and it had me cackling before I even opened the first chapter.

I only really have 2 complaints with this book - and the ONLY reasons why it’s not a full 5 stars for me. First off, I thought that Celine’s attitude was a bit much - it took WAY too long for her to open up and I found that she was just a little too judgmental to be likable for a majority of it. While I understood why she was written this way and think it works, overall, for the character, she’s not a character that I personally relate to because of that. I wanted her to break open her shell a little bit. The 2nd is that I thought the ending wrapped up a little too quickly. Perhaps I just didn’t want it to end, but I found myself wanting more about the BEP program, them going off to college, and experiencing life together. That’s more of a personal complaint though.

This is an excellent YA debut and I’m so excited to see my favorite romance author transition into this new space. I cannot wait to own my own copy and to encourage everyone I know o read this!

Thank you SO much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Brad and Celine forever! This book was funny and witty and so so sweet. It was so adorable and had me feeling warm and fuzzy. This is a must read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC. I haven't read Hibbert's other (adult) romances but know they're super popular. This was cute and I really liked Celine & Brad's friendship (friends-enemies-friends - lovers is the arc) that was alway rooted in their respect for and appreciation of each other. I also liked the normalized bi and OCD rep in Brad, just part of who he was. The supporting characters had no purpose or growth other than to support, but maybe that's just the way of romances. Will definitely find a teen (and likely adult too) audience. Recomended for all HS/public library collections.

This was absolutely adorable!! I liked it so much! It was a super sweet and funny story. Perfect for fans of friends to enemies to lovers. Brad and Celine have known each other for forever. They are BFF's until something happens and they become enemies. Years later when Celine signs up for a survival course, Brad ends up joining as well. And that's the start of their new friendship. And I loved all the side characters because they made the story even more fun!

This book is so stinking cute! You cannot help but fall head over heels in love with Cel and Brad. They are the sweetest characters and they need to be protected at all costs. I loved the mental health rep, the bi rep from Brad, the celiac rep from Aurora. I loved how absolutely strong Cel was, she was such a strong female character but also so vulnerable. This book was hilarious, I was laughing so much throughout the entire story. At times, the story did feel a bit choppy and as though it didn’t flow as well as it could. Overall, this is an adorable YA and a book I would recommend to any YA audience.

Now, I’m not going to lie… I’m a mood reader to my core. I was not in the mood for a YA book. However, I am glad that I pushed myself to read this because overall it was such a cute, warm, & fuzzy read.

Highly Suspicious & Unfairly Cute was a cute story of Celine and Bradley— ex besties. They had a falling out when they were 14, and found their way back to each other in their senior year. It was honestly precious to see how much they cared, helped, and supported each other.

Thank you to Netgalley, Talia Hibbert, Random House Children, & Joy Revolution for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review.

This book came out 1/3/2023… go snatch it up if you’re in the mood for an adorable read.

I LOVED the OCD + bisexual rep! I think it was extremely well done and executed.

Super cute academic rivals to lovers YA contemporary rom-com.
A very sweet and fast read with amazing banter as always from Hibbert!

Thank you to Joy Revolution and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. As a long-time fan of Talia Hibbert’s adult romance series The Brown Sisters, I was beyond excited for her young adult debut, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. The book follows Brad and Celine, two ex-best friends who rekindle their old friendship during a survival course in the woods. Just like with every other book Hibbert has published, the novel is filled to the brim with smart and sardonic banter, complex female protagonists, electrifying chemistry, and swoony sweethearts that you’ll root for well after the very last page. Books that are dual perspective run the risk of the characters’ voices sounding too similar, but Hibbert’s precise characterization skills completely absolved the book of this issue; Brad and Celine’s voices are appropriately distinct throughout the book, the one commonality being their adorable love for each other. Hibbert’s writing about mental health in her adult romance novels are always so beautifully executed and I’m glad she brought healthy representations of mental health into her young adult debut as well. The young adult genre has just earned itself an absolute gem of an author!

Talia Hibbert can do no wrong. I absolutely loved this book. I had such a good time reading it. I loved the characters so much and how they developed. I just love how thoughtfully Hibbert writes. The story sweeps me away, but she still includes relevant serious topics.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Talia Hibbert for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a woman in her 30s, I will admit, I still love and read Young Adult books, and this one was right up my alley. I loved it! Also, as someone with OCD, I really appreciate Talia's depiction of Bradley's OCD.

I really enjoyed all the characters and not just the main characters, but the side characters as well. This really was an enjoyable read.