Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute | Talia Hibbert
A delightful friends-to-enemies-to-lovers embarking on a scholarship wilderness challenge.

Celine Bangura is brilliant, determined, and mildly TikTok famous; nothing will stand in her way. Enter Bradley Graeme. Brad and Celine have a heartfelt history with a heartbreaking schoolyard falling out full of misinterpretation. To my delight, this division seems unable to stand the test of some after-class group work and a broken wrist. Brad, feeling at least partly responsible for Celine’s injury (and resulting transport challenges), agrees to chauffeur her to the event that could open the door to both personal and educational opportunities. Despite her protests, Brad becomes an enthusiastic plus-one, infuriating Celine with his natural aptitude and beaming smile. As the challenge unfolds, the enemies struggle to resist the natural pull toward each-other. The scholarship is no longer the sole prize among the obstacles. But could they possibly become something more than doomed to fall apart?

YA Fiction is not my typical go-to, but Talia Hibbert is! I am so glad that I picked this one up because it is everything I love about complex characters and emotional/challenging decisions. I loved the small insight to British secondary school and the complexities of being a student and falling in love with your whole life ahead of you. I love that there is so much discussion about being true to yourself and recognizing the support of loved ones.

As expected from Hibbert, representation is on point. Seeing the characters wrestle with OCD/anxiety/inner thoughts and perceptions while using stable and healthy ways to manage/process both rationally and emotionally is eye opening and honestly educational. I wasn’t expecting the valuable input on mindfulness and emotional health, but that is just the cherry on top of this Maccies sundae for me.

4/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Joy Revolution for providing the ARC for review!

Totally cute! I loved getting to know Bradley and Celine, and their journey from enemies to grudging allies to friends to being a couple (FINALLY) is everything. I think many of us can relate to the pain of bad friend breakups, especially when they happen during the early teen years, and I was so pleased to see these former friends patch things up and talk through their feelings and forgive each other. I also liked getting into their individual struggles: Bradley's OCD, his self-doubt when it comes to his future, his need to live up to his parents' expectations, and his desire to fit in and hang on to his friends; Celine's wariness of others, her drive to achieve greatness to spite her father, and her need to protect herself from emotional damage. This book covers a lot of ground - and time - but manages to keep everything tied together and rolling along. The supporting characters - friends, family, fellow students - round out the story and are delightful. Hilarious, sweet, and full of heart, this is a romance not to be missed.

Talia Hibbert creates amazing characters that are easy to adore and cheer for. I am a regular reader/devourer of her fiction. This book started a little slow for me comparatively, which caused me to look at the book information again and realize it is in fact a Young Adult Novel. Aha, no wonder if felt a bit slow in relation to other Hibbert novels.

Ms Hibbert has done a remarkable job explaining OCD from Bradley's personal habits, thoughts and fears; and in turn coupling them with the coping measures and exercises he uses. She normalizes and empowers getting professional help, certainly something more of our youth and adults need to hear.

I would recommend Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute to young and old readers.

I wish I was in a better place in my life so I could appreciate this book even more. Talia writes anxiety so well.

Celine and Brad are friends turned enemies. Their moms are best friends and it was only logical that they would be too. That is until things changed in high school and Brad became popular. Celine considers him a fake and a sellout. Brad thinks Celine is haughty. As they both end up in the BEP program, they end having to "tolerate" each other and eventually end up dating. Through some hiccups, they both achieve their academic goals and end up happy together. This was a fun read full of witty banter like only Talia Hibbert could achieve.

Talia Hibbert does it again.

this book follows Celine and Bradley, former friends turned enemies who end up together on a survival trip with a scholarship on the line. With that comes camping trips, lots of car rides, and tons of forced proximity. Coupled with the teenage angst between the two

What I really loved about this book though was seeing the slow-burn romance between Brad and Celine develop. Celine was so resistant to him and watching him slowly break down her walls and see the two trust each other was delightful. This is also a Black love story which I feel like we rarely see especially in traditionally published stories.

It really was an amazing read. I’m normally not a fan of YA, but this was great. I’d love to see more time spent together and a look into the far further for these two but overall, highly enjoy!
Thank you NetGalley & Publishers for the ARC!

While I originally jumped at the chance to review a new book by Talia Hibbert, author of the sweet and steamy Brown Sisters series, I didn’t realize that this was a young adult fiction. Ugh, not my favorite genre. If I do read YA, it’s usually something about teenagers getting their super powers.

So, that said, here goes. Celine and Brad used to be best friends until Brad started playing football and hanging with the cool kids. Celine, who had no interest in being cool, let their friendship die, although she blamed Brad for leaving her in the dust even though he had tried to include her. She also has grand delusions about making her father regret leaving their family for a new one by winning a scholarship that his law firm is sponsoring. She imagines he’ll see how great she turned out without him. All the typical stupid teenage drama and small-minded thinking that comes with a YA story. High schoolers always think they know everything when they know nothing, which is why I hate this genre.

Anyhoo, there’s some team-building competition in the woods for the scholarship and a chance for Celine to meet new people and reignite her friendship with Brad. It was decently written but I found Celine to be super annoying and am glad I don’t have to read about her anymore.

This is really 2 stars for me but I’m adding a star because of my genre bias. If you like YA fiction, you’d probably like this.

Thanks, @netgalley for the advance copy.

This book was unfairly cute. The banter! The friends to enemies to reluctant friends to lovers! I spent so much of this book giggling and wondering how this is my first Talia Hibbert book but at least now I know what my next few reads are going to be! Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. This 5 star read has filled me with so much happiness and I hope everyone loves it as much as I did.
 
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute follows Celine and Brad, two high school seniors (for those of us who had to look up what secondary school was since this takes place in England) that were childhood best friends turned enemies when Brad became popular and Celine was left behind. We get dual POV in this book so reading their “hatred” of each other just made me giggle because it’s two people clearly in love with each other hiding behind their supposed enemy status. Their reluctant friendship when they both apply for and get an opportunity for a university scholarship with a foundation run by one of the country’s most prominent lawyers was absolutely adorable. Their interactions as they become reluctant friends and realize that what they feel for each other may not just be friendly kept me hooked.
 
I found it difficult to put into words just how much I adored this book and Talia Hibbert’s writing. I truly cannot wait to read her backlist and I look forward to whatever she’s going to publish in the future.

In “Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” we follow two teens Celine and Bradley who are archnemesis. They are forced to work together in a camp and it might help with their complicated relationship. The book is written in dual P.O.V.

I absolutely loved the writing style of Hibbert and couldn’t get enough of the story. This isn’t my first read by the author, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. The witty banter between the two main characters was perfect. I couldn’t stop laughing every time they started bickering. I had the feeling like I was standing right next to them. I even managed to give them voices in my head. (Is that strange? Please tell me I’m not the only weirdo.)

I particularly enjoyed the parts where the author talked about mental health issues (in this case OCD) and how the family of the concerned MC and the MC himself dealt with it.

“Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” was my comfort read and already my favourite book of the year. Yes, I know we only have the 5th day of the year, but hear me out: This book is AMAZING! You just have to read it. The characters are adorable, the book is addictive and I promise that you won’t be able to put it down.

Happy Pub Day to this precious book! I dare to say this is going to end up in the 2023 year end lists as YA fave for a lot of people (and we just started the year, mark my words!)

This book was so precious and so fun. Let me add that Talia Hibbert's writing is the best and that's why I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The story overall is cute and the characters, oh, they're my children.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

The title is apt for this book. It is loaded with cuteness at the same time addressing heavier topics and I loved how well it was handled.

Celine, I have mixed feelings for you but your journey till the end was commendable.
My heart hurts for Brad. He is so sweet, witty and perfect.

This book has great banter, strong and relatable characters, days in wild (not exactly), stolen moments, challenging situations handled well. It was brilliantly written with amazing plot. Reading this was a delightful experience.

Overall, I would highly recommend this to everyone. I can't wait to read more of authors work.

°Favourite quotes ~

"Yeah, well. Who can avoid looking at Bradley? His sheer annoyingness creates its own gravitational pull."

“But I have friends now,”she continues. “And I know they’re worth more than all the people who were  .  .  . who were casually cruel to me, because they’re deliberately kind, and that makes them better people. My kind of people. Except I had to learn that. Don’t we all have to learn that?”

"It hurts like there’s a hole in me."

"I’m kissing her. It’s like birthday cake, back when sugar felt like being high. It’s like laughing as you stumble through the dark under the stars."

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

By: Talia Hibbert

Publish Date: 3 January 2023

Publisher: Random House Children’s/Joy Revolution Romance

Romance/Teens and YA

#HighlySuspiciousandUnfairlyCute#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

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?

Book Review:

I enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars. It did get a little slow in the middle for me. I was a little apprehensive at first because I have read her other books and wasn’t sure if she could pull this off. I am glad that she was able to. This book is an own voice story after reading her acknowledgements.

This story is about two people who are in their last of high school. They used to friends and then they fell out and now they are trying again. Bradley is into football and has OCD. Celina is into TikTok and has a huge following. She also has trust issues.

They both sign up for a survival course which can them a full scholarship. This is where the book picks a little. This course takes place at three different times throughout the year. Brad is doing this for the scholarship. Celina is doing this to get back at her father who abandon the family. His firm is one of the sponsors.

What I like about this story is the friendship and family of both the main characters. Even though the book lagged in the middle it was a good story and you learn a lot about OCD.

I really wanted to like this but maybe I am just too old for it. It was sickeningly sweet and missed out on my favorite parts of Talia's writing. I am so sad that her traditionally published works are less intense.

This book is the cutest friends-to enemies-to lovers book. The way that it is written you actually feel like you are in the middle of the conversations with the characters & it just flows so nicely. The banter is funny because you know that something happened previously (which you don’t know exactly what at first) & that they are crushing on each other now, but are trying really hard to be mean and combative to one another. Such a fun read. Perfect to get me back in the reading mood and start the new year out right!

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Joy Revolution for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 5 BEP stars!

Honestly, what can I say about this other than I loved it? What a fantastic way to kick off my reading in 2023 with my first 5-star read of the year! This book has reminded me why I love Talia Hibbert so much. Although she usually writes adult romance, you wouldn't know this is her YA debut because it was so well written and was essentially classic Hibbert. From the cheekiness, the A+ banter, the wonderfully weird and quirky, flawed yet realistic characters, the heart-swoopingly sweet romance, and the casual queerness and beautiful representation. Reading her stories always feels like a warm hug and they never fail to make me laugh and smile! If you're looking for a cheekily cute YA romance to kick off your 2023 reading, look no further than Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. I mean, couldn't you tell from that name alone that this was gonna be a winner?!

This is a story about two once-upon-a-time best friends who drifted apart, as people are wont to do, but who still existed in each other's orbit thanks to their mums being besties too. There is so much emotional history between them and my heart hurt and soared in turn as we watch them navigate their renewed friendship after all these years apart. There wasn't one moment in this when I wasn't violently rooting for Bradley and Celine to find happiness within themselves and together. I really enjoy the way Hibbert writes her characters and I loved both of them so much! They're quirky, hilariously cheeky, charming and caring in their own ways, but they were also complex and realistically flawed. I mean, they're teenagers and they sometimes do silly things and make stupid mistakes but not to the point where you have to question how they possibly made it so far in life. 😂

Celine is a TikTokker who became famous for her obsession with conspiracy theories. She's smart and scarily ambitious but she's also kind of shy and can be petty. She also doesn't really enjoy people in general but she also loves her people with her own special brand of slightly-mean-and-sarcastic love. You know she's got a soft heart under all that eye-rolling sarcastic exterior. What I liked about Celine is that even though she's stubborn as hell and thrives on being right, which she admittedly is most of the time, she also knows when to admit her faults, even if it's with a heaping side of reluctance and her usual sarcasm. Basically, Celine is the moody grump to Bradley's golden retriever energy sunshine personality, and you know how I love that grumpy/sunshine dynamic! Bradley is the handsome footy player and golden boy that can easily charm even the grouchiest of people—aka Celine. He also has OCD, which most people don't know about and which he does his best to manage alongside his anxiety as unobtrusively as possible. I have always enjoyed the representation in Hibbert's books and how sensitively she addresses the issues, and this was no different. On top of that, I also really enjoyed the way these characters were simply figuring things out and yes, they sometimes made silly decisions but it was also very relatable because seriously, who hasn't done that, especially as a teenager thinking they're "doing the right thing" by not telling a parent something. This brings me to another point I really liked and it's how the families of both characters were positively present in their lives and played big roles when it came to the major decisions and realisations they faced. It was refreshing because, as most people know, parental figures tend to be mostly absent and/or terrible in YA stories.

When it came to their romance, I think the most fitting word to describe their dynamic is adorable. They were sickeningly cute and I loved their interactions, especially as they start exploring and acknowledging their feelings for each other. Even when they're busy hating each other, they still understood each other and in fact, Brad gets Celine in a way that very few people do and vice versa. I loved their comfort with each other and the way they could just be goofy together. Honestly, they were just too cute to handle and I loved their friendship just as much as I loved their romance!

Overall, it's safe to say that I really enjoyed this book and I honestly wish that something had existed for a younger me because I know I would've loved it just as much, if not even more than I do now. This is a fantastic contemporary that not only explores teenage romance but also teenage life in realistic and relatable ways. I really hope that Hibbert writes more YA because I would definitely read them all!

I absolutely love this author and was so excited get the chance to read her young adult book. It was incredibly adorable and pure. It depicted the feelings of young people in love, but trying to deny it so well.

I thought Bradley’s OCD rep was done with respect and true to many people’s reality. Celine’s storyline had a lot to do with family relationships and was done so well, especially her fear of abandonment she didn’t even know was going on. They were wonderful characters and I loved going on their journey with them.

Overall I loved this whole book. I related to each character so much, they were just so real to me. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

The dynamic and chemistry between the two 😩⭐️. Whether it was the enemies , friends , or secret to forever was epic 🫠. I truly enjoyed the representation of OCD 👏🏻. The genuine realness shown in their emotions and like the impact each situation held in the storyline . Regardless if it’s just a book , the characters and story were so real and understated 📌. I adored Brads quirky heart on your sleeve love and Celine’s character growth 💜. Actually the way they both change TOGETHER is a lesson in itself 🫱🏽‍🫲🏿. Just an all around enjoyable and entertaining and just pure book 🥹. I loved the cutesy mush and the banter and the accent words 🫶.. Just know this is my first BUT certainly not my last Talia Hibbert book !!! 🥰

Prolific and extraordinarily talented author Taila Hibbert uses the word cute in the title of her most recent book, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, and gives readers a new appreciation for this often-used description. Before they were mortal enemies, Bradley Graeme and Celine Bangura were best friends. During their early years in school, they were all but chained at the hip. comrades, companions, two sides of the same coin. Their closeness fragmented when they entered upper school; Bradley did the unforgivable and formed other friendships. As readers we can depend on Ms. Hibbert to pen diverse and complex characters with quirks and flaws. Handsome and charismatic Bradley has OCD while the always surly Celine hides her tender heart under a gruff exterior. It was a joy to witness these erstwhile friends slowly reconnect against the backdrop of a survival course as they compete for a scholarship. Talia Hibbert is one of my all-time favorite authors and I totally enjoyed her take on young love with all the angst, snark and passion that ensued. The dialog and internal musing are hilarious!
Thank you Random House Children's and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Joy Revolution Books for the ARC!

This was actually my first Talia Hibbert read! I have more of her books on my shelf that I haven’t had time to dive into, but now I definitely will.

This is one of the better YA romance’s I’ve read in a while. Celine and Bradley actually act their ages and it’s just super cute. Friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, actually worked quite well.

Celine’s conspiracy theories were amusing, and it’s nice to figure out why she might have started down that route in the first place. Knowing the author has OCD (in acknowledgments), it was interesting and enlightening to read about how it may manifest in people through Brad’s character.

I would definitely recommend this one!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is Talia Hibbert’s first YA novel. Celine is a conspiracy theorist. She even has her own TikTok. Bradley is a popular football player. What do the two have in common? Well, they used to be best friends. Now they can’t stand one another. When given a scholarship opportunity, they both jump at the chance, but they soon realize that in order to make it work, they’ll have to work together.

The title fits this book perfectly. It was fun, flirty, quirky, and unfairly cute. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments and I loved the banter between these two characters. Celine is plus-sized, confident, and an overachiever. Bradley is smart, witty, bisexual, and struggles with OCD. I not only enjoyed reading about them but the side characters were equally as enjoyable. I really wouldn’t mind another book set in this universe because I know there are a few characters with their own stories to tell.

I really enjoyed the best friends to enemies to lovers’ story as well as the familial elements. They were both well loved by their families and I loved that representation. This book does touch on parental abandonment as well as parental pressures and expectations. I thought that it was all handled very well.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a coming-of-age story of friendship, family, and taking chances. It does have some typical YA angsty moments, but I think that it was very relatable. I had such a good time reading this book.