When I got the opportunity to get an ARC for Talia Hibbert's new book I was over the moon! I fell completely in love with her writing in The Brown Sisters series, so I was eager to see what her YA "Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute" would bring.

First, I love the title. If the sass behind the name isn't the essence of Celine and Bradley, I don't know what is. Regarding those two, I adored them. I dabble in YA or books set in a high-school age group and I often find the characters to be set on 'woe-is-me'. True to the work she created in The Brown Sisters, Talia Hibbert creates characters with a soul. They are alive and complicated and messy and amazing. Celine and Bradley felt like that, too; real and human. Watching (well, reading) them grow, forgive, and fall in love together was so beautiful.

I'm a huge fan of Talia Hibbert's humor and "Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute" had that within the first pages. Knowing that each page had wit and sass was a treat, but also seeing it mix with the tougher subjects this YA brought forward was nice for the soul. And that's exactly what Hibbert does in her books, she brings out the soul of people and things, always including and shining a light to those who most need it.

Give this book a read, I promise you it is the sweetest way to start the new year!

This was a cute YA romance with lots of banter and funny antics. I enjoyed the development of the friendship then romance between Celine and Brad and it felt believable. I also loved the sexuality and mental health inclusivity. This is something that really shines in the authors adult novels so I’m glad it was included in this book.

On the downside, some parts felt slow and drawn out, especially between the two outdoor adventures. I also cringed a bit at the miscommunication and inevitable break up. Both of these tropes are so common that it felt repetitive. I also felt that it was really counter intuitive to all of the work Brad and Celine put into rebuilding their communication.

Overall a cute romance with great representation!

Thank you, netgalley for my advanced copy of this book. Talia Hibbert is an auto-buy author for me so I was so excited to get to read this one.

It was a quick read and was super cute, while also touching on some tough subjects.
Highly recommend. 4 stars.

give Talia all of my money. This was incredible pacing, plot, and just felt like the perfect kind of YA read to me. As always the mental health rep and OCD rep were phenomenal

HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND UNFAIRLY CUTE is Talia Hibbert’s young adult contemporary romance debut! It follows Celine Bangura, conspiracy-theorist TikToker and resident weirdo, who signs up for a survival course in the woods that can prepare her for an extremely bright future. If only her arch nemesis, Bradley, hadn’t also signed up. Once best friends, their relationship is now nothing more than petty insults and academic rivalry. However, being forced to work as a team leads them to reminiscence on the good times. Is it enough to start something new?

The Brown Sisters trilogy was one of my favorites of last year so when I saw that this author was debuting in YA, I jumped at the chance to read! I can tell you right now, this book is JUST as good as that series. All of the charm, humor, and sweetness that I loved in her writing is present in this book and even more! I loved our main characters and their slightly antagonistic, but also sweet relationship. There’s also a lot explored in this book in reference to family, mental health and how to choose yourself. It was amazing! Highly recommend

I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC for this book and as a #1 Hibbert fan, I was elated to read not only her first YA, but also the first book published under @nicolayoon ‘s new imprint!

Talia Hibbert’s YA debut is a banger….or should I say a Bangur-a (ha ha, get it… I’ve referenced something). Regardless of how far removed you are from age 17, Hibbert is able to capture the sensations of being a teen with a crush and send you right back to that place. My heart clenched at every nervous ramble and sweetly silly misunderstanding. This book was so fun and fresh, set against the backdrop of teens competing for a high level scholarship while also weaving in the highs and lows of high school friendships and how quickly your best friend can become your nemesis. The disability representation, as always with a Hibbert novel, is honest and unapologetic, as Bradley shows us what it’s like to live with OCD and how he copes with it. This book also highlights how the people who love Bradley acknowledge his compulsions and support him along the way. As for Celine, she is the most lovable little ball of sarcasm, wit, and temper and she is a joy to get to know throughout the story. The combination of Bradley & Celine’s personalities, a rich ensemble of supporting characters, and a lovely storyline make this a must-read for anyone keeping their finger on the pulse of YA. “Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” will be released in stores nationwide on January 3rd, and I hope to see you in line for a copy ;)

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio and LibroFM for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Imagine a YA book from Talia Hibbert and how amazing that premise is. The book is better. Brad and Celine used to best best friends, but their friendship fell apart when he became popular in high school. Now both are seniors and competing for some of the same opportunities.

I loved both characters and their friends so much. I was completely drawn into their world. They felt appropriate for their ages, and the romance was a good match to the YA audience, too. I enjoyed the OCD rep and techniques for coping that Brad used.

The writing was phenomenal. There were amazing metaphors that captured complicated thoughts and feelings so well. I thought the outdoor excursions we're a bit over the top and not necessary to the plot. But I absolutely adored the ending.

4.5 stars rounded up

thank you netgalley for sending me an arc of this book!!

um this was adorable. not only was the romance so cute, but it made me
want to laugh and cry at the same time. the banter was hilarious, and the chemistry between the two main characters was amazinggg. i loved how the plot unfolded and the time they spent together in the woods. overall just a really good YA romance!

THIS BOOK IS YA NOT AN ADULT ROMANCE.


I wasn't expecting this book to be a ya book when I first requested it from netgalley. I really thought that since it was in the romance category and knowing that Talia Hibbert writes adult romance I just assumed. But no this isn't adult it's her ya debut.

For this book being ya it was decent. I liked the side characters and our male lead but I wasn't the biggest fan of Celine. I think it mainly had to do with her obsession with conspiracy theories and random facts that she made videos about. The amount of times this book mentioned her TikTok account and how she was TikTok famous made me want to stop reading. Yes I watch TikTok but I definitely don't like it when books bring TikTok or most pop culture things into a book. It has always taken me out of the book. I feel like Celine had some daddy issues and I was so glad she was able to come to terms that she needed some help with that. I agree with Brad that we all need therapy. I enjoyed reading Brad's point of views and wish we could have seen some of his daily OCD struggles a little more.

The plot of this book is mainly two teens who used to be best friends having a falling out. Then they become rivals. Then back to being friends and eventually more. I'm not a huge fan of friends to lovers troupe anyway but I feel like this one was done okay. I didn't see anything that I would think is unrealistic. It's also about two teens trying to figure out what they want to do with their life.

Overall it wasn't horrible and I could read it quickly. I did skim over some parts as it got a little boring in places. Also while the cover is extremely cute the title of this book makes absolutely no sense to me.

This is the YA debut of adult romance author Talia Hibbert and I’m so so excited to say that Hibbert hit it out of the park with this one! I’ve loved everyone of their books so it really shouldn’t be a surprise that I loved this one just as much. Brad and Celine were friends before but Brad became popular and the two disconnected. This book is about their journey to reconnect and it’s just *chef’s kiss*. Please excuse me while I scream from the roof tops how much I love this book. Read it!

After reading the Brown sisters' series by Talia Hibbert, I wasn't sure what to expect from a young adult novel that she'd written. Those Brown sisters are pretty spicy! Well, of course, a book written for teens isn't going to have the same level of, ummmmmm, detail, as their books for adults. However, there's still the same amount of diversity and representation, with some snark, and lots of love. Her characters come in all shapes and sizes, a rainbow of skin tones and all along the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Plus, the author documented their own journey with OCD through the lens of the main male character. The only downfall, for this American, is trying to understand English. Thankfully, Hibbert included a glossary of British school-related terminology at the start of the book, for those of us who don't speak fluent British.

Thank you Random House Children's and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed Talia Hibbert's Brown Sisters books and was excited to read this one, her first foray into young adult romance. It was extremely sweet, a lot of fun, and the adorable characters had outstanding chemistry. The YA themes of discovering yourself during a major transitional period, and dealing with family pressure while you make decisions about your future were very well handled. In fact reading this inspired me to immediately read 10 other Talia Hibbert romance novels! I hope she writes more YA in the future, it definitely scratches a different itch.

I loved this one so much! I’ve read one of Talia Hibbert’s books before and I adored this one so much! This was an amazing YA debut. Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is set in Nottinghamshire and I loved recognising some of the places that were name dropped!

Celine runs a conspiracy TikTok and has thousands of followers. She dreams of being a lawyer and the lawyer she idolises, has a survival course which would look insane on her CV and personal statement, she knows she has to apply. Up until high school Celine and Bradley were incredibly close, but once they arrived they drifted, Bradley didn’t seem to want to hang around Celine, who couldn’t fit in with the “cool kids”. When Bradley doesn’t stop Celine from breaking her arm during an argument, he is forced to drive her everywhere, including to a hotel to apply for the course. Celine expects Bradley to drop her off and pick her up at the end, but Bradley shocks her by applying too. Honestly, this book was so cute, the perfect academic rivals to reluctant friends to lovers!!

‘You’re allowed anywhere you want, as long as you’re right next to me.’

What I love about Tallia Hibbert’s books is that she always discusses an important topic, perhaps not covered as much as it should be in literature. Bradley has OCD and has an incredibly good way of coping. I think Talia writes his character really well and Celine’s responses to Bradley’s triggers were done well.

Forced to work together during the holidays over the course of a year, Bradley and Celine slowly begin to build up their relationship again. As they’ve spent too much time apart, it feels impossible for them to return to the friendship they had before. I loved these two together, and you could tell that they still cared for each other, even when they tried to hide it from themselves. There were so many cute moments, I couldn’t help but swoon over these two!

I loved this one and couldn’t recommend it more!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is the story of two friends-turned-rivals who compete against each other in an outdoorsy survival contest, but find love along the way.

Celine is a social-media queen and a bit obsessed with conspiracy theories. Brad is a popular athlete managing his OCD. Celine and Brad used to be friends before high school complicated everything and made it all a popularity contest. And both end up signing up for the Breakspeare Enrichment Program: a highly competitive outdoor survival competition that promises to open doors for participants, including a full college scholarship for the winner.

Told in dual narration over the course of Celine and Brad’s sixth form year, this novels covers their participation in the competition, their respective anxieties about what comes next (university? Law school?), and their budding romance as they are forced to spend more time together.

If you love Hibbert’s Brown Sisters books, you will love this. The writing is just as witty and the characters are just as multi-dimensional, realistic, and lovable. Be aware that there is no spice here — it is YA, after all — but the romance is adorable and swoon-worthy in all the best ways. I dare say that Hibbert’s writing works just as well or EVEN BETTER in YA than it does in her adult novels and I do think actual YA’s will adore this book! In particular, I love that she builds in healthy communication with her characters in addition to smart wit and real-world problems.

It is worth noting that I was originally disappointed a bit that this book was less about the actual competition than I thought. I love the structure a good competition gives to a novel, but I also love learning about the challenges presented. While this certainly had those, it was not of the type or scale I had envisioned. Since these characters are both in secondary school and the competition events take place over the school year, much of the story is still set at home and school. I ended up still loving the book, but I wanted to make other readers aware in case that is part of the draw to the story. The climax still revolves around the results of said competition, though, so rest assured--it is a major part of the conflict and plot.

Oh, and did I mention that it has excellent bisexual rep in the male main character? This was subtle and natural, but oh man do I love seeing good bisexual rep!

I absolutely love Talia Hibbert, so I jumped at the opportunity to read Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute.

Celine and Bradley were just oh so adorable. I loved how open they were about things once they became friends again. It was clear from the start that these two cared so deeply for one another and knew so much about each other. I loved how that dynamic played out in sth story, especially with regard to Bradley’s understanding of Celine and her father. Bradley is wise beyond his years!

I also felt like Celine grew a lot throughout the book. She wasn’t my favorite when the book started, but as the story progressed, she grew on me. I understood her a little more. I liked how she became less focused on her goals and more focused on people.

One of my favorite things about Talia’s writing is how she incorporated mental illness or chronic disease in her books. Bradley has OCD, and while it is talked about, it is not his defining characteristic. It was done subtly, bringing awareness but not too much attention.

I very much enjoyed this story, and I can’t wait to read more by Talia Hibbert!

I cannot explain how much I LOVED this. Usually books that have characters preparing for college gives me a lot of anxiety, but this was so funny and interesting that I was not anxious for them (as much).
The main characters in this book… I mean…I kinda love them. Obviously Celine makes dumb decisions but, honestly, I cannot blame her. In fact, I would probably do the same. Not sure what that says about my mental health, but it did make her seem realistic. And Brad (a tool name in my opinion though he is totally not a tool) is a DELIGHT. I have a few favorite guy main characters for YA books. I think I am gonna have to rearrange my list for Brad. Him struggling with and managing OCD is incredibly captivating and inspiring. His overall pleasant demeanor even when things are crap also just makes me want to swoon. ADORABLE.
Basically, I am really glad I read this. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this before it came out.

Celine Bangura and Bradley Graeme’s used to be best friends. And now they’re enemies. So when they both wind up in the same Wilderness Enrichment program in competition for the scholarship things can’t possibly go well. And when they both start to realize that hate is a relatively easy emotion to mistake love for, well who knows why will happen.

This was such a fun and cute book! I loved Brad and Cel and I loved watching them both come to terms with their feelings. I wish the boys I went to high school with were half as self aware as Bradley and Jereme. I also loved that a main theme of the book was if you’re weird, or quirky, or have a mental illness that isn’t something people should love you “in spite of.” Talia Hibbert’s first foray into YA is a smash and will no doubt be a book that means so much to so many teenagers, I can say this because I know if I’d had this book as a teen it would’ve meant so much to me!

It took me almost 50% of the book to really invest in the characters and care about them. Celine grated my last nerve but I appreciated how Bradley softened her. Overall not my fav

This YA debut was fabulous!! Following the main characters as their relationship evolves from former best friends now enemies to love was refreshing. The thrill of competition, battling OCD and making life-changing decisions during their last year before university was relatable and enjoyable. The way main character Celine examined her emotional intelligence could be used as an example for young people who decide to pick up this book. Great read from Talía Hibbert!

Bradley Graeme is a laid-back popular teen on the football (American soccer) team, managing his OCD, and acing all his classes. Celine Bangura is a content creator sharing conspiracy theories on Tik Tok, toping Brad in all classes they share, and living her best life as her authentic self. Brad and Cel used to be friends, until a falling out years left them both thinking the other abandoned them. Now all that's left between them are academic rivalries and petty insults that sometimes cut deeper than intended. When both are chosen to participate in an enrichment program which involves an outdoor survival course in the woods, and need to work together to win a full university scholarship, they'll need to sift through their messy past as well as literal mud and dirt. But when they temporarily set their differences aside in order to work towards success, they start to remember all the good parts of their friendship, and it's possible that a new spark can be ignited just as well as a campfire.

This was just absolutely delightful. From the dual perspective in first person, we get to see both Celine and Bradley's opinions on each other and their prior friendship from the beginning, and we get to watch as they slowly start to develop deeper feelings of appreciation and love throughout the book. I appreciated how Celine is unapologetically herself, and even when she believes Bradley left because her personality was too outlandish for his new friends, she doesn't shy away from what makes her unique. She leans into the conspiracy theories and doesn't let anyone try to dissuade her, while also earning top marks in all of her classes to one day apply to Oxford or Cambridge to study law. While initially Bad only attends the Katherine Breakspeare Enrichment Program information session because he felt bad for *maybe* breaking Celine's wrist and didn't want her taking the bus alone, once Katherine herself starts speaking about how people treated her differently because of her dyslexia and how she had to work twice as hard to prove her worth, he connects with the sentiment and decides to apply as well (and if it proves to Celine that he can do anything she can do, well that's just icing on the cake). I really loved how much development was given to the side characters - Brad's parents and brother, even his sister who isn't present because she's studying in America, Celine's mom and sister (and sometimes her father when he appears, but not often), Celine and Bradley's best friends Minnie and Jordan, and the fellow Breakspeare candidates they befriend - Aurora, Sophie, and Raj. It was great to watch Celine and Brad's banter, which everyone else just interprets as the flirting it truly is (and they're just waiting for the two to realize it), and the frank discussions about relationships, sex, and not wanting to be left behind after secondary school, which are real fears of teens this age. I think one of my favorite parts of the book was when they throw a party for Aurora at camp, because Celine didn't want her to feel unimportant when her 18th birthday was away from her family and friends, even though they barely knew each other a week. And when Bradley puts everything together, he doesn't take all the credit because they know it was Celine's idea. The two work well as a team, even when they're butting heads, and it was really great letting them come together in the end.

I really want to highlight two specific aspects that were explored - Bradley's OCD and intrusive thoughts, and Celine's experience with parental abandonment. Early on, Bradley says that his OCD is managed (pretty well), but there will still be times when he needs balance, or can't share a bathroom with anyone so he can keep it as clean as necessary, or will get up earlier than anyone to make sure he's the only one in the camp bathroom / shower. At one point he does note that before he found medication and routine that worked for him, he thought it made his parents upset to see him and his life in disarray because of it. There are also moments in the book where we see Bradley's mental exchange with his intrusive thoughts - the most prominent is when Celine throws mud on his shirt during their first survival camping expedition. He takes the time to acknowledge the thoughts are there, accept them for what they are, and breathe deeply while letting rational thinking supersede them. It's been a while since I've seen intrusive thoughts mentioned and discussed in this way, and I really appreciated the depiction. Celine, her mom, and her sister were abandoned by her father years ago, when he came clean about having an affair and another family to tend to. While Celine doesn't want to admit it for a large portion of the book, even when she declares she's been fine without a father figure, she acknowledges that she got jealous seeing Bradley's solid relationship with his dad, and shapes a large portion of her future to a path that will prove him wrong - she wants to become a corporate lawyer at the second largest firm behind his and watch him squirm as he watches her succeed. Throughout the book, Celine has to have in depth discussions with Bradley, her sister, and her mom to work out these feelings and realize that she should shape her future around something she wants, and what she thinks will bring out the best in her. I also appreciated how Celine talks to her mom about seeking counseling, so she can further work out these feelings with a professional.

In conclusion, this was a great book to start the new year off with. This just makes me want to delve more into Talia Hibbert's backlist and hope she writes more of both adult and YA in the future. This also makes me more interested to see what the imprint, Joy Revolution Books, has in store for the future. Please pick this book up if you're in need of some cute and fluff in your life, or have loved some of Talia Hibbert's work in the past. *Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Joy Revolution Books, for the e-copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*