I really loved the Brown Sisters series so I was excited to be able to read a new Talia Hubert book. It was very sweet and wholesome and I was really rooting for the characters. They had such great banter and I was very invested.

This book was such a fun YA rom-com. I enjoyed the character growth and diving into the relationship of the two main characters. It is revealed as you read how their friendship was in the past and what it could be in the future and the events that originally pushed them apart.

The book also deals with the characters going through survivalist courses as they compete for a scholarship and I am a big fan of doing outdoorsy stuff like that so it was exciting to see how they dealt with the different challenges.

I thought that the banter was spot on and the building emotions between the characters (not just the main ones) was really cute. Aha you might say “unfairly cute” :P. I also enjoyed that the author put a little glossary of UK terms in the beginning of the book and you could tell they had fun describing the definitions for them.

I would definitely read more from this author and hope to in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Joy Revolution for providing me with an eARC of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute in exchange for my honest review!

As a reader who adores Talia Hibbert's work, I was pumped to find some incredible charm in her first YA romance. It starts off strong, putting an intriguing twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope (a favorite of mine) by turning it into best-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers. Then it goes further on to introduce us to these two tremendously relatable teenagers who instantly get you to root for them to make up and kiss already (literally and figuratively). The wildly witty banter, the entire scholarship element, Celine's struggles over her absentee dad, Brad dealing with his OCD (Hibbert has shown herself to be highly skilled at weaving physical and mental health into her romances), all of these things are fleshed out by Hibbert in a way that really does get me vibing with the story. Not enough for me to rank it higher than her Brown Sisters series (which are truly splendid), but still, I've got plenty of love for this YA novel. We get bisexual rep through Brad, too, and that's something I always appreciate seeing in fiction—M/F romances where one or both of the leads are bi so that it validates their bisexuality and counters the belief that M/F romances don't involve queer partners.

Overall, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is another lovable banger in Talia Hibbert's bibliography.

I have read the authors adult book and was very excited to find her YA book just as good. It was right on target for a YA romance and I would definitely recommend it to teens.

Adored this book! After reading The Brown Sisters trilogy and a few others of Talia Hibbert’s other romance books, I was so excited to see that she was coming out with a YA romance. This book was very enjoyable. It’s great to see diversity in YA romance and no one can tell a love story like Talia Hibbert. The characters were lovable and it was a great step for Talia Hibbert in YA.

I think this may be my last Talia Hibbert book. I keep trying and I just think her writing style isn’t for me. Thank you netgalley for my free copy.

CW: OCD, estranged parent

I’m about to do just that—specifically, something along the lines of, That is ideal, you absolute donkey, because I love you too”

This book was unfairly cute! I was so excited to be approved for an arc and see the magic of transformed into young adult. As per usual, the greatness lied in the characters, their banter and their lovable flaws.

I do not have OCD but does, and I feel like she represented it well. The intrusive thoughts I have with my anxiety feels very similar. love the idea that everyone should go to therapy, like a car wash. And truthfully I love the best friends reaction to them:

“I don’t know. My brain is an unholy shitstorm of worst-case scenarios.”

Exactly,” Jordan says. “They’re not yours. So they’re not the boss of you. Right?”

I told him that once. Now he’s using it against me like a demon.

I loved the enemies-to-lovers and grumpy sunshine as well as teenage male bisexual representation. I would’ve liked to dive a little deeper into the characters but overall it was a very enjoyable read.

Thank you netgalley and Joy Revolution for the ARC. I also love the idea of Joy Revolution!

Thank you Get Underlined/Netgalley for the early copy! This was a heart-warming book that surprised me in the best way (as an avid YA romance-reader, surprises don't happen too much). The chemistry between Celine & Bradley is so REAL and authentic to the teen experience - the fine balance between friends and more, navigating platonic male/female relationships, and the fear of entering your first relationship. I rec this one for true YA romance lovers.

This was really cute. I really enjoyed the banter between Bradley and Celine but I am clearly not the intended audience and did find it a little annoying sometimes but that's not to take away from this at all. I still enjoyed it, it's just not for me.

Confession: I didn't realize this was YA until I had already started it -- that's my fault. I think I would have liked it more if I went in with that understanding. That said! Talia Hibbert doesn't miss!

Like all Hibbert's books, this book had witty banter, sarcasm, and charisma. The romance was a sweet enemies to lovers story with great representation of mental health (OCD / panic disorders).

Talia Hibbert book? Immediate yes. Had the honor to read the arc via NetGalley.
4.5 stars.
I don't usually read YA but I love Talia's other books. I found myself really enjoying this one. It was such an easy read! I am not someone that can stand relationships that seem "forced" due to little build up, so these ups and downs did it. Now Celine is not the type of protagonist I usually love as I tend to get tired or impatient but I liked the flow of the story and the character growth too much to care. Brad? Immediately fell in love with him!
Characters like him just attract me like a magnet. I could relate more to Brad than Celine which might explain it. I enjoyed the way the book was organized into the separate time periods.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and wish my reading slump hadn't slowed my reading progress.

Talia Hibbert is the best! She weaves characters and romance styles together so well! I laugh, I cry and I swoon every time. This book grabbed me from the cover and never let go. I heard it was YA so I was hesitant but TH pulled through and delivers another bantery sweet romance that you must read!!!!!

I really enjoyed this book. Talia Hibbert did a great job of making her teenager characters realistic, with challenges most young adults can relate to in some way. They had depth and relationships with family, friends and themselves. I loved the contest, and the fact that Celine and Bradley used to be friends, still cared about each other despite some misunderstandings. Both characters are pretty intense and have experienced some kind of trauma they had to overcome. It was a super quick read, I almost wish it was longer with some more details about their lives and relationships between the contest. I would definitely recommend this to high school aged students, particularly those that are older and trying to make life decisions.

Absolutely an unfairly cute story! The characters and relationship were enjoyable and believable. I love a romance where you are rooting for them both in their relationship and personal journeys. It isn’t overloaded with miscommunication tropes like many enemies to lovers stories. I appreciate the representation and the support they had from their families. Overall, this book was a lovely and sweet.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were so funny and adorable. They also had a lot of depth, which I appreciated. I feel like a lot of YA books sometimes underestimate the maturity of teenagers. I Only gave this four starts because I didn't care too much about the expeditions. Talia Hibbert is a great writer and I will definitely be picking up anything she writes in the future.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a must read YA romance from beloved romance author Talia Hibbert. It's got banter, academic rivals to lovers, and found family that will make your heart squeal!

In this book, we follow two main characters who are extremely academically driven. Bradley is the typical "jock genius" of the school, while Celine sticks to the shadows, focused on her grades and making her mom proud. When they find out about a full-ride scholarship to university, they both sign up, fueled by the urge to beat each other in their own game. In order to win this scholarship, they have to partake in expeditions in the woods, leaning on their strengths to survive the outdoors and earn enough points. Can they put their past aside to succeed?

I have not read a YA romance in quite some time, but this one was icing on top of a tropey, delicious cake. Both characters had such intriguing backstories and depths that made them relatable, even to a 25 year old (aka me). There is well-written OCD representation, which isn't something seen often in books. The premise of this book was unique enough that I felt pulled in right away. We've all read/watched a good academic rivals to lovers, but in the middle of the woods?? New to me! Besides the romance, there was a lot of plot focused on coming of age, figuring out who you are, and determining goals for the future. I personally feel a romance book is superior when it tackles other life topics, such as this one.

All in all, a wonderful read from Talia Hibbert! Can't wait for the next one!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was such a fun story to read. The main characters, Celine and Brad, were easy to like and I was happy to get to know them throughout the book. There is a lot of great representation in this one, with Celine being a curvy BIPOC and Brad being a bisexual who struggles with OCD.

Celine decides to go for a scholarship sponsored by her idol, and wouldn't you know it, she gets in. But guess what - her archenemy and former best friend, Brad, also gets in. The competition requires them to spend time camping, which neither are very comfortable doing, but the end goal will be worth the effort, so they work hard to make it there. In the meantime, can they bury the hatchet and maybe become friends again? Or maybe even more?

The families of Celine and Brad were wonderful side characters, the dialogue was snappy and clever, and it all left me laughing. It was delightfully written, and reminded me of what it was like to be a teenager, full of angst, trying to figure out the future. This is the author's first foray into YA storytelling, and it was worth the read. Now I'll have to seek out the other books by Talia Hibbert and see how they compare.

This was a really cute read! The teen angst and vibes were *chef's kiss*. I will say, though, that it took me quite a few days to actually get into this book. I am glad I finished it, but there's just something that was missing for me.

The love story: The banter and flirting were great and had me squealing, remembering crushes I had when I was in my teen years. However, the depth of love wasn't as believable for me for Brad and Celine, as we didn't get to see too much of their relationship develop beyond "we're kissing and this is great" and "oh no what are we going to do during university, better break up." I hated the third-act break up for that reason. I really enjoyed their growth, though, and how much we got to see them essentially go back to themselves.

The plot: I thought the plot maybe should've focused more on the outdoor elements, but I understand why the author took us back and forth from the program to school as the year went on. Some of the gaps were a little too much, and I wish I'd had more context for what was happening during those time skips. Also there were a lot of little things that happened that I don't think were completely necessary and instead could have further developed some other plot areas.

The representation: The trauma and reflection and therapy was handled really well, and I loved reading about teens working on healing at a really pivotal time in their lives. The found family elements in this book were really cute between the program members. I also really liked how genuinely diverse the cast of characters was — none of it felt forced and things that could've been "a thing" just weren't. That was great.

TL;DR: This is a very sweet YA romance, with enough banter and feels to bring you back to high school in the best way. It's a perfect read for the week of Valentine's Day — just enough flirting and tension and butterflies and WTF AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE to make you smile.

I love anything Talia Hibbert and her YA debut was just stellar! Hibbert has such a way with characters. She described OCD so perfectly.

I adored this! Talia Hibbert's YA debut IS highly cute and delivers on almost everything I want in a romance. Celine and Brad were childhood best friends but now are academic enemies after Brad joined a sports team and picked up a new friend group four years ago. They are propelled back together by this enrichment program where they are competing for a scholarship by displaying leadership skills on a camping/hiking trip. For me, this book brought the perfect blend of misunderstandings and pining and open, honest conversations about feelings. This book reads as VERY emotionally intelligent - Brad goes to therapy and we see him using strategies for OCD throughout the book, and both Brad and Celine have character arcs to do with their families and plans for the future that are well developed. Even when our characters are fighting, you can understand where both of them are coming from and why that is causing tension or misunderstandings.

This book was also super fun. Hibbert has an excellent voice with snappy quips, and there are lots of cute shenanigans with a larger friend group. All of the characters stand out from one another and really jump off the page. The third act conflict was a little melodramatic and OTT, but so are our main characters so it didn't throw me off too much.

I did want more from the ending, as it felt a bit rushed - I wanted more time to sit with our characters and side characters and reflect on everything that had happened. And think about the future for Celine and Brad and their families - do they get into the colleges they want? Are they going to go to the same college / college in the same area / try long distance? When I'm reading YA romance I want a bit of reassurance that our characters will be able to stay together.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and I can't wait to read whatever Hibbert writes next - in any genre!