This is Talia Hibbert's first YA book and it was so good. It was a bit slow at first but once they started talking more and we learned about them as characters it got a lot better. I find that the reason they had for being "enemies" isn't the best but they were 14 so that's not surprising. I just think that Brad and Celiene are adorable and I need an epilogue about them.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Look, I'm not normally an enemies-to-lovers girly. I'm pretty conflict averse and the conflict is usually too much for me. BUT. I loved the bickering and the snark. I loved the real disability representation. I thought this one was great, and it's a great first offering from Joy Revolution. Can't wait to see what's next.

celine and brad have been friends, best friends, strangers and now academic rivals. however, when a new opportunity for a prestigious internship presents itself, the two teens have to face the wilderness together (and their feelings).

i mean the title says it all. it was pretty cute. and a perfectly good book.
unfortunately, that was it. i just didnt feel much more than that.

id say the book is an objectively good ya: well-developed characters, dealt with the themes quite maturely, had nice wholesome friendship moments and some funny ones as well (even tho it constantly walked the fine line between funny and cringe).
the thing is, by 60% i was honestly already bored. the biggest sin of them all.

abt the characters: i really liked brad but celine.... idk
she was way too judgemental and fell a bit on the "not like the other girls" grid. the whole: ew popular kids suck but no me, im cool and wear edgy eyeliner and band t shirt is so very 2014. it annoyed me a little bit.

overall, id say i had a good time. just not an amazing one.

thank you NetGalley and Random House Children´s for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review :)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story follows Celine and Bradley. They at one point of time were best friends but that changed over the years as Bradley got more into Football(soccer) and made new friends. They are academic rivals now and both learn about a Scottish survival wilderness retreat which would earn one of them a large scholarship. They spend more time together and sparks fly.

Brad is most definitely the star of the book. His character seemed more relatable and I was more focused on him. I liked the addition of the glossary. It really helped at times. I liked that Brad was a typical teen struggling with what he wants to do with his life vs what his parents want for him.

Thank you to Random House Children’s and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a cute ya black romance. I love how the book shows despite having unchanging personal “issues” the characters can overcome their insecurities. I did find Celine’s character annoying but I think it interestingly highlights her insecurities. However I loved Brad, and I loved how Brad was honest with himself throughout the book. I think the contrast between these two characters is a great grumpy x sunshine trope, and these characters’ insecurities are relatable.

Rating 4.5

I just consistently love everything by TH, and i was so excited that she had a YA novel coming out. Nerdy Black teenagers forced to compete outdoors, friends-to-enemies-to-lovers (WAY more believable for me than enemies to lovers), sarcastic and quick dialogue, a Greek chorus of other people basically trapped outside with them engaging, little snippets of queerness.

I loved this, but am interested to hear from teens whether it rang true for them or whether it felt too much like an adult romance novel placed into 17 year old bodies. Put it in a high school library and let's see! Either way, for myself, i'm in.

I liked Chloe, Dani was ok, Eve was wonderful. But Celine and Bradley are my favorite Talia Hibbert couple.

💜 📖 ARC review 📖💜
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute
By Talia Hibbert
Out January 3rd, 2023

Brief Summary: Celine and Bradley used to be friends. Bradley started excelling at football (the British kind) and Celine got left behind as he made new friends. It was not a clean break and there is animosity in spades. Now they are in a competition and they have to work together if they want a chance of earning a scholarship.

It’s Talia Hibbert so of course she is going to feature some real life struggles while giving you a super cute romance. Brad is managing his OCD and Celine has struggled with abandonment issues ever since her father left.

My experience:
I’m an enemies to lovers sucker. The way these two came together was wonderful. I loved seeing the shared history slowly pop up in their interactions on their way to rekindling their friendship and more. I highlighted a ton of Brad’s lines towards the end. This book was fantastic.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Put this on your TBR

Immense thanks to @netgalley @taliahibbert and @joyrevbooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’m excited to see what incredible books come from this new imprint.

You just know from the title that this is going to be another great read from the smart and funny Talia Hibbert. This is her first foray into YA and I say, keep 'em coming. Bradley and Celine were best childhood friends (their mothers are besties) until a very believable falling out in middle school (? not sure about the exact time). Even though they WANT to be friends again, there is an almost insurmountable series of misunderstandings keeping that from happening. Also, a believable portrayal of kidlife these days (says Grandma).

Besides being a totally cute romance, this is a powerful coming-of-age story. Bradley and Celine must come to understand more about who they are and what they need. As in all of Hibbert's books, there is ample representation of human differences and challenge, sensitively portrayed. The only tiny little negative I would say is that the stretch of Celine being fiercely negative went on a bit too long for my attention span, but all in all, a five-star read.

4.25 ⭐️

Okay first off thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I’m so glad that Talia wrote a YA book. I wish this book was around when I was growing up. It would have show cases a fat positive rep as a teen. So often YA books with a fat character is very trauma based on their weight and bullying and this one did not have that.

I liked the OCD two with Brad and seeing him wrestle with figuring out what he wants to do with his life versus what he thinks his parents want.

Celine is a strong female character but struggling inside and seeing that contrast was amazing. I liked seeing her challenge what she wants out of her life. And I loved seeing some of her vulnerable sides.

I normally do not critique on grammar or formatting but there was something noticeable in the book that drove me a little wild and that was the use of ( ) even when In the inner dialogue of the main characters. I didn’t get it. I don’t remember seeing that in Talia’s other work so I don’t think it’s a style decision.

There is also a comment in the book where the main characters are discussing something and one says something about scalping the other person. I know it’s probably not the intention of the author but we have to be careful to not use stereotypes against Native American people.

I enjoyed this book so much and I’m excited for it to come out.

I received an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a solid 4.5 stars so I’ll round up. I really enjoyed this read!

My immediate reaction upon reading was, “Wow, I wish that I had this book to read when I was in high school.”

The way that neurodivergence is handled (anxiety, OCD, autism) is so different from the YA that I grew up with, and I felt so seen and accepted when I read this. You get to see young people living with brains that aren’t “normal” having totally normal teenage problems. But you also get to see them learn about how to process their issues and cope with the world in a way that’s so grounded. Watching Celine go through the arc of feelings about her dad over the course of the novel was particularly powerful.

And the fact that one of the protagonists explicitly reminds a friend that “virginity is a construct,” is just so refreshing. I think it’s amazing for young adults who may read this to see that while sex is not the sole goal of a relationship, it’s also not a bad thing. I felt like this was a great balance between being a responsible example of sexual behavior for teens but also being sex positive (ie sex is not inherently bad or taboo).

Also, it’s Talia Hibbert so of course I snort laughed my way through. She’s so incredibly witty, I’ll read pretty much anything she writes.

I finished this book in one sitting and was so sad to look up and realize it was over. The story was compelling, accessible, well-paced, and a great foray into YA lit for TH. I’m so grateful to have received an ARC and I can’t wait to see what she writes next. Highly recommend this for anyone who would enjoy a sweet friend to enemies to friends to lovers kind of story. Especially those overachievers out there *wink

This book was so cute! It was such a well done take on the enemies-to-lovers trope. Talia Hibbert knows how to write a good romance and the characters were also super cute. The writing was very enjoyable to read, as the witty banter between Bradley and Celine was so fun to read. Overall, this is definitely a cute romance for young adults and I would highly recommend it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children's for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

3.5

i liked it but didn’t love it. i didn’t really care for the characters but by the end they started to grow on me. i was not a huge celine fan, and the whole explorer thing was just kind of out there for me and difficult to relate to. i cared probably the most about brad’s arc, and thought he was more likable. the book’s well-written and has some funny moments. i prefer hibbert’s adult romances.

#netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute!! I became a fan of Talia Hibbert after her Brown sister’s series and was so excited to get a copy of this one! The witty banter between Celine and Brad made my heart happy. This friends to enemies to lovers story is so cute. I do not suffer from OCD or parental abandonment so I can’t quite speak on those aspects of the book but I will say I devoured this book in less than a day! I wasn’t a huge fan of the semi third act breakup due to lack of communication skills. I will disregard my hatred of third act breakups because this is a YA book and the characters are seventeen and their prefrontal cortexes are not fully developed so they haven’t really figured out how to properly communicate their feelings. Overall this book was exactly what I needed to get out of my little reading rut! Thank you again to NetGalley for the ARC of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute!!!

I generally love Talia Hibbert's romances, and this one was overall a decent romance though it didn't live up to her other ones for me. I thought the characters felt a bit surface level, although maybe it was because of the YA focus. The pop culture references really threw me and prevented me from completely enjoying this (for example, tiktok, "walk me to class bestie," finsta, etc). I also thought the heroine gave slight "I'm not like the other girls" energy, and the hero reminded me of the people I didn't like in high school. That said, the banter was fantastic and I thought Hibbert did a great job with POC and mental illness representation.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a brilliant novel about ex-best friends and current enemies, Celine and Bradley, participating in a program that could win them a college scholarship. Forced to trek in the forest—and confront their past—Celine and Bradley may stumble upon something new.

This was a lovely story about making mistakes and making apologies, and learning about how to best take care of yourself—in whatever forms that may take. Talia Hibbert’s YA debut is fun and heartwarming and just further evidence that I will read anything she writes.

*Thank you so much to Netgalley, Random House, and Talia Hibbert for this ARC!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is the best way for YA audiences to get to know Talia Hibbert! Bradley and Celine are adorable from the start and their enemies to lovers story is fun, poignant, and relatable. They are both in the process of figuring themselves out (often in round about, stream of consciousness ways), while at the same time figuring each other out. Their ability to understand and appreciate the other is sweet and kind, and leaves the reader wanting more. A perfect YA romance!

This book is adorable. I love how witty the writing is and the banter was everything! Which is what I expect from a Talia Hibbert novel. She always delivers. I appreciated the unique, yet realistic characters and think she really created a great young adult novel with this one.

Talia Hibbert's signature wit and humor transitions seamlessly into the YA space! I'm a huge fan of Talia's adult works, and this YA debut does not disappoint! A fun, romantic romp that'll leave you swooning.

Yes! This is so fun! Talia Hibbert has definitely pulled off a successful YA romance! We've got some great tropes - friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, great representation - Black/Black romance, OCD, fat rep, and a really fun story. Personally, I wanted more about Celine's conspiracy theory TikTok account - but that's my only real complaint.

The characters are super lovable, there's a nice found family element, but also strong relationships in their own families as well. The book is set in the UK and does come with a glossary at the front, but I really don't think it was needed.

Hibbert seemed to capture being a teen today very well, It felt accurate, it was appropriately aged down from her adult work, but still kept all of her charm and skill.

Overall, a super fun YA romance and I would definitely pick up more YA from Hibbert in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was a good book.

It had lovable, diverse, and well-fleshed out characters. They had unique flaws and interests, like Celine’s TikTok. (I just know someone had taken the handle used in the book)

I loved Celine! She was a strong, black, plus-sized main character with ambition. Celine didn’t take crap and I wish I had more book characters like her growing up.

The romance was also good. I like the way their relationship transitioned from enemies to lovers. They didn’t make out and immediately become soulmates overnight.

In conclusion, this book was great! You should definitely read it if you are considering it.