I gotta say the enemies-to-lovers trope is not one of my favs in general, and this book like...didn't change that? I think I'm just so conflict-averse that I'm like "why are you guys bickering with each other when you could just ignore each other?" which I mean I guess, the reason why is that they are ~secretly crushing~ or whatever, but it just--it's just not a trope I like. If you like that, there is a lot of that.

Like that said, the friendship between Brad & Celine felt very real to me as did the reason why their friendship faded, and I liked them both as individual characters a lot. So, if enemies-to-lovers is your jam I suspect you'll LOVE this.

A new Talia Hibbert! A new Talia Hibbert that I got an ebook ARC of! I was over the moon.

And I still am.

Hibbert has delivered her signature sparkling wit and dreamy charm again, just this time in a YA package. And while I really missed Hibbert's other rom-com strength--incredibly hot sex scenes--I know that for a YA book she had to tone it down. Nevertheless, rounded, dynamic characters and a just-this-side-of-banana-pants plot (that's a compliment, I swear) made this a one-day read, no matter how often I reminded myself I should be savouring it.

No matter. I suppose that's the glory of re-reads :)

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

This took me a little while to get into, but I thoroughly enjoyed this! It's obviously more toned down from the adult novels Talia writes, but it was still incredibly fun and sweet. The banter was great, I loved the setting, everything worked in this.

I will always love books written by Talia Hibbert. She writes such amazing romance books and now she’s delved into YA and I feel this story was written beautifully. I loved every second of reading this book. It was warm, it made me smile or sometimes cringe. I really enjoyed this read.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a sweet, swoony, fast-paced friends-to-rivals-to-lovers YA Romance. With all of the feels, family drama and dynamics you could want as two teens, Celine and Brad, navigate figuring out how they feel about each other and their chosen university paths.

Talia Hibbert brings all of the wit, snark, and warmth of her adult novels. The dialogue sparkles with humor and authenticity. And their families! You can feel how much love and support Celine and Brad’s families feel for them, even when they don’t exactly understand them.

I devoured this in one sitting!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, Talia Hibbert
Random House Childrens, January 3, 2023

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Childrens for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are expecting traditional Talia Hibbert, spicy spicy, this is far from it. Highly Suspicous is YA and fits the bill perfectly.

This is a lovely and sweet romance between two former best friends, Celine and Bradley, as they are forced together and in competition that can mean huge things for both of their futures. Celine and Bradley have to confront the reasons that they stopped being friends in the first place, and rediscover why they were -- and still are -- compatible.

A great romance with none of the dirty stuff -- go ahead share with your kid!

@netgalley @taliahibbert #HighlySuspiciousandUnfairlyCute #NetGalley #stmartinschildren #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #yaromance #youngadultreads #romance

Okay, ex-best friends turned academic rivals are now together in a survival course? I'm IN!

I loved Celine and her conspiracy theories, shut-off personality, and determination. Brad is charming and I loved how his OCD was handled. I'm obsessed with their banter when they hate each other but I'm also here for their interactions when they don't.

I thought there would be more survival course mixed in, but I'm totally ok with it because I really enjoyed the exploration of their families and how that affected them. Fun side characters. Great character growth. I can't wait for more Joy Revolution books!

The glossary was very much appreciated. I tried to read this with an accent and I highly recommend doing that.

Got an eARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ah, Talia Hibbert, there really is no way for me to give a score less than 5 stars here. The tension! It was phenomenal throughout. I couldn't put it down once I started (which was bad for my responsibilities but lovely for me). As always, the characters pulled me in and potentially sensitive/difficult topics were written in a way that honored those who may experience them (also, as always, thank you for telling your readers about the inclusion of these topics so they can decide whether to continue before even starting). But don't think that the previous sentence means the book wasn't funny. It was! It was a perfect romcom to brighten up a dreary weekend, and I will be reading it again. Multiple times probably. Like I've done with every one of Talia Hibbert's books I've read so far. Moral of this story (by which I mean review)? Read Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute!

I've loved the Brown-sister series from Talia Hibbert and was excited to read this YA story - it did not disappoint! It took me a couple chapters to get used to how the young kids communicate, but I got into it and really enjoyed their personalities and the story. It was wonderful to read a story with teens managing THROUGH issues like anxiety or OCD - they have ups and downs but keep moving through their lives. I wish i"d had stories like this when I was a teenager.

Its not you, it's me. I love the author, I love ya, I love romance. But I didn't love this particular combination. Celine and Bradley were friends, then enemies, and then friends, and then I don't know what, and then more. I liked their dialogue when they were frenemies. It was sharp and fun. I just felt underwhelmed by the story and the other characters. I'm sorry I didn't love this. But again, it's me.

I'm thrilled about the Yoons imprint, and can't wait to see what more they put forth!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a near perfect YA romance in my opinion. Childhood friends to enemies to friends to maybe something more?? A cozy UK academic setting??? Competitive wilderness expeditions with forced proximity?? This book really checked a lot of boxes for me and I think it will for romance-reading teens as well. The main characters, Brad and Celine, are likable, relatable but flawed characters that you can't help but root for. This book tackles tough topics including parental abandonment and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The cast of characters Hibbert has created is wonderfully diverse and features body inclusivity, LGBTQ+ representation, and an openness around mental health. As a YA romance, this book managed to be heart-clenchingly romantic without being sexually explicit. Romantic situations never exceeded kissing, hugging, making out, etc. For teens who aren't comfortable with that sort of material yet, this would be a great fit for them!! This book also had very little profanity, although there was some. I have not read any of Talia Hibbert's other novels but I will definitely be checking them out now! This book was fast-paced and adventurous while also managing to be unexpectedly honest and tender about tough issues. Simply put, this book was "unfairly cute" and I will be purchasing a copy for my school library!

This was not bad it just was not for me. I struggled to get into it and it could not hold my attention.

Loved this. The story is excellent, the characters are complex, and it has a lovely happy end. I would happily read another book about Brad and Celine.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's and Joy Revolution for the ARC.

I ADORED THIS BOOK!!! I love Talia Hibbert’s adult books and was really looking forward to her YA debut. It absolutely exceeded all of my hopes! This book perfectly captured the feelings of that first love and all the best parts of the YA contemporary romance genre. I felt all the uncertainty, hope, insecurity, and butterflies from Celine and Brad’s POV. An incredible story of childhood best friends to enemies to lovers with bisexual representation as well as OCD representation. Highly highly highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters and their banter were very enjoyable. The concept of the scholarship competition taking place in a camping/hiking/adventure setting really piqued my interest and that setting, while not overly referenced, added nicely to the plot.

This was the cutest book!!!! I am a big Talia Hibbert fan and YA books are such a joy when done right. Celine and Brad and their whole group were so special and delightful to read about. I highly recommend this book and loved to see OCD be handled how it was. Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I adored this book! I cannot say that enough. The snark between these too was perfection. I have so many highlights the book looks like a rainbow. I have shared it with everyone I know telling them they need to read this book! It is definitely a pick for my February subscription book box!

Best-selling author Talia Hibbert has now authored a YA novel called "Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute." This novel centers around former best friends, Celine and Brad. After a falling out several years back, they are now high school rivals who are both competing for the same college scholarships. However, once they both end up competing in a wilderness survival program, they have to work together again. Sparks begin to fly and they start to see what's really important in life.

This was a fairly cute book, and I appreciated the sweet chemistry between the two. I also liked their families and the support that was shown to them. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute YA book. The main characters are both super likable but the secondary characters are all pretty flat. I think Talia Hibbert is a much better adult contemporary author, but fans of her books can breeze through this one if they want to venture into YA with her.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Super cute!! I really enjoyed this read. Brad is such a sweetie and Celine is wonderful - even though sometimes I just wanted to shake them and make them sit down and TALK TO EACH OTHER!!

My one critique is that I think we heard a bit too much about how Brad wants to be a writer but his book is terrible, it seemed like overkill. Otherwise, super cute and fun read!