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!

I adore Talia Hibbert’s adult books but I didn’t know what to expect from this young adult offering. But I was very pleasantly surprised! Celine is absolutely a kindred spirit, the kind of girl I would have been best friends with in high school. Talia Hibbert perfectly portrays how friends can go their separate ways and how extraordinary circumstances can bring them back together. I love the realistic portrayal of teenager/parent relationships. Overall I found this book incredibly enjoyable and unputdownable.

Talia Hibbert's books are such a joy to listen to -- even with the deeper themes. Highly Suspicious And Unfairly Cute is Talia Hibbert's YA debut. I loved this book. It follows Brad Graeme who is a popular football player with OCD and also former friend to main character Celine Bangura. Celine is really into conspiracy theories and runs a very popular tiktok account about conspiracy theories. The two end up having to work together on this wilderness retreat and through different challenges for a chance at winning a scholarship. As they continue to work together, they start to have feelings for each other. You see, prior to this, they really did not get along.

I really enjoyed both Celine and Brad's different quirks. The way the story played out was PERFECT. Also, the wilderness part was like catnip to me. The setting was so good -- for those parts. This story was creative and engaging and so easy to be invested in. I love books about Black teen joy, even when they are navigating difficult situations and mental health diagnoses. It's great to see those coping skills in action. I highly recommend this audiobook - narrated by Amina Koroma and Jonathan Andrew Hume. It is 9 hours and 15 minutes long. One thing I would advise is to slowly speed it up if you are someone who listens to audiobooks sped up. As someone who is not British, I did find the accent a little hard to understand sped up. Otherwise, definitely would say give Highly Suspicious And Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert a listen.

I love Talia Hibbert’s writing and getting to read her YA debut was such a treat. This one was DARLING! I can’t wait to get this one for my kids’ shelves as this was exactly the kind of romance I’d have loved as a teen.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was such a great YA debut for Talia Hibbert.

While I did have a few issues with the pacing and time jumps I think the story itself was such a fun time. The character felt their age and the banter was everything you have come to expect from a Talia novel. And the representation was phenomenal. Bradley was such an amazing and relatable character.

Bradley and Celine were a such great example of best friends to enemies to lovers. And I would love a whole series dedicated to them through university and beyond!!!

So Cute! Enemies-ish to lovers, competition and past best friends. Even though I personally prefer her adult work this was definitely a good read!

I adored this book. The characters were cute and quirky, and the plot was believable. Talia Hibbert does an excellent job representing someone - specifically a teenager - dealing with severe obsessive compulsive disorder. I loved the friend and family dynamics highlighted for both main characters.

Celine and Brad were childhood BFFs. They grew up together because their mothers were also best friends. As teenagers sometimes do, they grew apart when they joined different social circles which led to them being enemies. A competition for a college scholarship forces them back together, has them braving the outdoors, and makes them realize they still really care about one another.

I love diversity and representation of all kinds in books. I did feel like Brad’s bisexuality was just glazed over. It didn’t really add anything to the story so I was kind of confused as to why it was even mentioned. Other than that, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet YA romcom.

Absolutely adorable. Talia Hibbert absolutely knows how to write heart warming romance with just the right amount of tension. Obviously being her YA debut this story isn't as spicy as some of her other books but it's SO WHOLESOME. Add in a realistic depiction of both anxiety and OCD where everyone gets a happy ending? It's like reading a hug, A hug with witty banter. Amazing

All of the fun and humor you expect from Talia Hibbert! Such a warm, emotional story. It felt very wholesome. I am not a teenager, but it felt very respectful to the older teen experience. The story really demonstrated how important their friends are, and how well they know their parents. The story hooked me, I wanted to keep reading and I was sad when it was over.

I did receive a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Talia Hibbert foray into the YA world was a rounding success. Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was sweet and filled with her signature chemistry and banter between her two main characters.

Bradley and Celine went from best friends to rivals at some point in their teenage years. Brad became part of the popular crowd and Celine was not. But as their rivalry has them competing for a scholarship, they are forced to spend more time together, and confront all of the misunderstandings that led them to stop talking in the first place.
Brad and Celine’s rivalry resulted in some of the best witty bather. I loved the scenes that took place during the survival course and thought that was a unique spin on the academic rivals trope. While there was a lot about this book that I enjoyed, the romance itself fell a little flat for me. I’m not sure why because I enjoyed the characters individually, and the banter was incredible. That being said, I’m sure this is a book many people will adore!
Thanks to Get Underlined and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Read if you like: enemies to lovers.
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First, I want to say that this was ultimately cute and I appreciated the OCD representation. Celine and Bradley used to be friends, but now they are enemies. But when they both go on an expedition for a scholarship, they begin to question their old friendship and relationship.
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While this was cute, I thought the progression from friends to enemies to friends to lovers was a bit too much. Celine and Bradley were legit mean to each other. I understand the whole enemies to lovers trope and I usually love it, but this one just didn't work for me personally! I do think some readers of this trope will really love it though!

This was cute and fun, but it seemed to be missing that spark while reading it. I loved that it was a friends to enemies, enemies to lovers story, and that’s what sold me. But I don’t know. It needed a little more in my opinion.

Talia Hibbert's entrance into the Young Adult world was nothing less than phenomenal. Just as witty, just as juicy, just as beautiful and inclusive, I couldn't put the book down until I was done. As an African American woman, I saw myself in BOTH the main characters and wished their story never came to an end. Love it and can't wait for more.

Talia Hibbert, yet again, did not disappoint. I love a book with mental health representation (OCD) and ambitious female MCs.

Brad and Celine were childhood best friends and after a falling out and divergence of paths, they find themselves as enemies back on similar paths. The book follows them as they overcome the usual teen finding themselves issues and navigate their way back through their relationship history to find each other again.

This book was just a lot of fun and was adorable. I love a good YA rom-com and this one was wonderful. When characters are put into uncomfortable situations and have to find their way out, there's going to be some drama and lots of growth. Talia Hibbert transitioned beautifully from adult romance to YA, and I'm excited to see what else is up her sleeve.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Talia Hibbert’s young adult romance debut Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is one of the first books released by Nicola and David Yoon’s Joy Revolution publishing imprint, and they absolutely knocked it out of the park.

Celine Bangura and Bradley Graeme would be happy if they never saw each other again. Once best friends now turned rivals, their relationship is tense and complicated by the fact that their mothers are best friends. When they both apply for the same scholarship, they are forced to work together during their trek through the wilderness, and the proximity makes them remember what their relationship used to be like.

I’ve been hearing a lot about Talia Hibbert’s books, and this is the first book I’ve read by her (but likely not the last). She did an excellent job capturing that awkward phase of not quite being an adult yet wanting to be in her main characters. She also did a great job with the representation in the book (black, body positivity, queer rep, and OCD). I was quite amused by how determined Celine and Brad were to not give in to their feelings. For example, I started snickering when Celine expressed that “it’s true that I am unfortunately in love with him, but that doesn’t make us dating.”

Readers who enjoy humorous contemporary romantic comedy novels with some tender emotional moments should definitely give this book a chance. Audiobook narrators Aina Koroma and Jonathan Andrew Hume did an excellent job bringing Celine and Bradley’s perspectives to life (and I love how they both had British accents like the characters, which isn’t a 100% guarantee with an audiobook). I also want to give a shout out to the glossary of British terms the author included at the beginning of the book for those who might not be familiar - it really made a difference, and some of them are quite fun to say (pillock, slagging off, and Maccies to name a few).

Thank you to the author, the publisher Joy Revolution, the team at TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with a review copy of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute as part of my participation in the blog tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book immensely.

CONTENT WARNINGS: Parental Abandonment, OCD

I already love Talia Hibbert...but you had me at the Murderbot reference :D

Seriously though, this was a great young adult rom com. Love the light but telling references to observing other people's problems and behaviors - you mean he always talks to you like that? You mean, you have a problem other than me? OH....

Love the working together for a goal, stress over parent's perception, frankly i never thought my kids cared WHAT I thought about what they did, or hopefully we're just good like that?