It was just too cringey and over the top for me. The characters seemed much more immature than I feel like kids their age generally are.

Super cute! I am such a fan of Talia’s adult romance and I feel like she was still really to make a cute relationship and connection while still being teenagers. I feel like this will be a great recommendation for YA reades

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a great YA debut from an author whose romance I adore. I loved the vibes of both of the characters and I really enjoyed the plot and the conversations about growing up and figuring out what you want in life at such a young age. It was nicely paced and while I usually find teen protagonists annoying these days, these two were lovely!

4 stars.

Super cute! Talia Hibbert had me sold and in love with the Brown sisters, and this book is a worthy addition to her collection!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” by Talia Hibbert. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a big fan of Hibbert’s Brown sisters series, I was eager to read whatever she wrote next. I’m still not sure if this YA romance worked for me but I would definitely recommend it to teenagers.

There were a lot of characters thrown at you right at the beginning from both POVs and many of the characters don’t have a prominent role in the rest of the story. The pacing was off for me throughout as it felt like there were a lot of time skips and relationship developments happening off page.

Especially at the beginning, the enemies element felt heavy handed and telling repeatedly but not showing.

Bradley lies and says Celine is his cousin and then says she basically IS his cousin which is seemed an odd choice for a romance and was a bit off-putting.

I liked the discussions of university and balancing your own future with parents expectations. I think that’s really important for high school kids to be able to consider regardless of where they are in the world.

This wasn’t really for me. I’ll stick to the author’s adult books but would definitely recommend this to teens.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you so much for the ARC copy! I tried to get into this book and tried but it just couldn’t keep my attention. It’s definitely a cute book but just not my type I like!

This book was literally ADORABLE. like had me giggling and kicking my feet type of adorable.

The writing was absolutely phenomenal. Talia writes in a way that makes the character so real and three dimensional. Each one was so unique and loveable. With this story in particular, the family relationships, friendships, and romance was so deep and woven together in a way that produced a beautiful coming of age story.

The mental health representation was, in my opinion, so well done. I loved how she shown a light on living with OCD, while also making it not the main feature of the character.

If you’re looking for a YA contemporary romance, this would be at the top of my recommendations. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

This book was *chefs kiss* I knew I’d enjoy it going it because I love everything Talia Hibbert does but this one really blew me away.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I enjoyed this a lot. The characters just seem to hop off the page and take us along with them on their journey to discover what their true feelings are. It was kind of around about way of getting there, but that is just the way life is sometimes. I really love Celine she was undoubtedly herself and that made her so relatable. This is a book that just has to be read by all. It felt me feeling so good.

This was so cute and the banter between the two was so much fun. I love how Celine was undeniably herself and she knew who she was. While her focus was initially a little bit misguided, she did figure out who she wanted to be in the end. Bradley also figured out what he wanted out of his future and how it didn’t necessarily match with what he had been saying. Overall I enjoyed this story and reading it was fun.

I really enjoyed this, although I didn't love it the way I love Talia Hibbert's adult books - in part because, as a teen book, this doesn't have the heat that makes her adult romances impossible to put down for me. This was still an absolute delight though! The characters feel real, the plot was engaging, and it's funny and fun even while dealing with difficult topics (very Hibbert).

Super cute, great banter and lovable main characters!

Although it did take me about 25% to get invested in Brad and Celine and get used to the Gen-Z language and inner dialogues, I really enjoyed Brad and Celine's story as well as how they found their way back to each other as friends and more.

I really liked how all the side characters had very distinct personalities, from their families, friends at school, and friends in the Breakespeare program. I also appreciated the inclusion of a bisexual main character and mental health struggles (OCD)!

I particularly enjoyed the depiction of what it's like to fall out with a friend and years later try to rebuild that friendship and learn to trust them again - this journey felt super real and natural with Brad and Celine. I felt like there was something was a little something missing for me and this had to do with the romantic chemistry because as much as I could really feel their connection and how they care for each other, I wasn't necessarily convinced that they should be in a relationship.

I did find myself laughing out loud and giggling at certain scenes and it's a solid YA but it fell a bit flat, especially since I went in with high expectations.

Thank you so much to Random House Children's, Joy Revolution and Netgalley for the eARC!

I love that Talia Hibbert made the foray into YA!

This felt like the books I knew and loved by her, with a younger twist.

Talia Hibbert books are always a 5/5 stars every single time for me. This one fell a little short. I didn't feel the same magic as I did with her others.

It was adorable and cute and made me smile as usual, I just didn't connect the same way. 4/5 because of those smiles and little butterfly feelings!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC!

This was a feel-good book if ever there was one. And that's why I'm rounding up to 4 stars (also, my love for Ms. Hibbert in general). Missing were the hot scenes we've come to expect, but this is firmly YA, so it is PG-13. The characters were still well fleshed-out and likeable, and bonus points for the glossary, which made me laugh.

This is a friends to enemies to more-than-friends contemporary romance that has witty banter and quirky characters. I am always happy to read about people who don't quite fit the cultural standards. I also really like dialogue that sounds authentic and intelligent. This book had all of that.

My thanks to NetGalley and Joy Revolution for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️

Wow!!! This was super cute and I loved the two main characters. I haven’t enjoyed a YA romance like this in a long time so this novel definitely makes me want to give more a chance! I also really liked the mental health and queer rep in this. Overall, would love to read another YA from Talia!

This book was not at all suspicious and highly cute.

I love Talia Hibbert's adult romances, so I was super excited to see that she was writing YA.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic contribution to the contemporary YA romance subgenre. The characters were interesting and well-drawn, the premise was highly adorable (former friends forced to work together in a competitive outdoors program). I loved the characters, loved the inclusion of their families, friends, and mentors, and just found this one highly enjoyable overall.

Highly recommend this unfairly adorable YA rom com!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Joy Revolution for this ARC of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert!

I absolutely adore Talia’s Adult books so I was super excited for this dive into her first YA novel. Overall I really enjoyed the book! I thought that both Celine and Brad were lovable characters that grew both individually and together throughout the novel. Additionally, I love Talia’s commitment to mental health representation throughout their novels, with this one focusing on OCD.

Truly a solid YA romance that is out now! Thank you again to Netgalley and Joy Revolution for the ARC.

4.5 stars.

This book was so cute, I loved that it was her first YA book. I love all her other books so much and this was no exception. Her writing style is still the same that I have come to love and would recommend this sweet story to anyone.

I loved this young adult contemporary romance by Talia Hibbert. I enjoyed her Brown sisters series, so I knew I wanted to read her first YA. I enjoyed that although this was a friends to enemies to lovers, both main characters secretly had so much love for each other throughout the book. It was witty and charming, in true Hibbert fashion. The lovable and inclusive characters were a breath of fresh air. I appreciated the care Hibbert gave in representing OCD and talking more in depth in her author's note. To top it all off, this was published by the husband and wife author duo Nicola and David Yoon, whom I love as well. This book felt like a giant hug and I didn't want it to end.