My favorite book yet by Hibbert! Celine and Bradley are such great protagonists - they’re highly relatable, and totally endearing. Definitely give this one a read.

I LOVED that Brad is bisexual and struggles with OCD. While I don’t have OCD, as someone who is neurodivergent, I love the way she portrays how unexpected and intrusive OCD is and the importance of coping techniques but that there’s no magical cure. I just wanted to hug Brad.

This was SO CUTE! I figured I would like it given that I've enjoyed Talia Hibbert's Brown Sisters series, and it did not disappoint. It was funny and heartwarming in equal measure. I laughed. I squealed. I made embarrassing faces at the computer (thankfully no-one noticed).

Main characters Celine and Brad are former best friends turned bitter enemies, after a falling-out at the beginning of secondary school. I appreciated that, unlike many enemies-to-lovers or former-best-friends books, Hibbert *shows* us both of these things in equal measure. It's understandable why Brad and Celine don't get along at the beginning of the book. Their former friendship, and how well they know each other because of that, is a consistent through-line. The main plot involves Celine and Brad both joining an exclusive outdoor exploration program where they have a chance of winning a scholarship, which (of course) forces them to put a pause on their feud.

Brad has OCD and is struggling to believe in his dream of being a writer, and Celine is mostly motivated by proving her deadbeat dad wrong, so there is plenty of individual character growth to be had amongst all of the relationship development. Both characters' POVs were hilarious, and all the side characters were really fun as well. There was a fair amount of cursing, and some mention of past sexual experience, but in my opinion this would be a great read for high schoolers.

I am a such a fan of Talia Hibbert and the wonderful rom-com series of the Brown sisters so I was very excited to get my hands on this story. The things that Talia does well, she obviously rocked in this book. Her OCD representation felt real and showed it in a way that I have never seen before. Her fat main character was fantastic and I also loved her growth during this book. The friends to enemies to friends to lovers in this book was sweet and very believable. I did think that the beginning of the story was a bit slow and it took a while to get to the meat of the story. For me, there wasn't ever a really climactic part of the plot. Overall, I thought that this was a very sweet story about friends that become more when they realize how much they value and support each other. I cannot wait to see what Talia gives us next.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

🌸New Release!🌸

This was HIGHLY CUTE! I love a sweet YA romance… lots of hand holding and sneaky kisses! And honestly, the absolute best thing about this book is the publishing company. Let’s showcase those diverse voices, authors, and stories!

I see you, Joy Revolution!

I’m thankful I was able to pick this up through NetGalley!

#highlysuspiciousandunfairlycute #taliahibbert #ya #netgalley #joyrevolution #readingreyna #nicolayoon #diversebooks

Talia Hibbert does it again! Fantastic read. Complex characters with an engrossing plot. I feel this read is perfect for the young adult, however, I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Talia Hibbert is a phenomenal writer who I can not get enough of. Highly recommend. And what a cute cover!

I love all of the Talia Hibbert's books I've read and was so excited to be approved for her YA novel Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. I really liked the main characters and enjoyed the book. They were relatable and it was such a quick read. I would highly recommend.

4.5 stars rounded up


Thank you to the author, Random House Childrens, and NetGalley for providing a copy to review!

IS THERE ANYTHING TALIA HIBBERT CAN"T DO???? The Brown Sisters are still in my top books ever read. Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is exactly that.. Unfairly cute. This book is beyond adorable Celine is absolutely amazing. I love her, she is so cute.

The sweetest YA romance from the always stunning Talia Hibbert. The banter between these two is phenomenal! Creatively written and laugh out loud funny. I found that she hit the mark on what it is to be a teenager, on the cusp of leaving home and finishing school, confronting all of the decisions and directions on the table.

We love an emotionally intelligent young man: Bradley feels real, handling his OCD with grace through his own tribulations. His counterpart, Celine, grows through facing her own trials, including the abandonment issues her father left her with. Hibbert also does a great job with her supporting characters and allows them to add to the conversation and humor of the story without taking the reins, veering us off course. If I had this book as an 18 year old, I would’ve been done for.

Bisexual rep
Ex-best friend enemies ➡️ friends ➡️ more
Dual POV
So snarky with epic banter

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was an adorable book that I couldn’t put down. The main characters were entertaining, their situations interesting and their story lines deep and real.

We meet Celine who hate’s Brad who happened to be her ex best friend. I swear high school changes everything for everyone. Regardless they are quite competitive with one another but when something falls on their laps for a scholarship, they are all over it. The wonderful story of finding that friendship once again and maybe a little more was simply perfect. (Not really but in my mind, it was).

There are some serious issues discussed throughout the book such as Brad’s OCD and how he sees/reacts to different situations. It’s interesting to see, I feel like his case is a bit stronger than most OCD people I know. So it was a pleasure to read and see things through someone else’s eyes. I also really loved the story line Celine was going through with the abandoned father. A lot of people don’t realize just how triggering things like this can be for some. It’s hard and if not dealt with correctly it will haunt you always.

This was a quick and great read. I would recommend to anyone and everyone who just loves a delightful story.

This was such a cute book! Definately loved Talia’s writing style with this one. All of her books are PHENOMENAL!

5 STARS!

This academic rivals/former best friend YA romance is so good for those who are still within the YA age range! I love Talia Hibbert so much and I'm so excited her representation is expanding into the YA genre/age range. As an adult, I didn't feel called to pick it up but that is so okay! As a teacher, I know this book will serve so many of my students and I look forward to sharing it with them.

Genre: YA Romance

Format: Physical

4.5 stars - I really liked it!

YA enemies to lovers with diverse representation, say less! I really enjoyed The Brown Sister’s trilogy, so I was so excited to read her YA debut!

This book is so British!! I ate it up. I found myself laughing and getting swept away in Celine and Bradley’s world. I loved the banter, campy moments, academic rivalries arc, and how swoony and wholesome of a romance it was!!

Would recommend for any YA romance fan who loves a sweet romance that handles heavier themes with care!

Okay, pause for a second. This book was amazingly cute, the character growth was fantastic, the friendship/relationship building was top notch, and the banter had me laughing out loud. AND YET. I never wanted to pick up this book. I'd love it while reading it, but when I wasn't my brain would be like, "Should we DNF it?" There was something about it that didn't engage me despite all the elements I enjoyed and I just can't put my finger on it.

That being said, I'm going to dive into all the amazing things about it since I literally don't know what I'd criticize about it other than my vibe.

The character building was top notch. The way you start to see the cracks and then watch as the building comes tumbling down was how the characters developed. They got a total refresh as they ventured through the book and grew through their experiences, their relationships, and the major truths they were missing as they chased their dreams. I loved how realistically they grew around and with each other, all of them, not even just the MCs.

Also, the secondary characters are top notch. Like if Talia Hibbert decides to make this into a companion series, I'd read the heck out of Aurora's love story. The Breakspeare crew was so much fun and I adored getting to know them.

I appreciated the family units as well, and how they impacted and reflected the way the characters interacted with the world. They felt real and good and loving, and ugh, I loved them too.

As a whole, I really loved this book - the characters, the world building, the growth. It all hit the right notes. But, there was something that was missing for me that is stopping me from rating this at the 5 stars I want to give it.

TW: bullying, injury detail, mentions parental divorce

Rep: MMC is Black, bi, and has OCD; FMC is black and has asthma; secondary character has celiac; dyslexic tertiary character; Black and OCD own voices

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Joy Revolution via Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.

This book was ADORABLE! I was a bit nervous to read a YA romance because it’s been a few years since I fit into the YA demographic, but I trusted Talia Hibbert and wasn’t disappointed. Now I just wish I could be half as cool, smart, and emotionally-aware as these teens were!

This was the perfect sweet, quick read for anyone, but especially the high-achievers who sometimes need a reminder they don’t have to be everything for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joy Revolution for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

An ARC from netgalley for honest review.

This was, quite frankly, so fuckin’ precious and lovely. It had me cheesin’ so hard! Laughing out loud and deeply in my feelings. So the gist of it all is after falling out ages ago, the only thing these ex-best friends Bradley and Celine have for each other is petty insults and academic rivalry… That is until they find themselves competing for a scholarship in the middle of the woods, where they are forced to work as a team for a grand prize. As they work closer and closer, their past comes sneaking back along with some teensy, tiny (and repressed) feelings that were (un)successfully shut down. So good!!! Talia Hibbert just be giving life to these books.

Hope you enjoy it, too!
And as always Happy Reading!

I don't usually enjoy YA, but Talia Hibbert is apparently the exception to every rule because this book was absolute perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joy Revolution and Talia Hibbert for an E-ARC of this glorious novel!

Once childhood best friends, now enemies, Celine and Brad are thrust together in competition for a prestigious scholarship via camping and riddles. Along the way though, their enemies status is shaken, now they're friend? Or something more? How will they survive camping, sixth form, and shiny new love?

There are days I think I am done with YA then this book comes along and drags me back! Talia Hibbert is the queen of banter of the build. Even in a YA book, where the spice doesn't get too spicy, there is such genuine heat and warmth and adoration. I loved Brad and Celine's relationship from enemies to friends to maybe to partners. I adored every interaction they had, it all built beautifully.

As always, Talia Hibbert handles emotions, mental health, and body positivity to a T. This woman can do no wrong in my eyes. A glorious read from start to finish.

TW for OCD, emotional avoidance, parental abandonment.

3.5 stars rounded up

I am a big fan of Talia Hibbert's adult romances and was excited to try her first YA novel, even though YA romances tend to be very hit and miss for me. So keep that in mind. This is a very cute childhood BFFs to enemies to friends to lovers story with characters who are not great at outdoor survival. Overall I enjoyed the character's journey and banter, though it did drag for me at times. I also think I'm just less invested because they are still in high school. But this is really written for teens, and I could see it hitting much better for that audience. And there is certainly a lot to like.

Bradley is cool at school, but also really sweet. He is planning to study law at university, but is it really what HE wants or what his dad wants? He also has OCD which is handled really gently. And he is head over heels for Celine, which is pretty cute when we get his internal monologue.

Celine is a quirky, curvy TikToker who makes videos about conspiracy theories. And she hates Bradley for abandoning their friendship for his cool soccer friends. HATES. Clearly....
She also has some unresolved feelings about her father who abandoned their family. Possibly related? Hmm..

They end up reconnecting while navigating the wilderness as part of a scholarship competition and something new is kindled.

Like I said, I didn't love this as much as I did her adult work, and it took me a lot longer to get through than it should have. It was the kind of thing where I liked it while reading, but if I put it down there was no urgency to pick it back up again. That said, there are a lot of positives here and it's certainly worth a look. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Given the steam level of the Brown Sisters series by Talia Hibbert, I was interested to see how she would make the transition to YA and she nailed it! With no-spice but a bit of rom-com tension this novel follow ex-bestfriends as they work to both survive the great outdoors in pursuit of a life changing opporunity while uncousniously begining to repair their relationship. As they begin to work together they not only work to repair but remember both the good times and the bad times.