This book was so cute! I loved the relationship between Celine and Bradley- from best friends, to enemies, to lovers. I really loved seeing Celine’s emotional development throughout the story as well. I think the mental health rep was also good (Brad has OCD). There was also great banter in this book! And some angst!

The title says it all. This book is absolutely unfairly cute! I have always been partial to the way Hibbert writes romance and I loved this one. For her first venture into YA romance, she never talks down to her audience. It is a fairly quick read that had me giggling and kicking my feet the whole time.

Hibbert is a very funny author. She has a knack for comedic timing that doesn't feel forced or unearned. I can say the same about the romance aspect as well. Brad and Celine make sense and I had fun seeing them grow back together despite the hurts from their past.

This book is just pure serotonin on the page! A nice shot of sugar that is easy and fun to read!

Okay, I'm already a fan of Talia's. I mean the Brown sisters trilogy...genius! So when I found out she was writing a YA novel, I knew I had to read. My expectations were so high and per usual, Talia exceeded all of them!

These two former best friends end up going after the same scholarship, that happens to involve camping. In order for them to give their best in the competition, Celine and Brad decide to put their differences aside. But if they no longer hate each other, what comes next?

Talia weaves a sweet and hilariously funny story about two ex-best friends who start to realize that their hate for each other might mean something else. Like always, Talia delivers characters you can't help but fall in love with while also cracking you up on every single page. But it's not just Celine and Brad you'll fall in love with, but all of the side characters as well. Every single character literally pops off the page with their own unique voice.

I loved the dual POV because it was great getting both Brad and Celine's perspective and now I might want this for all YA novels.

Also, as a Black woman, it was so nice to see a story about two Black teens falling in love. Talia also has fantastic mental health rep in the book and it makes me so happy that type of book exists in the world now --- it definitely didn't exist when I was a teenager.

I know we're only in January, but I'm going to say it any way. This is one of the best YA books of 2023. Your heart will hurt because you'll love it so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

"Highly Suspicious and Unfairy Cute" by Talia Hilbert is adorable!  This is her debut novel for teens and frankly, it's my new favorite of hers. The story is about two childhood friends who's relationship evolves while competing for a scholarship. Each of them have their own reasons and internal conflict to process and how Talia writes this is so entertaining! The characters are very well written, current without being cheesy, and very believable. My favorite character is Bradley. He is diagnoses of OCD and his emotional intelligence is so attractive! The pace of this book is perfect for a more light hearted fun read. I laughed out loud many times!

There is nothing suspicious about this, but it is unfair how unfairly freaking cute it is (yes, I do think I'm funny).

This was my first book by Talia Hobert, and I have to say I LOVED it! This was such a cute book and definitely lives up to its name.
The plot, the characters, I was just obsessed.

Celine is everything!!! I connected with her so much and felt like she held so many layers, and I understand her character exactly, which made me feel for her even more. She is strong on the outside but has that hidden side not many people see. Except for Bradley, that’s is (who I loved equally as much!)

This enemies/friends to lovers book was unfairly cute and highly recommended by me!!!

Out Jan 3rd 2023!!!

A cute contemporary story! I loved the elements of survival, and the bringing together of the main character and the love interest. Highly recommend!!

Happy publication day to Highly Suspicious and Unfairly cute by Tahlia Hibbert

Swoon. She does it again.

Once again she has nailed the tension and created characters that are hard not to love.

Tahlia had me loving this enemies to lovers trope- which says a lot because often I am too inpatient for it. The back and forth between Bradley and Celine just made me giggle so much. The clap backs were perfection. It was so well done. They were likeable even at their worst.

The depictions of OCD; as someone who lives with it, were so relatable. I’ve never before seen my self in the way OCD has been described the way I saw myself in Bradley. “The stairs are made of concrete and they’re laughably uneven. My Braine helpfully informs me that I could easily fall and crack my head open and die right now. My brain, in case I failed to mention this before. Is kind of a dick.” Thank you. Yes. Exactly this. I don’t have a lot of the classic symptoms but intrusive thoughts are a-plenty. So Bradley, dear Bradley. He found a was one close to my heart.

Also this - I’m actually going to be writing this quote in my journal to show my therapist and to remind myself :
“Accept the thought…Check for distortions…refocus”

Thank you for bringing us another beautiful story Tahlia. I’ll be recommending this one over and over, getting a copy for my shelf and I think this is the perfect book for a few people I’d like to gift it too ;)

“But when I look at him - when I compare the light in his eyes to the scattered stars in the sky and find his brighter, when I wish I could touch every inch of him the way the silver glow does - it’s not just aesthetic. At all.”

Thank you @penguinrandon/ @penguinteenca for my Arc ♥️

This book was really cute. I’m not a YA romance reader but knowing that the characters was black was enough for me. It’s refreshing to see long friendships turn enemies then back to being friends and more. You can tell they grown up a lot and know about how aware their feelings are towards one another.
I love the author’s style of writing and is a fan of her previous work. She, again, gives us a great book and I’m proud of her for this being her first YA. I highly recommend it!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert is a laugh-out-loud enemies to lovers story that is sure to bring a smile to any reader’s face. I loved the idea of a wilderness survival course in which ex-best friends are forced to work together to succeed, and the main characters have such an enjoyable dynamic. This is the perfect read for fans of the enemies to lovers trope, and a strong YA debut from the author of The Brown Sisters trilogy.

For Celine, being the best at everything she does and working hard toward her dream of becoming a lawyer is everything. When she gets the opportunity to sign up for a prestigious survival course in the woods led by her idol, she jumps at the opportunity, but the experience quickly sours when she learns that her rival and ex-best friend has signed up as well. Forced to work together to both survive and win a scholarship to the university of their choice, Celine and Brad must confront their past and forge a new future for their relationship as they start to reconnect.

❀ INTERESTING DYNAMIC

Celine and Bradley have an interesting dynamic, and I loved reading about their interactions. Celine is passionate about conspiracy theories, running a successful TikTok account, and I admired her drive to achieve her goals. However, as the book progresses, I really felt for Celine as she questions how much of her dream is of her own will and how much is influenced by a desire to get back at her dad. Bradley used to be Celine’s best friend, but once he joined the football team, he left her behind for a new friend group. While both Brad and Celine have said hurtful things to each other in the past, it is clear that they still care for each other, and I enjoyed watching them confront their past as they get closer.

❀ WILDERNESS SURVIVAL COURSE

This book has such an interesting setting, and I loved the idea of a wilderness survival course. As the course forces its participants to work together and think creatively in order to succeed, it provides a great setup for self-discovery and forcing the main characters to reconnect. I would have liked to see even more about the course and the characters’ “survival” in the woods of England and Scotland as the summary emphasizes, but I still appreciated this unique setting.

❀ ENTERTAINING STORY

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert is an entertaining story about following your dreams and mending old relationships. I loved reading about the main characters’ rivalry, and the wilderness setting makes for some satisfying moments. This is a great read for those who enjoy books with the enemies to lovers/academic rivals trope.

This was absolutely adorable; very much a "toned-down" Talia Hibbert book in terms of themes but her character and relationship development is still incredible. I struggled a bit with the background characters as there were so many of them and they all blended together a bit, but her main characters - Brad and Celine - were developed really well. The middle did lose me a bit with the repetitious conflict, but that may be more of a me issue than a book issue due to the age demographic. Overall, this is a really cute teen romance that's good for any teen (or teen at heart).

“Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” is a v fitting title, because this is definitely one of the cutest YA books that I’ve read in quite a long time!

The romance is sugary sweet, the friends ⮕ enemies ⮕ lovers vibes are ✨spectacular✨ & the OCD representation with Bradley is so so carefully done! Bradley & Celine’s chemistry is a magnetic force that just keeps bringing them together & Celine is such a strong/confident heroine that she honestly might be my new fav Talia Hibbert heroine! 🥲💗 Also the communication in this book?? Truly ten times better than the communication in so many of the adult romance books that I’ve read lately!

Some parts were a tad bit slow for me and I’m so so sorry, but tiktok existing/playing such a large part in this universe made me inwardly cringe every time it was mentioned 😭 But all in all, this was still a v sweet book that gave me all of the warm and fuzzy feelings! I’d definitely recommend it for Talia Hibbert fans as well as anyone who regularly reads/enjoys YA books!

Thank you sm to @netgalley & Random House for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

A YA favorite for the year! Filled with butterfly-inducing absolutely adorable moments and complex absolutely loveable characters, this was a fast, fun and really well done YA read. These characters will forever have my heart.

I really enjoyed the dual POV and thought it was particularly effective as we learned more about the characters from their own POV and from the POV of each other. I usually find myself enjoying one characters chapters more, but both Celine and Bradley and so easy to root for that both POV really just compounded on top of eachother.

Add in a remarkably special humor that only Talia Hibbert can add to her books and I will be reading this book over and over!

What happens when you put an alien believing conspiracy theorist with daddy/abandoment issues together with a jock who has mildly controlled OCD and surpressed career goals? In the middle of the Scottish woods? Camping? Where there’s mud, germs, and the possibility of mucking up everything and never proving your POS father that you’re a capable woman who will be a better lawyer than he ever was? And did I mention that the aspiring lawyer and jock are ex-best friends?
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is all of that (and more!) and we get to see both sides of the story told by Celine and Bradley. They must work through their own broken relationship, and also work on their relationships with their families, all while navigating their final year of school before college.
I love Talia's adult romcoms (if she wrote even more Brown sister books, I would gobble them up in a heartbeat) so of course when she announced Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, I knew I needed to read this YA romcom. There is a ton of classic Talia Hibbert wit and charm in this book and couldn’t put it down!
Thank you to Talia Hibbert and NetGalley for the digital ARC of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute!

Banter, check
Adorable characters, check
Academic rivalry, check
Friends to rivals to lovers, check

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don’t usually go for YA romance, but this really was unfairly cute. The banter was hilarious and adorable and kept the story moving quickly. I was really rooting for both of them individually and together, and it felt age appropriate for them to be in high school.

This was an adorable, funny, heartwarming read of a friends-turned-enemies-turned-friends-turned-lovers YA romance with fantastic OCD rep between a driven girl with abandonment issues because of her father and a bi boy who’s trying to reconcile his dreams for the future with his reality.

I love Talia Hibbert. I love how she writes love. I love how when I read her writing I find bits and pieces of myself in all the characters. I love how she makes me laugh with just a witty turn of phrase and how she can make me understand myself and others better.

From the very first page, which was a glossary of British terms for Americans, I knew I was going to love this book because I started laughing just reading the definitions.

Then we meet the characters, with their nuanced personal struggles, their quirks and their perfect wit and I knew Talia Hibbert had spun magic yet again.

I was totally on board with their developing friendship, and then their romance, which felt so delicate, vulnerable and truly read like first love. They had me grinning like crazy.

👍
+ The OCD representation in this book was superb, nuanced and felt authentic.
+ The banter is FANTASTIC! I wish I had the skill for comebacks either of these two have.
+ Celine is a flawed character and I enjoyed her journey to understand the mistakes she has made along the way. Also I loved that Celine is a conspiracy theorist!
+ Brad is flawed in some ways too, but he is a perfect book boyfriend! He’s so loving, thoughtful and just overall so amazing to Celine.
+ And together they’re magical, how they support each other with what they’re dealing with, how they deeply understand each other, how they know how to navigate the other person’s emotional turmoil... And it feels real because they’ve known each other for so long.
+ I also really liked a lot of the side characters, especially Aurora.

Thank you so much Joy Revolution, Random House Kids and NetGalley for this fantastic eARC!

4.5 stars
This was absolutely delightful and fuzzy and warm, and I adored it. Talia Hibbert is officially one of my favorite romance authors, easily. Everything she writes is so full of authenticity and care, and this was no exception.

Celine and Brad are former best friends, now sort-of enemies, getting ready to face an important year before they start university. In preparation for their futures, they both sign up for the same extra curricular activity and end up having to spend a lot of time together. Naturally, sparks start to fly.

Hibbert writes these characters so well. I believe them, I believe their relationship as it grows, and I believe their individual journeys. These are two full, incredible characters that move toward each other so perfectly. I was rooting for them from the beginning.

I'm not normally a YA romance reader, but Hibbert is just so good (clearly I'm obsessed). Lots of laugh-out-loud moments, coupled with tender, romantic, butterflies-in-your-stomach moments. Just lovely. I only wish we got an epilogue, because I would've loved to see Celine and Brad in university!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC in exchange for review!

🥾⛰️REVIEW🧭🔦

✨Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute✨
By: @taliahibbert
Published: TOMORROW! 1/3/23
(Definitely pick it up)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

-Academia Rivals
-friends to enemies to lovers
-Dual POV
-YA romcom
-OCD representation
-Witty Banter ALL THE TIME
-An entire glossary in the beginning breaking down British language translated into American understanding

My first book of 2023 and Talia delivered! I’ve previously read her Brown Sisters Trilogy and was obsessed with it as it highlights romance with black, plus sized, queer, disabled, and neurodivergent characters. But when this was said to be a Young Adult book (Talia’s first) I wasn’t sure it would live up to the others. SURPRISE- it’s fricken adorable and perfection.

I loved that not once was I bored with the storyline. I was grinning from ear-to-ear watching Bradley and Celine verbally spar throughout the book and literally laughed out loud at some parts.

Both Brad and Celine learn to love themselves and be who they are truly meant to be as individuals, even if that goes against what other people expect from them. I loved how their love grew and it was all so innocent and sweet.

I think this book is for anyone who enjoys the feeling of falling in love for the first time and remembering the stress that came along with growing up and forging a path of your own in the world. I really want to hear the audiobook of this because I feel like it will have me in stitches with the banter😂

I will say that I was a little disappointed that a conflict in the story wasn’t fully resolved in my eyes (Celine’s father) and the lack of epilogue made me sad. But I realize with it being a YA book, it was truly a great story and did a great job of wrapping everything up nicely.

Thank you @netgalley and @joyrevbooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute, getting taken on the journey between Celine and Bradley. I loveddd the humor in the book and it was a great first read of the year. The author also beautifully captured Bradley and his struggle with his OCD! I don't usually read YA but this was done beautifully and I definitely want to read the authors other books!

The banter queen does it again!! This book was actually “unfairly cute”!! You wouldn’t believed this was Talia’s first venture into YA. So amazing, can’t wait to see what else she writes in this genre!