Format - E ARC Netgalley

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice-💋

Series- N/A

Troupes/Representation- Childhood Friends- Enemies- lovers, mutual pinning, YA novel, OCD, TikTok creator

CW-Perental abandonment

I’m not a YA reader, I don’t know why I’m not usually drawn to them but I’m not. That said, this YA romance from Talia Hibbert was freaking Fantastic! I loved Hibbert’s writing style and character development and general story telling in the Brown Sisters novel, and it all carries though in this book.

Celine is your typical TikTok Gen Z teenager she’s got a lot to say about a lot of stuff and her many TikTok followers are ready to listen. She’s smart and caring but also struggling with the after effects of her father leaving. Bradley is the popular boy, on the football team and everyone loves him and he used to be Celine’s bestfriend. Now they snipe at each other every chance they get, and can stand the sight of each other. Can they get along well enough do this explorer camping thing and win scholarships? It’s not looking good.

The banter and longing between this two, is adorable and so sweet. Right on brand for Talia. And while there is no spice in this there is plenty of heated moments and steamy kisses.

I think its safe to say that Talia Hibbert can get me to read and love most anything she writes. Don’t miss out on this one!

Talia Hibbert once again proves she is the queen of romance! I’ve read several of her adult romance books and was very curious to see how her writing transitioned to the YA genre. She did a fantastic job! The two main characters, Celine and Brad, are both lovable and you feel like they’re your friends by the end of the book. I loved the idea of the plot and thought it was executed very well. I do wish we had gotten a tiny bit more time of them in the woods during the program but I can see how it might feel repetitive. Brad has OCD and the way that it is described is so well done. I felt like I was having the same thoughts and emotions he was having right along with him. On the other side, this book, like all of Talia Hibbert’s books, made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. Celine reminded me of a young Chloe Brown from her Brown sister trilogy and I absolutely LOVED that!

I was also excited to see that this is being published by a new publishing imprint called Joy Revolution that focuses on love stories written by and about people of color. I’m looking forward to seeing what else comes out from this imprint!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

This is the first book I've read of Talia Hibbert's but I think I'll definitely be reading her more adult books after getting this book! Her writing was funny, full of character, and just what I needed in terms of an enemies-to-lovers romance. I could feel how tense things were for these teenagers and sense how much they were trying to get right with themselves and also find the love that they deserved. This story was honestly so great, and I enjoyed learning about the author as well through how she wrote about Bradley and his OCD (later learning in the acknowledgments that she too has OCD). I enjoyed that these characters felt real to me, even if I'm a bit older and removed from teenage troubles. It was a fun and quick read, easily consumable, and I'm excited to read more of her work.

Quirky. Fun. Sweet. Adorable. REAL.

Bradley and Celine are the cutest characters who you can’t help but fall for. In this friends to enemies to friends to something more(?) story I love that issues were discussed that real people deal with. The characters were not perfect model humans, they deal with real stuff. They are so relatable! And on top of day to day things they have futures they have to figure out.

And the side characters are the best! So hilarious and fun loving. (We all need a Raj in our lives!)

Don’t skip this one! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

This novel is absolutely adorable and tull of important content that will be so helpful for teenagers who need to see themselves in literature. There is some fantastic mental health representation, conversations on the impact of divorce/absentee parents, and more. I think this is a fantastic read for teenagers and adults alike.

Check this one out for:

✨️ mental health rep
✨️ a curvy fmc
✨️ friends to lovers
✨️ summer camp but make it yearround vibes
✨️ boy next door energy

Thank you netgalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The title is exactly how I would describe the book- it was so dang cute and everything you would think a YA enemies to lovers romance should be. Hibbert always does a fantastic job at adding representation in her characters and she explores their abilities in such a descriptive way; I have always appreciated that about her writing. And these characters were so good for each other.

My only complaint is that I wanted to read more about the final adventure in Scotland that they prepped so much for, it would have been fun to have had that added to the plot. But that’s just my opinion!

Also shout out to putting the trigger warnings in the beginning of the book! I am not sure if it will be that way when it is printed and published, but I loved to see it on my version.

Talia Hibbert has been a go to romance author for years now and I was so excited to read her YA debut! Even though I don't read as much YA anymore I knew Hibbert would do a fantastic job and her signature banter between characters and how she crafts a love story would be fantastic. Such a fun read!

THIS BOOK IS SO SO SO GOOD PLEASE READ THANK YOU

<b>Quick Stats</b>
Age Rating: 13+
Over All: 4.75 stars
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5

<i>Special thanks to Joy Revolution and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.</i>

SO many things to say, but we’ll start with my one singular issue with this book, and why it has 5/5 on everything, yet I gave it 4.75 stars.
The Kanye praise.
There’s a scene about 20-30% in the book where Celine (FMC) is bonding with another camper over their love of Kanye’s music. They talk about his talent and how much they love him. Instant ick. There was no mention or condemning of the disgusting comments and actions of Kanye over the last few years.
I’m honestly so disappointed that Talia Hibbert would write anything complimentary about Kanye. I understand that, for the scene to work she needed a famous Black music artist (preferrably rapper) that would be well known both in the UK and the USA, but there are plenty that would have worked in the context that aren’t violent antisemites. Jay-Z, Tupac, Drake, just off the top of my head.
I sincerely hope that the Kanye praise is not in the final copies of this book, but I am not optimistic. His most recent string of horrifying rhetoric would definitely be reason enough for a last minute change, but I believe by that point final copies would already be in production. I do understand that they likely could not have been changed by the time of Kanye’s newest remarks, but he his statements and actions have been problematic and harmful for years. A book that isn’t even out yet shouldn’t be praising him in any way, let alone without condemning these actions.

Now, that is literally the ONLY bad thing I have to say about this book. Other than that, I found it to be utter perfection. It’s one of the best books I read this year, and I truly could not recommend it more. I’m a lover of the Brown Sisters trilogy, and I’ve read and enjoyed some of Talia’s indy books as well, however they tend to fall a bit on the spicy side for my taste. I was really excited to see what she could do in the YA space. I was also curious to see whether or not this book would fall a into a more upper YA category in terms of sexual content, and I was admittedly surprised that it didn’t…at all.
Despite following two high school seniors (or whatever the British equivalent is) the sexual content in the book is limited. There are general references to sex and such—I mean, they are teenagers—but all Brad and Celine do is make out, and even the descriptions of that are brief. There is some swearing—again, they are teenagers—but I think this book is solidly appropriate for younger YA readers as well as older ones.
This book just made me fall more in love with Talia Hibbert. Honestly, what can’t she do? She can write five star books with immaculately witty humor, swoon-worthy romance, and incredible, diverse representation for both adults and teens, in both third person and third. I have yet to meet a Talia Hibbert book that I do not adore—but Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute may just be my favorite yet.
Brad and Celine were unique characters with distinct voices. They’re so different, and yet I found them both to be so relateable. Brad’s OCD, especially, hit home for me. It’s some of the best OCD rep I’ve ever read, but I wouldn’t expect any less from Talia Hibbert. The chemistry, banter, relationship between Brad and Celine was also impeccable. I mean, it had all the best tropes executed to perfection. Grumpy (her) x Sunshine (him); childhood friends-to-enemies/rivals-to-lovers; forced proximity (while camping). I ate this book up. I read it in one sitting because I could not put it down. It’s the kind of book that will have you squealing and kicking your feet because it really is so Unfairly Cute.
But just because it’s an adorable swoony romcom doesn’t mean it doesn’t have hard-hitting emotional aspects to it as well. Both Brad and Celine are dealing with personal hardships that they grapple with throughout the book.
Celine has to face her father’s abandonment, and acknowledge that her coping methods and the ways she’s allowed it to affect her life are… not the healthiest. There were scenes in this plotline that felt like someone had reached into my chest and squeezed.
Brad, as I mentioned before has OCD, and though it is under control, it still affects him and the way he interacts with the world and his family. Again, Talia Hibbert nailed every single aspect of this representation. Alongside that, he’s struggling with his own hopes and dreams for his life, and how they come into opposition with what his family has expected of him. This is something that I think is so relateable for teens and young adults, and I really appreciated how it played out in the book, and how this struggle interacted with Brad’s OCD without being “because of” his OCD.
Every single aspect of this book is better than I could have asked. I cannot recommend it more. I can’t wait to see what Talia Hibbert does next, and I really hope she continues to write more romcoms, both for adult and YA.

Sorta relatedly—this is the first book put out by Joy Revolution, a new imprint of Penguin run by NICOLA YOON! I believe it will be putting out books that focus on Black joy, and this one was so amazing; I can’t wait to see what comes next from them!

I mean, it’s Talia Hibbert. So right away you know it’s going to be funny yet heartbreaking, sophisticated yet silly. Hibbert easily steps into the YA world and creates a couple who are adorably flawed and undeniably lovable. So do yourself a favor and read this book.

Just like her adult romance titles, Talia HIbbert's new book is sweet, funny, and filled with distinctively nerdy characters. As always, she doesn't shy away from writing people who are flawed yet still manage to function effectively and find true friendship and love.

Brad and Celine were once best friends, right up until middle school, when Brad began to hide his nerdiness in order to fit in with a more social crowd, while Celine went the opposite way and embraced her own inner nerd. Now in their final year of high school, on the cusp of adulthood, they both secretly pine for each other and their lost friendship under the veneer of antagonism, but in public they are firmly "enemies". When a scholarship competition brings them together on a camping trip, they finally acknowledge the yearning toward each other that they've always felt and start inching back together.

I loved Celine's confident, "take no prisoners" approach to life and how willing she was to buck convention. It paired neatly with Brad's sweet eagerness and willingness to try to get along in spite of his OCD tendencies. He also showed a surprising amount of strength by being willing to push right past his comfort zone and deal with the negative voices in his head. My only objection to the book was that it was YA, a genre I'm not particularly fond of due to the tendency of teenagers toward unnecessary emotional drama (something that was on full display here). However, I like pretty much everything Talia writes and this was no exception.

I have long since been a fan of Talia Hibbert, reading and rereading most of the works they’ve written. Knowing all those books have been adult romances, I was really curious how their writing would transition into the YA demographic. I have to say that not only was this YA debut “unfairly cute” but immensely heartwarming and charming. This book was easily one of my favorite romance reads of the year! Both main characters were endearing, and from page one I was invested in watching them learn, grow, and come together. I always appreciate the disability and queer representation Hibbert incorporates into each work, and this was no exception. Hibbert’s depictions of things like OCD and bisexuality in this book make me feel seen and connected to so many communities, even if I don’t belong to them. I can already tell this is a book I’ll reread for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Joy Revolution imprint at Random House Children’s Books for an eARC of this book!

This story follows Brad and Celine who were childhood best friends, but when Brad joined football and Celine started being called "weird," their friendships took a hit. Now all they know are passive insults. But when Brad and Celine both sign up for a survival course in the woods, they're challenged to work in teams to win the grand prize. This might spark something back for the old pair...

I thought this book was so cute with the perfect balance of plotline and romance. I love how readers got to dive into each of the characters' lives alone — seeing how Brad manages his OCD at home to how Celine grew up without a father figure really gave me an understanding of how she stayed guarded as a teen. I also adored the friendships in this book. It was such a pure book. There were also so many I laughed out loud because their banter is hilarious. Perfectly showed the worries of a high school senior, such as college worries, friendships, school drama, and anxiety, while also addressing family issues and mental. Talia Hibbert does it again!

I was extremely grateful and excited to receive this book from Random House Children's/Joy Love & NetGalley, but unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me.

First I want to start out by saying that I loved the representation! I love that BIPOC authors are getting more opportunities to have their work published and pushed to mainstream audiences. Stories like these are so important and everyone deserves to see themselves represented in media. I also enjoyed the OCD and overall mental health rep. I appreciate Hibbert always going out of her way to handle important topics such as these with care. In addition, I loved the snarky humor and witty banter between Celine and Brad. It's always entertaining to read about or watch folks who can verbally spar with one another, go back and forth. I did feel like it got a little bit exhausting at times, but at least there was never a dull moment between these two!

However, I'm not sure why, but I couldn't fully suspend my disbelief with this one. I typically enjoy YA books, specifically YA Romance from time to time, but there was something about this one that I couldn't quite fully get on board with. Maybe I am starting to grow out of them? Idk. In addition, I felt like there was a slight imbalance of the real side of love/life vs the comedic antics. I felt like there was a lot of setup to explore Celine's relationship with her father but we never really get a resolution to that. That storyline fell flat in my opinion. Also, I felt like we glossed over why/how Celine and Brad fell out. There was a lot of resentment and hostility between the two for years and then one day they magically remember or realize that they're in love with each other? Again, Idk. Lastly, I wish we could've got more of Celine and Brad's intimate/romantic moments they spent with one another (after the expedition) on page vs off. The more that I sit back and reflect on this book, the more I wonder if this would've benefited from being somewhat longer.

Now I still think many people will identify with and enjoy this story, but this one just wasn't for me. However, I still appreciate Random House Children's/Joy Love & NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Best friends to Enemies to Secret Relationship to Love! ♥️ This book is a fun YA romance with the feel-good tropes. Easily a 4-star read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Gist: Celine Bangura is an aspiring corporate lawyer and her life plan involves finishing uni at the top of her class while proving to her deadbeat dad that abandoning his family was a HUGE mistake. Celine joins a program that is spearheaded by her inspiration, Katherine Breakspeare and only three people will be able to win a coveted scholarship by the end of it. ⏭️ Unfortunately, her archnemesis (and former best friend) Bradley Graeme is also joining the program. And even though Brad really wants to be a writer, he knows that the scholarship would really help him pay for uni and avoid the possibility of having to room with someone he knows nothing about. This is especially a problem beacuse he has high-functioning OCD and (also) hasn't told his parents that he wants to pursue a career in writing instead of law like his dad. Celine and Bradley now navigate this new territory where they have to co-exist and work together during the program and it reignites old & ✨new✨ feelings.

The BEST Part: The reminder of how it is to be an awkward teen trying to understand your feelings about love and how to express yourself. Both Celine and Bradley are a lot more honest and open with their feelings than I was at this age, BUT teens today are wayyyy more advanced! I also enjoyed that one of the main characters, Bradley deals with his OCD throughout the book. It's a great insight into how he responds to situations and what his triggers are.

WTF Moments: As an American, there were many times I did not understand some British language 😬.But I appreciated that there was a sort of "dictionary" at the start of the book which turned out to be quite helpful. Oh and I loved that Brad would occasionally drop these random (and totally made up❗️) compound words about how he was feeling... like disbelief and relief being "disrelief" it was funny and really lighthearted (see also, adorb 🤭)

Why You Should Read This: Because YA rom-com is completely light and fun. Plus you need this reminder that life will not always go according to plans and finding your voice and opening yourself up just might be exactly what you need to move forward. The title of this book says it all... it's unfairly cute how much I enjoyed it!

I was super excited to get this through netgalley as I've read several of Talia Hibberts other books but sadly this book fell short for me.

I've loved everything else I've read by Hibbert and I went into this knowing it wouldn't have the same steamy vibe that her other books had with this being a YA book but I still expected the same sweetness and awesome emotional character development.

Right off the bat I hated Celine and I tried so hard to give her a chance but I never felt like her character really got redeemed. She was rude and mean and repeatedly praised herself on this being an attribute of her personality that she wouldn't ever change and that she loved about herself. Being strong willed and determined isn't a problem but being bitchy isn't a trait to be proud of. Bradley on the other hand was a much more likeable character. He was snarky with Celine but in a good-natured bantering type of way and he repeatedly apologized for anything he may have actually done wrong.

Once the actual romance got under way the story was more enjoyable for me but it still wasn't everything I hoped for. Bradleys arc of starting to like Celine felt smooth and expected where as it felt like Celine went from loathing Bradley straight to being in love with him. She obviously stopped being mean and made friends but it felt like she never really acknowledged her own mistakes along the way the same way Bradley did. The first chapter also threw me off a little with a lot of nicknames to keep track of and what felt like a huge dump of teen references. I get that it's a YA book but it felt sort of cringey and forced.

The overall romance wasn't bad and the smaller romantic moments were cute so it wasn't horrible. At the end it felt more happy than when I started it but it just didn't meet the expectations I had going in.

I was excited to see that Talia Hibbert’s new book was a YA romance! It was a fun read where Bradley and Celine were friends, enemies and then lovers. Their attraction to each other gave me butterflies. It was a unique story with the outdoor adventure competition and Celine obsessed with conspiracy theories. Told through alternating POV’s of Bradley and Celine, both characters were well developed and showed tremendous growth. Also Bradley had OCD, which played a major role in the book and the author handled very well. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was really cute and a book I wish I had to read when I was in high school. It made a lot of the anxious thoughts I had during that time of life feel validated. Hibbert has always delivered when it comes to having inclusive and diverse characters and this book is no different. I will continue to read anything she writes!

I was super excited when I saw that Talia Hibbert was coming out with a new book this year, and it being YA made the prospect even more exciting!
I really loved this book so much. It was different, it was new, it was everything I could have asked for. I really loved the setting, it mainly being set in the woods in a competition was super fun. I absolutely loved seeing the other competitors, alongside Celine and Brad, going their own ways to attempt to win the competition for the scholarship.
I also really enjoyed seeing Brad being a (somewhat) openly bisexual leading main character. I feel like it isn't seen very often, and I absolutely loved seeing it in this book. Also Brad having OCD really made him feel more real. One honestly doesn't see characters like Brad in books often, especially in young adult!
Thank you to NetGalley and Joy Revolution for an eARC copy of this book.

Friends turned enemies turned??? I really loved this title, happy to give it 5 starts. The characters were great and the author created fabulous chemistry between the main characters, Celine and Brad. Mental health, specifically OCD, and emotional abandonment were forward in the book and handled very well. I would definitely recommend this title!

This was my first Talia Hibbert book, and it was, indeed, unfairly cute! This checked all the boxes for what I'm looking for when it comes to contemporary YA books. The snappy dialogue had me laughing out loud, my heart was in my throat at certain parts, and the development of the two MCs' relationship was believable.

Reading a YA that doesn't use the insta-love trope feels rare, and Talia handles their dynamic so well! It felt like an incredibly realistic friendship that turned into something more. From friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, Celine and Bradley are both well-fleshed out characters that have so much depth to them. The alternating POVs were perfectly spaced, I loved the care that was taken with writing an OCD character, and the personal growth for both characters was amazing!