Talia Hibbert is the queen of banter. This was such a cute story about friends become enemies become a couple. Both Brad and Celine go through a lot and become better versions of themselves throughout the development. I really enjoyed the story, it was a great YA romance read and very age appropriate. I wish there was a bit more of the outdoor element, but the story is wonderful! The side characters are also all really great and really add to the story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Joy Revolution for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Joy Revolution/Random House Children’s and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Talia- straight to jail for stealing my heart, once again with Celine and Brad. HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM?

The combination of Talia’s top notch banter with a mix of enemies to lovers and academic rivals gives you this incredible story that you won’t want to put down. This was the perfect amount of loathing to a slow burn love that I was eating up the entire time.

As someone with an estranged father, Celine’s journey was raw and real with those emotions (I don’t want to fully give it away). I felt her pain and sadness. As I don’t suffer from OCD, I won’t comment on the representation as it’s not my place. But, both characters are well fleshed out and the side characters make this a fun, found family in the end. I absolutely adored every piece of this book and putting it down was the hardest thing to do. I couldn’t get enough.

Talia Hibbert’s debut YA novel is an absolute smash and I can’t wait for the next one!

This follows Celine and Brad during their last year of high school.

Celine is a conspiracy theorist that has a social media following. She’s unique, quirky and has her future planned out step by step. She is very selective of the people she shares things with and has only a few friends.

Brad is Mr. EVERYTHING. He’s popular, athletic, handsome and funny. Everyone is instantly drawn to him and his personality but under the surface he struggles with OCD and obtrusive thoughts. He is adorable in this story. You will fall in love with his character!

They are ex-best friends thrown together in a competition for a scholarship. You see each one of them grow and make choices for the future. It’s a cute one!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this opportunity! I really enjoyed it.

Short synopsis: Celine and Brad, two former childhood friends turned enemies, decide to work together for a chance to win a prestigious scholarship that could help them go to the college of their dreams.

Thoughts: I am a huge fan of British humor and love how Talia Hibbert always writes hilarious dialogue and includes quirky characters in her stories. There were times I had to remind myself that this was a YA book and immature banter and more childlike internal thoughts are expected. When I did make that connection to what it’s like to be 18, the progression of Celine and Brad’s relationship felt natural and authentic. What I loved most was the OCD representation, which I feel does not often get written into books, and the discussion around therapy. The audiobook for this was fantastic! Narrated by Amina Korma and Jonathan Andrew, it was easy to get into the story, laugh and just enjoy!

Read if you like:
-YA reads
-Academic rivals to lovers
-All things British
-Mental health rep

Thank you Random House!! Out 1/3/23

* Thanks to NetGally and Talia Hibbert for an eARC of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute! **

This was so cute! I'm used to Hibbert's adult romance, so I wasn't sure how she'd balance that for a YA audience, but I thought she did great bringing in an appropriate amount of spice.
Celine and Bradley are undoubtedly perfect for each other, and their enemies to friends to lovers dynamic works so well on the page. I was rooting for Bradley's slowly but surely method with Celine the whole time!
Other things Hibbert does well:
- handling Bradley's OCD, including talking about therapy and coping mechanisms in a positive way
- navigating new adult-ish relationships after trauma (Celine with Bradley after her dad)
Things I was missing:
- obviously most of the story centers around BEP, but I wish we had gotten more of Celine's mom, Neneh. She seems amazing and like a strong force in Celine's like, and I would have liked to see more of that, like we got quite a bit of Bradley's dad

Big thanks to Joy Revolution for the ARC of this book. This review is being given honestly and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

CWs: parental abandonment, living with and managing OCD, school/career anxiety

I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this book, except can it be longer? Like give me more Brad and Celine rn pls.

Literally 3 pages in and it felt like a big warm hug, and I did not realize how much I loved and missed Talia’s writing. This book was literally unfairly cute and had me kicking my feet and giggling the whole time. Brad and Celine are ex-best friends turned enemies who are forced to hang out together when they both enter into the same scholarship competition. This gives them both a chance to reflect on the events that led to their falling out and finally come to an agreement to be each other’s support while away on their expeditions (per the scholarship program). Over the course of the book we see a lot of sides to our MCs and especially their own personal growth. Celine comes to terms and grows on some emotional/private matters as well as Bradley and they both just were so awesome and grew so much that I was so happy for them.

I will say that the blurb is a little misleading because the whole book is not them trying to survive in the wilderness and those survival scenes in the wilderness were kind of glossed over (the actual survival skills part). I literally could not put this book down and had so much fun hearing Talia’s voice and the BANTER!! Dear god, the banter in this was SO good, I was laughing non-stop at these two and could not get enough.

I think everyone should preorder and read this book because I ate this up in one day. ALSO, to anyone who read the Brown Sisters, you will love this too.

You guyyyyys. This was so wonderful. Thank you so much to Talia and her team for allowing me to read this ARC!

I was SO excited when I heard Talia was doing a YA romcom. I love love love her Brown sisters series and read them often. So I knew she’d bring the same energy and humor to this book as she has in her others.

This book had me laughing constantly. I’m not surprised at all because Talia is so hilarious and writes in such a way that it is just effortlessly humorous. I really enjoy this aspect of her books.

There was also lots of digging into trauma and mental illness. There was really solid representation of OCD in this book, which was nice. That’s another thing Talia does so well. She always treats her characters so well and their backstories so well. There was a lot of trauma Celine had to begin to work through before getting to the place were she was ready to trust Bradley and that was so good to experience with her.

Bradley is a sweetheart and I loved him this whole book. So precious and kind and I just want to hug him.

Overall,
This book was a 5 star read for me and I would recommend it to absolutely anyone. I loved
It so much

This book marks Talia Hibbert's debut into YA--and boy she does not disappoint. This is such a perfect blend of fun romance and banter, adventures, and real life problems. The MCs are both incredibly endearing and I couldn't stop screaming from their cuteness.

A big issue I have with contemporary YAs is that they either explore so much of the mundane day-to-day events you're just exhausted (although maybe having left high school I derive no actual pleasure from just hearing about basic HSer problems) or they swing the complete opposite way and you get incredibly unrealistic scenarios. Talia Hibbert is able to set up a believable way--a camping expedition in the guise of a scholarship competition-- to break up the monotony of daily HS life without having some wild escapades. I really enjoyed the pacing of the book...Talia ensures that each event is fully detailed and pushes some form of character/plot development without getting too slow Nothing is dragged out for too long, and if I were to describe the perfect timeline for this book, Talia follows it exactly.

And while at some points you're like "what are you doingggg" to the MCs, Talia does a REALLY good job of making sure you understand that these are just high schoolers who don't know better without making them seem like dumb immature kids. The character development is impeccable, and you'll be rooting for these adorable kids all day long.

Talia Hibbert's writing style is refreshingly honest and real. The main characters, and their groups of friends, feel like real teens dealing with real life. Not some caricatures of teens that often happens in YA.

Both of these characters are dealing with their own very real issues, and honestly, every kid is dealing with issues. I liked how the author gently introduced the idea of therapy into the discourse. We forget it's not just adults who need to talk to someone.

But also....

This is in fact a really cute story that I couldn't put down! My students are going to love it!

"Even if neither of us ever did anything interesting in our entire lives, it wouldn't matter. You don't need to be special or significant to have value. You're just important, always, and people either see that or they don't. They either love you, or they don't." (130)

“Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” screams Talia Hibbert. This book holds all of the wit and hilariously intelligent banter that she is known for. Although this is the authors first foray into Young Adult, you would not have guessed it, because it was really well done.

There are several reasons that I rated this at only 2 stars, but a lot of it comes down to taste. Firstly, the female MC was thoroughly unlikable, she wasn’t slated as a nice person with good motives, which made her character development very unbelievable and I found myself not caring if she got a happily ever after or not. This is not an uncommon theme in Talia Hibbert books though and in the past I have found myself struggling with the female lead and feeling bad for the male MCs. Brad was such a nice and well-rounded character, whereas Celine was just awful. Sure she was witty and had a traumatic past, but she just was not likable or a good person. Secondly, I have a real problem with the whole challenge process being based on glamping, it is not like they are roughing it in the woods. Why would anyone get a scholarship for that? It just was not well thought out and tacky. Lastly, the ending was just too fairytale-like with everything neatly wrapped up in a bow. It was unbelievable to be honest.

I do think that all the die hard Talia Hibbert fans will love this book for all the reasons that they normally love her books. There was a lot of great dialogue and it had depth with some great representation of OCD. In general, I love Hibbert’s writing style and flare, but unfortunately, portions of the plot and some of the characters flaws just did not sit well with me and it ended up being a bit of a slog to get through.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's for this e-Arc. This was such a good solid YA read. I have read The Brown Sisters series by Talia Hibbert and I loved it so this was a no brainer. I aint gonna lie the other series was spicy so I was like YA huh but the transition was flawless while still highlighting on mental health. I love how the author showcases and is so open about stuff that has been taboo for so long and brings different ways to see it. Loved this book and cant wait to continue reading from Talia Hibbert

I love Talia Hibbert and this YA book is very sweet!! Definitely a YA appropriate book, possibly even younger...not at all spicy!

Talia Hibbert can do no wrong in my book (and in her books too). From the time the cover was released, I was looking forward to this book, and it was even better than expected.

We have a classic friends to enemies to friends to lovers (though it does feel a little weird to call teenagers lovers). Celine is a self assured, semi Tik Tok famous conspiracy theorist, who is on her way to crushing her last year of school and working towards her dream of being a corporate lawyer. She’s happy with her one friend, and she’s happy to send a scowl in the the direction of her ex-best friend, Brad, whenever the situation arises. Brad is your not so typical jock who spends his time hanging with his friends, studying hard, and making sure his OCD doesn’t get the best of him.

Watching these characters get thrown together in a way that forces them to talk about the capital P “Past” that they’d both like to avoid is delightful. While they read like teenagers (though just barely), they’re not annoying and whiny like some YA MCs can be. Still, they still seem to deal with issues in teenage ways. It’s a nice balance.

The only thing that stopped this from being a five star book was the ending. It felt a tad abrupt, and I wasn’t expecting it to end where it did, so I was surprised when I was suddenly looking at the last line. Still, all in all, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was such a delight to be able to read about these characters, and I wish I didn’t finish the book so fast so I could still be experiencing it!

I really enjoyed this second chance, dual POV, YA romance between two estranged former best friends who end up working together for a chance at a prestigious scholarship.

I thought the characters were so well developed and relatable! Bradley has OCD and Celine is dealing with her feelings after running into the father who abandoned her and her mom.

Heartfelt and tender, this was great on audio too narrated by Amina Koroma and Jonathan Andrew Hume.

Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute!

Let me start by saying I am a huge Talia Hibbert fan, and specifically loved the Brown Sisters novels. It took me a minute to adjust to the banter and dialogue of this because I’m used to reading her adult works, and this is definitely a YA. But once I locked in to that realization I was free to enjoy Celine and Bradley as they were. I loved the OCD and bisexual representation of Brad and felt like the explanation of him struggling with intrusive thoughts and catastrophic thinking was entirely accurate.

Celine read as a teenager who couldn’t get out of her own way, and who of us that has lived through the teenage years hasn’t felt that? I especially loved her inner dialogue and how she was simultaneously a badass overachiever and also struggling with imposter syndrome.

This didn’t necessarily follow the expected romance novel formula, as most of the conflict was inner conflict. But I feel like that was true to the age and experience level of the characters. I only wish that we had more time to get to know the side characters; friends, parents, siblings, etc.

Overall a 4 star read and I found myself smiling as I read!

4.5 stars

Talia Hibbert's first foray into YA is a huge HELL YES in my book. Greatly entertaining and ridiculously sweet.

Celine and Bradley grew up together - close family friends with whispers between the moms that they would marry each other. Cut to the end of high school when a falling out has left them all but ignoring each other until being partnered in class forces them back together. When a broken wrist, which Bradley feels to blame for, spurs him to offer Celine a ride to learn about the exclusive Breakspeare Explorer Program, neither realizes just how close the BEP will bring them. Vying for a scholarship while camping in the woods (and being judged by the program on how they exhibit their leadership and problem-solving skills), the high pressure they each place on themselves reaches beyond them as individuals.

The character development is fantastic. We are all a product of our family unit and this is a heartwarming (though sometimes stress-inducing) example of the lengths people go to in order not to disappoint. Celine's rough exterior could have been a tough nut to crack but is written with a sympathetic edge. Bradley's genuine charm is the focal point of his personality, and doesn't take a sideline to his OCD, though we get to understand those struggles that constantly pervade his thoughts.

It was tough for me to tear myself away from this, and many people likely wondered what I was so engrossed in on my phone while I walked down the street reading.

If this is what we can expect from Joy Division in the future, bring it!

Thank you NetGalley and Joy Revolution for this advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Talia Hibbert’s YA debut starts similarly to every other Talia Hibbert book I’ve read in the past: with a main character getting into some sort of accident.

In Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, our main character, Celine, finds herself breaking her wrist when her childhood friend/enemy, Brad, accidentally drops her. Because he feels bad about the whole thing, Brad promises to drive her to an informational meeting for a scholarship opportunity with her role model.

But as Celine’s role model is describing the program and what exactly students are meant to do, her story of how she overcame the odds despite her diagnosis finds a home in Brad, who has OCD, and has him deciding to join the program as well.

I really liked seeing the representation of Brad’s OCD in this book. Talia Hibbert makes a point to state within the text that he has OCD, rather than suggest he has OCD and leave the question up to the readers. I also really enjoyed the small details that popped up throughout the book to show how Brad deals with his OCD in his daily life, such as his double checking that he locked the front door despite the fact that he knew it didn’t really matter, as another member of his family would be returning home soon after.

Throughout this book, I also really enjoyed the hijinks these characters got to and how they felt like real teens. As Celine and Brad spend two weeks camping in the woods for this scholarship, they meet their “rivals”. However, the whole group decides it’s better to be friends and support each other than to think only for themselves, showing off a lot of close friendships that made it fun to read.

Largely, this book is about our two main characters growing up and figuring out both who they are and what they want to do after high school. As Brad tries to figure out how he is going to survive college when his OCD forces him to keep a bedroom and bathroom independent from his own family, he also begins to question his plans for what he will study in college as well. And Celine, who has planned and over-planned her life’s goals for the next few years, begins to wonder why exactly she wants to continue down the path she has created.

Despite the fact that this is Talia Hibbert’s first YA novel, it’s obvious to tell that she knows how to write teen characters, and I can’t wait to see what else this author will come out with in the future!

sweet and in high school romance, herbert delivers on that teen rom com we’ve all grown to know and love. gave me some flashbacks to iconic 2000s movies!

5 / 5 stars!!

I love Talia Hibbert and everything she writes. I was worried about not liking this YA romance as much as I enjoy her adult romances, but boy was I wrong. This book was so freaking cute. It made me giddy, and I was smiling the entire time. I love Bradley and Celine. I love how they were friends turned enemies turned friends turned romantic partners. Each character thought the other was so "perfect", and they both competed against each other relentlessly, while secretly admiring them from afar. I love the witty banter that always comes with a Hibbert romance, and Celine and Bradley lived up to the expectation. Their dialogue and interactions were hilarious, though you could detect the secret pining between the layered insults. I thought the plot was unique and interesting and presented an engaging story for the reader.

This book is everything you want in a YA romance. Perfect, perfect, perfect!

Talia Hibbert’s writing is just delightful, and reading her YA debut was no exception. Her characters are so precious and funny and handle real problems beautifully, while still feeling believable as teenagers. Reading this book and getting to spend time with Celine and Bradley was such a joy.