Talia Hibbert delivers a cute and irresistible love story with her YA debut, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. Celine and Bradley were once inseparable. They knew and understood each other better than anyone. It was an impossible bond to break or so they once thought. Now they can’t stand to be in the same room with one another. Every interaction snowballs into an argument, with each taking verbal jabs at the other. Both are convinced the other is responsible for their friendship ending and nothing will convince them otherwise. When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes Celine’s way, a chance to win a scholarship by enrolling in a wilderness program run by one of her idols, she leaps at the chance. Unfortunately, Bradley also insists on participating, seeing this as a way to make his own academic dreams come true, dreams he hasn’t quite been ready to share with anyone. Forced into each other’s orbit once again, Celine and Bradley must put their differences aside if they have any hope of winning. Soon they discover that the bond they thought was gone hasn’t entirely disappeared and there may be room for something more to develop between them. The disdain these characters have for one another leaps off the pages. They can definitely come across as a little silly and immature, but they both have such conviction, it’s hard not to get sucked into their banter. Celine is very bossy and knows it. She’s always ready to strike first. She has a complicated relationship with her father, but is very close to her mother and sister. This scholarship would mean taking the financial burden of university off her mother’s shoulders. Bradley has been on a preordained path for years. He is supposed to study law; he’s supposed to want to study law. Only, his heart is set elsewhere, on his passion for writing. He just hasn’t been confident or brave enough to make his desires known. I loved that this novel wasn’t just about the rivalry between these two characters. Hibbert takes the time to develop their own personal journeys. I also appreciated that Celine and Bradley’s falling out wasn’t just a matter of miscommunication, but they had some real issues that neither of them had addressed head on at the time. Talia Hibbert’s Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a sweet rivals-to-lovers YA contemporary which will have you falling for both leads.

“Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” by Talia Hibbert is a heartwarming romance that easily earns four stars. Hibbert’s signature charm shines through in this delightful tale, where endearing characters and witty dialogue take center stage. The chemistry between the protagonists is electric, and their interactions are nothing short of adorable. While the plot may follow some familiar romance tropes, Hibbert infuses it with a refreshing and unique spin that keeps you hooked. If you’re in the mood for a cute and feel-good love story, “Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” is the perfect choice to add a touch of sweetness to your reading list.

I really enjoyed reading this why a novel by Talia Hibbert. After reading the Brown sisters trilogy, I was really looking forward to more by her and this book is so utterly charming and delightful and the characters are fun and quirky, and very easy to root for. I have course miss the spicy scenes from her adult novels, but she is very good at writing Teen melodrama

Talia Hibbert does not miss! I first read her Brown Sisters Trilogy and was interested in what she would do in the YA space when this was announced. It did not disappoint. There is a trend of YA books being written for adults, but this is a YA romance written for a YA audience.

This novel follows Celine and Bradley, once best friends, are now school rivals who only talk to make gabs at one another. An unfortunate accidents leaves them both competing in an outdoors survival course with the top 3 prizes being full ride scholarships to uni.

There is so much good going on in this. There is great character development, but also fantastic plot development. It’s also a dual POV, which is my absolute favorite, and each character’s voice is so strong. Bradley has OCD, and his internal monologue is endearing, funny, and also great representation for one persons experience. He has supportive parents and has gotten professional help, so him struggling to get help and being rock bottom is not apart of this story. In my opinion a lot of care was taken in his representation. Bradley is also just a cinnamon roll of a character, and I love a grumpy sunshine troupe where the male lead is the sunshine.

On the other hand we have Celine who is the grump in this duo. She struggles with feelings of abandonment that stems from her father. Her personal story arc relates to how this has been affecting her life in ways she has yet to realize. Even though I say she is a grump, it is pretty light in the grump scale, she is an endearing character, and from her internal monologue is very sweet.

You aren’t going to get spicy, I can’t believe this is in a kids book vibes from this. Hibbert captures both the certainty and uncertainty one feels at 17. I liked this as an adult, but I would have loved this as a high schooler reading it. So for my personal reading it’s a 4 and for the target audience it is a 5 - so 4.5 it is! If this interests you as an adult, please pick it up - but I highly encourage you to get this for a young family member or your friends kid!

I loved the humor and over-the-top attitude of the heroine in this novel. I have book talked it a lot at school and gotten great reviews!

I loved the adult series The Brown Sisters by Talia Hibbert and was excited to see what she does with a YA book! This book was really cute, with a perfect amount of spice for teens. Celine and Bradley are super smart without being ostracized at school, ambitious and snarky in the best way. I also appreciated the representation and depiction of OCD in an honest and seemingly authentic manner.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Celine and Bradley are teenagers trying to figure out what they want to do in the future. They have not been friends in many years, although their families are very close. These two are very competitive so they both sign up for an outdoor camp which is an opportunity for a scholarship.

What this book has:
~YA steamy romance
~Nerdiness
~Self-realization
~Rekindled friendship
~Enemies-to-Friends-to-Lovers
~Dual POV
~OCD rep
~Comfort in who they are

Triggers:
~Distant/Poor relationship with Father

Absolutely sweet and adorable book that is a great representation for YA audiences of what a healthy relationship looks like.

This book radiates fun and charm! Celine and Bradley are super witty, determined, and overall extremely endearing with tons of comedic banter. I also appreciated the representation and depiction of OCD in an honest and seemingly authentic manner.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Talia Hibbert is one of my very favorite romance authors, and I was nervous to read her first young adult novel. And while this definitely wasn't my favorite of hers, it was cute, enjoyable, and with her distinct knack for creating incredibly specific and loveable characters. Plus I can't forget the wonderful mental health representation – something else she's uniquely fantastic at incorporating into every one of her stories.

I never quite settled into this story. I had a hard time buying the characters initial conflict and that impacted my overall enjoyment. Love Talia Hibbert, this one just wasn’t for me!

congrats to Brad and Celine on their newly appointed positions as permanent fixtures in my mind!! Talia Hibbert once again wrote a book that i adored and for that i am so grateful!! The banter between Bradley and Celine was top tier and I couldn’t have told you that a sleep away camp for gifted kids would be my new ideal setting for a romcom but now I can safely say it’s up there on my list. The kind and gentle but accurate description of living with an all encompassing mental disorder such as OCD was incredible, but I expected nothing less from Hibbert. Dual POV and best friends to ex friends to more than friends is always a winner but Talia Hibbert has a particular knack for fucking nailing it every. single. time!!

This was my first Talia Hibbert and it went above and beyond expectations. I don't normally read YA but the two main characters were lovable and I really enjoyed seeing them grow and interact. I would recommend this to anyone, even if YA isn't their thing.

Absolutely adored this book. Killer humour, fantastic chemistry and hilarious subplots. This was honestly so fun and enjoyable

This book is so fun and so sweet! It's absolutely one that I wish I had read while I was in high school. Celine and Bradley are witty, driven, and lovable teens. I loved their banter, which is one thing I feel Talia Hibbert always writes so well in her books! Watching Celine compete with Bradley during the program while Bradley tried to befriend her half the time was hilarious! The atmosphere and intrigue were great, I wanted to know when they were going to stop being rivals and at least be friends again, and I could vividly picture all of their outdoor excursions. I loved the friends that they made in the program and how much they challenged both of their thinking, and I loved the OCD rep. While I'm not someone who has OCD, I am a mental health counselor and I felt that rep and treatment Bradley talked about were done well and with care.

If you're looking for a bit of an academic rivals/ friends to rivals to lovers, witty banter, and high school hi-jinks, I think you'll love Talia Hibbert's first foray in the YA romance genre! I definitely recommend you give it a chance!

Overall rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Talia is a BRILLIANT writer!! I adored her Brown sisters trilogy and was so excited to see her venture into YA for Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. While young adult isn't my go to genre, I thoroughly enjoyed Talia's story here.

Talia Hibbert my love my life thank you so much for this.

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This was the first book I've read by Talia Hibbert and I am so glad I read it. It was a sweet YA romance that shows the not-so-popular girl can sometimes still get all the things she's worked so hard for, and more!

This book was so cute! It is a great YA romance, with cute characters and great representation! I loved the academic rivals to lovers story line, and the setting was super fun. I thought the reasoning for the characters initial dislike made sense and was realistic for high school aged young adults. The side characters were fun, the situations were funny, and the plot outside of the romance was interesting and engaging! I love Talia Hibbert's writing and I look forward to more of their releases.

My first young adult Talia Hibbert novel. It was laugh out loud funny at times and overall a sweet story with great representation