4.5 stars rounded up!

This is probably one of the cutest YA novels I've read in... maybe ever? Celine and Bradley were charming, hilarious, and authentically themselves and I fell in love with them both. Celine was sarcastic, kind, incredibly driven, while sometimes emotionally avoidant. Bradley was athletic, creative, sweet, and of very particular. Together they had amazing chemistry and wonderfully hilarious banter. Aside from these two lovebirds, I loved all of the side characters and their development throughout the book as well.

I absolutely loved the mental health representation in this novel, and Talia Hibbert took so much care writing this in a relatable way that was easy to immerse yourself into exactly how Brad was feeling in times where he was really struggling with his OCD.

Hibbert's YA debut novel was absolutely fantastic, and I highly recommend this super sweet and refreshingly real novel! Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Children's for the ARC!

Absolutely loved this! A swoony, snarky, sassy YA romance. It was so cute. I absolutely loved Celine and Bradley. They were charming af with all the angst and pining one could want in a romcom. I loved the mental illness aspect and thought the author took great care to be sensitive and relatable.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Childrens for this eARC.

I was so excited to read this but Talia Hibbert is my literal queen and this did not disappoint!
They are so cute I'm ready for them to get together pls

I'm obsessed with them , that was the cutest thing in the world and I'm going to be smiling for the rest of my life. Literally had me smiling, laughing, giggling, kicking my feet in the air. Friends to lovers is the superior trope and I just love love love how mature Bradley was and patient and just not toxic !! A bi king !! And I love how protective Celine was of Bradley, how she was an academic badass and I felt for her babe, it's hard to trust people and feel your feelings.

They are adorable best friends it was so wholesome and natural. I was a little skeptical at first that this was YA but it's proof that Talia's romance stands on their own !!! We don't need spice to make it addictive. She's the queen of adorable couples , AMAZING non toxic men and banter and actuallyyy funny writing. I love her, I love them, my precious babies.

My literal only critique/complaint was that I wanted more of them together being happy cute and in love. I could read a whole sequel of them just being happy, no pinning on breakups necessary!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was an absolutely fantastic read full of laughs and relatable teenage experiences that made my heart content. Bradley Graeme is your pretty much perfect guy, he’s the star football player and comes out on top of all his classes, manages his OCD well enough except for the class he shares with Celine, his ex-best friend, who is obsessed with conspiracy theories. Now their relationship is academic rivalry filled with petty insults.

When an opportunity for a big scholarship comes up and Celine wants sign up to participate. And is surprised that Brad does it too. During this expedition, they are forced to work together and at the same time the closeness forces them to speak of the unspoken, what happened before in their best friendship.

I have loved Talia Hibbert’s writing in all of the books I have read by her and seeing Talia writing a YA romance novel, I loved this even more. The story, the characters, the progression are all aspects that were so well done.

I absolutely adored reading Brad and Celine’s moments together, when they argued, when they laughed together, and most of all when they realized how in love they were with each other. Seeing them scared to lose one another made my heart pitter patter and the way they resolved their relationship to stay together was all worth it.

3.5⭐️
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was a cute academic rivals to lovers. It was also reverse grumpy sunshine. LOVE that it was a black high school/teen couple. We need to see more rep in the YA romance section. Me personally, I didn’t like the MMC’s name, “Brad/Bradley.” It was a cute YA book but, I’m sure in the coming months if I were asked about the book I wouldn’t be able to say much. Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Talia Hibbert, and Random House/Joy Revolution for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute (coming out January 3rd!)

This book was SO GOOD. I was embarrassed to read it in public because the whole time, I must have looked like such a weirdo just grinning while reading lol. The 2 MCs had me laughing throughout!

I loved how the enemies to lovers trope was used so well. I like that trope, but I hate when authors keep characters as enemies for too long. I want them to get to the love part already! Talia Hibbert nails the pacing and doesn't drag out the 'enemy' part too long.

Also, as someone who works in the mental health field, it was such a relief to see OCD portrayed this way and not in the stereotypical, oversimplified, and often incorrect way that's often shown in media.

My only complaint is I wish the book was even longer! This is my first Talia Hibbert but I'm going to RUN to my local bookstore to buy my next!!!

Thanks to Random House Children’s, the author, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

OKAY so I had no idea this was a YA romance because Talia Hibbert’s other books were adult romances with -spice- so this took me off guard when I started reading. and no I usually don’t read synopsis and only choose books based on the author and cover so sue me.

The characters were so cute and I will rate this based on the genre because if I were reading this in high school or middle school I would have been OBSESSED haha.

The story was funny and had lots of relatable and cute characters. It touches on some OCD and parent issues that are more serious but has a mostly light-hearted plot with a bunch of high schoolers in love.

Such a cute debut YA from Talia Hibbert!! I'm a huge fan of her Adult works, so when she announced that she was going to be writing a YA Romance, I was ready to grab it and read it, and I really enjoyed it! I loved the humor of the story, Brad's outgoing personality, Celine's obsession with conspiracy theories, and how these ex-best friends found their way back to each other when the stakes are high. I think the only thing I would wish for more from this book was more of a finality to it? Like we know this book ends happily ever after, but I just wanted more from Brad and Celine's relationship. This was still a great story, and Talia's writing is so good and witty that I can't be mad at it.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is filled with adorable banter, nerdiness, and high school romance. I was rooting for each and every character throughout the story, and Hibbert did a masterful job of constructing well-layered and relatable MCs for such a quick read. First we have Celine, a 17 year old black girl who is unapologetically driven in all aspects of her life, including school, a future career in law, and a popular TikTok about conspiracy theories. Then we meet her archnemesis / childhood friend-turned-enemy Brad, a charming and popular boy with OCD and a passion for writing sci-fi. We get some ~incredible~ romance tropes, including forced proximity, bickering enemies-to-lovers, and a story where the guy falls first. It was sweet, heartwarming, funny, and I devoured it in one sitting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads review (12/7/2022): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5150443653?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
TikTok review will be posted/linked closer to publication date*

Talia Hibbert writing YA? And the first book from Nicola & David Yoon's new imprint, Joy Revolution? I could not request this title fast enough. And apparently I couldn't read it fast enough, either. This book was one of my three current reads, because I like to have more than one book going at a time. But this one? I could NOT put it down. Read it straight through in one day. Why? Because it's just that good.

If you've read any of Talia Hibbert's books before (I'm more than a little fond of the Brown sisters), then you know she consistently gives us strong women with minds of their own and a penchant for snark and sarcasm. And not a bit of that has changed as she ventures into the YA world. Celine is my spirit animal and is everything I wish I had been when I was her age. Bradley is the cute boy you would die to have even notice you. The banter between the two is unmatched and I found myself giggling at it on more than one occasion. Also, I may or may not have taken some notes on the particularly good retorts for use at later date. And this whole book was just one big, comfy sweater on a cold winter day. It's sweet and absolutely unfairly cute, but it also gives us a good hard look at the realities of living with mental health issues, and that's something I appreciate seeing normalized in more and more of the books aimed at our younger generations. I especially loved that Bradley was shown using the techniques he had learned in therapy to deal with his intrusive thoughts. That's something we could all learn from.

All in all, this book is the cure for the winter blues that tend to settle in around this time of year. So grab your comfiest blanket, a big cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, and snuggle up with this absolutely delightful book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Joy Revolution for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Characters: 5/5
Setting: 3.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
 
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review.
 
Talia Hibbert doesn’t have a single bad track. The Brown Sisters books? Steamy, swoony perfection. Merry Inkmas? Everything you could ever want in a Christmas book. Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute? Adorably awkward YA goodness. This is Talia’s YA debut and if you’re wondering whether I missed having spicy scenes, I can tell you with absolute certainty that I didn’t even notice they were gone, and neither will you. I guarantee you’ll be far too busy pissing yourself laughing at Bradley and Celine’s inner monologues or rapid-fire banter.
 
This is what you can expect from this book:
Enemies to (sorta?) friends to (definitely) lovers
Academic rivals
Camping shenanigans
A conspiracy theorist TikToker MC
Dorm shenanigans
Meddling siblings
Gen Z humor (we really are the funniest generation)
Did I mention shenanigans?
 
Celine is an awesome protagonist. She’s blunt, messy, and definitely avoidant, as Brad loves to mention, but she’s also incredibly thoughtful, kind, and strong willed. Brad is such a soft himbo, I love him endlessly. I love how open he is about having OCD. Even in the moments where you can tell it annoys him, he never expresses any desire to be neurotypical.
 
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute comes out January 3rd! If you want a book about academic rivals competing for a scholarship in the woods while also getting over their years of pent up resentment and occasionally making out, you’ll love this one.

Like other reviewers, I didn't do my research and didn't realize this was a YA novel. I have absolutely adored Talia's other books so I was excited for this one. If I was still a teen or young adult, I would have absolutely loved this. I just had a hard time relating to the characters. I absolutely recommend this for older teens though. Super sweet, inclusive, and fun.

Hibbert's first YA novel hits just as well as her adult novels. Although not appropriate for my middle school classroom, I will be recommending to older teachers for their classroom libraries!

I'm going to be honest, I didn't realize this was a YA book when I requested it. I loved Talia's other series and so I jumped on this book with no research (and cause the title is so cute). That being said, ya isn't my favorite genre anymore, so I felt like i struggled to get in to it for a while. The ending was cute and the book was well done.

This book is Hibbert first book in the YA genre and i was skeptical but Hibbert hit it out of the park. This book was wonderful! This was romantic and funny and just an all around fantastic read.
This book has some great mental illness rep in the main character. As well as this is just a great friends to enemies to lovers story line which i am just a sucker for. This is definitely a book I plan on recommending!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly cute is a new YA title from Talia Hibbert, known to many Adult readers of Women's Fiction and Romance for her fabulous "Brown Sisters" book series. Her entry into the Young Adult genre is a great story that tracks the challenges that a young man and a young woman can have when they become friends in the middle school years and things happen that pull them apart once they hit high school. The story of the "nerd" and the star of the football team finding their way back together as their high school years are coming to an end is just the best kind of feel good story. So many relatable plot points for both teens and adults. Trigger warning, this book does deal with one character dealing with OCD.

Hibbert does a wonderful job illustrating how our familial relationships effect the way that we deal with our friends and romantic interests from the start...in our story Bradley and Celine have to navigate how their own experiences with their families are effecting how they are reacting to each other...and aren't we all dealing with that in our own romantic interactions every day? Hibbert does a wonderful job building up romantic tension between our two main characters in a completely YA-appropriate way, but with a build up that even an adult could enjoy. She really treated these characters with a lot of respect for what they HAVE experienced in their short lives, and honors them coming into adulthood. This would be a great read for for anyone!
Thank you to Net Galley, Random House Children's and Joy Revolution for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own! #HighlySuspiciousandUnfairlyCute #NetGalley

‘Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute’ is Talia Hibbert’s first foray into YA and she nails it on the first try. Her protagonists are fresh, vibrant, and utterly endearing. Bradley is the popular kid with OCD while Celine is a conspiracy theorist TikToker. These ex-friends are forced together in a scholarship competition that forces them to contend with their best and worst qualities in order to get the life they each dream of. Their chemistry is off the charts, and Hibbert brings such sensitivity and thoughtfulness to their struggles that a reader can’t help but root for them. Highly recommended for readers of romance, those who enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, and anyone looking for portrayals of mental illness in teenagers.

Great banter, funny characters with actual personalities, super nerdy at times and mental health rep that didn’t feel like a simple add-on for plot pizazz. Hands down my favorite was Bradley. Celine was cool and knew how to match his energy but we love a self-aware simp and he owned it. lol The book title didn’t lie and was so infuriatingly cute, I even giggled multiple times. ME. *facepalm* I’m even willing to overlook the amount of times TikTok was mentioned which I surprisingly didn’t cringe at like usual.

The fact that a YA romance has hit way harder than all the adult ones I’ve read this entire year is crazy to me.

It doesn’t officially come out until January 2023 but we should just go ahead and give it the Goodreads YA award for next year. It already won. At minimum, it’s a 4star but I’m gonna give it the extra star just for Bradley. He was that adorable.



Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children's and Joy Revolution for providing a copy for an honest review.

Just as I expected, I really enjoyed this book. Hibbert is masterful at creating realistic relationships between her characters that make you want to root for them. I was a bit nervous that skill wouldn’t fully translate to a YA book and that, as an adult reader, I wouldn’t be able to relate to them, but I was very wrong. She does such a good job of fleshing her characters out, and making their thoughts, hopes, motivations feel visceral and real. I also love how unflinching she is in addressing mental health issues in a way that makes them even more well rounded. This was a cute, heartstring-tugging book, and continued to cement Hibbert as an auto-buy author for me.

4.5/5 stars

I going to preface with saying I am HUGE Talia Hibbert fan so I was super excited to read her debut YA novel. This was such a good, witty and fun book. It has all the teen angsty and funny situation I would want in a YA romance. It has friends to enemies to friends to maybe more? I loved both the characters of Brad and Celine. I loved Celine conspiracy theories and her focus for her with success and her self deprecation. I love her family dynamic and her how she is coping with her father's absence. It is so relatable. I also adored Brad. Being in his head while he explained his OCD was so amazing. The little glimpses into his head made his character so approachable. He was the perfect guy on the outside with the sports, and popular with all the friends. He was all charm and "unfairly cute" but he was dealing with so internally that it have him great depth. Not your typicdal nerdy girl meets popular guys and they fall in love. This book had so much more. I loved their friendship and the way they communicated (or even the lack of communication). It was very real and true to teenage love. I really enjoyed the setting and the story of winning a scholarship with camping. It made for great background to their love story not being stuck in just a school setting. I also loved the family and friendships that were apart of the story.

Another Talia Hibbert hit for me. I truly enjoy everything she has written.