Celine is an overachiever and a bit of a social media star because of her conspiracy theory obsession. She doesn't care what other kids think of her as long as she is able to reach her goals. Brad is a popular football player and academic superstar, second only to Celine. Brad and Celine were best friends until Brad became popular and left Celine and her quirkiness behind. Now Brad and Celine are competing in an outdoor explorer challenge and the winners receive a college scholarship. They both want badly to win, but this will push them out of their comfort zones more than expected.

This is such a cute book. I love Brad and Celine for all their flaws and their coping mechanisms. They feel like real kids with real friends and real challenges. My only critique is that I wish this book had an epilogue. I wanted to see what happened next with Brad, Celine, and everyone else. The ending felt a little abrupt and I wanted just a little more to wrap it up. Overall, this is a fun easy read.

This book was a genuine delight from start to finish. I could not stop giggling and smiling down at my kindle as I got to know our two protagonists, Brad and Celine. For a short synopsis, this YA romcom is about two former best friends who drifted into different social circles at the start of their high school career and now are full blown academic rivals who "hate" each other. As academic rivals do, the both enter a wilderness survival competition which could land them an amazing scholarship opportunity. Through this competition they reconnect, sparks fly and yadda yadda ya typical romance stuff.

Where this book excels is the character work and the incredibly witty dialogue. As previously mentioned Brad Graeme may be one of my favorite fictional boys of the year. He's a bisexual, athlete with OCD and big dreams of being a writer some day. Quite genuinely his inner monologue is the funniest thing I have ever read, he's entirely overdramatic and ridiculous while simultaneously being incredibly sweet, earnest and deeply emotionally intelligent. This isn't to say that Celine is less funny, or adorable because she is absolutely all of those things! She's the grumpy to Brad's sunshine, in the best possible way. I loved her emotional journey to figure out who she truly is and what she truly wants rather than allowing herself to be defined by the abandonment she experienced as a child. Something that Talia always does exceptionally well in my opinion is establishing her characters fears and flaws in a way that lays the groundwork for the emotional conflicts that tend to arise in the latter half of most romance books, and so her stories have an emotional depth and sense of clarity to them that I think many romances lack when it comes to the typical third act break structure most traditional publishers tend to favor. Anyways I'm a bit off track but Celine and Brad complimented one another in the most beautiful way, and I feel that the friendship aspect of their friends-to enemies-to lovers tale was done with exceptional deftness, and the love that bloomed between them was truly heartwarming to read about and I absolutely recommend it.

another great read from one of my auto buy authors! what can't talia hibbert do???? the answer is they can do ANYTHING. can't wait for what they do next <3

Super cute book! I loved reading Talia Hibbert's YA novels!

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption—yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)

These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

If Talia Hibbert writes it, I will read it!

This YA debut was so good! It was fun and witty and cute and I really loved it. This book gives you friends to enemies to sort-of-allies to friends to lovers and it is a wild journey. The side characters were delightful and I loved sweet Bradley and grumpy-but-lovable Celine and the ways they helped each other grow. Plus you get a fat FMC, an MMC with OCD, and a friend group that I would've loved to be a part of in high school.

Hubert’s YA romcom is delightful, full of voice and hilarious. The MCs are well developed and you instantly fall in love with their hopes and struggles and dreams.

great book and such great characters. I enjoyed the mystery and some romance. I also enjoyed the journey of the characters. I didn't know what to expect with this book but I enjoyed it .

Everything I've read from Talia Hibbert has been a hit. I haven't been reading much YA lately, but I knew I had to see how Talia held up in this genre. This was book was SO cute. All of the charm and humor she usually writes with is not lost trying to write for a younger audience

A delight from start to finish. I was eagerly awaiting this title from this author and was not disappointed.

what a cute YA contemporary romance. I loved it.
Our two main characters sucked me right into the plot, and I couldnt put it down. I am a sucker for enemies to lovers, and extra points for the banter!!

This was so nice. I was immediately pulled in by our two main characters. Loved their conflicts and how they weren’t solely consumed by each other but also focused on their futures. Just amazing. I loved the banter and while Celine got on my nerves bad I understood and was so happy for her when she finally figured out she’s better off not thinking about that man and Brad was a sweetheart loved how he was able to explain what he wanted to his parents and cel. I just about died of giggles at Trev catching cel in the middle of her love declaration for his son. SO CUTE LOVED IT

Talia Hibbert’s books are automatic reads for me as she always writes amazing books with non-neurotypical characters which I enjoy. If you’re looking for a sweet, funny YA read, look no further.

<I>"No. No, that's not what happened at all. Brad is not just a boy, he is a person -- he is an *important* person -- and it's okay to have feelings, even if those feelings are about people, even if those feelings come before perfection every so often. I know this. I believe this."</I>

TL;DR: A fun, fluffy-with-an-serious-edge rom-com read about Brad (charming, athletic, Mr. Popular who has OCD and is an aspiring author) and Celine (sarcastic, smarter-than-you-and-knows-it Cambridge Aspirant & Future Lawyer) who reconnect while "fighting" for a prestigious scholarship. Hibbert nails the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope (it's tricky to execute the "enemies" part without wading into this-is-toxic-and-unhealthy territory, but Hibbert's characters are relatable and real, and their "enemy-ship" is based on all-too-common-but-nonetheless-accurate adolescent misunderstandings and grievances).
<b><I>I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</b></I>

Vibes: 10 Things I Hate About You + Salute Your Shorts (IDK why! I kept thinking about this during the forest scenes)

Genre: YA Rom-Com

Romance Meter: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 ♡
We lean *heavily* into the romance on this one and I didn't mind at all.

Character MVP: Celine. Teenaged me would have related to her so much.

Verdict: 3.5 stars, rounding up, because (1) I thought Hibbert nailed the ending, and (2) this is a book Teenaged Me needed to have read and I would absolutely rec/gift it.

What I Loved:

✓ -- I loved Celine's character. I know that Brad is the sweet, charming guy, and he was endearing throughout the *whole* story (i.e., he wasn't revealed to have a toxic trait 3/4 of the way through, or did something stupid and out-of-character that made us as readers roll our eyes and go "well, that was unnecessary), but Celine spoke to me on a visceral level.
I loved that she was smart, and unapologetic about that.
I loved that she was flawed, and came to understand that.
I loved that she realized she needed to work on herself, and she did that.
And I loved that she realized that the pursuit of perfection doesn't mean anything if (1) you're doing it for the wrong reasons and (2) you don't have anyone by your side. Young Adult Me learned that lesson way too late, because it wasn't a story I saw enough of when I was younger.

✓ -- The other part that I really appreciated was the group dynamic of the Breakspeare scholars. The premise was you take this group of gifted and talent, Type-A, overachieving ambitious students and put them together to compete for a scholarship. But the emphasis really was on teamwork and being a functioning member of a group -- the douchey braggart was eliminated quickly, and the drama / conflict of the story didn't revolve around Celine (or Brad) getting into toxic competitions with the other scholars. The emphasis was on forging actual connections and friendships, and I really appreciated that.

✖️ -- The one thing I wanted more of was that Breakspeare content, though. It was such an integral part of the story -- it was what brought Brad and Celine together, it was the driving event of the plot -- but sometimes those scenes were glossed over really quickly in order to get back to the romance. And I get that it *is* a romance, so I understand why, but I would have liked to see more of the friendships outside the romance.

I'll definitely be picking up more of Talia Hibbert's books up over the summer though.

My goodness, I just love Talia Hibbert. Her writing is so great, it made me enjoy a YA novel. It was a really cute book, and even though I just finished it a couple of hours ago, I’ve already recommended it to my niece. I love that I’m 36 and could still find little things to relate to.

The relationship between Celine and Brad was really cute, and you could definitely feel that insecure teenage yearning. I didn’t miss the spice at all. I liked the progression of the characters. Not only within themselves and the core romantic relationship, but with their friends as well.

I have so many favorite things about the book. The first being that Talia takes on mental health issues, and it’s always so well done. They’re not made to feel bad, or weird about them, it’s just who they are and they’re accepted. I think the same goes for there being a plus size MC. Brad says she’s beautiful and it’s never in spite of her being large, or even because of it. It’s who she is, and she is beautiful.

Something so real that I loved about the book SEMI-SPOILER ALERT was that her relationship with her dad remained horrible and estranged. I think too many authors would have tried to give her a reconciliation with him, when more often than not, that is not the norm.

This book, as all of hers are, was so well done. I can safely say that Talia is an author that I will automatically buy, she’s just that great.

I have been a big Talia Hibbert fan for a while and was so excited to see her releasing a YA book! Her characters have the same wit, sarcasm, and charm as her adult characters, but still feel very authentically teenager.

The romance was cute, but being able to see the characters grow was so much more the focus. This self-discovery and self-acceptance is always great to see in a book aimed at teenagers. I hope to see more like this in the future.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was a great book. I loved both main characters. I listened to the audio book, which made it ten times better. The accents helped move the story along for me. But this is a great coming-of-age story. They are considering their futures, college, love, family, and more. It’s a great book that I think all should read. It’s sometimes awkward between the two but, isn’t that how it's supposed to be? Fantastic book. I would recommend it to any of my friends.

Thank you so much @JoyRevBooks for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 03 January 2023)

SYNOPSIS | Celine is an overachiever who has set her sights on attending a survival retreat with the hopes of winning a lucrative university scholarship. The only problem is that her school rival is also going on the same retreat.

WHAT I LIKED:
- mental health (ocd) representation
- top notch witty banter
- discussion around being worth more than your achievements
- I think this is the first book that I've read where TikTok is explicitly mentioned

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I didn't feel connected to the characters individually or the romance like I hoped I would
- we skipped huge chunks of the school year & this time could have been used to deepen the rivalry or build tension
- maybe YA romance just isn't my thing anymore but I felt like the genre choice worked against the romance here (it just felt very watered down)

3.5/5

Thank you Netgalley and Talia Hibbery for gifting me a copy of your book in return for my honest opinion.

This was indeed a very cute book, this was my first book by Talia Hibbert and it left me wanting more. Was it a good YA novel that hits on realistic topics that teens interact with in every day lives, yes but it just was a little dull to me. For me I feel like the pacing was off in places and the character development was lacking and I would have like to see a little more.

I loved how inclusive the novel is and how it touches on mental health. It was't preachy in anyway it was a really good picture of mental health and the struggles. I also like the banter in the book, at points I found myself laughing out loud with some of the lines while reading.

All in all a cute book, I wouldn't read it again but it had really get aspects to it that made parts special. While other parts were forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and JoyRevolution for the ARC

“I love Bradley Graeme. As in, would give him a kidney, would wash his socks, would turn into a supervillain if he died.”

4.5/5 stars, rounded to 5!

Celine and Brad are best friends gone sour. Celine hates Brad, and the feeling seems to be mutual. Then Brad ‘accidentally’ fractures her wrist and signs up for her wilderness survival course to compete for a scholarship. They’re forced to work together to finish the challenges, digging up their past. Only, they can’t tell if the survival course is driving a further wedge between them or bringing them back together.

Talia Hibbert’s writing is so special. I don’t know how she animates these little characters she just makes up in her head so well. Celine is so wonderful and she feels like a real girl who I just want to give a hug. The handling of her issue with her dad is such a hopeful message. You don’t have to forgive and forget to earn peace, but you can release it, for your own sake. Her relationship with her mother and sister is so beautiful.

And Brad! Writers that can encapsulate what it must feel like in that person’s head are so insanely talented and sometimes Brad’s chapters feel very panicky and very intense, but that’s the genius of her writing. On top of that, Brad is lovely -- soft, bi, kind MMCs are so refreshing and I love him for it.

The side characters are also so wonderful (Raj and Aurora are *chef’s kiss*). Maybe I’m out of touch, having been out of high school a few years, but these interactions of the younger gen actually seemed genuine, as opposed to cringe-y as some authors make it.

Okay. The romance: The chemistry? Off the charts. The playful banter? Playful as hell. The flirting? Cheesing so hard because it’s. SO. CUTE. The pining? Unbelievable. Oh my God.

Anyway. TL;DR: This (magical) book is full of real, well-rounded characters and squeal-worthy, cheese-worthy romance and banter and pining. It handles sensitive topics well and has lots of rep that doesn’t feel like forced rep. This book is just a wonderful pot of cuteness and softness and I can’t recommend it enough!

This was absolutely adorable and Talia Hibbert can do no wrong. Whether it's adult romance or YA, Talia Hibbert just continues to hit it out of the park. The banter in this was perfect and I loved the different mental health and disability rep, especially the OCD portrayal. Talia Hibbert will continue to be an auto buy author for me.