Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute - Talia Hibbert

A very sweet romance, with lovable characters and a great story line. I have loved Talias previous books, especially for the sexual tension and steam, but this is for a YA audience and therefore was lacking a little on that front for me. I think the author does a lovely job of discussing more difficult subjects without seeming to try hard or without taking away from the cosiness of a romantic read. Many thanks Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the advance copy in return for my opinions.

This was such a cute book, I've read a fair bit of Talia Hibbert books, and I know that I really enjoy them, and this one didn't let me down.

Overall, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a cute and charming romantic novel that is perfect for fans of who enjoy YA.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early release in exchange for my opinion. For more reviews please look at my Instagram and TikTok both @blondesbooknook or my Twitter which is @lausbooknook

I loved it, it was all I need to get out of a post-concert depression / sickness slump : a double POV, a rom-com that is actually a romantic comedy (and not one of those so-called "romcom" that doesn't bring me even a laughing smile), and very touching characters.

First of the double POV was done perfectly because we get to see both Celine and Bradley's POV, seeing both sides of the romance and seeing their feelings changes and evolve, why they acted such a way, and accepting the way they acted because you can actually understand why and not having only one POV without knowing what happened for that action. Also that double POV helps a lot to get deeper into Brad's OCD (it wouldn't be the same rep if it was only Celine's POV) and it was honestly very interesting to know how Brad's brain worked, how is OCD were coming, why and how he was coping with it, both from his own way and his therapist's way.

Second, the romance was just so cute and funny and once again the double POV was perfect to follow and root for them so hard lol The romance goes over months, so that makes the insta-love-disliker me so happy! I loved seeing how the romance was going (best friend to archenemy to maybe-friend to friend to lover, yup) and I was deep into it. There's the perfect amount of humour for me to laugh or smile even during more serious moments. I also loved how important the parents were here, from both sides: the family has a big part to play into Brad and Celine's character development and it felt right, it felt encouraging.

Highly recommand it!

What sets this novel apart is the author's use of humor to lighten up some of the more serious moments of the story, making it a fun and enjoyable read. The characters are well-developed, and their chemistry is palpable. The author expertly weaves together the themes of self-discovery and the power of vulnerability, making this a heartwarming and inspiring read.

Overall, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a charming and engaging romantic novel that is perfect for fans of the genre

{AD|GIFTED} Talia Hibbert's debut YA romance is just so CUTE! It's like a big hug when you're feeling down. I laughed out loud numerous times, flailed over the adorable Celine and Brad, and found myself smiling almost every page. I'm definitely buying a copy for my fifteen-year-old goddaughter ASAP.

A quick, easy, cute enemies to lovers read that I couldn't put down. I loved it and I cannot wait to read more by this author

This is the first book I've read by Talia Hibbert and it certainly won't be my last.
This book was so cute and I really liked the characters, especially the main character Celine.
I really do highly recommend this book especially if you are looking for a good YA romance.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so so cute! I will read Talia Hibberts shopping list I love her writing that much! I love the characters and their relationship.

What do you do when your school best friend turned rival goes on the same survival retreat to win a university scholarship? Beat him at his own game, obviously.

This was a fun ride, but not a memorable time. It's pretty typical YA in terms of a self discovery plot, although there's still that sprinkle of typical Talia Hibbert humour that kept me invested. I also really liked the diversity and overall story arc that we see Celine and Brad go through. Celine is an overachiever, and we see that this is linked to her father's abandonment of her family. In some respect she's felt as though she's needed to prove how successful and brilliant she can be without a dad in her life. Her mum and sister are wonderful and supportive, but Celine needs to learn that she's so much more than just her achievements. And learn to trust other people again. Enter Brad, who comes across as the polar opposite. He's easy going, super friendly and encouraging. Yet he suffers from OCD, with intrusive thoughts that often overwhelm him. I found the representation really well done and sensitive. Brad is never just a person with OCD. OCD is just a small part of the person he is. Together they're a cute couple, with some rather lovely flirting.

That said, I did find their romance to develop incredibly quickly. I went into this thinking it would be enemies to lovers, but it's more old friends to lovers via miscommunication which just isn't really my thing. The whole competition aspect is also really lacking, as we skipped huge chunks of the school year which could have been used to develop the rivalry between the two and build up the tension for the final excursion. Instead it feels like the trip is an afterthought to the character's romance, and felt a bit lacklustre.

Cute characters but this lacks any king of memorable plot for me. Talia Hibbert is the queen of flirty banter though.

I adored Get A Life, Chloe Brown a couple of years ago and I keep meaning to continue that series. So, I was delighted when I was accepted for Talia Hibbert’s new YA novel and excited to get my dose of cuteness and warm, fuzzy vibes.

Celine Bangura is an online conspiracy theorist but her social media popularity doesn’t translate to real life. Her childhood best friend Bradley Graeme abandoned her for the school football team years ago. While they are now nothing more than academic rivals, both of them find themselves signing up for an outdoor survival course that will look great on their university applications. However, now they’ll have to work together to win the grand prize of an exclusive scholarship but they may even work out their problems in their process.

The Breakspeare Enrichment Program sounds like such a cool project! I don’t know if these kinds of schemes really exist but I thought it was a really great, unique concept to explore within a YA rom-com. Although it was all part of a controlled program, so there wasn’t any real danger involved, Sherwood Forest did provide a beautiful, slightly unsettling playground for Celine and Brad to reconnect. The scenes within the forest were really vivid and I loved being in that new, unexplored place.

There is some subtle humour in the book but I think I wanted more. I’ve come to expect rom-coms to have a couple of scenes that are purely for comic relief and there aren’t any of those in here. That’s not a criticism because of course, those kinds of scenes aren’t necessary but I was expecting to laugh properly. However, there were some amusing comments -I’d have just liked more of them!

Brad has OCD and it comes to a head when he’s stressed or anxious. I don’t have OCD, so I can’t comment on whether it’s an accurate or sensitive representation but I enjoyed the insight into his experience of it. He does a great job of controlling it but he still has moments where he feels like a failure because of it. I can certainly understand how this would be true for OCD sufferers because I know it is for other mental illnesses.

Brad is something of a golden boy and even Celine, who purports to hate him, recognises this. He has a magnetism that draws everyone in and I definitely got sucked into his pull. Even more so, when it was revealed that he is also very creative and bookish!

The connection between Celine and Brad was definitely very believable and I loved watching it blossom. They both seemed to change into shy, awkward versions of themselves when they were alone together and it gave me a severe case of the warm fuzzies. It was a very easy romance to ship and I wanted nothing but the best for them.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is an adorable YA romance with some very relatable, well-written characters. It has a very unique setting and situation, which I really appreciated. I also loved how Celine and Brad were complete individuals and neither relied on the other or their connection to form any part of their personality. So cute and a joy to read!

This was the cutest reading experience ever. I love a YA romance and Talia Hibbert knows how to be unfairly cute in her writing!

A sweet story about Celine and Brad, who were once best friends until school and life made them drift apart. Suddenly forced to spend time together with impending uni applications we see what went wrong with their relationship but can they fix it?

Predictable and sweet, just what you want from a romance book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a massive fan of Talia Hibbert's books so I was super excited to get to read an e-arc of her first YA book.
In true Talia Hibbert style, this book is filled with relatable characters, usually dealing with a disability of some sort. As some one with OCD myself I could really relate to Brads character so much. But also with Celine for various other reason. I did miss the adult aspect of Talia's books but I'm not within the age range for the target audience. A cosy and lovely romance as always from Talia. And I would definitely pick up any future YA titles from her!

I haven't read as much YA romance over the last few years but I saw how much hype and love this book was getting so I decided to give it a go and I am so glad I did.

It's a really charming love story but the main thing that stood out to me was the incredibly accurate OCD rep. Bradley's catastrophic thinking mirrored my own in many ways so it felt very real. A great quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC of 'Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute' by Talia Hibbert.

This is Talia Hibbert's first YA novel and it was gorgeous. You can tell she forced her fiancé to take her for location research because she was detailed in her descriptions. As always, Talia's characters are beautifully written in a way where you always root for them. However, this story still didn't beat the Brown Sisters for me and I doubt it ever will but I loved this for my anti sex nature, it was perfect.

Celine & Bradley used to be best friends until he joined the football team and Celine was no longer cool enough to be his friend. Making them sworn enemies.

Their feud is heightened when they both apply for the same leadership and teamwork course to hopefully win a scholarship. However, they are placed in the same team and their old friendship starts to reignite with some new feelings thrown in the mix.

I wasn’t expecting a YA read from @taliahibbert after reading the #brownsisterstrilogy but it was surprisingly refreshing. The story was kept unique by the addition of a character with a mental health condition like in the previous trilogy, in this case it’s OCD. It was super easy to read, predictable in a good way and it’s always nice to read a British based YA book.

When I found out Talia Hibbert was writing a young adult book I just knew I had to get it. I was jumping up and down when I found out I got the opportunity to read this as an arc.

I loved the Brown Sisters trilogy and I loved this one just as much. A cute young adult romance book that I believe everyone should read.


Thanks NetGalley for providing me with this arc!!!

I absolutely adore Talia Hibbert's writing, so I had very high hopes for her YA debut. This had all the heart of her adult books, but none of the heat. It was perfectly balanced.

I loved the chemistry between Celine and Brad. Relationships are something Talia writes so well and you can see another example right here.

I can't speak to the representation of OCD, Black characters, and parental abandonment, as it's not my representation. But it was well written and engaging.

I also enjoyed the glossary of UK terms for non UK readers. It's not something I needed in this instance, but there are plenty of times I've wished I'd had one.

I’m sure Talia Hibbert weaves some kind of addictive drug into her writing. I could not put this book down. I will definitely be buying a physical copy. It was the absolute perfect blend of friends to enemies to lovers - if you can call it lovers when they're still at school!

Having never read a Talia Hibbert book before despite many people recommending them I went into this book expecting romance. Only once I realised it was YA did I start to feel more comfortable with the characters (my fault for not realising before). However I really enjoyed the characters and could relate and appreciate Brad and his OCD with some important messaging on how he learnt to handle his OCD throughout and try not to let the intrusive thoughts in.

Overall this read really was Unfairly Cute and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

*3.5 rounded up to 4*
This was very very cute !
This book has great OCD and Bisexual rep. Friends to enemies to Lovers was done very well and didn't feel rushed through the stages. Definitely recommend for a YA Romance (I did miss the adult content though but that's just me)

Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group and Talia Hibbert for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review