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annikaa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
arthur_ant18's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Many thanks to NetGalley and Joy Revolution for providing me with an eARC of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute in exchange for my honest review!
As a reader who adores Talia Hibbert's work, I was pumped to find some incredible charm in her first YA romance. It starts off strong, putting an intriguing twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope (a favorite of mine) by turning it into best-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers. Then it goes further on to introduce us to these two tremendously relatable teenagers who instantly get you to root for them to make up and kiss already (literally and figuratively). The wildly witty banter, the entire scholarship element, Celine's struggles over her absentee dad, Brad dealing with his OCD (Hibbert has shown herself to be highly skilled at weaving physical and mental health into her romances), all of these things are fleshed out by Hibbert in a way that really does get me vibing with the story. Not enough for me to rank it higher than her Brown Sisters series (which are truly splendid), but still, I've got plenty of love for this YA novel. We get bisexual rep through Brad, too, and that's something I always appreciate seeing in fiction—M/F romances where one or both of the leads are bi so that it validates their bisexuality and counters the belief that M/F romances don't involve queer partners.
Overall, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is another lovable banger in Talia Hibbert's bibliography.
As a reader who adores Talia Hibbert's work, I was pumped to find some incredible charm in her first YA romance. It starts off strong, putting an intriguing twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope (a favorite of mine) by turning it into best-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers. Then it goes further on to introduce us to these two tremendously relatable teenagers who instantly get you to root for them to make up and kiss already (literally and figuratively). The wildly witty banter, the entire scholarship element, Celine's struggles over her absentee dad, Brad dealing with his OCD (Hibbert has shown herself to be highly skilled at weaving physical and mental health into her romances), all of these things are fleshed out by Hibbert in a way that really does get me vibing with the story. Not enough for me to rank it higher than her Brown Sisters series (which are truly splendid), but still, I've got plenty of love for this YA novel. We get bisexual rep through Brad, too, and that's something I always appreciate seeing in fiction—M/F romances where one or both of the leads are bi so that it validates their bisexuality and counters the belief that M/F romances don't involve queer partners.
Overall, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is another lovable banger in Talia Hibbert's bibliography.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol and Cursing
theespressoedition's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing and Bullying
shaipanda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love Talia Hibbert’s writing and I loved this book!! It did have more of the miscommunication trope than I usually prefer but since they’re 17 I’m giving Brad and Celine a pass especially bc they for the most part actually communicate fairly effectively given their ages etc
Anyways I absolutely loved this, loved the characters and I’ve been in a book slump for like over a month and I think this might’ve just gotten me out of it :)
Anyways I absolutely loved this, loved the characters and I’ve been in a book slump for like over a month and I think this might’ve just gotten me out of it :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Bullying
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, and Sexual content
dahlia_boo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Bullying
delz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A friend to enemies to… you get the idea. Celine’s father walked out on her family a long time ago, ever since Celine has had a tough time showing emotion. Bradley has OCD, which he’s been through therapy for and is successfully managing. The two met when Trevor, Bradley’s father, handled Celine’s parents divorce. Celine and Bradley have known each other since childhood, they were even friends. Then they had a falling out, but it’s their last year of school together and they realize they really miss each other’s companionship. This is a beautiful story that uses humor and emotion to give you all the feels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Bullying
churrosmom's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is SO FUCKING CUTE. I had a huge ridiculous grin on my face almost the entire time I read this book. It made me want to squeal and kick my legs in the air. It made me feel like when you see an animal that is so cute you just want to squeeze it.
The banter between the main characters is impeccable--witty, sarcastic, and never misses a beat. There were so many laugh out loud moments. This is how to write a rom com.
It actually took me a while to finish this book because I got addicted to playing Stardew Valley after I started this. I'm so glad I read this slowly and got to savor it because it was such a bright ray of sunshine I got to slowly enjoy over almost two weeks. I think I also stretched it out because I didn't want it to end.
This is my sixth book by Talia Hibbert and my favorite! I really hope she continues to write YA rom coms because this is perfect. Truly a delight.
Disclaimer: I received an Netgalley eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The banter between the main characters is impeccable--witty, sarcastic, and never misses a beat. There were so many laugh out loud moments. This is how to write a rom com.
It actually took me a while to finish this book because I got addicted to playing Stardew Valley after I started this. I'm so glad I read this slowly and got to savor it because it was such a bright ray of sunshine I got to slowly enjoy over almost two weeks. I think I also stretched it out because I didn't want it to end.
This is my sixth book by Talia Hibbert and my favorite! I really hope she continues to write YA rom coms because this is perfect. Truly a delight.
Disclaimer: I received an Netgalley eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Abandonment
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Bullying
Minor: Alcohol
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
toffishay's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was a really cute read. I knew that it was YA and so the tone is certainly a little young, but it is still applicable for young adults. The struggle of identifying what you really want and finding the courage to go for it is something that so many people can relate too, whether you are trying to figure out where to start like Bradley and Celine are in this book, or if you are considering whether to start over. The struggle against parents was interesting as well. <SPOILER> For Bradley, it was about finding your own path even though you are afraid your parents may not be proud of you going your own way. For Celine, it was about living her own life and not worrying about her deadbeat dad. As someone who also had a complicated relationship with their father and went through similar experiences, I really relate to Celine's struggle to against proving other people wrong and just living your own life. The weakest part of the plot to me was the actual expedition. It was paced strangely and it took some of the air out of the tension. And then the resolution of Celine and Bradley's rivalry happens really quickly as well, so the tension felt like it dissipated early on in the book and then the second half just kind of passed. <END SPOILER> The plot is fun and the characters are cute; you won't regret spending a few hours on this book :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Medical content, Classism, and Blood
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Well, this was adorable and lovely. It's my first Talia Hibbert book, but you know, I mostly read YA, so. It shouldn't be that surprising. But the way they develop characters and write such a cute romance, maybe I'll have to delve into the adult romance to read Hibbert's other books! I have heard spectacular things about them, after all.
Outside of Brad and Celine, the supporting cast of characteres was just as well developed. Plus, we get to see some great mental health rep, as Brad lives with OCD. Getting to see both of their points of views really helped develop the romance between them, as they are just perfect for each other and have fantastic chemistry.
Teen readers will definitely be drawn to this romance, and I can't wait to recommend it to them!
Outside of Brad and Celine, the supporting cast of characteres was just as well developed. Plus, we get to see some great mental health rep, as Brad lives with OCD. Getting to see both of their points of views really helped develop the romance between them, as they are just perfect for each other and have fantastic chemistry.
Teen readers will definitely be drawn to this romance, and I can't wait to recommend it to them!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Medical content, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol and Cursing