Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

BRADLEY GRAEME IS AN ABSOLUTE TREASURE, AND I SWEAR IF ANY (more) HARM WERE TO BEFALL HIM, I WOULD RAZE THIS PLANET FROM THE GROUND UP!

THIS. BOOK. WAS. PERFECT. from the portrayal of these TEENAGERS BEING ACTUAL TEENAGERS, and the discovery of finding out who you want to be and what life path you want to be put on, IT WAS SPOT. FUCKING. ON!!

there were times when Celine made me want to throttle her. she had her own issues, that much she knew, but SHE WAS THE DRAMA IN HER LIFE. after i had all the details, i had to take a second to assess the fact that 1) Bradley never left her, SHE LEFT HIM, 2) my girl had major control issues, 3) she was in DIRE need of therapy, and 4) i wouldn’t have been as patient as Bradley. he was in love with her and her best friend and had a heart of pure gold. he’s 10x a better human than i would be because if i know your situation and you know mine and you THROW MY ISSUES BACK IN MY FACE because i want to branch out and be more than just half of a duo, girl you’re getting dropped faster than a blunt at a busted rave. I’M NOT EVEN SORRY!

why did it take her the ENTIRE BOOK to realize she was revolving her life’s plan around the loser that didn’t stick around and that she needed to be more in touch with actually feeling?? that’s how you know the read was good, cause Celine pissed me tf off, but i love her sm. AND BRADLEY, he’s such a puppy. what the hell???? HE’S TOO PURE FOR THIS WORLD PROTECT HIM

the representation of OCD, though i have no firsthand knowledge of dealing with it, seemed fucking spot on. i read the acknowledgment at the end and saw the author has OCD, and then it made sense why the portrayal was so accurate. i love it when authors put a vulnerable piece of themselves into their work. it’s so RAW, you can’t do anything but love it because it makes the work truly an extension of themselves.

i also wanna say, Neneh Bangura is a WOMAN. she was not worried about that coward at all, and for that loser to think that having an omg, it’s one of the daughters i left behind moment would’ve been something Celine even wanted after he was too PUSSY to even reach out (not that he should’ve). Bradley was right to give him the stink eye, and i'm OH SO GLAD he never showed his face again.

i know i keep talking about Bradley, but how in touch his character was with his emotions, and just HIM was so swoon-worthy (not in a weird creepy way cause he’s 17)! that’s my baby fr.

Celine and Bradley are the literal definitions of black cat gf x golden retriever bf. <3

Content Warnings

lovelymisanthrope's review

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.0

I have been hearing all year how cute this romance is, so finally decided to pick it up.
"Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute" follows Bradley and Celine. Bradley has a seemingly perfect, all-star life, except for his struggles with OCD. Celine is obsessed with conspiracy theories, and not at all cool enough for the popular table, where Bradley resides. Bradley and Celine were friends for years, until they were not, now they are academic rivals. When Celine finds an opportunity for a prestigious scholarship, Bradley cannot help but join in to help his own future opportunities. Can these two put aside their differences?
This was such a sweet romance between two beautiful characters. Both Bradley and Celine are flawed in their own ways, but they see each other for who they really are. Celine knows that Bradley struggles with OCD, and she just adjusts for him without him saying anything. Bradley knows that Celine struggles because her dad is not in the picture, and he tries to help her be her best behind the scenes. They are so good for each other.
This book was very sweet, and I think it really highlights what a high school romance would be: innocent, but with lots of chemistry. Bradley's and Celine's chemistry comes off the page from their first interaction. It is evident that something went down between them, but it is also very clear that they both still have feelings for each other.
I had such a great time reading this, and I look forward to reading more from Talia Hibbert in the future!

Content Warnings

kaydeedickins's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

amiriabsurd's review

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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

5.0

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katievallin's review

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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shadereads's review

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emotional funny hopeful 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

Content Warnings

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.75

While this book made me realize I have major distaste for stories that romanticize overachieving teenagers burning themselves out (definitely not because of my own high school experience why would you even say that), Talia Hibbert has made me cry over disability rep once again.

It's also made me realize that British narrators with terrible American accents is my favorite audiobook genre.

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