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blewballoon's review
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
A cute and fun teen romance. I had a little bit of a hard time getting into it at the start, but then once I was into it I was able to enjoy the humor and be charmed by the characters. I would recommend this to readers who like the friendships and lighthearted aspects of Alice Oseman's books. I was a little annoyed with the third act breakup , but it was a much less frustrating instance of the trope than I've read in other books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, and Medical content
mari1532's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
I listened to this audiobook through my library with Libby.
Brief Summary: Celine and Bradley used to be friends. However, after a misunderstanding led to a fight several years ago they have become rivals. Now in their final year of high school Celine, a conspiracy-obsessed internet sensation, and Bradley, a popular footballer managing his OCD, are thrown back together by one fateful accident. As they are trying to navigate the boundaries of their new relationship they both begin to realize that maybe they are not better off without each other. Perhaps they are meant to be so much more together.
Thoughts: I absolutely one hundred percent loved this book!! Hibbert is an excellent and engaging writer and I am so mad at myself that I have not read any of her books sooner! Everyone should read this book. It is the perfect combination of teenage angst and falling in love for the first time.
Celine and Bradley were such interestingly written characters and I enjoyed their character arcs throughout the book. The way that Celine comes out of her shell and starts to let her guard down with Bradley and her new group of friends is heartwarming. I also love how Hibbert tackles the emotional trauma that Celine is navigating throughout the book.
Bradley's growth throughout the book is also so beautiful. The way that he finally was able to stand up for his dreams could be a whole motivational talk.
The secondary characters were also great throughout the book. I loved the best friends, and the new friends, Celine's sister was the perfect combination of a wise older sister giving you advice and giving you a hard time. I would honestly read a whole series of books that focus on each of the side characters.
If you love reading heartwarming romance novels this is the book for you, but honestly, if you just love love and joy read this book!
Brief Summary: Celine and Bradley used to be friends. However, after a misunderstanding led to a fight several years ago they have become rivals. Now in their final year of high school Celine, a conspiracy-obsessed internet sensation, and Bradley, a popular footballer managing his OCD, are thrown back together by one fateful accident. As they are trying to navigate the boundaries of their new relationship they both begin to realize that maybe they are not better off without each other. Perhaps they are meant to be so much more together.
Thoughts: I absolutely one hundred percent loved this book!! Hibbert is an excellent and engaging writer and I am so mad at myself that I have not read any of her books sooner! Everyone should read this book. It is the perfect combination of teenage angst and falling in love for the first time.
Celine and Bradley were such interestingly written characters and I enjoyed their character arcs throughout the book. The way that Celine comes out of her shell and starts to let her guard down with Bradley and her new group of friends is heartwarming. I also love how Hibbert tackles the emotional trauma that Celine is navigating throughout the book.
Bradley's growth throughout the book is also so beautiful. The way that he finally was able to stand up for his dreams could be a whole motivational talk.
The secondary characters were also great throughout the book. I loved the best friends, and the new friends, Celine's sister was the perfect combination of a wise older sister giving you advice and giving you a hard time. I would honestly read a whole series of books that focus on each of the side characters.
If you love reading heartwarming romance novels this is the book for you, but honestly, if you just love love and joy read this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Classism, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol
oopsie_daisyyy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Toxic friendship
madamenovelist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
samchase112's review
emotional
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
4.5
Not just a cute, lovely teen romance — this is so much more! And I adored every moment. I was giggling, swooning, and generally couldn’t stop turning the pages of this excellent book. Everything was well-paced, the characters delightful, the coming of age journey believable and well-written… seriously, no complaints. And the banter!! Truly top-tier. I’ll definitely be recommending this as often as possible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment and Medical content
cleot's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
burnyayhayley's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Talia Hibbert is amazing and omg if you want to read something that makes you feel like you're held in a blanket cocoon with your favourite hot drink, this author is it!!!!
This is Hibbert's first YA, I believe, and naturally the first YA of hers I have read, and I think it did a great job of keeping the heat and banter of her adult romances, while minimizing the R-Rated stuff down to a more teenage level.
Granted, there is very little that is kept at bay. Mental health, specifically about OCD is heavily discussed, as well as copious self-doubt and abandonment issues/parental estrangement. I love how the main characters are given lots of agency and are treated like capable humans, as opposed to plenty of belittlement that could be occurring from adults in these books. Banter was actually next level hilarious, it was delightful front to back.
This is a book I could have used when I was 17. I highly recommend.
This is Hibbert's first YA, I believe, and naturally the first YA of hers I have read, and I think it did a great job of keeping the heat and banter of her adult romances, while minimizing the R-Rated stuff down to a more teenage level.
Granted, there is very little that is kept at bay. Mental health, specifically about OCD is heavily discussed, as well as copious self-doubt and abandonment issues/parental estrangement. I love how the main characters are given lots of agency and are treated like capable humans, as opposed to plenty of belittlement that could be occurring from adults in these books. Banter was actually next level hilarious, it was delightful front to back.
This is a book I could have used when I was 17. I highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Mental illness
laceybananareads's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.5
Super cute read! I flew through this and thought it was sweet while touching on some sensitive topics. I don’t know that one of those topics was depicted very accurately but there were tw and I was prepared.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment and Mental illness
apple_atcha_reading's review
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? It's complicated
3.75
Talia Hibbert is an auto-buy/auto-read author for me. This was my fourth Talia Hibbert novel and I intend to read the rest of her backlist asap.
This was a cute YA romance, with young people ignoring their feelings and pretending their friends can’t see how much they like each other. We follow Brad and Celine on their journey of enemies to friends to lovers, learning they used to be friends until something changed their relationship forever. The romance was cute and sweet, but I also enjoyed reading about Brad and Celine figuring out what they want in life. They were both living lives and aiming for futures they thought they wanted, instead of being honest with themselves. It might be cliche, but I always enjoy reading about young people realizing their dreams and aspirations instead of their parents or other adults.
I read this for the Diverse Baseline Challenge, for the prompt “Fat Main Character”.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment and Alcohol
kristicanread's review
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment