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A review by onthesamepage
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
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
4.5
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes:friends to hate to love
This was, indeed, unfairly cute, but also fun and real in a way I wasn't expecting.
When a YA book deals with two people that used to be friends but aren't anymore, I expect the reason to be something that's utterly ridiculous to me (as an adult, yes, but probably also if I was still a teen, because the reasons for the "feuds" are way out there most of the time). But I was surprised by the depth of Celine and Brad's relationship throughout. Turns out, the reason they broke apart is something teenagers regularly deal with, but also bad enough to actually cause a friendship to shatter. I liked that I didn't have to read through half a book of vague references to what happened, and that they confronted it sooner rather than later. I liked how their relationship continued to develop, and how the conflict that arises makes sense for them as characters. I liked both Brad and Celine—both have their issues, but they are easy to root for. Brad has OCD, and I thought that was especially well-written. The book has dual POV, so I got to be inside Brad's head during moments where he struggled with it, and I appreciated the way it was handled.
There were so many little moments that made me feel something for these characters. For example, there's one scene where Celine bunches Brad in the arm, and then reaches over to punch him in the other arm, to help him find the balance his OCD pushes for. Brad immediately knows why Celine is joining the survival course, but is also willing to point out to her that she's subconsciously letting her father steer her life. They both grow as individuals in a way that is clearly shown in how they act.
While I think Hibbert did a great job writing teen characters, there were a couple of moments where I felt that they were maybe too mature for their age, but that's a pretty minor gripe.
Tropes:
This was, indeed, unfairly cute, but also fun and real in a way I wasn't expecting.
When a YA book deals with two people that used to be friends but aren't anymore, I expect the reason to be something that's utterly ridiculous to me (as an adult, yes, but probably also if I was still a teen, because the reasons for the "feuds" are way out there most of the time). But I was surprised by the depth of Celine and Brad's relationship throughout. Turns out, the reason they broke apart is something teenagers regularly deal with, but also bad enough to actually cause a friendship to shatter. I liked that I didn't have to read through half a book of vague references to what happened, and that they confronted it sooner rather than later. I liked how their relationship continued to develop, and how the conflict that arises makes sense for them as characters. I liked both Brad and Celine—both have their issues, but they are easy to root for. Brad has OCD, and I thought that was especially well-written. The book has dual POV, so I got to be inside Brad's head during moments where he struggled with it, and I appreciated the way it was handled.
There were so many little moments that made me feel something for these characters. For example, there's one scene where Celine bunches Brad in the arm, and then reaches over to punch him in the other arm, to help him find the balance his OCD pushes for. Brad immediately knows why Celine is joining the survival course, but is also willing to point out to her that she's subconsciously letting her father steer her life. They both grow as individuals in a way that is clearly shown in how they act.
While I think Hibbert did a great job writing teen characters, there were a couple of moments where I felt that they were maybe too mature for their age, but that's a pretty minor gripe.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment