I roll my eyes. “You’re the bane of my existence. Did you know that?”
She grins. “I hoped.”
If you need me, I’ll be quietly giggling to myself in a corner remembering lines from Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute for the remainder of the year.
Hibbert’s young adult debut follows Celine and Bradley, ex-best friends who pretty much see the other as the enemy these days. While Bradley is seemingly the perfect guy—star football player, totally in control of his OCD and coming out on top of all of his classes (except for the ones he shares with Celine)—Celine is obsessed with conspiracy theories, is a successful content creator and determined to not let it get to her that Bradley abandoned her for the it-crowed years ago. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods to make her scholarship dreams come true, she’s surprised to find Bradley right there beside her. Forced to work as a team to get the chance to win the grand prize, Celine and Bradley find themselves reluctantly working together. But as they’re trudging through the muddy woods, they also dredge up the past and the events that broke them apart. Has too much time passed to let bygones be bygones and reunite, or are they doomed to repeat history?
I mean, we all knew this was going to be brilliant, right?
It’s tough mentioning everything that made this story so extraordinary. Do you want authentic mental health representation? Hibbert delivers it in the form of Bradley, who lives with OCD but is never reduced to that and instead manages his OCD perfectly well with the mechanisms he has learned work for him over the years. Do you want a story that delivers escapism in spades? Hibbert throws you into the wilds of the English and Scottish forests where shenanigans ensue. Do you want a nuanced romance tinged with rivalry? Watch Bradley and Celine go head-to-head for a scholarship…but always put the other first instead of ruthlessly going for the win. Do you want discussions around dreams and aspirations that might not align with what your family wants for you? Both Celine and Bradley have this idea of who they want or need to be in order to do right by their family, but as they soon learn, nothing is ever as it seems.
And that’s not even all that Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute offers its readers. Intrigued yet?
Hibbert effortlessly carries over her British charm and verbal sparring matches between characters to the young adult genre. Celine and Bradley are unique, fleshed-out characters that feel so real they could jump right off the page and into your life. While Celine is leaning more towards sarcasm and suspicion, Bradley appears to be a bit of Golden Retriever: witty, sweet and the kind of guy you want to hang out with. Both struggle with self-esteem in different ways: Celine with spiked barbs, and Bradley with self-flagellation because he’s scared to pursue his dreams of becoming a writer. Even beyond that, there’s so much depth to the characters and the more they interact with each other (and the closer you get to finding out what tore these ex-best friends apart), the more you learn what makes them tick. From Celine’s troubling non-relationship with her father to Bradley’s fear of following his academic dreams, there’s much to be gained from watching them both face their demons (and not just each other). Celine and Brady’s rocky reacquaintance features a ton of snarky deflection, personal growth on both parts, vulnerable talks that will leave you feeling wounded and yet strangely understood at the same time, and a love that’s worth fighting for. I can’t imagine anyone reading this book and not falling head over heels for both protagonists.
Lest you think this book is too heavy in subject matter, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is also jam-packed with hilarious one-liners, awkward face-palming moments and so. much. pining. that will have you scream “kiss already” at least once when the tension gets too high between Celine and Bradley. This feeling is helped along by the fact that pretty much everyone in Celine and Bradley’s lives are rooting for them to get together, which just honestly made me smile like the Cheshire cat.
Altogether, I really can’t think of anything that would have made this book any better. If you’re in the market for an exhilarating childhood-friends-to-enemies-to-rivals-to-lovers romance with two characters who have amazing chemistry, a story that features vulnerable topics such as individuality, family relationships, aspirations not working out quite the way you think plus insightful OCD representation, then Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute needs to be on your TBR!
Don’t miss out on the laugh-out-loud childhood-friends-to-enemies-to-rivals-to-lovers romance that will warm your heart this winter!
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 3rd 2023.
Will you be picking up Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.
Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption–yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)
These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.
Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?
