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New Release Review! HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND UNFAIRLY CUTE by Talia Hibbert

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute cover

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Brown Sisters trilogy, comes a laugh-out-loud story about a quirky content creator and a clean-cut athlete testing their abilities to survive the great outdoors–and each other.

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?

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Review:

Abso-freaking-lutely adorable!

I loved Celine and Brad’s story. Dual POV for these two was absolutely the right choice, because we really needed to see inside these two heads to understand 1) what went wrong back then 2) what’s continuing to go wrong now and 3) why their senses of self preservation are both their BFFs and their absolute worst enemies. Because OMG, do these two have a whole heck of a lot going on in those (adorable yet sometimes kinda dense) heads.

And so much of it made me LOL…though a lot made me want to give them giant hugs, too. And maybe a stern talking to or seven. And then more giant hugs.

Truly, my only complaint here is that the book ended kind of abruptly, though it was nowhere near the worst offender in this department. It was a perfectly fine ending, even though I wasn’t ready for it to be over and it theoretically *could* have continued on the next page, though it didn’t need to.

(I may also be slightly biased here because her author’s note made me tear up again and how dare she? Talk about unfair!)

For Ms Hibbert’s regular readers, especially those who loved the Brown Sisters books, all the banter, snark, cuteness, quirky characters, and representation you’re used to from her is still here. (We don’t have the steamier scenes, but honestly, I didn’t even miss them.) For those who are looking for a really fun YA rom com with everything I mentioned above, here you go! It’s the perfect intro to Talia Hibbert for YA or adult readers alike.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

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