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A review by queergoth_reads
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
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
4.5
Do you ever just have an author that you'll instantly buy their latest book without question? Talia Hibbert is definitely one of those authors for me. I'm not sure if I even read the blurb before I bought it. Which did mean I was a bit confused for a second when I realised it was YA but I love YA romance too so it wasn't an issue.
This book follows Celine and Brad, ex-best friends and current enemies. Celine is following the Plan and signs up for a prestigious survival course and she is not happy when Brad decides to join too. Slowly the two redevelop their friendship for the sake of completing the course but it soon becomes more than that.
I really loved this. The story itself is good but the characters are what make it. They are so rich and real. I love how much Talia Hibbert draws on her own experiences for characters and she does it again with Brad and his experiences and management of his OCD. It's always wonderful to see positive representation of mental health conditions. Was also a huge fan of Brad being bi. I feel like I don't see a lot of bi men in "straight" romances. I was also a huge fan of the introspection of the characters. They get criticisms and they learn and grow and realise things aren't always black and white.
My only real criticism is that I feel like the romance blossomed pretty quickly. There are a lot of time skips for the story so it is totally believable that it was naturally developing but it felt quite quick from my point of view.
I needed a book like this when I read it and it really helped me relax and enjoy reading when things have been going a bit awry.
This book follows Celine and Brad, ex-best friends and current enemies. Celine is following the Plan and signs up for a prestigious survival course and she is not happy when Brad decides to join too. Slowly the two redevelop their friendship for the sake of completing the course but it soon becomes more than that.
I really loved this. The story itself is good but the characters are what make it. They are so rich and real. I love how much Talia Hibbert draws on her own experiences for characters and she does it again with Brad and his experiences and management of his OCD. It's always wonderful to see positive representation of mental health conditions. Was also a huge fan of Brad being bi. I feel like I don't see a lot of bi men in "straight" romances. I was also a huge fan of the introspection of the characters. They get criticisms and they learn and grow and realise things aren't always black and white.
My only real criticism is that I feel like the romance blossomed pretty quickly. There are a lot of time skips for the story so it is totally believable that it was naturally developing but it felt quite quick from my point of view.
I needed a book like this when I read it and it really helped me relax and enjoy reading when things have been going a bit awry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying and Medical content