#highly suspicious and unfairly cute

[stardustandrockets]

Do you have a favorite book with disability rep? Drop it below! (Title and author, please.)

July got away from me and I didn't get this disability rep post finished before the month ended.

The rep listed is by no means a comprehensive list, but what I could remember. I know there are a lot of other lists out there with several of these books on them, but some I hadn't seen and wanted to include.

• Photo 2: Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert (OCD), Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (OCD), The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun (anxiety, depression, and OCD)

• Photo 3: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (anxiety), Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei (anxiety and depression), Teacher of the Year by M.A. Wardell (anxiety and ADHD)

• Photo 4: Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas (anxiety and PTSD), The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen (anxiety and depression), Heartstopper (anxiety, depression, and anorexia)

• Photo 5: A Neon Darkness by Lauren Shippen (depression and PTSD), The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon (depression and PTSD), Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo (depression)

• Photo 6: Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan by Gaku Kaze (depression), Perfect World by Rie Aruga (spinal cord injury), Vicious by V.E. Schwab (chronic pain)

• Photo 7: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (blindness), The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (partial deafness), The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew (deafness)

• Photo 8: I Hear the Sunspot by Yuki Fumino (deafness), A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard (deafness and select mutism), Everything You Never Said by Jordon Greene (mutism)

• Photo 9: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (dyslexia), Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade (dyslexia), All the Feels by Olivia Dade (ADHD)

[acotars]

Read in 2023:

Even if neither of us ever did anything interesting in our entire lives, it wouldn’t matter. You don’t need to be special or significant to have value. You’re just important, always, and people either see that or they don’t. They either love you, or they don’t.

HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND UNFAIRLY CUTE by Talia Hibbert ★★★★

[slaughter-books]

Day 3: JOMPBPC: Black Pride

❤️✊🏻🧡✊🏼💛✊🏽💚✊🏾💙✊🏿💜

[dejwrld]

✿༉ ⸻ highly suspicious & unfairly cute by talia hibbert (review)

genre: young adult, ya romance, enemies to lovers published date: 09/27/2022 pages: 560 format: paperback

start date: 01/16/24 end date: 01/28/24

rating: ★★★

spoilers below cut.

This is the second book I have read of Talia Hibbert's and I have come to the conclusion that I do not think she's my cup of tea. Frankly, if I'm going to be honest—Bradley was by far my favorite character in the book. It's extremely rare for me to prefer the male lead over the female one in any book I read, but this one. Truly, reading about Bradley's character and the chapters in his POV was by far my favorite part. From his inner struggle of wanting to be a writer/author but straying away from those dreams in fear of failure and not wanting to disappoint his parents to his OCD to his sexuality (that I kinda wish Talia did a little more with that).

There wasn't really any actual background on why they were enemies to me and that frustrated me so much while reading this book because there were parts of the book where I as a reader thought 'oh maybe this is it' (about why they were enemies), but then another part in the chapter or in a different chapter I'm saying once again 'oh maybe this is the background'.

The amount of pop culture references was a bit much. I understand this is a YA book and you're most likely trying to connect to a younger audience, but it was not needed. The number of times TikTok was mentioned could have gone towards a better depth on why Bradley and Celine fell out in the first place.

Overall, I don't think Young Adult Romance is Talia Hibbert's niche as an author. However, I do believe that this book also can be geared much more for an audience that is around both Celine and Brad's age group.

Don't let my review stop you from reading the book yourself, but truly I don't think Talia is my type of author. However, I will still recommend her because she may not be my cup of tea—but she could still be someone else's.

[richincolor]

Jessica's 2023 Favorites

It's always so hard to pick my favorite books of the year -- there were so many! I read poignant graphic novels that made me sob, lighthearted adventures that made me think, and heartfelt romances that I couldn't stop telling people about. I've narrowed my favorite reads this year down to three -- and I imagine they might be on your list too! We'd love to hear what you loved reading this year and what you look forward to reading next year. Anyway, without further ado...

In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee A debut YA graphic memoir about a Korean-American girl's coming-of-age story—and a coming home story—set between a New Jersey suburb and Seoul, South Korea.

Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee knows she's different. Ever since her family emigrated from South Korea to the United States, she's felt her Otherness. For a while, her English isn't perfect. None of her teachers can pronounce her Korean name. Her face and her eyes—especially her eyes—stand out. As the pressures of high school ramp up, friendships change and end, and everything gets harder. Even home isn't a safe place, as fights with her mom escalate. Deb is caught in a limbo, with nowhere to go, and her mental health plummets.

But Deb is resilient. She discovers art and self-care, and gradually begins to start recovering. And during a return trip to South Korea, she realizes something that changes her perspective on her family, her heritage, and herself.

This stunning debut graphic memoir features page after page of gorgeous, evocative art, perfect for Tillie Walden fans. It's a cross section of the Korean-American diaspora and mental health, a moving and powerful read in the vein of Hey, Kiddo and The Best We Could Do.

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa El Diablo is in the details in this Latinx pirate fantasy starring a transmasculine nonbinary teen with a mission of revenge, redemption, and revolution.

On Mar León-de la Rosa's 16th birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship.

When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up your soul to save your father by the Harvest Moon or never see him again. The task is impossible--Mar refuses to make a bargain and there's no way their magic is any match for el Diablo. Then, Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate -- and the captain's son; and Dami, a genderfluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption -- or it could mean certain death.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert 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?

[mimisreadingnook]

my illumicrate edition of highly suspicious and unfairly cute just came in the mail, and im SO excited to read it !! 🌷

[susiephone]

I'm reading "Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute" by Talia Hibbert and one of the leads has OCD, like me

On the one hand it feels amazing to have such accurate rep of what a spiral is like

On the other

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: Queer Fiction Starring MCs with OCD

The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy (MG) Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert (YA) History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (YA) My Heart to Find by Elin Annalise The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

[haveyoureadthismgyabook]

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's Young Adult Fiction TBR - Part 1

[ismahanescorner]

Book Haul | 📚🩵

the newest editions to my biblio-family!! 

🌟 The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah (very excited to read an Arabian fantasy written by an actual Arab author!!!) 😁😁😁

❣️Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (heard loads of good stuff about this one!!)

⛺️ Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert (the hype got to me, hopefully it’s worth it!)

⛱️ Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (literally have no idea what this is about!)

♦️Solitaire by Alice Oseman (i loved everything i read by this author!!) 💗

🪄Back In A Spell by Lana Harper (witches?? count me in!!) 😌

[the-final-sentence]

Whatever we want.

Talia Hibbert, from Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

[stardustandrockets]

What's a book that made you incredibly happy when you first read it?

Omg this book!! It had me kicking my feet in both a giddy way and a frustrated way. I had things pegged from the beginning, but that definitely didn't make the journey there any less fun.

The dual POV makes the mutual pining that much better because we get it from both Celine's and Bradley's perspective. Celine has trust issues because her dad walked out on her family for his second family, and Bradley is a bisexual footballer (soccer, for my fellow Americans) with OCD struggling with college decisions. They're ex-best friends who find themselves in the woods together on an internship excursion. What could possibly go wrong? 😘

I want more of these types of books. The romance is so sweet, there's banter galore, and had everything I loved about Chloe Brown without being uncomfortably horny from page one.

[slaughter-books]

Day 30: JOMPBPC: Read In September

My September, 2023 reading wrap-up! 💜

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

Y'all have no idea how unfairly, indubitably, incredibly CUTE this YA romance was! Bradley and Celine have the sort of young adult charm that makes your teeth rot from smiling so much. They're sweet and wholesome, witty as can be, yet also nuanced because of some emotionally avoidant tendencies, abandonment issues, and super real struggles with OCD they face.

For those of you who, like me, are no longer teens, this story was ripe with first love nostalgia and I think you'll enjoy being able to sink into that. Personally, it thrust me back to a simpler, rather innocent, yet altogether more confusing time when intensity of emotion still ran high and every new flutter of my heartbeat could be felt keenly with a rushing vibrancy that painted life and romance in hues strong enough to taste. I enjoyed being swept up in that again. Remembering how one look, one moment, or one misspoken word could feel like the end of the whole world as I knew it.

(Sometimes I still grow wistful for those days of old.)

I also liked that this read like a coming of age tale as well a romance, with Brad and Celine each coming to grips with who they were and what they wanted, not just with each other, but also with themselves and their own plans for the future after high school. The wilderness scholarship competition was purposeful in helping them revaluate a lot of things in their lives. Firstly, it propelled them together, forcing them to acknowledge old hurts and mistakes they made in the past as childhood besties who then became academic rivals so they could arrive somewhere new and improved and smoochy-smoochy in the present. Secondly, it had them look at all the real reasons behind why they were pursuing a particular area of study. For Celine, that meant dealing with feelings she had about her father, who abandoned her as a kid. For Brad, that meant owning up to wanting to be a writer instead of a lawyer. Thirdly, it showed them that part of growing up is learning how to leap forward with faith with those who are worth it and how to adjust to new circumstances.

All in all, this was a solid YA debut from Hibbert. I'm so glad she ventured into the genre and am looking forward to seeing what else she contributes to it in the future!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Joy Revolution for the ARC in exchange for my review.

4/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[richincolor]

YA Romance Reads by Adult Romance Authors

With the popularity and success of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert, I've been keeping an eye out for Adult Romance authors making the jump to YA Romance. While my main reads tend to be SFF and YA lit, I love picking up a romance book once in a while. Talia Hibbert is one of my favorite authors, so when I heard she was making her YA debut with Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, I was over the moon. (And ICYMI, we're posting a group discussion of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute on 3/8 -- hope you'll read along with us!)

I can't help but sit up and take note when I read about Adult Romance authors coming out with YA books. And yes, I've been compiling a list. Here's what I have so far:

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert [Out now!] 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?

While You Were Dreaming by Alisha Rai [Out March 21, 2023] This YA debut from powerhouse romance author Alisha Rai tackles undocumented immigration against the backdrop of viral online fame, fake dating, and a love triangle. A must-read for fans of Nicola Yoon or Sandhya Menon.

If Sonia Patil had her way, she’d be attending her local comic con instead of covering a shift for her boss’s daughter. Since Sonia’s mom was deported and her sister, who never claimed deferred status under DACA, had to forgo college to support them, Sonia’s had her hands full with work, school, and pretending everything is okay at home.

Then Sonia, in homemade superhero cosplay, stumbles into saving her crush James’s life. When a video of the daring rescue goes viral, she—or, rather, a mysterious masked savior—is thrust into the spotlight. Now she’s hiding from TikTok detectives while trying to connect with James. And while she’s drawn to his friendly but oblivious nature, she can’t deny her escalating chemistry with another awkwardly charming boy. Juggling crushes and a secret identity might just take superpowers. Will Sonia be able to hide in plain sight forever?

Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon [Out May 30, 2023] A swoony, heart-melting YA romance from beloved author Rebekah Weatherspoon about two awkward teens who decide to practice dating in order to be good at the real thing. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Jenny Han.

Sixteen-year-old Bethany Greene, though confident and self-assured, is what they call a late-bloomer. She's never had a boyfriend, date, or first kiss. She's determined to change that but after her crush turns her down cold for Homecoming--declaring her too inexperienced--and all her back-up ideas fall through, she cautiously agrees to go with her best friend's boyfriend Jacob. A platonic date is better than no date, right? Until Saylor breaks up with said boyfriend.

Dumped twice in just two months, Jacob Yeun wonders if he's the problem. After years hiding behind his camera and a shocking summer glow up, he wasn't quite ready for all the attention or to be someone's boyfriend. There are no guides for his particular circumstances, or for taking your ex's best friend to the dance.

Why not make the best of an awkward situation? Bethany and Jacob decide to fake date for practice, building their confidence in matters of the heart.

And it works--guys are finally noticing Bethany. But things get complicated as their kissing sessions--for research of course!--start to feel real. This arrangement was supposed to help them in dating other people, but what if their perfect match is right in front of them?

And here's a bonus book -- while Olivie Blake is a Fantasy author, not a Romance author, I do think it's notable that Olivie Blake (pen name for Alexene Farol Follmuth) has a really cute YA Romance out right now:

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth [Out now!] Opposites attract in this battle-robot-building YA romance from the NYT best-selling author of The Atlas Six.

Bel would rather die than think about the future. College apps? You’re funny. Extracurriculars? Not a chance. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s basically forced into joining the robotics club. Even worse? All the boys ignore Bel—and Neelam, the only other girl on the team, doesn't seem to like her either.

Enter Mateo Luna, captain of the club, who recognizes Bel as a potential asset—until they start butting heads. Bel doesn’t care about Nationals, while Teo cares too much. But as the nights of after-school work grow longer and longer, Bel and Teo realize they've made more than just a combat-ready robot for the championship: they’ve made each other and the team better. Because girls do belong in STEM.

In her YA debut, Alexene Farol Follmuth, author of The Atlas Six (under the penname Olivie Blake), explores both the challenges girls of color face in STEM and the vulnerability of first love with unfailing wit and honesty. With an adorable, opposites-attract romance at its center and lines that beg to be read aloud, My Mechanical Romance is swoonworthy perfection.