Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

November 28, 2022
Hibbert (the Brown Sisters series) imbues this enemies-to-lovers romance with whip-smart banter, British sensibilities, and energetic verve. Black high school student and aspiring lawyer Celine Bangura is determined to land a spot in the Breakspeare Enrichment survival course program, win one of the offered full-ride university scholarships, and rub her success in her estranged father’s face. When a squabble with charming Black footballer and former best friend Bradly Graeme leads to the pair attending the program’s info session together, Brad is persuaded to apply,
hoping a scholarship can help mitigate his own financial woes. Upon acceptance, the duo participate in Breakspeare’s wilderness-intensive exercises, and realize they must put their past feelings aside and rely on each other if they hope to compete with the other ruthless scholarship-hopefuls. As they rekindle their former friendship and grow close romantically, Celine wrestles with her emotionally avoidant tendencies while Brad manages his obsessive-compulsive disorder amid the program’s competitive, high-stress events. With dialogue that juggles both laugh-out-loud humor and pull-at-the-heartstrings vulnerability amid an outdoorsy premise, Hibbert attentively captures Celine’s feelings of abandonment and resentment, and Brad’s mental health struggles while striking a quintessential balance of romance and comedy in this lively romp. Front matter includes a glossary of British slang and terms. Ages 12–up. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary.

January 1, 2023

Gr 9 Up-Romance author Hibbert's first foray into YA fiction has all the signs of her lovable adult love stories placed squarely in the world of teen angst. Celine Bangura and Bradley Graeme were friends until a fractious turned them into enemies. Both are highly competitive for top marks in their school and know all too well how to irk each other. When a scholarship opportunity places them out of their comfort zone, they find themselves thrust far too close to stomach. As they trade barbs, they begin to experience other feelings for each other that they loathe acknowledging until a chance kiss changes the direction of their relationship. A series of unfortunate accidents happen that leaves Celine and Bradley no choice but to recognize their feelings and see where it takes them. Hibbert does a fantastic job describing the ways the two main characters represent their Blackness throughout, which is a definite highlight of this story. The main characters initially feel unlikable the first part of the book, but they are presented in a more likable light as their enemies-to-lovers story unfolds. The surrounding characters, especially their family members, play a major role in the story, but readers don't experience their respective friend groups enough to have context on how their relationship changed. VERDICT A great addition to any library's YA shelves, especially where there's a gap in the collection for love stories featuring Black teens.-David Roberts

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2023
Former best friends Celine and Bradley are now enemies and academic rivals. When they both jump at the opportunity to participate in a wilderness competition with a scholarship attached and end up on the same team, they are forced to work together to achieve their individual goals. They also work through what tore them apart in the first place while realizing that there could be more to their feelings. In her debut YA novel, British romance writer ­Hibbert offers an entertaining, laugh-out-loud tale featuring memorable Black characters. The alternating first-person narration of the England and Scotland�? set story allows for ­introspection and reveals the nuances of the multifaceted protagonists. Popular jock Bradley is bisexual and lives with obsessive-compulsive disorder, which the author includes without ­centering or treating as problematic. Celine, struggling with ­abandonment issues related to her father, can be abrupt and emotionally closed off but is also a compelling and amusing character. Along with a constellation of well-drawn secondary players, Bradley and Celine's skillfully written romantic banter make this an engrossing rom-com. Monique Harris

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from October 15, 2022
Two Black British ex-best friends tumble into an unexpected romance in this YA debut by noted romance author Hibbert. On paper, Bradley Graeme and Celine Bangura are complete opposites. Brad is a handsome soccer player who can charm anyone in a five-mile radius. Celine is a fiercely guarded perfectionist who runs a popular conspiracy theory TikTok channel. After a major falling out nearly four years ago, the two avoid each other at all costs. When Celine learns that her hero, human rights lawyer Katharine Breakspeare, is running a program offering three full scholarships for incoming university students, she knows she has to apply--even if it requires two wilderness survival expeditions in a Scottish forest. She also wants to prove a point to her estranged father, whose corporate law firm is a sponsor. For his part, Brad is eager to win a scholarship that would mean he wouldn't have to take out loans after all. As their final year of school progresses, the 17-year-olds are thrown together as they attempt to conquer the Breakspeare course. Along the way, they regain mutual trust, reignite their long-simmering feelings, and discover their authentic selves. The pair's relationship sparkles with tender moments and vulnerable revelations, balancing swoonworthy infatuation with sincere empathy. Brad, who is bisexual and has obsessive-compulsive disorder, helps Celine finally process the pain of her dad's abandonment. A zippy rom-com with strong characterization, bursting with Gen Z-approved verbal sparring and stolen kisses. (author's note, glossary) (Romance. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 1, 2023
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* In with a bang comes renowned romance author Hibbert's (Get a Life, Chloe Brown, 2019) YA debut, also the launch title of Joy Revolution, Nicola and David Yoon's imprint dedicated to YA romance novels by and for people of color. Hibbert keeps the priorities of her teen audience firmly in mind as she tells the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story of Black British teens Celine and Bradley in alternating perspectives. On her popular TikTok, Celine is an outspoken conspiracy theorist overflowing with followers; in real life, she keeps to herself, dreams of killing it in corporate law to prove herself to her absent father, and hates her ex-best friend, Bradley, who ditched her to become popular. Now a soccer star, hot enough to score any guy or girl he likes, and an academic ace, Brad is Celine's ultimate rival. But she doesn't know just how much he struggles with his OCD or that he'd rather be a writer than a lawyer. When they both make it into an exclusive survival course in the Scottish wilderness, hosted by Celine's legal idol, Katharine Breakspeare, cooperation is the only option they have, and it brings all the feelings simmering beneath their longtime hostility to the surface. Between the quippy, energetic snipes and entertainingly uncomfortable scenarios, Hibbert has built a cast of characters with real depth and heart, and readers will hope for their happy endings as they stumble their way toward joy.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2023
Former best friends Celine and Bradley are now enemies and academic rivals. When they both jump at the opportunity to participate in a wilderness competition with a scholarship attached and end up on the same team, they are forced to work together to achieve their individual goals. They also work through what tore them apart in the first place while realizing that there could be more to their feelings. In her debut YA novel, British romance writer Hibbert offers an entertaining, laugh-out-loud tale featuring memorable Black characters. The alternating first-person narration of the England and Scotland�? set story allows for introspection and reveals the nuances of the multifaceted protagonists. Popular jock Bradley is bisexual and lives with obsessive-compulsive disorder, which the author includes without centering or treating as problematic. Celine, struggling with abandonment issues related to her father, can be abrupt and emotionally closed off but is also a compelling and amusing character. Along with a constellation of well-drawn secondary players, Bradley and Celine's skillfully written romantic banter make this an engrossing rom-com.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)