Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a 2023 young adult (YA) romance novel by British author Talia Hibbert. Hibbert is known for her diverse romances in the adult sphere; Highly Suspicious is her first novel for young adults. The novel was praised by reviewers and received starred reviews from both Booklist and Kirk’s Reviews.

This guide references the 2023 Joy Revolution Random House electronic edition.

Content Warning: This guide references parental abandonment and details mental health conditions, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Plot Summary

The novel opens on 17-year-old Celine Bangura on her first day of sixth form. As a high-achieving, academically focused student, Celine is excited to learn that an enrichment program by one of her idols, Katharine Breakspeare, has opened to secondary school students. She notes that her absentee father’s law firm is one of the program sponsors, but she resolves to apply anyway, as the program is highly esteemed. She heads to her philosophy class, annoyed to find that she must sit next to her “archnemesis” Bradley “Brad” Graeme.

Brad and Celine bicker in class, their mutual enmity distracting them from their academics. When class ends, their teacher points out this lack of focus and directs them to the library to complete their assignment. Surprised at the closed library door, the two listen to two teachers arguing inside. When the door abruptly opens, Celine topples. Brad instinctively grabs her, then, in a panic, releases her, causing Celine to fall and injure her wrist.

Brad, who has OCD, struggles with intrusive thoughts about potential complications from this small injury. His anxiety heightens when his father comments that Brad is “a chip off the old block” (51), reminding Brad of his intense, self-inflicted pressure to study law like his father. He goes to his room and sits down to write, his true passion, though he quickly deletes his document, convinced everything he writes is terrible.

Celine, irritated that her wrist is fractured, banters with her sister, Giselle. Celine privately worries that her injury will disrupt her “Steps for Success” plan (55)—her plan to get employment at the second-best corporate law firm in the area. This firm is second only to the firm where Celine’s absentee father works. Giselle reports Brad has arrived; he brought cupcakes (made by his father, which makes Celine’s jealousy over Brad’s wonderful father flare), her philosophy book, and a Katharine Breakspeare pamphlet.

Brad apologizes, insisting he didn’t intentionally drop Celine. She doesn’t believe him. He offers to make amends by driving her to the Breakspeare Enrichment Program (BEP) informational session. She reluctantly accepts, and Brad leaves. When Celine’s mom, Neneh, arrives home, she expresses her hope that Brad and Celine will become friends again, as the two were close before they fell out several years prior. At the BEP meeting, Brad decides to also apply for the program, inspired by the potential full university scholarship, which would allow him to spend more money on his accommodations during university. He considers accommodations to be very important for his mental health.

Brad and Celine are both accepted to BEP and depart for the first of two expeditions. Celine befriends her roommate, Aurora, who is intensely shy. Brad, Aurora, and Celine are all put into the same group for an activity where the Explorers must find instructional booklets in the woods by following riddles. They split into pairs; Celine and Brad are together. They search together, first bickering. Brad eventually apologizes for the past argument that damaged their friendship, where he called Celine “weird.” Celine argues back, however, resulting in a furious mud fight that leaves them both laughing. They agree to a truce during BEP. In the following days, Brad finds that ignoring Celine is boring.

When Celine learns that Aurora’s birthday will occur while they’re at BEP, she solicits help from Brad to plan a surprise for her roommate. Brad throws himself into the project, getting his dad to bake gluten free cupcakes and asking Giselle to smuggle in a single alcoholic beverage for Aurora to drink as a rite of passage for her 18th birthday. When a BEP staff member almost discovers their party, Celine is forced to hide outside in the cold. She is surprised that she doesn’t worry that Brad won’t let her back inside and even more surprised at his solicitousness when she returns inside, chilled.

Back at school after the BEP excursion, Brad and Celine struggle to bring their truce into their regular lives. When one of Brad’s friends, Donno, teases Celine, however, Brad stands up for her. Brad asks to be friends again. Celine agrees and apologizes for saying, during their long-ago fight, that Brad’s OCD made him unlikeable. Hearing this soothes Brad’s lingering hurt. He realizes he is attracted to Celine. Donno, the football captain, kicks Brad and his best friend, Jordan, off the football team.

Giselle discovers the BEP pamphlet, which Celine has hidden, and urges Celine to cease planning her life around their father. Celine denies doing this, though privately is uncertain. She visits Brad to discuss this. Their conversation about what they truly want for their future leads Brad to admit he wants to be an author. They end up kissing, though Celine bolts when they are interrupted by Brad’s little brother, Mason. Brad follows her, expressing his interest in dating. Celine argues that this is a bad idea, as they will soon attend different universities. They agree to remain friends.

Celine and Brad attend a mid-program evaluation with Katharine. Celine sees her father for the first time in 10 years. Though she pretends not to recognize him, she is rattled enough that she doesn’t even hear her score thus far in the program. Katharine encourages her to “question the underlying premise beneath [her] established ideas” (245), which makes Celine question her desire to prove anything to her father via her success. Afterward, Celine cries and resolves to try to avoid her feelings less frequently. She and Brad kiss again. Brad laments allowing himself to kiss Celine without getting confirmation that they are romantically involved. He has received a very high BEP score but struggles to be excited as he really desires to study English.

Two months later, Brad and Celine head to the final BEP excursion. They continue to kiss regularly, though they are nominally still just friends. Over the next few days of the hike, they both try to ignore their feelings for one another and remain focused on the excursion task. Brad (aided by his attention to detail) proves particularly adept at locating “Golden Compasses.” On the second night, Brad calls Celine outside her tent past curfew. They sneak off to a nearby playground, where they talk happily for hours. Brad resolves to tell Celine of his feelings the next day.

Celine, meanwhile, worries that her feelings are transparent. She tells Brad they should no longer kiss, assuming he is going to break things off with her. He storms off. She follows him, immediately sorry, but Brad falls down a large, steep hill, landing injured at the bottom. An ambulance is summoned, and when Brad declines Celine’s offer to accompany him (as he wants her to be able to complete the excursion) she assumes he does so because he is angry with her. Brad is taken to a hospital, where he tells his parents he wants to study English. His parents apologize for making it seem if they required their sons to follow certain paths. Brad apologizes for hiding his true feelings.

After the excursion, Celine returns home in tears. Neneh reassures Celine that Brad is fine. Celine tearfully admits that her father is a BEP sponsor and may be present at the upcoming Explorer’s Ball. Neneh thanks Celine for her honesty and tells her that Celine is not beholden to Neneh regarding her feelings about her father. She offers to support Celine however she needs, including helping her secure therapy or telling her father not to attend the ball.

Brad struggles with the boredom of concussion recovery. When Celine arrives with thoughtful gifts, he confesses his feelings. She, too, reports feelings for him. They agree that getting to be together is worth the risk of one day breaking up. They confess their mutual love and kiss. Several days later, they attend the Explorer’s Ball. Celine learns she has not won a scholarship but is being offered the chance at an internship with Katharine. Celine happily accepts. Brad wins one of the scholarships. Brad and Celine embrace, Celine now comfortable enough with her emotions to admit her love in public.