Turns out I’m maybe a fan of thrillers! I really enjoyed this one, especially because it was ao easy to get invested in Claudia - a queer Asian American nerd trying to juggle other people’s expectations and finding her path. The mystery in this story is enticing!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Despite enjoying The Verifiers (the first in this series) this book never captured my attention. I’m DNFing at 50% to keep with my resolution of not forcing myself to read things I’m not enjoying.

The Rivals picks up where the first book left off. The FMC Claudia works for a company that’s basically a private investigation firm with a focus on online dating. After the somewhat suspicious death of a potential client, Claudia once again takes it upon herself to try and solve the mystery of what led to his death.

This book didn’t work for me on a number of levels. The first was way too much technical jargon that just felt unnecessary. I understand why the author put it in but it could have been drastically reduced with the same impact. There are also so many different code names that I wasn’t always sure what the characters were talking about. There are also a number of subplots that again felt superfluous and unnecessary. While the first book was enjoyable and introduced me to this author, this one just isn’t hitting the mark.

The sequel to The Verifiers finds Claudia still researching matchmaker matches, although this time there might be murder involved.

I really liked The Verifiers so I was excited for this one. However, I just found it slow. The intrigue wasn't the same for me as the first, maybe because the big reveal of the first wasn't lingering? I'm not sure, but it just didn't have the same magic for me.

This is a disappointing read. The murder mystery is anticlimactic, the central mystery is confusing and doesn’t end with this book, and we have an unnecessary love triangle. I would have been interested to see how this series ended if a love triangle hadn't been introduced.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for my honest thoughts.

I mean, who isn't into Jane Pek's books??
Tech lesbians, cultural stereotypes, family dynamics, and a nod to classic espionage stories... it doesn't disappoint!
My only criticism really is that the various parts of the story didn't always mesh / flow smoothly.
I will definitely read the next installment in this series.

Thank you to @netgalley, Jane Pek, and Knopf Vintage for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Skillfully avoiding the sophomore slump, Jane Pek's second installment in the Claudia Lin series enters epic spy-thriller territory in this richly detailed and atmospheric mystery. I couldn't wait to get reacquainted with the series' characters (and their sarcasm)!

The second book in this series picks up with Claudia Lin continuing her work at Veracity, a unique organization that investigates the truthfulness of individuals using matchmaking services. This time, the plot thickens as Veracity uncovers a disturbing trend: matchmaking companies are creating “synths” — highly sophisticated fake profiles that behave almost like bots, manipulating real users and influencing opinions.

The premise is undeniably timely and intriguing, but the execution feels overly intricate. The story is weighed down by dense technical explanations, an array of code names, subplots involving other characters, and speculative scenarios. There’s a lot happening here. Claudia, for instance, crosses professional boundaries by meeting a client’s girlfriend, Amalia, and starts to develop feelings for her. At the same time, she grows increasingly concerned about her brother Charles and his suspicious involvement with the matchmaking companies. Adding to the complexity, Veracity recruits an insider from the matchmaking industry to feed them information.

When the story focuses on action and relationships, it shines. Claudia’s personal connections—especially with her siblings, Charles and Coraline—are engaging and ripe for deeper exploration. Her queerness adds another layer of relatability, as she grapples with lingering feelings for her quasi-boss, Becks, while being drawn to Amalia. Unfortunately, the romantic tension is drawn out without much resolution, which can feel unsatisfying.

The book captures the unsettling power of fake online identities and their real-world consequences. While I could follow the plot well enough, the unresolved threads are frustrating. By the end, nothing significant is tied up—not the mystery of the matchmakers or the synths, nor the personal conflicts with Claudia’s siblings. It feels less like a complete story and more like a prelude to the next installment.

Claudia herself remains a standout—a wonderfully queer, quirky protagonist. This series offers a unique premise but caters to readers who enjoy layered, cerebral mysteries and don’t mind a lack of immediate payoff.

I adore this series! This book was just as fun and cute as the first one. I hope to see this continue. There was some tech info in there that was a bit over my head but not so much so that I still enjoyed the story.

I read both The Verifiers and The Rivals this week and enjoyed them. Claudia Lin is a complicated character and this series really shines when it is focused on Claudia's family life, complicated dating life, and when she is making a plan. I feel like the story kinda can drag when discussing the complex computer programming and the work of the matchmakers. However, this will definitely be a series worth continuing and, based on how The Rivals ends, the best may be yet to come.
Comment

I enjoyed The Verifiers by Jane Pek, so I was delighted to receive a copy of The Rivals. This book is for underemployed English majors everywhere.

Claudia Lin is a superhero, and I loved the ensemble cast.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Claudia Lin, lifelong mystery fan, has landed the perfect job. She co-runs Veracity, an agency that investigates potential or existing partners on behalf of the people they are matched with on a dating app. In the course of her work, Claudia and her two partners have discovered what appears to be a conspiracy among the dating app companies to use AI to secretly bolster their services — with potentially deadly consequences.

When one of their clients passes away, Claudia convinces his ex, who works for one of the apps, to help her figure out what the companies are actually doing. And at the same time, Claudia finds herself falling for both one of her co-workers and one of her targets — all while worrying her brother may inadvertently have been drawn into the apps’ dangerous plans.

I was a fan of the previous book in this series, so I was excited to see what came next for Claudia and the verifiers. Like the previous novel, this was an engaging and creative mystery. The author does a great job of blending Claudia’s love of mystery stories with the mystery she finds herself investigating. The story is bolstered by a dynamic cast of supporting characters.

Highly recommended.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's edition. Unfortunately, I will not be able to give it the time required to write a thorough review and will be unable to read it for this purpose.

Dating in the digital age is getting complicated

Meet Claudia Lin, a huge fan of mystery novels who along with two colleagues is running. Veracity, a sort of dating detective agency. if you want to know if your prospective date is all that they claim to be, you hire Veracity to check things out. The job seemed like a perfect match for Claudia, but now she and her two partners Squirrel and Becks have stumbled upon something they didn't expect. Dating platforms are utilizing AI in ways that their customers don't suspect (and wouldn't be happy about were they to find out), and keeping their less than transparent practices a secret is proving deadly. When one of her clients turns up dead, Claudia persuades his ex (who happens to work for one of the sites) to feed her some insider information. With her own romantic life becoming complicated and her older brother possibly getting caught up in the matchmaking mayhem, Claudia has her hands full. Maybe being a quasi-spy isn't all that she thought it might be.
The Rivals is the second in the Claudia Lin series, and while it would be helpful to have read the first book it is not necessary to have done so in order to enjoy this one, Claudia is a flawed but engaging protagonist, and has her share of struggles dealing with the dynamics of her Asian-American family and living a queer life. The mystery itself is well-crafted and the themes of authenticity in the world of AI as well as the tensions between obligations to family vs to self and the quandry of ethics in the digital age are all timely. Sometimes the technical details were a bit over my head, and the pacing slowed down in places, but overall it was an enjoyable read likely to appeal to readers of authors like Darby Kane, Emma C. Wells and Michelle Chouinard. My thanks to NetGalley and Vintage Books for allowing me access to The Rivals in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fine follow up to The Verifiers, but it didn’t work as well as the first one. I was curious how this would become a series and I still stand by that The Verifiers would have been better as a stand alone. This turned more into a spy book which I’m really not that interested in.

I think a lot of people will love this and the writing is great. I just wish this stuck to a more mystery format.

I am so disappointed that I am DNFing this book! I so so so wanted to love it because I loved the first one but this one was just too much. I had a hard time continuing to pick this one back up.

This was a good follow up to the original novel, but overall felt flat. The story didn’t recap book one so unless you’d read that recently you start off confused and on the wrong foot. Once you get your bearings the story picks up. Claudia’s character doesn’t develop much over the course of the novel and she becomes unlikable.

Second book in the Claudia Lin series. another page turner.I was drawn in from the first to the last page really enjoyed I am a fan of Jane Pek looking forward to more books by her. #netgalley#knopf

I was so excited for this sequel and that ending just makes me want the third book immediately!!!

I really enjoyed the more in depth exploration into AI and dating apps, however the mystery itself lacked something for me. As much as I was invested in Pradeep and Matthew, I felt like it was a bit unresolved.

Claudia, along with Becks and Squirrel, are so dear to me and I loved how their working and personal relationships developed in this book. We also got more insight into Claudia’s family and I NEED MORE!

Also I’m excited to see where Claudia’s romantic relationship goes in book 3!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The twists were amazing - so well done. I loved the complexity of family, friendships, working with your crush and all the behind the scene online dating. The slow build allowed for flawless execution of the twists - lots of ooohhh moments.
Pek does an amazing job calling out narcissistic mothers struggling to raise families on their own, the cost to the children, lack of family support. Just so well done!
A slow build that took too long.

Such a great follow-up to the Verifiers. This is a great addition to the pantheon of private investigators, but female Asian American queer and based in NY. Love the questions and grappling with modern issues of AI and data privacy. Great mystery series