Jane Pek returns with a sequel to her much loved debut The Verifiers. The Rivals picks up where book one left off. Voracity, the company who will investigate your online matches for you, is still looking into the big three match companies, what they are really up to, and the mysterious deaths from book one.

Book 2 is a great read, and anyone who loved and liked Claudia will enjoy spending more time in her world. I enjoyed the switch from murder mystery to spy, genre, callouts, and a conclusion I didn’t see coming. The book sets up a lot that hopefully future books will deliver on. I am a fan and will continue to read as long as Pek is writing. I have a soft spot for private investigators, see my love of Veronica Mars, and Lisa Lutz’s The Spellman Files.

In this followup to The Verifiers, Claudia Lin’s life becomes even more complicated than in the first book. Not long after she becomes a partner in Veracity, one of the little company’s would-be clients dies in an accident that she and her work partner Becks think is suspicious. Their suspicion is tightly related to their belief that at least one of the big online matchmaking companies is developing synthetic personas (“synths”) for dishonest and manipulative purposes.

Their investigation proceeds, becoming entangled with a verification case that may be more than it appears. As they learn more—sometimes through high-tech means and regular investigation work, sometimes through Claudia’s amusing insights from her obsession with detective fiction and Jane Austen—it becomes clear that some of the people they have contact with may be in danger, including Claudia’s own brother, Charles.

In the meantime, Claudia’s family relationships with her mother, sister, and brother, seem to be breaking down. And she finds herself attracted to two different women, each unsuitable in different ways.

I like the characters in this series, but the books are way too long. The description of the investigations is so drawn out and detailed that the story drags. It stays on the same plodding level for hundreds of pages, until it finally comes to a sudden climax in the last 10-15%—and then ends with a clear indication that the series will continue, with the mystery plot still focusing on the synths. I have my doubts that this plot is worth multiple books, but if each book were about 75 pages shorter, maybe I’d change my mind. I can see an entertaining and interesting book if it were made a lot leaner.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jane Pek, and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

After loving the first book in the series, The Rivals was a major disappointment for me sadly. I read the first book (The Verifiers) about 2 years ago and really enjoyed it at the time; I then reread it last month and enjoyed it even more than I remembered. I loved the detective story with a queer character, plenty of coming of age, and a bit of sci-fi elements to it. I started The Rivals immediately upon finishing the first since it was fresh, and even with that, I spend most of this book confused. There was SO much technology talk in this one in regards to the bots and Claudia's work at Veracity that I had a lot of trouble keeping up. I'm not for sure if this was a personal issue or if it felt even more confusing given the made up names for apps and such in this universe, but it felt very much like trying to read theoretical/conceptual ideas that I could never wrap my head around. I liked the addition of romance for Claudia in this book, and I do think that Pek has written an extremely unique and original detective story! I just found myself lost and not invested for much of this one. I would have also personally liked to see more of Max and Claudia's family in this installment, as it was much more case-focused. However, even though it was case-focused, the "mystery" storyline didn't read as clear as The Verifiers which added to me being lost for most of the book. I might check out the next book in this series once it comes out, but unfortunately, this went above my head and lost my interest in this series for the time being.

As a big fan of The Verifiers, the first book in the ongoing Claudia Lin series, I was very excited to jump into The Rivals. Luckily, this follow-up delivers more clever plotlines in the same snappy and smart writing.

While there's still a potential murder to solve, this installment focuses a bit more on the tropes of spy novels as it continues to focus on the increasingly uncanny world of online matchmaking. Even though there is a satisfying conclusion to one of the major storylines, this book does feel very much like a bridge between what could be the first and last in a series. There are a lot of interesting new directions for the story to go in, and frustratingly, this book spent a lot of time seeding these new plotlines.

Overall, I still had a great time reading this book and I love love Pek's clever writing style. I'm just left more than a little impatiently awaiting the next book in the series now.

The Rivals by Jane Pek is book two in the Claudia Lin Series.
A wonderfully written mystery that sucked me in immediately!
I devoured her debut and book one The Verifiers and her second title did not disappoint.
An entertaining amateur sleuth mystery that was unputdownable.

Was very excited to read this one but a little disappointed with how much the middle dragged. Overall, still a solid read. Extremely fascinating concept with technology, especially for this age of AI. Looking forward to reading more from.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 12/1/24. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

Let me start by saying that I didn’t realize that this was a book in a series and I might have enjoyed it more had I read the first book as I feel like there were established relationships and dynamics by characters that I didn’t fully get. With all that said I still had such a fun time with this novel. The idea that matchmaking companies are planting synths into the apps to push user behavior and actions was so interesting. I loved seeing Claudia navigate the mysteries that came up in the novel and found myself trying to see if I couldn’t figure out the twists before they happened. I definitely plan on going back to read The Verifiers and am looking forward to finding out what happens next.

3.75 stars, rounded up. I felt the pacing could have been tightened up. It's still an enjoyable read, but I liked the first a bit better. You really need to read the first one to understand the plot about the synths in this novel. I liked that we got more interaction between Claudia and Becks (and Squirrel) but less of the Lin family this go round. I enjoyed how this mystery explored identities/lying/how we present ourselves to the world, and how technology is shaping our identities/how we view ourselves and others. Ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I'm sure a third installment is coming.

"Claudia Lin—mystery novel superfan and, until recently, clichéd underemployed English major—has scored her dream co-running Veracity, a dating detective agency whose mission is to determine if chronically online New Yorkers are telling the truth about themselves to their prospective partners. Unfortunately, along the way, she and her colleagues—tech wizard Squirrel, and the beautiful and intimidating Becks—have uncovered a nefarious AI conspiracy. And the corrupt corporate matchmakers may be resorting to murder to protect their secrets.Luckily, a client’s ex is ready to turn on his employers—slipping Claudia thumb drives and setting up secret meetings to exchange information about what the company is up to behind the scenes. But even as Claudia starts to get a feel for this new genre—just call her Lin, Claudia Lin—she's distracted by the romantic tension with both Becks and a flirtatious and charming target. There’s also the fear that her older brother, Charles, is unwittingly falling into the corporation's deadly web through his consulting work. How can you know who to trust if you are keeping secrets and lying to those you love? How real are the carefully constructed identities we present to the world, online and off?"

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Man. I really wanted to LOVE this book. I enjoyed the Verifiers and was so excited for this release… but I found that the sequel, while it had some interesting ideas, also had just enough logical flaws in the technology elements of the plot that I couldn’t maintain my enjoyment. There’s a lot to love here for someone with a stronger suspension of tech disbelief- just not for me.

I had mixed feelings about this second Claudia Lin mystery that had a lot complicated family drama, a new queer romantic relationship and a corporate virtual reality espionage mystery. I liked the narration by Eunice Wong and the interpersonal relationship aspects of the book but a lot of the VR/technical stuff involved in the mystery was way too complex for me. I also found the book longer than I wanted for a 'light' mystery. Overall not really my cup of tea. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

🕵🏽‍♀️ Quirky mystery
🕵🏽‍♀️ Diverse Characters

Similar to book one in the Claudia Lin Series, I felt the book dragged on a little in the middle and wished the storyline moved a little bit quicker. Overall I enjoyed the book. It was a fun mystery with a diverse set of characters.

If you loved The Verifiers, you’re sure to love The Rivals.

It has been almost three years since I read THE VERIFIERS (which was a 5-star read for me in 2022). However, I think that this one may suffer from "second book syndrome". It felt too long and too drawn out, but I can see how we are (hopefully) set up for a third (and final?) book.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an ARC of this book! The Rivals by Jane Pek is the sequel to The Verifiers, which came out in 2022. The Rivals picks up shortly after the events in The Verifiers, and takes place over about a 4-6 month period.

I enjoyed The Verifiers when I first read it, so much so that I would occasionally check in with the author to see when the sequel would be released. I was very happy to get an ARC of this book to continue reading about Claudia and what adventures she gets up to.

The Rivals is as good, or even better, than The Verifiers. Claudia is now a partner at Veracity and as such is more involved in the decision making. The work is in a moral gray area and honestly illegal in some ways, and in this book I believe Claudia is struggling with this and how it is changing her moral standards, specifically with her family relationships.

A mysterious death leads Veracity on another chase, resulting in corporate espionage. But can they trust their source? At the same time, they are tasked with verifying someone who Claudia ends up becoming friends with! But something isn’t adding up.

I would highly recommend this series and look forward to the next book!

I really enjoyed book one in this series but this one did not hit the same for me. Claudia is a quirky little detective girl who could be annoying but instead is very fun and sweet. I think that I may not have resonated with this book as much because it’s more spy thriller than mystery novel. That’s just not a type of book I seek out and I think Claudia is at her best when she is in plucky girl detective mode. I also did not care for the Amalia romance/plot. We’ve spent two books building up Claudia and Beck so there was no way I was going to care about this new girl. I was hoping that this would be a fun little one off mystery series but with the interconnected synths plot, I don’t think book two is gonna give me much cooky detective Claudia.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This followup to the Verifiers lost some of the charm of the first book and went deeper down the rabbit hole on a complicated plot involving synths (I know, it's not explained in the novel either). Claudia and her partners Becks and Squirrel are in the business of verifying the backgrounds of romantic interests and do so by skimming info off internet dating sites (and other extralegal ways). Claudia is more interested in solving the mystery of a murder that happened in the first book but she's also tracking Amalia and dealing with the death of a client whose prior love interest becomes her asset. And she's worried about her older brother who is working himself silly. Pek almost lost me more than once because I found I didn't care about the issue but then I'd be pulled back by the human connections. I wish we had seen more of her family (what's really wrong with Coraline?). I liked that Claudia bikes all over town, that she eats (and drinks) and that she feels very real. And I liked getting a few more glimpses of Becks' backstory. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. While I was frustrated by the technology issue, I did enjoy the writing and the smart turns of phrase. And I'll definitely pick up the next one.

Giving this follow up novel a 4 out of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

An awesome sophomore novel in The Verifiers series! In some ways, The Rivals can stand on its own as a standalone novel, but there are just enough references back to plot points from The Verifiers to keep the series cohesive.

Claudia continues to explore her identity as a queer, Asian-American with a family that seems absolutely inept at communicating with each other. She does toe the line with her at times lackadaisical professional ethics, but that's where her character foil and potential love interest come in to reel her back in.

I love how the overarching plot delves more into AI and the dating synths. The author does a really nice job of taking complex computer science theories and concepts and has applied them to dating sites, something many of us are familiar with. I cannot wait to see where this story goes next!

Once again, Claudia investigates mysterious cases as her family dynamics get more awkward. In this book, she seems to be learning more about her siblings and how she doesn't know them as well as she thought she did. Hopefully, they can work through their issues and develop a better relationship. Claudia is also discovering more about herself. I recommend this book to people interested in a story that involves the inner workings of dating sites/apps and how honest or dishonest people can be on those sites/apps.

Thanks to the KDPG Influencer program and Net Galley for the e-arc copy!

I'll admit that while I read the first in the series, I didn't remember much. There were a lot of references back, but the story in Rivals was enough on its own to draw me in and through any confusion I had about the plot of Verifiers. Enjoyed this one and really think the concept is so unique.

“The Rivals” by Jane Pek is a fun and creative mystery. I like how the author incorporates current trends such as AI, online dating and bots (or synths). I also appreciate the diversity of characters and how New York City, particularly parts of Brooklyn, are like a character in the story. The pared down dialogue also does a good job of capturing a lot of character and emotion with sparse words. At times, I wasn’t sure where the story threads where going but they all came together very creatively at the end. I look forward to reading the third novel in this trilogy. Jane Pek’s writing offers an entertaining and deep commentary on our times. Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the eARC.

Claudia is sort of a secret agent. She works for a dating detective agency and uses skills from detective novels. When she and her coworkers discover an AI conspiracy taking place through the dating apps, they are in more danger than they could have imagined. This follow-up to The Verifiers delves deeper into the conspiracy taking place and what parties are involved. Claudia's relationships are also at the forefront of this novel as she manages family issues and new crushes. The mystery was good and I liked how it called itself out on certain expected plot points.