4-4.5 stars. I *love* Emma Lord’s YA romances. There is so much charm, humor, growth, and love that unfolds throughout them. I really think she thrives in this space.

Sadie and Seb know each other better than anyone else, and for most of their tween-to-teen lives that has been used by them both in a mutual competition of one-upping at any opportunity. Their banter and barbs at each other are funny and pointed, but I always felt an underlying edge of respect, admiration, and flirtation (however much Sadie was in denial about it) between them. Seeing them figure out the shifting perspective they could view their interactions from in the college space away from the pressures of their families was endearing.

Being that the story is single POV, we get to experience Sadie’s outward growth into the version of herself she’s always kept to herself most of all, and I loved that for her. It felt like such an authentic 18-year-old experience, especially as the middle child peacekeeper of her family finally branching out alone. Seb’s role in that growth was one of support and of someone who had always really *seen* her.

Their fall into love was sweet but still filled with tension and a full spectrum of emotions. I think I was pining for their first kiss as much as Sadie was. They had some brutal hurts and arguments that they had to work through, but it made them feel more solid.

This book was a ton of fun. Shoutout to Betty. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Classic Romcom from Emma Lord. Sadie has spent a lot of her life around Seb, and competing with Seb. She's relieved to get away from him in college, but he shows up on the first day (turns out he got off the waitlist). They, of course, go after the same Staff writing position at the dying college paper. There's supposed to be a lot of tension between them, but Seb seems pretty great from the start, and Sadie is clearly attracted to him. You know where this is going. There's the to be expected banter and hijinks form the two of them as well as the deeper storyline of Sadie learning to find her voice and tell her parents and everyone else about her comedy, which is her real love. Nothing earth-shattering in this book, but if you're looking for something lighthearted on a college campus, this is a good one.

I didn’t love this book. It was cute, and I get the appeal, but I was kind of frustrated because it was YA but I didn’t see a note that it’s also has pieces of LGBTQ+. There was a good bit of harsh language as well. The parts I did like about the book didn’t outweigh the things that left me questioning. I had lots of emotions about Sadie and Seb’s relationship - they are best friends, have known each other forever but also rivals and she seems to secretly love hate him. I don’t know…just not my favorite by Emma.

This book was Emma Lord loveliness to a tee! It was a cleverly done book that was sweet as sugar (or maple syrup if you will).

I thought that Sadie and Seb’s rivalry/friendship/etc. was fun to watch grow as the story went on. This book was very young adult coded however the language was a little more coarse than I would have expected!

Overall, if you want to see the grumpiest pancake shop owner, ridiculously fun sounding student clubs and a writing contest — this could be the book for you!

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for this advanced copy on NetGalley! 🤍

I will read absolutely everything Emma Lord writes. I adore her books.

The Rival follows Sadie and Seb as they begin their college careers. The two of them have been intertwined since birth as children of best friends as well as neighbors. They have competed and challenged each other constantly throughout their youth and when Seb shows up at the same college as Sadie (unbeknownst to her), she’s ready to battle it out for the one spot on the school’s famous zine (I had to google was a zine was because I’m old). As they push each other to try harder, they also realize that there are some times it’s better to join forces.

I have always had an affinity for YA books because I love the coming of age, finding your self themes associated with them. The Rival has this in spades. I loved following Sadie’s journey and as always Emma puts quite a bit of comic relief throughout heavier topics.

This book brought back so many memories of my first year of college and the fun that goes along with discovering life along side your peers. I do think all these characters have their life together a lot more than I did at that age, but it definitely makes for a great story.

A fun and cute YA. Read this if you love rivals to lovers, banter, chemistry and LGBTQ representation. However, i didn’t enjoy the third act fight and miscommunication.

3.75⭐️

I love enemies to lovers. And YA reads in general. This was right up my alley.

I thoroughly enjoyed feeling back in freshman year, trying to find my place. Seb and Sadie were wildly cute and it felt like I watched them find themselves as I read.

Pub Day: Jan 21

Thank you netgalley and wednesday for the earc.

Once again, Emma Lord delivers the most perfectly poignant and relatable coming of age tale. Every character was perfection, the shenanigans were hilarious, and I adored the dynamic between Seb and Sadie.

An adorable take on frenemies/rivals-to-lovers mixed with a dash of coming of age, sweet friendships and chaotic family dynamics. The Rival is absolutely charming and sweet read from beginning to end.

Thank you again to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for a chance to read and review an advanced copy of this book!

I liked Seb and Sadie's frenemies relationship. I enjoyed their banter and the slow burn romance. I would have liked Seb's POV because I didn't connect to Sadie. Overall, it is a cute read.

4.5⭐️

Emma Lord is one of my favorite YA authors and I love how I can always count on her to deliver a heartwarming coming of age story that is brimming with wit, theatre references, sugary treats and snacks, adorable friend groups, and characters that are striking out on their own and pursuing their dreams, while discovering themselves in the process.

I love how Lord’s stories center around the creative pursuits - writing, podcasts, art - and passions of the main characters and how these characters discover their voices outside of the familiar comfort and safety of home and high school. These books are a beautiful blueprint for YA readers on how to build community, foster friendships, to give yourself grace and take a chance on your dreams, and to use your voice to help others.

I absolutely loved a recurring conversation between Sadie and Seb where they discussed relationships and emotional health, speaking on how relationships and “firsts” are up to you and there is no checklist or timeline. I think this was such a fantastic conversation to have and I adore Seb for reminding Sadie that relationships and all they entail are completely personal - there should never be any pressure to have those firsts and that it’s perfectly acceptable take your time and wait for that right person. I love the younger generations for normalizing conversations around emotional health.

Gosh, this story was abundantly charming, so heartwarming, and an overall delight to read!

How could you not love a rivals to lovers rom come. Was a fun, quick read on a day when I could get wrapped up the story. I love Emma Lord, and this did not disappoint. Can’t wait to read more.

This was a cute life time academic rival between Sadie and Seb. Their parents are best friends and they grew up together and went to school and competed as top student. We see them starting college and again, competing.

At college, they are both competing for the same job on the school paper. We see them breaking down the animosity and rediscover their friendship while growing into themselves.

The story is cute and the characters is very on point with college students. The supporting characters were great and added a fun element to the story.

Thank you @wednesdaybooks @netgalley for a copy of this.

I haven't read much YA recently, but I always enjoy a new Emma Lord novel. She is so good at writing fun, compelling young adult stories that pair sweet romances and friendships with stories of growing up, and I love that some of her work is set at college, not just high school. In The Rival, Lord begins with the start of freshman year, with protagonist Sadie beginning her quest to write for the popular student zine Newsbag. She's excited, on her own for the first time - and away from her beloved but overwhelming family - and also free of her lifelong family friend and longtime rival, Seb. That is, until he shows up on campus, and at the same Newsbag intro meeting, as a last-minute transfer. Sadie and Seb have secretly competed for years (which does feel a bit over the top and silly in the beginning), and now launch into a competition for the coveted new staff writer position at Newsbag. Out of the context of their hometown, high school, and families, though, their relationship starts to change as they also work on figuring out their new college identities. They get drawn into a larger story at Newsbag and around campus about the school budget, which was a fun subplot and way for both to grow into themselves. As usual, Lord populates the novel with fun roommates, editors, and other characters and quirky campus activities. Sadie and Seb are great, compelling anchors, though, and their relationship is really sweet; Lord excels at depicting their connection and how they move toward a relationship.

This was absolutely adorable. Growing up together when your parents are best friends and live next door to each other what else could happen but become rivals. Fighting for the same job in college you get rivals to lovers.

Thanks to Netgalley for inviting me to read this charming story.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Rival by Emma Lord follows Sadie and Seb, lifelong rivals who are both determined to secure spots at their college’s highly competitive student magazine. Sadie, who thought she’d won when she was accepted to her dream college, is taken by surprise when Seb, who was initially rejected, makes it off the waitlist. Their rivalry intensifies as they both aim for a place on the magazine’s staff, but their competitive dynamic begins to shift as they start to develop unexpected feelings for each other.

The novel is a sweet and charming rivals-to-lovers story with plenty of witty banter and chemistry between the protagonists. It fits comfortably between YA and NA age categories, offering a clean romance that doesn’t go beyond kissing, making it accessible to both young readers and adults. The characters’ evolving relationship, set against the backdrop of their ambitious academic pursuits, provides a fun, lighthearted read.

A big than you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A cute, clean young adult romance between two childhood friends, who had a falling out due to a misunderstanding and became academic rivals, In their first year of college, competing for one spot in the school zine, they battle against each other in the start but come together to save the zine and other students programs whose fund are being cut in favour for sports by crooked headmaster..

Will they or will they not get together felt repetitive in the book and something I thought should have been wrapped up quicker. I actually prefer the banters, zine competition, the tackling of the realistic issue in the college funding where both played essentials roles, and the resolution of characters respective family issues.

Emma Lord has such a talent for writing YA romances with compelling premises that don’t fall victim to oversimplification. (It’s why she’s one of my auto-read authors.) With her newest novel The Rival, she tells a sort of enemies-to-lovers romance that confronts the challenges of being a college freshman and the best way to stand up for a cause we believe in.

Sadie earned her high school’s single, coveted spot at Maple Ride University, winning out over her family friend—and secret, long-time rival—Seb, who’s attending a different, prestigious school. Sadie is determined to make her mark at Maple Ride and to earn the one staff position for a freshman at the college’s zine Newsbag, all as a way of setting up her comedy career.

There’s a twist, of course. Seb, who was waitlisted, has shown up on campus. And he also wants to join the Newsbag staff.

Sadie had looked forward to escaping the constant challenges of her rivalry with Seb but also of establishing a new, true college identity, the one she had never been able to live out when she was with our family. With them? Well, they’re A. LOT. And Sadie always finds herself in the role of mediator, smoothing things over, evening out everyone’s emotions. Now? She may want to be a lot, too.

That’s the initial setup. Add in a budget controversy in which the college is pulling money away from extracurriculars like Newsbag to fund their sports teams, and there’s the perfect recipe for a compelling, complicated, wonderful YA novel.

The romance is at the center of the book here, but it’s not the only focus. There are wonderful conversations about Sadie and Seb’s challenges as they leave their families—they’re excited to be on their own, homesick for their families, ready to carve out new identities, but not quite prepared to leave who they were behind. There are great considerations of friendship, of how to be an advocate and an ally without dismissing the concerns of those who may be affected by change. There’s a fantastic subplot about romantic relationships—Sadie is completely inexperienced and, now that she’s in college, is having a hard time moving past the feeling that she is the ONLY one who is in her same position.

That may sound like too much, but Emma Lord makes it work. The Rival navigates these various threads easily, with humor and empathy and swoony romance. It epitomizes everything I love about Lord’s writing.

I love everything that Emma Lord has written and this book is no different. Sadie and Seb are high school rivals who have now moved on to college. While they once again are pit against each other for the one available staff spot for the zine they discover what all public school librarians have known for years, the athletics program is the root of all evil. Will they join forces to make changes, will they remain rivals or will they become something more? I enjoyed every minute of this read. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

Sadie and Seb grew up as next-door neighbors and are now at college together. The book's premise is that they've been competing with each other all their lives and are now competing for the same spot on the campus newspaper. I should have stopped after one or two chapters but decided to embrace the book as an over-the-top cliched movie script. That was a mistake because this was an overall mess that wasted my time. I think even teen romance readers looking for a mindless read will be too frustrated to enjoy this book.