In this engaging and witty story, Sadie thought she had triumphed over her academic rival, Seb, by securing the spot at her dream college—until Seb unexpectedly gets in as well. As they compete for a spot on the prestigious school zine, Sadie must confront her growing feelings for Seb while navigating family chaos and her own insecurities, all while uncovering deeper flaws within the school's system that require them to work together despite their rivalry. As a long-time fan of Emma Lord, I eagerly dive into every new release, and this book did not disappoint! True to form, it was filled with all the things I love: Taylor Swift references, delicious treats, and plenty of musicals. Sadie and Seb’s story, especially their shared history of growing up next door to each other, really enhanced the enemies-to-lovers dynamic. Overall, this book was an absolute 5-star read for me—adorable, binge-worthy, and so much fun. I’m already hoping for a recipe book for Betty’s pancakes!

DNF at 29%. I think I’m just not the audience for Emma Lord’s YA anymore (I am excited for her next adult book!). This didn’t feel like rivals to lovers, plus the characters were weird and the plot felt very contrived.

I always enjoy Emma Lord’s books and this one was great. This a childhood (really babyhood) friends to frenemies (rivals) to lovers story and I loved their banter. I loved how it started with Sadie at college, thinking she stepping out on her own only to find her rival Seb is also there. They were funny together and I enjoy that. I also loved her quirky family, and the sister dynamic/conflict, especially when she realized she missed them. Another highlight for me was her friendship with Christina, I loved how she there in the end, learning to be a better friend. And I loved the pancakes. All in all it was a fun and quick read.

Sadie goes off to college thinking she has finally shaken off her lifelong next-door neighbor and nemesis, Seb. She's going out to the first informational meeting for her absolute dream that she's been working toward for years, the student-run zine Newsbag, she has a literal run-in with none other than... Seb. Their rivalry rekindles as they compete for the one open writer spot on the team, but as they're both away from home for the first time and exploring who they are as individuals apart from their families, they also realize that they really are a team of rivals, bettering each other's work, and coming together to fight some flaws in the school's funding system... and maybe they have more feelings for each other than that? It is a rom-com after all! I find Emma Lord's books to be great escape/comfort reading. The YA genre means it's swoony but not steamy, super easy to root for the relationship, and while the characters deal with real feelings and issues, the tone is fun, sometimes snarky, and the settings are kind of idyllic (if not slightly over the top, like a college campus with these amazingly creative things, student clubs like "Starbucks and Target" - cute but feels a bit too cute to be real, not that I'm mad about the escape from reality) and always inclusive. Oh, and there is plenty of Broadway and baked goods too. This particular one is great for fans of her first book, Tweet Cute; it also reminded me a lot of Lynn Painter's Better Than the Movies with this next-door neighbor rivalry turned crush, and the nerdy girl of it all (which I adore). Sometimes the rivalry felt a bit silly/manufactured (something that can get to me in any rivals-to-lovers trope), but I loved being in this world, rooting for this couple, and meeting the fun side characters too. I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ★★★.75

I just couldn’t get invested into these characters. I felt no attachment to them or their story, unfortunately.

Emma Lord has done it again! Begin Again is still my favorite Lord novel, but this is a close second. Perfect for fans of Today Tonight Tomorrow and Better than the Movies.

I really enjoyed the use of the rivals to lovers trope, and the banter made me laugh several times. Sadie and Seb are childhood friends turned rivals after a prank gone too far. Sadie thinks she's finally rid herself of him after getting admitted to a college he was waitlisted at. On the way to her first meeting to the infamous NPR meets The Onion style zine called Newsbag, she literally runs into the only person who can cause her to lose her cool. Seb and Sadie end up competing for a spot as a staff member of Newsbag, participating in several writing challenges along the way. Feelings change as they try to navigate being away from home, roommates, questionable dining hall food together. Are the stakes higher than a spot at Newsbag?

From the first page I was hooked and couldn't wait to read more about Seb and Sadie. Lord is fantastic about balancing light hearted topics, while still packing an emotional punch.

thank you to Netgalley for the ebook ARC. I love Emma’s YA books so much! This book is a fun story about two childhood rivals who happen to be neighbors and whose parents happen to be best friends. There’s just no escaping one another until they finally head off to separate colleges because one didn’t get in and one did. Until the other one does get off the waitlist…

Shenanigans, aspiring journalists, enemies to lovers, and a cute YA story!

Emma Lord's books are always a fun escape from reality, and The Rival is no exception. Watching Sadie and Seb go from rivals to genuine friends was the highlight of the story for me, with great secondary characters at their new school and back at home. I'll be sure to read this one again!

Emma Lord has,been an auto buy author since Tweet Cute (she pulled me in with my love for grilled cheese). The Rival was such a fun read. Sadie and Seb, i loved their banter, their love for rainbow pancakes, and ultimately falling for each other. The side characters were also great. I do wish this was told in dual pov, but otherwise a great read

4 stars.

A cute YA romance, but honestly I felt it dragging toward the middle and it was a struggle to get through at the end.

The Rival by Emma Lord [ St. Martin's Press #NetGalley ]

Rory and Logan vibes but make them childhood friends with a long-standing rivalries. And also Sadie - our "Rory" - turns out to be the biggest badass ever when her dream club - the college zine - is at risk of losing all its funding. Also, alternative title: Good Chaos.

The Rival by Emma Lord is a delightful romantic comedy that cleverly explores the dynamic of rivals-to-lovers in an academic setting. Set on a college campus, this charming and irresistible story had me completely hooked from start to finish. I found myself unable to put it down, completely engrossed in the entertaining romance unfolding before me.

Two childhood rivals look for a fresh start in college, only to find themselves competing for the same position at their dream magazine.

A masterclass in academic rivals to lovers made even more enjoyable by the fact that they're in college, thus get into some hijinks and tomfoolery of typical freshmen. I love a college setting because there's such freedom for personal discovery and more authentic struggles. Emma Lord fantastically explored the new freedoms of freshmen, beautifully weaving together the positive and negative emotions that accompany this period of life. I found their self discovery journeys very refreshingly messy; growth is not linear, nor is it complete by the end of freshman year.

The romance was lovely and heartfelt. I enjoyed every second of this book and literally finished it in 48 hours! An amazing college ya academic rivals that has great depth to it. Emma Lord, you've done it again!

A huge thank you to Emma Lord, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC <3

Of course this is just like you expect an Emma Lord book to be; a little bit of humour, heart and growing up.

The problem I had was that this was a lot like her other books to a detriment. It just didn't give me much to look forward to while reading it and I just feel like I'm kind of Emma Lord-ed out.

This is a cute book though to its core and I think a lot of people will enjoy it. It's solidly YA, and the characters are pretty relatable.

This is my fourth year in a row starting off the year with an Emma Lord novel, and this was one of my favorites. I loved Sadie and Seb's coming of age story, and the book was both funny and endearing. I thought the plot was interesting and had some really clever elements. It was a great way to start the year!

Once again Emma Lord delivers a fun, engaging and relatable coming of age, college story. Her books are a perfect escape to curl up with and go back to the college days.

The characters always feel authentic and have some different issues and growing pains they’re working through.

I loved the Seb and Sadie origin story, and watching the will they, won’t they element play out in this rivals to lovers, slow burn romance. I also really enjoyed the campus culture commentary / plot bit revolving around student clubs and activities and school budgets.

I don’t read a lot of contemporary ya / na reads these days, but Emma Lords remain a must on my TBR. She always delivers stories that feel relevant and relatable despite where you might be in life. For me, they have that nice nostalgic feel that brings me back.

If Emma writes it, it’s definitely going on my TBR. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy!

I love when it’s an enemies-to-lovers but they’re actually best friends. When their rivalry is so important that they know every single thing about each other, and they pushed each other to be the best they can be. The Rival was all this and more. Sadie and Seb were adorable and I loved seeing them navigate their new life as college students.

Super cute and fun read, it was my first time reading Emma Lord and I’ll be sure to check out her other books.

Enemies to lovers
Their parents are best friends
LGBTQ representation
YA college romance

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the advanced E-ARC of this title.
This book is YA/college aged with no spice.

Sep and Sadie grew up as childhood family friends. All throughout high school, they were each other's biggest rivals in everything. They have always been out for blood and being the victor of the smallest of challenges has always taken the priority.
When they find themselves at the same college biding for the single spot on the school paper, they end up discovering each other in new ways.
From enemies to friends, to a magnetic attraction, they end up realizing being on the same team is the biggest triumph.
The story is single POV told from Sadie's perspective. I really enjoy Emma Lords characters, her banter, and her story telling.

This book is full of good chaos, humor, and sweet moments. It is predictable in a way that makes it a light easy read.

This was 100% a me thing, but I had a hard time vibing with this book. I did enjoy it but not as much as other Emma Lord books.

I enjoyed the concept of arch enemies ending up at the same school but there was so much more to their story. The life long friendship. Always being together and competing. The inevitable realization of oh I love him. Sadie did come off a little bratty to me at times and I feel like when it came down to it she didn’t really learn anything or apologize and own up to her mistakes but her growth was pretty good. I really enjoyed Seb and his ability to make the best out of all situations.

Genre 📚: YA/NA Contemporary, Romance, Coming-of-age
Tropes 💁‍♀️: Rivals to lovers, Ex-friends to lovers, First love
Rep ✔️: Bisexual love interest, Indian best friend character, queer and non-binary side characters
Rating ⭐️: 3.5/5

Starting off the year with another Emma Lord book — this one an academic rivals-to-lovers romance set in college. MCs Sadie and Seb have known each other their whole lives, and for most of that time, they’ve been dedicated to one-upping each other. This ritual continues as they compete for the staff writer role at the school’s beloved zine. Their relationship, however, feels less like a competition and more like a lifeline as they navigate college life.

I’ve been loving Emma Lord’s romcoms, and this one was as fun and zingy as the rest. Plenty of witty banter, confused hormones, and almost-kisses that turn into actual kisses. However, there was also a lot of drama that I didn’t care for. Characters — mainly Sadie — would get angry and hold grudges that I just didn’t understand (maybe ’cause I’m not a teenager anymore, heh). They at least resolved these issues fairly quickly.

Not my favorite Emma Lord book (that title still goes to Tweet Cute), but I had a good time with this. It definitely made my first few days of January feel a littler warmer/sweeter.