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.

Read if you like:
- Academic rivals to lovers
- Competition turned partnership
- Forced proximity
- Opposites attract
- Coming-of-age

The Rival is a charming and witty story that takes the beloved academic rivals-to-lovers trope and infuses it with heart, humor, and relatable life lessons. The story follows Natalie "Nat" Harper and Theo Donovan, two fiercely ambitious high school seniors whose constant one-upmanship takes an unexpected turn when they’re forced to collaborate on a high-stakes project for a national competition.

Nat and Theo’s banter is razor-sharp and brimming with chemistry, making their transition from competition to camaraderie—and eventually to something deeper—both satisfying and believable.

The forced proximity and opposites-attract dynamics create plenty of opportunities for emotional growth and vulnerability, as Nat learns to embrace her softer side and Theo discovers there’s more to life than being perfect. Alongside their budding romance, the book explores themes of self-discovery, balancing ambition with connection, and the importance of finding your own path.

With its blend of laugh-out-loud moments, swoon-worthy romance, and heartfelt introspection, The Rival is a must-read for fans of coming-of-age romances with a competitive twist. Emma Lord delivers another gem that will leave readers smiling and inspired.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for my ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

If Emma Lord writes it, I am going to read it and absolutely add it to my classroom library. The Rival is no exception! This story is cute and funny and I loved that it delved into the characters' first year at college, but did not include any mature content that would be an issue in a classroom. I teach a lot of seniors and they need stories of early college experiences but we teachers do need to make sure the books on our shelves are not veering Into super-mature adult romance territory.

Emma Lord is one of my absolute favorite authors. If she wrote it, I will read it! The Rival was written in her same witty, sweet-as-cookies style that I have come to know and love from her.

Sadie and Seb were delightful characters to get to follow along on their journey through their freshman year of college. I loved their banter, and their friendship (although Sadie would be hesitant to call it that, especially at the beginning). Seeing them both grow and change was a delight. Romances set during college is something that I love and am hoping to see more of from Lord as she grows as an author.

I really enjoyed the storyline of this novel. I liked getting to see the trials that are unique to your first year of college/university. I also loved getting to meet all of the side characters along the way. Seeing the various clubs and societies interact was so much fun, and it took me back to my own first year at university, attempting to find my way in a brand new place.

The deeper meat of this story was how Sadie and Seb were trying to figure out who they were as individuals, apart from their families and the expectations that others put on them, or that they put on themselves. It was moving, and heart-wrenching at times, to see each character slowly figuring out how to be an adult and make their first real adult decisions.

**Slight Spoiler Alert!!**

The only thing that bothered me with this book was the sheer denial that Sadie was in regarding her feelings about Seb. The more I learned about their history, the more frustrated I became with her blindness in regards to him. Not even about having romantic feelings, but just in considering him a friend in the first place. She has known this boy since she was an infant…how can you tell me you don’t know how you feel about him in regards to friendship?! Okay, I’m off of my soapbox now.

**Spoiler Alert Over!! You are safe now!!**

All in all, I loved this story and the friendships and relationships fostered within it. I also love how Lord manages to insert her love of all things sweet into her novels, in this case, pancakes 🥞 🤤 If you are a fan of rivals to lovers romance, friends to lovers, first year of college stories, and books with delicious food…then this is the book for you!!

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave The Rival 4 STARS!

This story is, in two words, "good chaos." If you've read one of Emma Lord's books before, you know she loves a forced proximity rivalry, but this one is SO elevated in terms of the sizzling chemistry and prose. The witty banter was everything I needed from this ship, and it truly speaks to how well the friends-to-rivals-to-lovers know one another. The quips aren't just one-offs; they're full-on tennis matches, the quick back-and-forth playful yet dangerously exciting.

This isn't my favorite Emma Lord book but it was still really cute. I think it just took a while for me to get into it. Sadie so clearly wants to kiss Seb but is repressing it hard. They just push each other to work as hard as they can and be the best. I really liked the storyline with her family and realizing that she can in fact be herself around them.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of this book.

This is my first Emma Lord book somehow, but it definitely won't be my last! It's the first YA in a long time I didn't want to put down at all. I read it in about 24 hours and put my real life on hold to finish!

Seb and Sadie have been neighbors, friends, and then rivals since they were born. Their parents are best friends and they live next door to one another. When Sadie gets admitted to Maple Ridge College and Seb doesn't, she thinks she's finally free of him for awhile. But alas ... he got off the wait-list and now they're competing for one spot on the school's student-run paper Newsbag. It's Sadie's dream job after developing her voice in an anonymous column in her high-school paper.

There's a lot more here - coming-of-age, Sadie's development away from her very loud and boisterous family, and longing for home but also wanting to leave. I adored the chemistry here between Seb and Sadie. I loved Sadie's bestie Christina and her issues adjusting to college as a varsity athlete.

If you're looking for something sweet but meaningful with lots of longing, I highly recommend The Rival.

Sadie has big dreams for her college life. She’s far enough from her family and most importantly her rival from High school Sebastion. But Sadie’s happy parade doesn’t last long because she crashed into Seb during the first week of school. Not only is he attending the same college but he’s competing for the same writing position as her. So the rivalry continues until they both discover something about the university.

Sadie’s character is awesome. Her inner dialogue made me laugh and I loved her passion for writing comedy and her competitiveness. Seb is kinda funny and I loved how he liked to challenge Sadie. The banter, the romance and the tension was written so well throughout the story. The two were a great match for each other. It was also fun reading about the two navigating college and their self journeys.

I had high expectations for this book after I loved reading Tweet cute and I can say, I was not disappointed.

THANK YOU to NetGalley and Emma Lord!!