Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I am an Emma Lord fan, so I was excited to read this new YA book from her. And it did not disappoint! I loved Sadie and Seb's relationship, which was a fun mixture of both the friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers tropes. I loved how the book focused heavily on all types of relationships (e.g. friendship, family, romantic) of the two main characters. I also related to the experience of being on student journal. Some of the events felt a little unrealistic, but overall, this was such a fun and a great addition to the Emma Lord collection!

Seb and Sadie, childhood friends and long time academic rivals, battle over a spot on their college magazine staff.

Well, this book was so dang fun to read and simply a delight.

I LOVED Seb and Sadie’s relationship. I liked how it wasn’t simply a rivals to lovers story, but also childhood friends. Seb and Sadie’s families live next door to each other and they grew up together doing virtually everything together. That gave their friendship and tension a lot of depth. Their history lent to a comfortability and physical communication that was a blast to read. And omg the banter. The banter was fire. And the tension? Oozing. And guys? Seb is just good. I dare you to not fall in love with him.

I thought it captured the spirit of freshman year and the inherent difficulties with that transition. There’s a huge story line that touches on family expectations and coming into your own. Sadie really grew in confidence in being her own person - something she’s always struggled with after being *less* in a family that is MORE. Additionally, we journey with our MCs as they experience challenges in friendships and romantic connections. So much of this book is about coming of age and coming into your own.

Read if you like rivals to lovers, childhood friends, LGBTQ rep, YA (18 year old MCs with 18 year old problems), coming of age stories, college newspaper/magazine scene, competitive teasing, slow burns, and all the tension with no spice.

Thank you, St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I have enjoyed multiple of Emma Lord's books and this one did not disappoint. I had a lot of fun reading this and can't wait to buy my own copy.

Thank you to netgally for an advanced copy. My thoughts are my own.

Emma Lord has been a favorite of mine for the last few years years - I've read most of what she's done since Tweet Cute, and after trying her first adult romance earlier this year, I was excited for her to return to where I think she really shines, with her YA romances.

The Rival was exactly what I've come to expect - a cute story about two ambitious college freshmen who are not just academic rivals, but whose lives and families have been intertwined since they were literally babies. Now they find themselves at the same college, competing for the same spot writing for the prestigious university zine. There's quirky families and a fun cast of side characters and a pancake shop. There were no real surprises with this one - Emma's books take the reader where they expect to end up (and they can also expect to end up INCREDIBLY HUNGRY for ALL THE SUGAR in the process). If I have one real complaint, it's that I felt like I had read this one before - it felt very formulaic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Emma Lord books are always sweet, wholesome, reliable feel-good YA fare. Add a star for YA. While not groundbreaking, this academic rivals to lovers was enjoyable as were the side characters and university setting.

The Rival
This is everything a Young Adult romance should be. Sadie and Seb are in their first year of college and experiencing all the fantastic parts of being a freshman. There are laughs, challenges, decisions, struggles, and best of all love. Emma Lord does a fantastic job of drawing the readers in and feeling all the feels alongside these incredibly sweet childhood friends.

A classic meet cute with a techy twist. This one will give you all the feels and all the fuzziest you want from a one sit rom com.

Author Emma Lord knocks it out of the park again with this highly entertaining academic enemies-to-lovers YA rom-com! Highly recommended for YA rom-com and YA contemporary readers. Can't go wrong with an Emma Lord YA book!

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the
E-ARC! Another amazing book by this author!! Loved both main characters & the banter so much. Excited to see what's next!!

I’m noticing more and more books lately with a college setting, and I’m loving that! I guess they’re more new adult instead of young adult, but I’ve felt for a while that authors of ya books were really missing out on that part of the market. Ever since I read Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, I’ve looked for other books similar to it, so I was happy to see The Rival on NetGalley. I’ve liked other books by Emma Lord, so I considered this a win/win.

The things I enjoyed most about this novel were its humor and its honesty. The banter between Sadie and Seb made me smile frequently, as did some of the minor characters personalities, too. The owner of the pancake shop had such a sarcastic, dry sense of humor, especially. It was an honest look at the struggles most college freshman feel, also, as they look for a place they belong, as well as people they belong with, Sadie comes in with a lot of confidence at the start, but as you see more and more of her personality and learn about her insecurities, it makes you appreciate her depth of character. The same can be said of Seb, too. It’s a little predictable at times, but sometimes that’s okay when you want a easy on the emotions novel.

This sweet romance is a fun, quick romance, and I enjoyed the opportunity to read it. Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this book.

This charming romcom, brimming with classic cliches, is a delightful read. Emma Lord’s storytelling is captivating, and her character development is truly impressive. The plot, though predictable, kept me engaged and entertained throughout. Sadie and Seb’s chemistry was undeniable, and felt authentic for college freshmen.

I appreciated the book’s exploration of student life and the common struggles faced by college students as they navigate new situations and experiences. I’m definitely well out of the target demographic for this book, but I still enjoyed it for the nostalgia.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This might be one of my new favorite books. Seb and Sadie are neighboors, childhood best-friends, and best of all academic rivals. Sadie despises Seb. The two of them are always going head-to-head, competing for the same positions. When one pulls ahead in one thing, the other will achieve the next. Sadie is excited to finally have some space from Seb when she stars college, just to find out that he has gotten off of the waitlist and will e joining her. Now the two of them are competing for the same spot writing for the school's notorious newspaper, and Sadie is furious. College was supposed to be her fresh start, not a repeat of high school. However, when you have known someone for as long as Sadie and Seb have, it is impossible to resist the chemistry for long. Especially when everyone can see it but Sadie.

I love a good enemies-to-loves, and a good childhood best-friends to lovers. The combination of the two tropes? Perfect. Especially when it is done right. From the first chapter I could feel the tension between the two. The tension and the hatred is there, AND so is the chemistry. From the first chapter you can feel the chemistry between Sadie and Seb, while also recognizing that Sadie truly cannot stand Seb. It is such a fun dynamic to watch play out as the book goes on. To make it even better: it is the slowest slow-burn of all time. I appreciated how they did not go from enemies to lovers right away. They spent the time working through the arguments and loathing before they allowed themselves to give in. The other thing that I enjoyed is that while the romance was front and center, there was also a sub-plot that readers can become invested in as well. The sole focus of the book is not the romance, but rather the romance plays out while trying to fix some of the systemic issues that are occurring at their school. I highly enjoyed this book and I think all romance readers will too. This is only the second book of Lord's that I have read, but Lord is slowly creeping up to becoming an auto-buy author for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin, Emma Lord, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of The Rival in exchange for my honest review.

[Thank you to Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.]

This adorable YA romance follows Sadie, a freshman starting at her dream school, eager to chase her dream of joining the school's newspaper, *Newsbag*. But on day one she collides - literally - with her nemesis/next-door neighbor, Seb... and his smoothie. Sadie thought she had finally escaped him, and her boisterous family, until realizing he was admitted off the waitlist.

From pranks to heated competition for the paper's only open staff spot to Sunday pancakes, Sadie and Seb can't seem to escape each other. As rivalry turns to reluctant friendship, they start dropping their walls and opening up to each other, leading to the possibility of something more.

This coming of age story perfectly encaptures that mix of uncertainty and excitement you experience when you're on your own for the first time. It also covers navigating family pressures and the pressure to embrace new experiences. The characters definitely act their age (having an outward air of thinking you know everything, but still being a little bit selfish and not knowing how to fully communicate with those around you). It's deeply relatable.

There's also a subplot of uncovering campus corruption when it comes to the athletic and club budgets. Sometimes this takes precedence over the romance aspect of the story, but it's fun watching the students try to get their voices heard.

I fear that Emma Lord is a two hit wonder author for me. I absolutely loved her first few books and the rest have fallen flat including THE RIVAL.

Set on a college campus, this rivals to lovers was filled with lots of banter and quirky characters but I found myself skimming through and not connecting nor caring much for any of the relationships.

After only feel okay about Emma Lord's last YA novel, I was excited for her newest one to be back in a college campus setting - and I loved it! I started as a journalist major (and then pivoted to PR), so the plot surrounding trying to make the college's zine and become a writer was everything!

I loved the childhood friends turned fierce competitors aspect of the book - someone who know you so deeply, but you are still pitted against each other time and time again. I also loved being able to explore the college campus through their eyes - and hear about some of the ridiculous student organizations.

There was also a dash of fighting against family expectations and some coming-of-age once finally away from your family - all wrapped up with a romance. It was everything and I absolutely loved it.

And now I need pancakes.

Oh I enjoyed this one. A YA rom com of two enemies to lovers (rivals) set in college. I loved the banter between Sebastian and Sadie - and related to their characters. This one was easy for me to get into, a great palette cleanser between books. Overall - I thought the story was cute and entertaining - and I do always enjoy an academic setting. Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is more frenemies to lovers since they have been friends since they were babies and then frenemies since they were like in elementary school where everything got more enemy than friend at least at school since with family they have a super friends front. So Sadie thought she was rid of Sebastian when she got into College since he got waitlisted but alas it wasn’t to be since he is not competing against her for the only writing spot on the school zine that they both would do anything to write for. I love Sadies internal monologue of her evolving feeling for Seb and how she has tapped down her own chaotic personality to be the peace maker in her family since she felt like someone needed to be and she is finally figuring out who she is outside of them. I love how poor Seb is just pining and seems to have been since high school but Sadie is oblivious to how he feels since she herself is still in Seb is the enemy mode. I really enjoyed how Sadie helped start a protest on campus with the jocks and student clubs banding together to figure out where all the funding was going and getting a transparent report on it. It was the best slow burn but they finally get there and boy was it good. I really love Emma Lords novels and this was no exception.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

This is a cute YA academic rivals story. Sadie and Seb grew up together, but now they’re competing for the same spot on the school newspaper. Sadie is frustrated because she’s competed with Seb all through high school and thought she’d get a break in college. I could feel her frustration just oozing off the page. It was so real and I loved it. The banter between Sadie and Seb was great. I chuckled a few times while reading this which is always a nice treat. The chemistry between the two was good, however I think I needed a little something more for it to be believable. It’s not that it was bad, I was just looking for a little more I guess. The characters did feel age appropriate. Some of their decisions made me roll my eyes but, they’re barely adults so it makes sense.

If you’re looking for a fun young adult college romance, then check this one out.

This was just an okay read for me, I didn't truly love it. It started off well but then somewhere around half way it just lost its appeal. It just took a different turn and it felt like that's not what I was looking for from this story. The miscommunication issue they had was a little much for me and it just made me roll my eyes many times. It wasn't for me.

3.5⭐ (Rounded Up To 4)

✨YA College Romance
✨Rivals To Lovers
✨Witty Banter

This a was a cute and cozy read, perfect for readers who enjoy stories filled with plenty of witty banter, friendships and a rivals to lovers, slow burn romance.

The only thing that didn't really work for me is that this story does read pretty young at times, with some of the dialogue I would have thought the characters were still in highschool rather than young adults beginning College.

I think it's definitely worth checking out and would try another book from this author in the future.

Thank you Emma Lord, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press- Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.