Emma Lord does it again! Lots of fun tropes in this one: early childhood friends to rivals to lovers, academic rivals to lovers, and a slooooooow very slow burn. The book’s college setting made me feel like I was right back on my own campus, backpack clanking behind me and a mound of books in my hands. Emma does a wonderful job of creating an immersive atmosphere in every single one of her books—and The Rivals didn’t disappoint.

I loved the back and forth banter between Seb and Sadie, and by the middle of the book I was begging for them to get together. Sadie was also so funny, and I felt her voice very refreshing and easy to read. As usual, I’ll be picking up Emma’s next book!


Thanks Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy.

I liked the story. A lot. I loved the idea for the plot, the quirky clubs, and all the incredibly fun, nostalgic, quintessentially college happenings Sadie and Seb got up to. This was a perfect early fall read, especially for those in college or new adults wanting to relive that time. However, I don’t think this story was for me.

The slow burn was too much, too long, and felt so dragged out. I did not like the third act drama at all, especially because it was resolved as soon as they made eye contact the first time after their fight. I also hated Christina fighting with Sadie. Her points about Sadie not caring about her and Seb made me so mad. I have been a scholarship student so I know first hand the pressures involved and Christina was not handling it well. She acted immaturely and was so annoying. She had resources to help her and ignored them all until she was a shell of a character. I also don’t understand why she was mad at Sadie for being successful — joining student orgs, making friends, putting in work to ensure her future was what she wanted? Is that not exactly what someone going to college should be doing? The fact that Newsbag was her ticket to her dream career and successful life was emphasized a dozen times. If Sadie gave that up for Seb, and Christina thought she should, then I truly think everyone involved needs a reality check.

It was all giving way too much drama for a romance in my opinion and was way too off and on for my taste. I hated every single character so much. They regressed constantly and were all horrible, inconsistent hot messes. Sadie was so wishy washy on wanting to be new but wanting to fix everything. I have sympathy as someone who also completely changed when she went to college and realized I hadn’t been myself for a long time, but I just couldn’t connect with how she acted. I also really hated Hadley’s drama because Sadie and Seb got into a fight? She acted like her life was over and it was so overdramatic for absolutely no reason. And kicking Sadie out of her own bedroom just because she went to college (something adults have to do) was wild to me. I almost dnfed the book when that turned into a whole plot point. Also, why was Seb transferring to another school after a semester? What was the point literally at all? If he wasn’t going to be a journalist no matter what, then him doing Newsbag was a moot point. And if he was going to be an engineer, he could’ve joined a school paper at whichever college he was at to hone his writing skills. And if he was going to pursue a journalism career no matter what, literally none of it matters. Not to mention he said he didn’t even think writing for Newsbag was for him and he was going to drop out! What was the reason! I hated that whole story line.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of The Rival by Emma Lord. Frankly, I think Emma Lord is the Emily Henry of YA romance right now, and I am here for both of them! I love that though I can't have Henry's adult work in my library, I can tell my teens to try Emma Lord to pick up similar vibes.

I loved The Rival. It's nothing totally new, of course, but sometimes we read for the trope, right? I'm a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers, secretly-loved-you-from-a-distance story anytime. I liked the idea of Sadie never having been kissed and the discussions she and Seb have around it -- it's not a scenario often seen for a college freshman character, though I know it's a situation teens find themselves in. I know Maple Ride is too good to be true, much like a Stars Hollow, yet it works because the readers wish it could be. I loved Betty and wish I could have her pancakes.

My one quibble with this book is that the way Sadie talks about her family makes them feel dysfunctional, but they're perfectly lovely, just a little embarrassing. I know that can feel huge and be a real issue for a kid, but as a reader, I just felt dissonance between the way Sadie talked about them and the way they actually were.

Thank you NetGallery for this ARC! I love Emma Lord’s work and although this wasn’t my favorite book of hers, I still enjoyed it! Loved the enemies to lovers feel and that there were important family moments as well. If you want a quick and easy read, I highly recommend this one!

I'll read anything by Emma Lord. She never lets me down and this book was no exception!
I loved the discovering who you are in college aspect of this book and I really loved the dynamic between Sadie and Seb! It was a great rivals to lovers execution and their relationship developed in a very realistic way. Can't wait to listen to this one on audiobook as well!

4.5 stars!
Emma Lord is the queen of witty banter, and The Rival showcases it in full display.
The Rival came along just when I needed a boost from my reading slump, and it did not disappoint. This rivals-to-lovers trope is made even better, in my opinion, because Sadie and Seb are best friends at heart. While it takes them some time to finally figure out the best friends label, when they do, their romance flourishes despite some setbacks along the way.
There are so many good dynamics in this novel, and Lord gives each one of them just the right touch. Readers will love this one.

What a fun, beautiful, amazing book that made me feel so seen as a college student and as a person trying to figure out who they are. Not only was this book relatable, the romance and banter were top-tier. I couldn't have asked for a better main couple in a book like this. Their hopes and dreams and worries were all so well-developed throughout the novel, and I loved it. The entire college world of Maple Ride was such an interesting microcosm of the American college experience, touching on both the amazing and terrible things that all come with being a student. I could not get enough of this book, and every single person should read this book when it comes out!!!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the eARC!!!

This is an interesting sort-of YA novel aimed precisely at college freshmen. It deals a lot with leaving family for the first time, about sibling relationships as teens begin to emerge as young adults, and about beginning relationships. That aspect was thoughtfully handled, amid the fast-paced chaos of the rest of the book.

I do wonder if Emma Lord has not been in a college dorm for a long time; at least I'm told by various young people that the old saw about terrible dorm food is a generation out of date, and that nowadays most dorm food caters to a variety of dietary requirements--and that national chains are often present. (Also, considering the truly disgusting food combos the characters come up with, it seems a kettle and pot situation, but I digress)

That aside, though the slow burn romance (the rival is more of a frenemies situation that resolves very, very rapidly) could lead one to assume this is a "clean" romance, yet the frequent F-bombs and the casual references to underage drinking don't usually fit with what I understand to be a part of clean romance.

That said, I really enjoyed the main characters. Sadie definitely has plot armor, but I think wish fulfillment is a huge part of romance. Accept that in a year, she's going to cram in ten years of insights about love, relationships, and friendship, and that everything she touches will turn to gold, with admiration on all sides, including of course her love interest. Sadie is full of heart, her boy as well, and the diverse representation added to the charm for me.

I had to put this book down at about 20%. I typically love academic rivals story lines but I could not get into this

I love academic rivals to lovers and this felt like the encapsulation of all my favourite parts of the genre. Even when they were in their animosity era, Sadie and Seb clearly cared about each other a lot and it was so rewarding to watch them realize how important they were to each other. With stories of this type I sometimes find the constant competition/animosity annoying and immature so I appreciated that there was something deeper tying them together (also helps that they’re teenagers lol).

Super cute rom-com for not-just-young adults! I have loved every Emma Lord book I’ve read and this college -setting version is funny, sad, authentic and a joyful read. Sadie and Seb are great adversaries and the supporting cast from roommates, club members and family are spot on.

Thank you to #netgalley, #wednesdaybooks, the publisher and the author for this ebook arc of #therival to read. Review opinions are my own.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

The book opens up with Sadie is running (literally) towards her new college lifestyle, seemingly leaving behind her next door neighbor, and arch-nemesis for life, Sebastian (Seb), all behind her. But low and behold, she soon crashes into (literally) into Seb, who has now been admitted to the same school after coming off the wait list, just a few days prior.

Sadie and Seb reignite their rivalry vying for a writing spot on the college magazine, all the while, becoming closer in the process.

The right amount of angst, banter, and yearning that made for an excellent read. My only criticism was I found it hard to believe at times, Sadie's relationship with her family for the majority of the book.

I love the way Emma Lord writes close friendships between the romantic leads, and this is no exception. You'd think I'd get tired of it because it's a similar dynamic much of the time (especially in her most recent books) but I never do because it's SO well done and my favorite thing to read in romantic relationships anyway. Big fan of this book, and I thought it balanced the main relationship with the various side plots/side relationships well!

I was invited by the publisher to review this book, and I was so excited to receive this because I am a big fan of Emma Lord! Sadie and Seb are rivals, particularly academic rivals. When Sadie heads off to college, she is glad to be free of Seb - except, Seb unexpectedly winds up at the same college. Their feud starts up again, but then Sadie starts to notice particular feelings for Seb that crop up along the way. I loved the characters of Sadie and Seb, and I personally enjoyed the academic setting and rivalry; that was a fun spin to the rivals to lovers storyline. The characters also had really good tension and chemistry, and while it was a slow climb to get them together, the book itself never felt slow. A side storyline that I enjoyed was the school itself, and how Seb and Sadie uncover imperfect aspects of how the school is run.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Every Emma Lord book is YA perfection. Her gift is writing such relatable loveable characters with fun packed plot and super cute romance. This was such pleasure to read.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a wild ride of competition, unexpected alliances, and some serious rivalry.

Sadie’s finally done it—she's beaten Seb, her childhood rival, to get into her dream college. But the universe had other plans because Seb ends up getting in too.

Now, she’s stuck competing with him again, this time for a spot on the school’s legendary zine.

As they compete, Seb and Sadie start to uncover some shady stuff about the school’s system. So now they have to team up to tackle something bigger than their own rivalry.

The banter, the tension, the slow-burn realization that they might be more alike than they thought? Perfection.

Fans of Emma Lord’s other books will feel right at home, this book was so much fun!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!

This was my first Emma Lord read and it won’t be my last! I really enjoyed this story focusing on Sadie’s point of view in her life, and I appreciated the family aspect in this one. This was a fun read overall

Possibly Emma Lord's best book to date! The Rival was everything I wanted from a YA romcom and more.
To start with, all the themes that Emma wove into it! There was LGBTQ rep without it feeling pandering or just the "gay best friend" trop that needs to die. There was family dynamic struggles, identity struggles, friendships, relationships and activism! Plus of course, Emma's signature crazy confections, this time in the form of cookies and pancakes.
The friends-to-enemies-to-lovers was also so fun. Sadie and Seb grew up next door their whole lives, the classic, their dads were best friends who married women who became best friends, and then they had kids and became neighbours. But what both of their families dont know is that Seb and Sadie kind of hate each other and all their competitions throughout high school actually had some malicious intentions behind them. You can imagine Sadie's frustration when Seb then follows her to college AND is competing for a writing position against her.
The journalism elements: this actually might have been one of my favourite parts. Sadie has a biting humour that I loved getting to see her explore, while Seb goes more for a hard hitting depth. I could keep going with this review, but honestly just go read it and enjoy.

This my first Emma Lord book. I might have just been in the wrong mood for this book- because nothing was inherently wrong with it. I might have to go back and revisit when the mood strikes. I love good YA

Sadie and Seb grew up next door to each other. They have been competing their whole lives. The one time Seb gets the last spot college she is heartbroken, as she will be competing again for a spot on the school’s famous zine. Their families have always been close. Feelings, friendships and ties are tested. They will discover although friendly competition can be fun, you might not want to hurt those closes to each other. A fun read.