Can I please have pancakes with Seb and Sadie??? Their on-campus hijinks were wild and made me woner if I was just not clued into all the club options at my university? Can I get a redo? I loved watching them go from bitter rivals to reluctant co-cospirators to more.

Sadie and Seb have spent their entire lives competing with one another, and when they're accepted into different colleges, Sadie thinks the rivalry is finally over. Imagine her surprise when, during her first week at college, she quite literally bumps into Seb as they're both on their way to the first meeting of Newsbag, the college magazine they both want to write for. Unfortunately, only one spot is open, which means it's back to competing against one another. Along the way, Sadie is forced to grow and change, finally blossoming into her true self, one that's she kept hidden from her family and friends back home. And if that wasn't complicated enough, the school is also trying to shut down all the non-athletic organizations.

The romance was sweet, but I enjoyed reading about Sadie's unique college experiences more (the Dorm Food Off was a lot of fun) and how she was able to write her magazine articles based on them. She showed everyone that she was exactly where she was meant to be, and you can't help rooting for her as she competes against Seb and also uses her "big brain" to fight back against the college.

Also, this book made me crave pancakes, although I don't think I need them covered in rainbow sprinkles.

Emma has such a knack for writing engaging characters, found family, and banter, and I applaud her ability to get a new dessert into every novel. I'll never be able to look at pancakes without thinking of rainbow sprinkles and Betty.

I think Emma's writing really shines in The Rival, which features a college setting and two students vying for the same coveted position on the campus newspaper. It gave me nostalgia for that uncertain time in your young adult years where you’re trying to decide who and what you want to be, and I loved the banter and open conversations. Seb and Sadie were so sweet, and I loved how their friendship developed from rivals to friends to more.

The friend relationships were also so good! I loved seeing Sadie interact with her roommate, the Newsbag writers, and the college clubs. There were some great laugh out loud moments and some really sweet moments. I’m glad I preordered this one because I will definitely be re-reading it!

Read for:
- An academic setting
- Nemesis to love interests
- A+ banter
- Coming of age
- Pranks
- Pancakes with rainbow sprinkles
- Positive depiction of friend and family relationships

Thank you to Wednesday books for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Emma Lord can do no wrong in my eyes. All of her books make me want to know the characters and give me the blues when they are over. The Rival is no different and I adored the friends to frenemies to enemies to lovers aspect

Thank you St. Martins press and Wednesday books for a free advanced reader copy of this book.

Emma Lord does a great job with man characters that pretend to hate each other but are actually in love with each other. This was a cute little academic rivals/frenemies coming of age story. I loved Sadie and Seb’s chemistry and banter. Pacing was great and conclusion was well done. I slightly wish we could get Seb’s POV, though.

Cute, quick read. Nothing earth-shattering, but a reliable romance. I hadn't read anything from this author before, but I will look for more of her books in the future.

The Rival follows Sadie, a freshman eager to make her mark at Maple Ridge University by securing a coveted spot on the prestigious zine, Newsbag. Just as she thinks she’s left her high school rival—and next-door neighbor—Seb behind, he unexpectedly gets off the waitlist and joins her at Maple Ridge. Now, they’re not only competing for the same position but also navigating their complex feelings for each other. As they delve deeper into campus life, they uncover systemic issues within the university, prompting them to collaborate despite their rivalry.

MUST READ for:
🥞 A cozy, heartwarming Sunday pancake tradition
🏆 Witty banter and competitive spirit
📰 Behind-the-scenes look at college journalism for the gen z generation

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All opinions are my own. 😊

Emma Lord has once again wrote a charming and heartfelt enemies to lovers stories that you will be obsessed with long after you finish. Sadie and Seb have been rivals for as long as they can remember but high school especially though. They battled for everything. Sadie thought she could finally breathe without Seb around because he didn’t get into her school. However, she runs into him only to find out he got off the waitlist and they were doomed to be rivals again. Tension grows as these two navigate college and their new relationship. This was such a fun read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers copy of The Rival by Emma Lord!

Sadie gets into the college of her dreams, and the best part is that her high school rival, Seb, doesn't get into the same college. So Sadie is ready to take her college years by storm until, on the first day, showing up for a meeting for a spot on the university's zine, she runs, literally into Seb, who got accepted after all. The stage is set for the rivalry to continue, as only one of them can get the coveted spot on the zine.

Emma Lord does fun banter and crazy antics flawlessly in this one. I loved Sadie and Seb, and you could see right away that an underlying friendship was dying to get out. Enter an underground pancake shop and an unfair method of funding clubs at the university, and I was sold. Now, I just want to find a pancake shop like that one, as I haven't stopped craving them since finishing this book!

This was so wonderfully fabulous. I may not be college aged but that didn’t stop me from resonating with these characters. This had me in all the feels. Giddy goodness to sappy, happy tears. Each individual breakdown had me blubbering like a baby. It is so easy to relate to over-achieving family support person syndrome. The weight of that role on Sadie was such a burden and seeing her let-go a little to embrace the chaos was very cathartic. The will they/ won’t they have Seb and Sadie was pure joy to watch. Who doesn’t love a good friends to frenemies to nemesis to lovers arc? The family dynamic of Seb & Sadie’s Co-family (really, how else do you describe the family/friend group between their parents & siblings) was so absolutely touching. Truly this story was delightful to listen to. This is my second Emma Lord book and if this is the bar she’s set, it’ll be tough to beat because both books were pure entertainment.

This book was cute. I loved how she wrote enemies to lovers. The family dynamic and friendship along with college was a perfect YA book. This was a fun story and I would recommend it.

I’m not exactly the target audience for this novel, but I did really enjoy it. Sadie and Seb have been rivals nearly their entire lives and end up at college battling for the same position on the school’s Zine. Overall, I think this book could be a five star read for a high schooler or college student. As a professor, there were some inaccuracies I noticed within the academic setting; however, the entire concept was cute and decently creative. The characters and their banter was fantastic and their tension was really palpable. There were some areas I just needed more flow and explanation from, but this is certainly a fun real. 4⭐️, 0.5🌶

Sadie and Seb have been in each other's lives since birth as their parents are best friends. They've spent Sundays eating pancakes, traveled together, etc. While Seb has been the extrovert with a popular Instagram account, Sadie has been the unwittingly fixer for all of her family's problems. She has longed to get rid of her fixer skin and step into being a comedy writer but has been too scared to let go. Ever since a prank war gone south, Sadie has made Seb into a rival who she finally got rid of when she was accepted at her dream college, Maple Ridge.

Sadie's first day is full of promise as she has her first meeting with the editorial staff at Newsbag, the competitive student magazine. As she's rushing to get there, she literally runs into someone who spills their smoothie all over her dress. When she realizes the person she crashes into is Seb, she gets upset knowing that he was able to get into Maple Ridge off the waitlist. Sadie thought she was able to leave him behind along with their families when he just wanted to follow her. During the Newsbag meeting, they realize they are once again in competition with each other for the one spot on the editorial staff and Sadie is determined to win.

Sadie and Seb are ridiculously cute together. It's apparent from the beginning that while Sadie is caustic to Seb, Seb is in love with Sadie. Their banter is over the top, witty, and funny. They work well off each other and Sadie seeks out Seb more and more.

This is a lighthearted and easy enemies-to-lovers romcom that is more YA than new adult. I loved all the shenanigans and college activities and enjoyed the secondary characters. Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC.

Unfortunately, I did not get to reading this as an ARC due to the holidays and flu and work. But I do look forward to reading this as a finished book.

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
Excellent banter

I love Emma Lord! She seriously writes the best characters. She is becoming an auto buy author for me.

I loved following Sadie and Seb, who are constantly competing for the same things, all while trying to ignore their chemistry.

This book is most definitely a slow burn, but add in the chemistry and the banter? It's totally ok.

I am not in college anymore, but I also loved the college setting. You can feel Sadie working on who she is and who she wants to be, and I loved that part of the story as well.

Check this one out! If you love a good rom com, you will absolutely enjoy it!

Can Emma Lord do no wrong? First, she broke our hearts and healed us right back up with BEGIN AGAIN. Then she stupefyingly managed to go and do the exact same thing with THE RIVAL. Something about the way Lord writes feels like a glittering college-geared Time Machine. It’s nostalgic, it’s cute, it’s oh so fun.

I love literally everything Emma writes and this one was no different. Top tier rivalry to lovers and couldn’t get enough of their banter and their dynamic especially when it came to their families. The shenanigans that ensued when the two of them were trying to go for the same writer job on the campus zine were laugh out loud and just simply the best.

Every time that Emma releases a new story I just know that I am going to experience all of the emotions and come out smiling.

Thank you to Netgalley, SMP & Emma Lord for the chance to read this one early in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie and Seb grew up in families who were best friends and thoroughly entwined through very different. Sadie was thrilled that she was finally able to go to college away from her family and away from Seb but then he shows up not only at her school but in the activity that she very specifically went to this school for the honor of being part of this campus group. Not only are they competing against each other but they're also racing to save their school reputation and newspaper while still navigating their futures. It only makes sense to team up to do so though they've been Rivals for most of their childhood. This book was so cool and a great early adult transition book.

#arc
#netgalley
#therival

Seb and Sadie have been rivals since they were kids. Their families have always been close, so Seb and Sadie have to pretend to be friends while also trying to outdo each other with pranks and academic successes. When Sadie gets into Maple Ride, she’s excited for a new start and to write for the infamous college zine. But when Seb enrolls in Maple Ride off of the waitlist, their rivalry continues. A story about friendship, family, and growing up ensues as Emma Lord weaves a, let’s face it, predictable and unoriginal storyline, into a heartfelt character driven narrative. Yes, this story has been told before, pretty similarly by this author herself, but Lord’s strong characterization saves this one from being just another rivals to lovers newspaper/podcast/“insert other student organization here” story. It was a fun read if a little unbelievable (the journalistic ethics were pretty much nonexistent with no consequences here). Ultimately, read it because it’s Emma Lord and for the endearing banter and the family dynamics.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.