I'm so excited to have been introduced to Emma Lord, a new-to-me YA romance author!

First off, I loved the LGBTQ+ representation in this book! Sadie and Seb have known each other their whole lives, with their dads being best friends. They've always competed in their journalism goals and when Seb shows up to her new college, their rivalry heats up. But when they team up with a common goal, they start to see each other for more than just nuisances, but actually good people. There are plenty of sweet, heartwarming moments and some laugh out loud moments too that brought me back to my college days! Sadie, Seb, and all of the side characters were very loveable. :)

Jesse Vilinsky is THE Julia Whalen of YA romances! She brings such a fun energy to this story and made me enjoy every minute of it!

"We're going to do so many big things, you and me."
"The you and me part...is the bet of it all."

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had so much fun with The Rival! This rivals-to-lovers romantic comedy hits all the right notes—perfect for anyone who loves a good academic rivalry mixed with a dash of romance. Sadie has worked hard to secure her spot at her dream college, only to have her irritatingly charming neighbor, Seb, pull the same trick by getting off the waitlist and claiming a spot at the school.

Now, they’re at it again, battling for a coveted spot on the school’s zine. As Sadie navigates her chaotic family life and her own self-doubt, she also has to deal with the surprising feelings she’s developing for Seb. But the rivalry soon turns into something more meaningful when they uncover deeper issues at the school and realize they might have to work together.

The dynamics between Sadie and Seb are entertaining, and I love how their rivalry turns into a team effort. Emma Lord’s writing is witty and heartwarming, and I think my patrons will really enjoy this one! The audiobook, narrated by Jesse Vilinsky, brings Sadie’s emotional journey to life even more, making it a fun listen too!

Sadie is ready to start her college life, as she has been waiting for years to go to Maple Ride University and be a writer for Newsbag. It was why she had chosen Maple Rode and why she had worked so hard in high school to be the one person from her school to get admitted. Well, it was part of the reason she had worked so hard in high school. The other reason is that she had to beat Seb. Sebastian had been her next-door neighbor as a kid, ad Sadie had been competing with him for years, for everything.

But now she has Maple Ride all to herself. And Newsbag, the campus zine. It’s a legend, a place where comedy writers got started, before going on to television and films, publishing and popular internet sites. Their alum is a who’s who of humor writing, and Sadie is determined to be the one freshman they take on staff. It’s the only thing she wants. She is focused and determined. And when she shows up at the introductory meeting, she is deflated.

Seb is there.

He’d been waitlisted for Maple Ride, but he made it in, and he is not only on Sadie’s campus, he is also going all in for that one spot on Newsbag. And not only is he a great writer, he’s also an Instagram star, with a popular feed filled with curated posts. He’d started it in high school, and he already had thousands of followers. And some of those in the meeting had heard of his Instagram handle and were instant fans. Sadie felt defeated and, despite some delicious cookies, she left the meeting without even signing up for a tryout.

But she thought about that later and decided she didn’t want to have come this far just to give up. She emails the Newsbag editors and tells them that she wants a chance. And they give it to her. Once again, Sadie will be fighting for what she wants against Seb. They welcome her writing, but they have bad news also. There may not be a Newsbag much longer. They are struggling for funding, as the school’s administration is funneling lots of money to sports and underfunding student activities. They can only print one more edition of the magazine, and then they’ll probably have to shut down.

Sadie is heartbroken. She’s spent years wanting to write for Newsbag. She can’t let it close. She’s determined to do what she an to keep it going, even if that means teaming up with Seb to try to find a solution. But it’s never that simple. If Sadie does win the spot on Newsbag, it’s possible that Seb’s father will make him transfer to another school, one with a better engineering program. And worse, Sadie thinks she may even be falling for Seb. Over Sunday pancakes, just like they shared for years with their families, they make plans to create chaos on campus to draw attention to the finding problem. But they need good chaos. And sprinkles for the pancakes. And the way their years of competing with each other brings out the best in them. And with all that, and their new college friends, they just might be able to save the zine. And maybe even fall in love besides.

The Rival is the latest rom com from Emma Lord, which means there will be stunningly creative baked goods, friendships, love, hate, struggles, and plenty of snarky flirting. This one also includes dubious jelly beans, birdwatchers, book clubs, candy, noisy families, friend fights, an awkward first date, costumes, pranks, and a cranky pancake cook. The Rival is sweet and honest, vulnerable and challenging, inspiring and tasty, and most of all, an absolute delight to read.

I listened to the audio book for The Rival, narrated by Jesse Vilinsky, who brings Sadie to life as she reads this book. She understands Lord’s voice perfectly and adds emotion to the strength and intelligence of these characters. I did think that the narration was the tiniest bit slow at times, but a bump up in speed (for me, 1.1 is the sweet spot) made it perfection. I loved everything about this book (except the jelly bean, obviously), and I recommend it just as highly as I do any book by Emma Lord. I have yet to find a sour note in any of them (again, aside from that jelly bean). Loved every moment of The Rival!

Egalleys for The Rival were provided by Wednesday Books and a copy of the audio book was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

I love Emma Lord's young adult romances and was so happy to receive the audiobook of this one. Seb and Sadie are long time rivels in Everything and now they are at the same collage unexpectedly. I loved the back story and the story of how the newspaper was under fire from the administration. A very sweet and cometic romance.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

"The Rival" by Emma Lord is a charming and engaging read that will appeal to fans of contemporary romance. Following "The Getaway List," I was eager to experience another of Lord's creations and was fortunate enough to receive an ARC. The audiobook, narrated by the talented Jesse Vilinsky, further enhanced the enjoyment.

This delightful rom-com centers around recent graduates, offering a relatable glimpse into post-university life. Sadie, the driven protagonist, is well-developed and avoids falling into the trap of being overly ambitious. Seb, her charming counterpart, adds a delightful sweetness to the narrative. The supporting cast is vibrant and memorable, enriching the overall story.

While the core concept is engaging, the pacing of the romantic development felt a bit rushed. The mutual attraction between Sadie and Seb was evident from the outset, diminishing the anticipation of the "will they/won't they" dynamic. Several scenes built palpable tension, only to have the potential kiss dissipate. When the eventual kiss does occur, it felt somewhat anticlimactic, as the tension had already subsided.

Despite this minor drawback, "The Rival" is a thoroughly enjoyable read with a lighthearted tone and some genuinely touching moments. Jesse Vilinsky's narration is superb, bringing the characters to life with distinct voices.

I highly recommend "The Rival" to students and fans of contemporary romance. It's a delightful escape.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #therival #emmalord #smpinfluencers

3.5 stars rounded up

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I previously read and thoroughly enjoyed Emma Lord's Tweet Cute, and while I did enjoy listening to this book, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as my first Emma Lord book. This was a sweet story, it just lacked the spark that Tweet Cute had. I do plan on reading more of her titles.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This was a fantastic audio book. Jessie Vallenski gives Millie the prefect voice in the narration.

This is a sweet enemy's to lovers romance. They are both determined to expose corruption at their school and somehow find a bit more than what they were looking for.

As much as I enjoyed the book it felt like the story line went on a bit too long for a single point of view novel, and would have liked it to be a bit shorter.

Over all a solid YA romance.

Macmillan Audio ALC
This was absolutely a perfect YA rivals to lovers. YA has been feeling different for me lately, but I know I can count on Emma Lord to write an engaging, fun story with depth. I loved how she focused on college freshmen and how this new phase of life is so life changing. I loved the exploration of friendship, rivalry, and discovering yourself. Sadie and Seb's growth was so much fun to witness. I think their characters showed how transitioning from being a kid and familial expectations can impact this new life experience. I had so much fun listening to this one, and Jesse Vilinsky captured Sadie so well. I always love her performances because I know she adds so much to the characters she narrates by capturing the tones and inflections and emotions perfectly.

What I liked about this book:
- Great narration
- A bubbly, engaging YA voice.
- A sweet childhood friends-to-lovers mixed with a touch of rivals-to-lovers. (It's very clear from the beginning that Sebastian is head over heels for Sadie and waiting for her to catch up. But it's very sweet to watch them overcome past misunderstandings for their relationship to evolve into love)
- A quirky college campus that we'd all definitely want to live in
- The first 25-30% drew me right in
- Sebastian was super sweet and popped off the page.

What I didn't like:
- This one felt about 3 hours (~30%) too long for me for a single-POV, light romcom, and I felt like the second half dragged.
- The many side characters, while fun, all kind of blended together for me
- While I started off liking Sadie, she grated on me in the second half - especially in some of the high-tension moments with Sebastian.
- Overall, the main plot felt a little lower stakes than my usual preference

Overall, if you're looking for a light, sweet college romance with a YA flavor and great narration, you might want to check this one out!

Thanks to Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for early access to The Rival in exchange for my honest opinion. The way Emma Lord writes YA is such a treat! And this book also includes a focus on the treat of pancakes 🥞 I’m not a pancake fan (but give me a waffle any day) but I really enjoyed their place in this book. Yes I know pancake and waffle batter is almost identical - I guess I’ve just had too many dry pancakes in my life to want to take the chance on one. But I have done my share of splitting a pancake for the table at a brunch spot - I'm willing to have a few bites!
I really enjoyed this book, and I'm excited it comes out 1/21. The tension and banter are so fun, and it reads with the best mix of reality and hilarious coincidence that you'd never want to actually be real. It rivals Begin Again for my favorite Emma Lord book! If you liked Begin Again and Emma Lord’s other YA/NA books, I think you'll love this book, too.

This was a such an enjoyable book. I really liked the love/hate relationship between Sadie and Seb. My favorite character in this book was Betty, the owner of the pancake place. She was such a grump, but deep down she had a heart of gold! :)
The audio was great. Loved the narrator.

The Rival was such an adorable book. The banter with long time rivals, childhood best friends Sadie and Seb ending up at the same college last minute, was too good. Their banter but also obvious care and admiration for one another was perfect! I love how Sadie and Seb grew together but also individually which I think is really important especially for young romance. This was a cute fluffy read with great rival banter. Would recommend!

The second Emma Lord book that I didn’t love 😭 I have loved all of her books and I’ll continue to read. I just wasn’t super into this one.

I always know going into an Emma Lord book that I’m going to love it and she still hasn’t let me down. Love me a friends to enemies to lovers story. All of the characters were likable and diverse. I appreciated how the conflict played out. Loved rooting for Seb and Sadie. Loved all the food references (and despite Emma telling us to snack while reading in the dedication, I didn’t). This just felt like a warm comfort read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ebook and the audiobook to review. I did both and enjoyed both formats!

Sadie and Seb have been a part of each other's world since they were kids and thrive on competition. Now in college, they are both vying for the same staff writing position. I enjoy the enemies to lovers trope and these two were fun to read. Their banter and unexpected tender moments kept me listening and the audiobook, narrated by Jesse Vilinsky, is a great way to enjoy this new adult romance.

I always love Emma Lord books. This one may not be my fave of hers but it was still enjoyable and entertaining. Seb and Sadie grew up competing against each other and end up competing for a spot on the college paper. It's fairly predictable but still fun to see their romance unfold slowly. As always, great banter and memorable secondary characters, like Sadie's family members and the pancake lady. The audiobook narrator was great!

The Rival is one of those books I read that makes me very sad I didn't have it to read years and years ago. This sounds a little hyperbolic about a YA romance between two overachievers, but Emma Lord has a magic way of gently tackling some big issues in such a comforting way. She doesn't discount the very real pressures many young adults face from their families, peers, and academic institutions and finds ways to creatively discuss and tackle these topics throughout a charming and funny novel.

Overall, this book was lovely and full of heart. The narrator Jesse Vilinsky does an amazing job bringing both Sadie and Seb to life. Highly recommend.

It’s the start of Sadie’s freshman year of college, the start of Sadie allowing herself to fully be who she is, the start of a new era without her longstanding rival by her side continuously upping the ante—or so she thinks.

Seb has basically been by her side since birth. Sure, at one point they were friends, but their near-constant battle of one-upmanship has been going on for a decade. She’s supposed to finally be getting a break from him.

But no, sure enough, there he is also going into the interest meeting for the school’s zine that she has been planning to join for years. And there’s only one open spot on staff and that’s only if the zine can manage to get the proper funding from the school to keep itself in print.

Y’all, this is not how Sadie’s freshman year is supposed to go.

At a glance:
- Single POV
- YA / new adult (kissing only)
- Friends to rivals to lovers
- Coming of age
- People pleaser + the one with charm that seems to effortlessly collect admiration wherever he goes
- Neighbors and family friends
- Straight-laced with a comedic perspective + a “meme lord” with an investigative journalism bent
- Queer rep
- Will absolutely make you hungry

Read it for
- Seb (oh my heart)
- Sadie growing the confidence to share herself with those around her
- The banter
- Some open and honest conversations
- The friendships (even with the bumps along the way)
- The food descriptions
- Betty, the pancake proprietor

Recovering people pleasers, consider yourself forewarned: Sadie has to learn to stop making herself responsible for maintaining the balance for everyone. She has to learn not to always subjugate her own needs to those of her family. It’s a learning process for her.

As for the audiobook, I give two thumbs up to Jesse Vilinsky’s narration. She captures the youthfulness and escalating stress levels of Sadie well. I liked her voice for Seb, and it was easy to keep track of which character is speaking during the sections of dialogue.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

This is the 5th book I’ve read by Emma Lord and I was a bit disappointed with the storyline. It was a bit slow for me and I felt like it was much much longer than it needed to be. I also had issues with the audiobook as it was missing Chapter 16! It was just a whole 26 minute long track of silence. The storyline was just a bit boring for me, even though I love “writing storylines” and “rivals:lovers”. There was just something missing from this book and I can’t quite put my finger on what. Maybe it was too juvenile for me? I will still read more from Emma Lord in the future, but I hope it’s better than this one.

This book was such a delight to read and left me craving pancakes. As a sprinkle lover, I couldn't get enough of all the sprinkle mentions- it added some whimsical charm to the story. Emma Lord always captures the lives of college students so well, from their ambitions and self-discovery to the chaos of balancing college life. Sadie and Seb's rivalry-turned-partnership was perfectly packed, and I loved how their connection grew against the background of campus life. It's a fun and heartfelt story with the perfect amount of humor, romance, and depth.