This book was the perfect palate cleanser between all the intense fantasy and thrillers I’ve been reading lately! I loved the banter and chemistry between Mo and Wes—it felt effortless and fun, but still had emotional depth. The whole setup of two writers competing to adapt their favorite classic novel was such a cool twist, and the Manhattan setting added a cozy, creative vibe.

There’s LGBTQ+ representation, great character development, and the romance is sweet with closed-door spice, which I really appreciated. If you’re in the mood for a light, feel-good read with a bit of sass and heart, this one definitely delivers.

2 adaptations of a classic novel, Which will get approval from the authors family?? Upon receiving an invitation to spend the weekend at the authors daughters with her 2 children to read their manuscripts, who can win them over.
This was a lovely easy read with some unexpected story lines, which just make the book. Looking forward to reading more from Elsie Wayland

It is not your typical enemies to lovers kind of story where they HATE each other. They are both writers fighting to get their adaptation of their favourite classic novel - The Proud and the Lost picked by the elderly daughter of the original novelist. From rivalry, a bond develops which excites and baffled them and they would rather prefer to pretend it is just a mere friendship.

The buildup was slow for me, I found the MMC, Wes POV boring. I also felt that they moved pretty fast from rivals to lovers/friends with benefits zone. The rivalry wasn't intense nor drawn out.

An easy to read, flirty romance story. A 6.5/10 for me.

I love a good Rivals to Lovers trope. So I was excited to receive this advanced copy. Rivals to Lovers is a sweet story about two main characters competing for the same job. It is a book about writers wanting to publish a modern take on a classic story. This is a challenge for sure, but it gets even stickier when both authors start to have feelings for each other. This book was a cute light read for those that love a romance book.

I really struggled to get into this book. The chapters are quite long with my kindle suggesting it will take 30 minutes for each chapter when usually I'd read a chapter in 10-15 minutes. The back and forth of having to understand the background of the book they're discussing adds to the complications of reading this. Although I was enjoying the dynamic and the overall plot idea, I was unable to continue past 20% of this book. I may try again at a later date but I just found it hard to follow through and get into the book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Alcove Press, for this advanced reader copy! You can pick up Rivals to Lovers by Elsie Wayland on August 12, 2025!

3.5 ⭐️

This book was a delightful read!

I loved the premise–Mo and Wes both wrote an adaptation/retelling of their versions of the same classic tale. However, only one of their books will end up getting published. The two ended up battling…until love was thrown in the mix.

I adored Mo and Wes–their chemistry was palpable, and their banter was *chef kiss*! The story gave me all the feels–smiling, laughing, and warming my heart. Rivals-to-lovers is my all-time favorite, and it describes the title perfectly.

The only criticism I could give was that the book started off slow, and it dragged on. But I still ended up enjoying it!

I highly recommend Rivals to Lovers if you’re looking for:

- Closed-door spice
- Rivals-to-lovers
- LGBTQ representations
- Third-person/dual povs
- He falls first

As soon as I read the title I knew I couldn't miss this book. My weakness is enemies to lovers and this is it. Fun, easy to read, perfectly matches the spring/summer mood that I'm in right now. It contained all the tropes that make a romantic comedy a top read and this book definitely didn't disappoint. I especially liked the idea of ​​a story within a story.

First of all thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

4 stars – Cute, fun, and totally bingeable!

Rivals to Lovers was such an entertaining read. The banter was sharp, the chemistry was slow-burn and satisfying, and the rivalry never felt too harsh, just the right balance of tension and flirtation. I loved how both main characters slowly let their guards down, turning competition into connection. Add in a bookish setting, great side moments, and a soft-hearted love interest? Total win. Perfect for when you want something light, romantic, and full of smiles!

I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters to be very well written and realistic.
The start of the book was slow to get into but once it passed the book moved and an exciting pace.

I thought the premise was fun however I was skeptical going on because it sounds very like Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life with some minor differences. However I was pleasantly surprised at how this book stood up on its own.

Tropes:
Rivals to lovers
Forced proximity
He falls first
Slow burn

Rivals to Lovers by Elise Wayland is such a cute spring read! We follow Mo, who leaves her small-town life in Iowa to chase her dream of becoming an author in NYC, and Wes, a literary agent with dreams of writing something of his own. Both are passionate about adapting their favorite classic, The Proud and the Lost. But Estelle, the original author’s daughter, has never approved an adaptation until now. She invites them to her Greenwich estate for a weekend retreat, where only one version will be chosen.

It’s told in third-person narrative, which usually isn’t my thing, but I still found myself really enjoying the story.

I also really liked some of the side characters and the dynamic between the FMC and her roommates—it added a cozy, fun layer to the story, which always feels like a win. If you’re a fan of Emily Henry’s writing style and storytelling, I think this one will be right up your alley.

Overall, a cute, feel-good read with an interesting concept. A huge thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley!
Highly recommend checking it out if you are in the mood for it! 📖💕

Rivals to lovers was an easy read. Finished it in about 24 hours and I found it enjoyable. I definitely wasn’t the demographic, but I powered through and I’m glad I did. Like I said, I definitely wasn’t the person the book was written for, but I did enjoy it and found it to be well written.

I really wanted to like this book, another debut author. The concept is really cool: Adaptation of a story, kinda plays out like story within a story within a story. I had a hard time finding MMCs story compelling: Nepo baby, silver spoon fed, and parents divorce your biggest struggle? Feel like that character could have spent some more time in the oven. The FFM is a little on the insecure for my liking. And listen, if the book title has “Rivals” I’d expect there to be more actual rivalry, this was not it.

The semi closed door was annoying…their first (kinda) sexy time scene I was confused, cuz we jumped from one backdrop to another and all the sudden they are naked, but we didn’t get any build up or release. A cock tease of confusion. If your book description says “for the Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood lovers” I’m expecting some bone tastic scenes.

Once I got past some of my annoyances, it was cute enough, but I struggled to keep picking it up and finishing it.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC, this is my honest review.

Thank you so much to publisher Alcove Press and NetGalley for this arc! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was highly anticipating Rivals to Lovers as the premise sounded so intriguing and full of promise, however it unfortunately did not meet my expectations. Especially given the title I was anticipating a true enemies to lovers rivalry happening as they battled it out to prove who's adaptation is the best. Instead I was met with insta-lust, one of my least liked tropes.

Personally I found both Mo and Wes to be unlikeable. Mo had a real "woe is me" attitude, and was very "eat the rich" until they buy her a pretty dress. Wes on the other hand cannot communicate to save his life. This wasn't just miscommunication, this was a distinct lack of anything. The cause of the third act breakup was clear from the second chapter, and while there were a few unknown tidbits that sprung up along the way, it was all fairly predictable.

I didn't enjoy the pacing of this book and found that the first section in particular felt really dragged out. I think I would have enjoyed it more if we had met Mo and Wes during the writing process aka they were both commissioned to write an adaptation and whoever's was best got to be published, as it would have given them more time to really be rivals before they were lovers.

I do have to say that I really loved Elise Wayland's writing style! I felt that this book had so much promise and while it wasn't the one for me, I do hope to pick up another of Elise's in the future that hopefully resonates with me more!

Two aspiring authors find themselves having to work against each other to get their adaptation of a well loved novel released. This is only a wonderful sum for tension and suspense in the face of academic ambitions.

The story of Mo and Wes was written well, though I'd say its more workplace rivals to lovers as opposed to enemies to lovers. It was an enjoyable cosy read that will be easy for a reader to pick up and fall into when they need something to read by the pool side.

The tension and rivalry was short lived and I'd have enjoyed more pages filled with it before they become friends/lovers. I feel that this would have drawn me into the story more, and made it more unputdownable.

Overall its an enjoyable read, and is worth picking up if you need something easy for your holiday.

Thank you to Elise Wayland, Alcove Press and NetGallery for this ARC.

Two aspiring writers, Mo and Wes, compete to have the approval to release their adaptation of their favourite novel, The Proud and the Lost. The authors estate will only allow one adaptation to move forward, therefore Mo and Wes are invited along to pitch their respective novels to Estelle, the authors daughter.

Mo and Wes clash, the tension soon bubbling up and over between them as they begin to act on their actions. Can their attraction continue past the weekend and will they continue their friendship/relationship past this.

The premise for the book sounded intriguing but I found this quite tough to get through - mainly due to it being in third person (I'm not overly keen on books written this way). The main characters weren't rivals for very long and I felt like the pacing was off in the middle and a few scenes could have been cut from the book.

I found it quite hard to connect with the characters. Wes is a nepo baby and I feel like he was quite deceptive despite saying he had reasons to do so. He just came across as quite entitled. Mo, I found to be quite bland. There was something I just couldn't put my finger on with her.

I did a few of the side characters like Estelle and feel like she could have featured a bit more.

Overall it was an ok read. I could see people who enjoy soft, cosy romances enjoying this book, it just wasn't for me.

Rivals to Lovers war genau das, was ich mir von einem Enemies-to-Lovers-Roman erhofft habe – voller Spannung, bissiger Dialoge und dieser ganz besonderen Chemie, die von der ersten Seite an knistert. Elise Wayland schafft es, die Rivalität zwischen den Figuren glaubhaft aufzubauen und gleichzeitig die leisen, verletzlichen Momente nicht zu kurz kommen zu lassen.

Ein kleiner Punktabzug, weil sich einige Szenen etwas vorhersehbar angefühlt haben – aber das wurde durch die emotionale Tiefe und den charmanten Humor definitiv wieder ausgeglichen.
Ein echter Wohlfühl-Roman für alle, die gerne mitfiebern und sich in langsam entflammende Gefühle verlieren wollen!

rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Overall... it was okay! I really liked the setup—two writers battling it out to adapt a feminist classic? Yes, please. And the banter between Mo and Wes was fun at times, especially in the earlier chapters. You could definitely feel the tension and competitiveness between them.

But somewhere along the way, I started to lose a bit of interest? The pacing dragged for me in the middle, and I didn't feel super connected to the romance (maybe it just didn’t hit as hard as I wanted). I was hoping for a little more chemistry or emotional depth idk

Still, it had some really cute moments and I think fans of slow burns and bookish rivals might still enjoy it! but it's a solid 3 stars from me.

Honestly, reading this book was a real struggle. I fell asleep multiple times in the first few chapters — literally nodded off while trying to get through them. The premise sounded great: two writers working on rival adaptations of the same classic novel, competing for a publishing deal. But the tension fizzled out way too early. The characters started warming up to each other so quickly that the “rivals” part felt like an afterthought.

Mo and Wes had potential, but I never really connected with them. The third-person narration made everything feel a bit distant and flat emotionally. I kept waiting for that spark — something that would pull me into their relationship — but it just didn’t happen. Their interactions were polite, maybe even sweet at times, but lacked real chemistry or emotional stakes.

The whole book had a kind of bookish, Pride and Prejudice-lite vibe — which might be great if you enjoy that sort of literary tone. But I don’t really love Pride and Prejudice, and that probably explains a lot of my disconnect. Wes is the broody, polished type with a famous mother; Mo is a big-hearted small-town caterer hoping for a break — all fine in theory, but in execution, I found it dull and predictable. Scenes with Mo’s family, especially the parts in Nebraska, felt like filler. The pacing dragged, especially in the first half, and by the end, I just wanted to be done with it.

I nearly DNFed more than once. In the end, this book just wasn’t for me. I can see it resonating with readers who enjoy soft, introspective romance with bookish vibes and quiet characters, but I’m clearly not the intended audience. Rating: 2 out of 5.

Thank you to the author Elise Wayland, the publisher Alcove Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.


This romance is the perfect mix of rivalry and tension. Suspance and ambitions.

Mo and Wes.
She comes from a small town.
He comes from the big city and wealthy family.
Two worlds ready to collide.
Two hearts ready to beat in sync.
Two souls bound by destiny.
Two writers ready to compete to have a published adaptation of a classical novel they both love.
As their competition heats up, so does the tension and trust me, you’ll love every second.

This book was everything I was looking for: sweet, enjoyable yet heartfelt and deeply relatable story.

I would have preferred if there would be more “competition suspance/tension” but overall I enjoyed the book.
A perfect read for summer, for a book club read and for those who love romance novels and literary references.

This book comes out on 12th August 2025, make sure to grab a copy!

📚Rivals to Lovers ARC review📚

A cozy rom-com, Rivals to Lovers follows two aspiring authors Mo and Wes as they compete to see whose adaptation of a classic novel will be chosen to be published.

I have mixed feelings about this one. There wasn’t necessarily anything wrong with it— it had cozy vibes, good representation, a bit of spice…. But it just didn’t hit right.

I think my biggest issue is with the MMC. The classic novel that is being adapted is described as a groundbreaking piece of feminist literature, written by a woman about a woman’s role in society…. And the male main character re-writes it from the man’s perspective. And that just doesn’t sit right with me. The MMC is bi and he makes the main character in his adaptation bi as well and I think that is supposed to fix the fact that he is a nepo baby taking something centred on a women’s experience and making it all about the man. I couldn’t make myself like him.

That being said, the rest of the novel was cute. Both main characters had solid friend groups, the banter was cute, and the romance progressed at a believable rate.

I really wanted to like it and you definitely might!