The Romance Rivalry is full of heart.

As an Asian American reader, I found Irene incredibly relatable and authentically written. Despite her success with an online book review platform, Irene still struggles with imposter syndrome, fear of failure, and the pressure of not disappointing her Korean family.

This coming of age YA explores self discovery, found friendship, and found love, all set during the high pressure, anxiety inducing era of freshman year in college.

I loved this book with my whole tear-soaked heart. Every chapter brought tropes I adore, emotions I wasn’t ready for, and characters I wish were real so we can be besties. 101 stars for Susan Lee 💗

This was a fun young adult romance that was def written for the romance reader. Big focus on romance tropes as part of the story and plot.
The narration was well done with great emphasis and feeling on the characters.

Adorable! This book does so many things I appreciate! The meta romance genre elements were a fun cherry on top! I also appreciated the representation of social anxiety which was done really well.

3.75 stars
The Romance Rivalry was a fun and cute read. The rivalry trope was well done. The narrative is full of tension, but there was also humor and heartfelt moments. The chemistry between Irene and Aiden builds steadily. While their interactions felt natural and cute, I did wish their emotional development had been given a little more time to breathe—particularly earlier in the story. Irene’s personal journey of self-discovery was compelling, though at times the introspection slowed the pacing.

I listen to this audiobook thanks to NetGalley. The dual narration was done well Irene's narrator capture the tone and emotions of the FMC. Though, the MMC was very robotic in the narration, which slightly dulled the impact of some scenes. Overall, this one is a sweet and satisfying romance for anyone who’s ever wanted to live out a bookish love story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the audio arc

A sweet and witty read that hits all the right tropes—maybe a little too well.

This book was a fun back-and-forth full of banter, rivals-to-lovers tension, and the always-entertaining fake dating setup. Irene’s obsession with romance novels makes her instantly relatable, especially for readers who’ve ever dreamed of living out their favorite tropes. Her dynamic with Aiden is equal parts sharp and charming, and their chemistry builds in all the ways fans of enemies-to-lovers will enjoy.

That said, the tone occasionally felt a little too high school for a college setting. Some of the emotional beats and character decisions leaned more toward teenage melodrama than the deeper self-discovery college usually brings. Still, it’s hard not to root for Irene as she fumbles her way toward love and self-confidence.

If you love meta-romances and tropey fun, this one delivers. It’s not reinventing the genre, but it’s a lighthearted reminder that sometimes the best love stories happen when we stop trying to script.

Irene will fight to the death for the HEA. As an avid romance reader and baby book reviewer I was completely enraptured with this story about two book reviewers finding each other in a life imitating trope situation. I forget that the common folk (non-romance reader) doesn’t relate life experiences to tropes—just last night I referenced a trope IRL and had to define what the bleep I was talking about.

I’ve only recently started reading ARCs and writing book reviews. I cannot tell you how many hours I’ve spent consuming other people’s feedback on books I’ve loved and hated. The line about how people can read the exact same words and come away with very different ideas of what the story was about resonated so deeply with me.

The commentary on men in the romance review and writing spaces were totally on point. They really do be “aww shucks”-ing their way into success. Not saying Aiden wasn’t worthy, but there are so many women, especially POCs, who have to work 3 times as hard to get half the recognition as a man. Ironic considering I requested this ARC specially because of the lack of promotion the publisher put behind the author.

Thank you Net Galley and Harlequin audio for providing the ARC. Susan Lee, thank for this gem of a love letter to romance readers. It may be niche, but it’s 💯 my niche I adored it!!

Okay, the way I devoured this book was honestly a little wild. From page one, I was hooked by this young reviewer who’s doing everything she can to figure out who she is, especially in the shadow of her incredibly successful siblings. I loved watching her try to stand tall on her own, balancing her passion for books with the pressure of her family’s expectations. And then there's the love interest—he’s dealing with a totally different kind of struggle, lacking that same level of support, but still chasing the same goal: making a name for himself in the literary world. He leans more toward being a writer, but he clearly appreciates the importance of reviewers, which made their dynamic even richer. It was fascinating to see how similar they were, despite their different circumstances.

Their relationship has such a fun enemies-to-lovers energy, especially as she realizes this so-called rival of hers is someone she’s going to be seeing a lot more of—cue the sparks. She sets off on a mission to find true love in college to better connect with the books she’s reviewing, but of course, fate (and this infuriatingly charming guy) has other plans. Their chemistry is undeniable, even if they’re both slow to admit it. I also really enjoyed the subplot with their best friends—these two had an instant connection and were just as invested in the slow burn romance unfolding between the leads. Honestly, I finished this in under 24 hours. It’s sweet, clever, and such a refreshing read—perfect when you need a break between heavier stories.

4.5 rounded up.

I ate this up in close to one sitting.

An absolute blast with every romance trope explored in multiple ways. I thought the premise of this was cute and I thought the execution was excellent.

Most times I wish that romance books were dual pov to get the full amount of pining but you could feel this one through just one character.

Irene and Aiden are online bookstagram rivals that happen to end up going to the same college and are in the same lit class. Trying to navigate school, living away from their parents and their feeeeelings.

The audiobook was great.

Thanks to netgalley and harlequin audio for an alc

This unfortunately veered way too much into the corny meta romance reader and tropes realm for the story, with two romance book reviewers meeting at college and shenanigans ensuing.

I really wanted to love this, but it was too cheesy, didn't have enough plot or angst to hold it up besides the 'bet' the leads were in. Everything felt lackluster and low stakes, add on the heroine just spouting romance acronyms and lore at the reader, and it was a little exhausting.

I could see how this was trying to go for being a k-drama type story, but there wasn't enough holding it together.

Irene and Aiden are utra cute in this enemies to lovers romance. They are rivals professionally but end up at the same college.

This is a fun and cute read. 4 stars!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Harlequin Audio for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was SO fun. I’m a fan of cheesy and cliché in romance when it’s done well, and this WAS. The main characters are both bookfluencers, and the references and chapter breaks showing their reviews were fun and added a lot to the characters.
Aiden and Irene fit together like puzzle pieces, I could read 5 more books about these characters. Their banter was off the charts and made for a quick and fun read. Susan Lee knows how to write characters with great chemistry, I look forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the ALC!

This was a cute, easy read. Irene's motivations were a tad ridiculous and she was a very irritating character at points, but she's also quite young so I'll give her a pass for those. I love the he-falls-first trope so much (and the he-falls-harder trope even more) and that really came through in this story (even if Irene herself couldn't see it). Aiden was a dreamboat and everything one could hope for in a book boyfriend: kind, supportive, funny, DIMPLES!! Overall a great concept and a sweet story, but it felt a bit underdeveloped. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a great job!

The Romance Rivalry is a book I have seen all over social media and I was extremely excited for this audiobook! Rivals or enemies to lovers is one of my all time favorite tropes, particularly when there is secret pining involved. As a big romance nerd, I had such an exciting time seeing how Lee wrapped up tropes within the story. As a chronically anxious people pleaser, I'm wondering how Lee managed to get into my head and writer a character so similar to me. This book was thoughtfully written, with heartwarming relatable characters. Susan Lee is now an auto-buy author for me, and I cannot wait to read her backlist!

This was such a cute love letter to the romance genre! Susan really knows how to keep the reader kicking their feet in sheer joy as we watch these characters fall for each other

This was such a cute romance, esp ‘cause the MCs are reviewers too lol!! So I totally related w/ so much that went on, I loved the whole trope thing. I also related ‘cause… Asian parents ☠️ I totally felt the comparisons to your siblings, following things they want you to do… You know, the typical things. I love how it portrayed two different family values though.

I would’ve fell for Aiden day 1, I am weak lmfao.

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Idk how Irene does it ‘cause like girl????
Insta-Love trope activated lmfao. This was so sweet though, even the best friends were 🥹🤍 Loved them. Irene’s inner saboteur def got the best of her a few times though, BEEN THERE 😔 But the way she had me screaming like pls.

Overall, I enjoyed this lil romance- Finished it in a night, kinda short, but super sweet!!
Shannon Tyo & Eric Yang did amazing, I wish it was a full on duet though, but enjoyable nonetheless.

It was a cute YA book that is an ode to romance books. So if you love reading romance, you’re going to love this as they talk about all kinds of tropes, the love for reading, and also incorporating the social media part of things.

I thought they had a pretty healthy relationship, which I really appreciated even though I didn’t like how she just all of a sudden didn’t believe anything he said even though he was being so honest. It felt like it reconciled really quickly which I was very surprised.

Overall really enjoyed the various aspects it addressed about family and relationships. Loved the dynamic between her and Janette. Also the handle names like tamlinisabitch made me laugh!

Susan Lee's best work yet!!!

I absolutely adore everything Susan writes, but this one was so different from the rest. It's charming, quirky, fun, and had all the qualities from her other books in one. I couldn't stop listening to this audiobook and found myself laughing and smiling from start to finish. Susan is a YA romance powerhouse, and this is her best work yet. The narrators did a phenomenal job, and I loved listening to all the Aiden and Irene banter. This book is fantastic, and I highly recommend it.

The Romance Rivalry by Susan Lee is a fun, lighthearted ode to Romance readers. I had been hearing about this on social media, so I was thrilled when I got this book. I absolutely love all of the little nods to other Romance books that are scattered throughout the book. The storyline is super cute and made for an easy, quick, and fun read. I really enjoyed Aiden as a character and the found family that Irene gathers as she adjusts to life in college. It wasn't a deep, introspective book, but thats what made this perfect. It's fun. You should absolutely pick it up and give it a chance.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

The Romance Rivalry is a sweet, addictive YA contemporary romance with a delightful plot and fantastic cast of characters.

I had a blast with this one. The plot was entertaining, and I adored the incorporation of online book reviewing and romance books. This book about loving books is truly a love letter to the romance genre, and I appreciated it so much. The college setting was fun, and I loved Irene’s relationship with her roommate. The characters were well-developed and compelling, and the found family aspect was lovely. The romance between Aiden and Irene felt rushed and sudden at times, but overall, I enjoyed their sweet love story. Susan Lee’s prose was funny and immersive, presenting a fast-paced romcom that I did not want to put down. I highly recommend this YA romcom!

Slight spoiler:
I felt Irene’s decision at the end of the book to share Aiden’s manuscript with their literature professor should have been done with Aiden’s consent, even though the gesture was sweet. The snippet of Aiden’s manuscript also felt a bit unnecessary to me and less developed than the rest of the story, but I am unfamiliar with the omegaverse (which is what I believe his manuscript portrayed), so I may have enjoyed it more had I been more familiar.

Shannon Tyo and Eric Yang were wonderful narrators for this one. They captured the energy and emotion of the story beautifully, and they fit the main characters well. I highly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC/ARC!

OMGGGGG THIS WAS SO CUTE UGHHHH. I finished this in one sitting. 10/10

Wow, rivals to lovers done so well😭

The insane chemistry that was captured between Irene and Aiden had me gagged the entire time. I could cut the romantic tension with a knife. Aiden's actions constantly had me kicking my feet and giggling like a schoolgirl.

Like did he think he was slick when he asked to "fake date" because, let's be honest, WE ALL SAW RIGHT THROUGH THAT.

Also a moment of appreciation for her roommate and her little side story romance💖 LOVE that for her. She was such an amazing support character and I feel like she helped Irene to see that she did deserve love, both romantic and platonic. It was such a sweet friendship.

The narrators for this managed to capture the emotions between Irene and Aiden so incredibly well. It was such a pleasant listen.