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

I absolutely adored this book! It's love of romance books and all the tropes that go with them is wonderful. The characters are pretty great too! A lot of growth on Irene's part and Aiden was so amazing it was hard to believe at some points so I could understand Irene's confusion. A book I would highly recommend.

4.25⭐️ Definitely cute. As someone that got very stressed out in college, I complete could relate to Irene. Loved the tropes coming to life in how Irene and Aiden dated. Their relationship built very nicely.

5⭐️ narration from Shannon Tyo and Eric Yang. Given these characters are teenagers, I really felt like they kept the youthfulness of the character in mind. They never sounded super childish. Just very appropriate for an age that is maturing but still is young.

Irene is a well known influencer with romance books. When she begins her first year at college, she is determined to find her HEA. She knows she can find it with the help of her knowledge of tropes. Enter Aiden. Everything Irene has worked for and is working for seems to be ruined by Aiden. They create a competition but will it back fire on Irene. The stress of everything begin to be a heavy weight for Irene. Pretending everything is okay can only work for so long. Can Irene maintain her grades, following, friends, and whatever this is with Aiden.

Thank you @netgalley, @harlequinbooks and Susan Lee for the advance listener copy.

Irene Park is, without a doubt, one of the most insufferable and irresponsible female leads I’ve encountered in a while. It's rare that I actually wish the male lead didn’t end up with the female lead, but this was one of those times.

Irene comes off as a brat, whiny and constantly blaming Aiden for things he can’t control. Aiden is on a scholarship, and Irene doesn’t seem to care about their joint project. She doesn’t do her homework, doesn’t submit her part, and has no regard for the impact on Aiden’s grade. I get it, balancing life, work, and school is tough but failing a group project because you can’t be bothered to contribute is selfish, especially when it affects someone else’s future.

Then, Irene has the audacity to blame Aiden for her failure. GIRL, YOU’RE IN CHARGE OF YOUR OWN HOMEWORK! Her self-pity only deepens when she tries to break up with Aiden because she feels unworthy of his love. Maybe, just maybe, if Irene put in some effort to improve herself, study harder, and become a better person, she’d find the happiness she’s looking for.
I had high hopes for this book, especially since I enjoy the author’s writing, but unfortunately, Irene’s character was a huge letdown. I struggled to keep reading because I couldn’t stand her. The only thing that kept me going was Aiden, he’s the only reason this isn't a 1 star rating for me.

On a positive note, the audiobook was fantastic. Shannon Tyo does an amazing job with the narration, seamlessly switching between Irene and Aiden’s voices. Eric Yang’s contributions were also a nice touch.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC.

This was my first Susan Lee book and I had such a great time!

This book was so cute and had me smiling the entire time. Irene and Aiden are adorable and I loved their besties Jeanette and Charles (with all of their extra side bets, lol). Also, I could never be put in this situation because I would've folded immediately and been down bad for Aiden day one. 🤭

I thought the audiobook was done very well and it was such a pleasant surprise to see the last couple of chapters were from Aiden's POV. My only wish is that it was duet narration instead of dual narration. I think Shannon and Eric brought Irene and Aiden to life perfectly.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio, the author, and NetGalley for the ALC! ✨

this book was ADORABLE! This book is 100% for the romance reader chronically online reader. The way the tropes are incorporated into the chapters? The way Irene was so relatable as someone who has found online success and yet still struggles with imposter syndrome? It was just the perfect read for us book reviewing book blogging girlies. My only downside? Despite this book being a college romance it felt a little too young or hough school-ish to me. I know its a YA, and thats fine, but on occasion it felt like I was reading about 15 year olds instead of 18 year olds. Other than that it was a pleasant read/listen that i would happily recommend to anyone who is in the book scene.

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.