Well I did an immersion read as I was thankful to get both the eARC and the ALC from Macmillan Audio and Wednesday Books through NetGalley so I could read it early and give my opinion and write a review.

Unfortunately, listening to the audiobook was a wrong choice as the narrator was a bit much to listen to. The voices she chose to use for the various characters. Thankfully speeding it up helped drown out the voices a bit which needed to do it get closer to my reading speed.

In addition to that this book was not the usually quirky that I’m used to by Emma Lord. The story was cheesy and read much younger than typical even for YA. The dialogue was unrealistic, especially for their age.

To be honest I would have DNF’d had it not been an ARC/ALC. while younger teens may find it enjoyable but….

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again
In

YA romance fans will enjoy this new book by Emma Lord.
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Sadie and Seb have been rivals their whole lives. When Sadie finally, finally gets away to college, a college that Seb was waitlisted for, she can go after her journalism dreams. On her first day on campus she runs into no other than Seb. He’s been accepted to her dream college and is also fighting for the same position on the school newspaper.
✏️college romance
✏️rivals to enemies
✏️fun side characters
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Thank you netgalley and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read this book!

Emma Lord's book always have this calming cozy vibe for me. The rival was no different. I enjoy always enjoy this YA romances especially when I feel a reading slump coming on. This adorable enemies to lovers was so cute while feeling real and emotional.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC of Emma Lord’s The Rival in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine FINALLY getting away from your arch nemesis at home, who your family is best friends with his family, so you are always in forced proximity and forced to fake a friendly relationship; however, in reality, you two are in constant competition and hate each other. You have escaped to college where you can FINALLY be yourself, away from your family where you are the peacekeeper for everyone, where you feel you can never be yourself. On the first day of school, you find out that your lifelong academic rival has been pulled off the waitlist and ended up at your school.

This is what happens at the beginning of Emma Lord’s The Rival. Sadie and Seb compete over a coveted spot on the school’s famous zine, which is important to them for different reasons. They both struggle with feelings towards each other and how to handle situations in their families to fight for the freedom they wish to have as new college students. They are fighting to figure out life as college students being set out in the world to figure out life and right from wrong while injustices are happening with the school’s beloved zine.

Emma Lord, the master of YA books, did a wonderful job of writing about the insecurities of young adults trying to figure out right from wrong, how to stand up for themselves, how to handle their family situations, and how to handle relationships. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.
I read this ARC along with listening to the ALC.
I freaking love Emma Lord’s writing. Her characters are well developed and my gawd, the snacks she comes up with. I desperately want to try the mac and cheese with crunchy cinnamon toast crunch topping. I’ll be shipping Seb and Sadie for life

I really enjoyed this YA rom-com. Sadie and Seb are thoughtful, fun, and deeply attuned characters (maybe too much?). They are both 18, freshman in college coming fresh off years worth of rivalry with each other throughout their high school days. Sadie is an aspiring writer with her eye on the prize (a position at the trendy zine on campus that she’s been obsessed with for years). The only thing in her way, her frenemy Seb, who has been an annoying presence through her whole life.

It sometimes felt out of place this extreme introspective ability of an 18 year old but works in this story. It was interesting to see them finally see the reality of their relationship and how to be themselves even in the presence of the other. All that to say is there was a lot of projecting on Sadie’s part of her family and friends but she was able to come around with their help and not be so inside her head anymore.

Definitely pick up this book if you’re looking for a lighthearted YA romance.

Thank you NetGalley, Emma Lord, St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for and advanced digital copy of this book.

4.5 Stars!!

I love when Emma Lord releases a new book! I know I'll end with a smile on my face and The Rival was no exception. Her brand of wholesome YA romance is perfectly intertwined with witty characters, solvable problems, and adventurous treats! I highly recommend this book for an afternoon escape!

Thanks NetGalley for access to this e-arc in exchange of my honest opinion.

Sadie and Seb have been frenemies for years. As childhood "friends" their parents always pushed them together. Sadie is now going away for school and will finally be rid of Seb, until she finds out she isn't. Seb got off the waitlist at her sought after school and will be joining her. Competing for the same position for the paper and generally annoying her by existing.
While we don't get Seb's POV, we can (at least I can) tell that he really just wants to be around Sadie. He can't stand to be away from her and he thinks now is his shot to do something about the relationship they have had in the past. Sadie doubles down on their rivalry until it is clear that working togehter might expose something big about the school. As the two work closer, Sadie starts thinking that maybe all those feelings of animosity have been turining into something more.
I really enjoyed their dynamic and the background of the story but I struggled with the characters in general. Sadie really annoyed me and I really wished that we had both of their POV so we could get a break at some point with her. Some of the side characters in general were a little too quirky for me and it just became too much. I was left with wanting more out of the romance (even being YA) because I felt that their actual romance fell flat. Thank you to St Martin's, Netgalley and Emma Lord for an early copy.

For their entire lives, Sadie and Seb have battled to outshine one another. Finally, Sadie feels like she’s won, landing a spot at their dream college while Seb was rejected. Now she just needs to land a spot at the ultra-competitive student magazine and she’ll be on her way to her dream career in comedy. But when she shows up at the magazine’s orientation meeting, she’s shocked to see that Seb made it off the school’s wait list and is also vying for a spot on the magazine’s staff. The pair of overachievers are back to their old ways, and nothing will stop their quest to defeat each other…except, maybe, for falling in love.

This was a very sweet rivals-to-lovers romance that bridges the YA and NA age categories. I was charmed by the main characters’ banter and the cast of supporting characters. I found this read to be enjoyable as an adult, but it’s also not something I would hesitate to recommend to an actual teenager—especially because there is virtually zero spice. Things between the main characters never go beyond kissing, so clean romance readers will like this one…but I think their crackling chemistry will make this a hit with mainstream romance readers as well.

While there were some moments where I had to suspend my disbelief (if this magazine is such a great launchpad, why are only two students competing for the staff writer spot?), I thought this was overall a very fun and cute read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ THE RIVAL by Emma Lord

🥰 Childhood Friends to Lovers
🏫 College Campus
✏️ Journalism Competition
💘 Slow Burn
🏠 Family Dynamics

This has all of the ingredients you'd expect from an Emma Lord - witty banter, snappy writing, hilarious little quips. Lord manages to capture the teenage voice with ease in every single novel she offers. While The Rival had all of the essential Lord ingredients, it seemed to be missing the special sauce. The story was fine, but the magic that is normally woven into her novels wasn't there.

This is set on a college campus during the main character's freshman year, so it's firmly New Adult. It's clean (some drinking and cursing, but not much else) and I think I'd be fine all the way down to 7th grade, but I'm not sure how many 7th graders would actually be interested in the topic. I know it'd be highly relatable for a college freshman, but it doesn't have a lot of universal relatability. I'm not sure I'd bother shelving it in a high school, honestly.

No one writes YA enemies-to-lovers like Emma Lord. I love her books, but apparently have been falling behind as she's picked up the pace in her publishing schedule! You wouldn't be able to tell - the quality is as high as usual.

The college life set pieces are so fun that the heart of the coming-of-age story kind of sneaks up on you. I liked seeing how Sadie and Seb helped each other grow and mature. The side characters were kind of my favorite, though - they were all well drawn and felt as real as the main characters. The families, of course, but also I feel like I *should* be able to walk into Pancake It or Leave It and bask in Betty's gruff on the outside, mushy on the inside demeanor. I may have to make pancakes with sprinkles for dinner!

5 ⭐ 0 🌶️ 5 🎧

Emma never ceases to make me feel all the feels. Her coming of age books bring you back to that point in your life when everything feels like it's end all be all and one little mistake can ruin your life... In The Rival we get so much enemies to lovers goodness but with an unexpected touch of childhood best friends to lovers, it comes together in the perfect rivals to lovers story.

I really enjoyed Sadie and Seb. They were both flawed in ways that made them feel like they could have been your best friends. The push and pull of their relationship was really fun to watch, especially as they took on the administration. I also really enjoyed watching their relationships with friends and family side characters grow, especially Christina and Joey.

The audio was fantastic. I can't remember if Jesse Vilinksy has done other Emma books, but her acting and narrating is phenomenal. I felt like I was in Sadie's mind and felt so much while listening.

Such a fun and lighthearted academic rivals YA romance. I love Emma’s writing style and the way she makes her YA characters feel their age.

A cute coming of age. Enemies/rivals to lovers. A sweet story. Loved the family and friendship dynamics that were included.

3 stars

Emma Lord has become quite the prolific YA romance writer over the past few years, and, of course, some of these projects are more compelling than others. This one is good - for the genre - but lacks the special something that well versed readers will hope can make it stand out in the crowd.

Sadie and Seb are remarkably intertwined. They're so close that they grew up with a shared backyard. As an only child, Seb has felt the ongoing pressure from his parents to perform. Sadie's parents - and really Sadie and her family as a whole - have been an incredible oasis where Seb feels free to just be himself. Sadie, of course, has a totally different relationship with her family and is just growing into appreciating them for their quirks. The pair are off pursuing their higher ed dreams now, and this space from their known surroundings allows them to grow just a bit.

As the title suggests, the two leads have been rivals for the bulk of their lives, though it does appear that Sadie has committed to this for longer than Seb, perhaps. She is, in some ways, absolutely insufferable, and while he is not perfect, I cannot figure out why he stuck it out with her (unless he just really, really wants to be part of that family, which, at their age, is fully acceptable).

This is a formulaic YA romance without surprises, and the highlight for me was much more in the relationships with ancillary characters than in the focal connection. That noted, readers who come to this looking to scratch a very particular itch will feel satisfied. The rest of us? We will be left hoping for a brighter spark in the next one. I'll be in the later camp, but to be clear, my meh feelings about this one overall do not change my lasting appreciation for what Lord has been putting together in the genre.

One of my favorite tropes is academic rivals and The Rival by Emma Lord perfectly fit the bill! This was such a fun read. Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advance copy!

Emma Lord’s latest, is a delightful academic rivals-to-lovers rom-com that combines wit, charm, and heartfelt moments into an unputdownable story. Fans of Lord’s signature banter-filled romances (Tweet Cute, Begin Again) will be thrilled to meet Sadie and Seb—two fiercely competitive, whip-smart neighbors who can’t help but bring out the best (and worst) in each other.

Sadie is a relatable overachiever whose dream spot at college feels like the culmination of years of hard work—until her lifelong rival Seb unexpectedly crashes the party. Their rivalry is equal parts fiery and fun, with Sadie’s prickly determination perfectly matched by Seb’s easygoing charm. When the competition heats up over a coveted spot on the school’s famous zine, readers are treated to a mix of snarky exchanges, simmering chemistry, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

What sets this story apart is its deeper exploration of self-doubt, ambition, and systemic flaws in academic environments. Sadie’s growth is both realistic and inspiring as she grapples with her identity as a writer and learns to trust her voice, even when chaos surrounds her. Seb, too, surprises readers with his layers—there’s more to him than just Sadie’s infuriatingly perfect rival.

Emma Lord masterfully balances humor and heart while celebrating the messiness of family, the power of collaboration, and the thrill of discovering someone who truly understands you. By the end, readers will root not just for Sadie and Seb as a couple, but as individuals learning to navigate ambition and connection on their own terms.

Perfect for fans of smart, swoon-worthy YA rom-coms, this book is an irresistible reminder that sometimes the person who drives you the craziest might also be your perfect match. Emma Lord has delivered yet another gem—charming, uplifting, and impossible to put down.

I always enjoy Emma Lord’s books. I enjoyed reading about Sadie and Seb and their changing relationship as they began college. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a sweet and engaging young adult romance. Thank you for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

Finally Sadie bested her rival — childhood family friend and nemesis, Seb — or so she thought when she got the only spot from their school to her dream college. When he unexpectedly shows up after being pulled from the waitlist, their so-called rivalry is back in full force as they compete for a job at the school paper. Their relationship is complicated, playing certain roles depending on who they are around, but when their paper is threatened, they ~attempt~ to put their rivalry aside for the sake of their new friends. Chaos ensues.

I ALWAYS love an Emma Lord wholesome YA romcom! I will say I didn’t love it as much as some of her other books or connect with the characters as much, but it’s still worth a read!

This felt like classic Emma Lord. Her writing style is distinctive and I think this will be a great audiobook. Teens will appreciate Sadie's voice and her struggles adapting her freshman year of college. I appreciate the main characters' ages in this YA book and think we need more books set the first year of college!