This had potential, but really fell flat. The characters had no depth and the rivalry wasn’t really that intense. The pacing was also all over the place, not for me.

if there’s something you should know about me is that im a sucker for academic rivals!!!

this books was so fun! i read it in less than 48hrs! it’s such a fun and quick read! and the banter!!! the slow burn!!! the communication! *chefs kiss*

and SEB HAS MY HEART! he’s the greenest flag!

will be recommending this book to all my friends!

This book is about finding your way and becoming your true self. It is a friends to enemies to competitors to lovers type of book. Sadie and Seb have lived next door to each other all of their lives. Their families and all intertwined, they even have pancake Sundays! That sounds fun! Unfortunately, Sadie and Seb become rivals and continually are trying to one up each other all of the time. As they head to college they start to realize that the pressure they had before to be the sane, perfect, put together person is not who they really are.

I fell like this book was drawn out quite a bit. I do think it brought college life to light and becoming your true self. This book has quite a few swear words and several same sex relationships.

My favorite character was Betty. The tall, sassy, pancake making boss of a lady.

When Sadie makes it to the elite college she's attending for the sole purpose of trying to get onto the renounced school zine staff, she's relieved that at least she doesn't have to worry about her high school nemesis anymore, Seb. Until he shows up, ruins her outfit, and threatens to upend her carefully laid plans.
As they navigate their new college environment, they decide to resurrect their childhood friendship and try out something new, but old habits and insecurities die hard.
While Seb and Sadie are definitely cute, there wasn't enough here to grab me. I loved Lard's previous book, Tweet Cute, and I think that approached the YA world in a way that still had me invested in teens. The Rival leans a lot more into the YA tropes (obliviousness, family insecurity, etc), and that just wasn't what I was looking for in this book.
I do think that Sadie had definite parallels with Rory from Gilmore Girls though, and people who are currently indulging in their annual GG rewatch might find this a fun accompaniment.  

(Thank you to Wednesday Books for the ARC- out 21 JAN 2025)

Sadie never imagined seeing Seb, her academic arch-nemesis, attending the same college. This unexpected twist turns her dream job at Newsbag, the renowned college zine, into a battleground. Can Sadie finally put an end to their rivalry once and for all?

Emma Lord dazzles once again with The Rival! From the moment I dived into Sadie and Seb's world, I was hooked. It was an absolute delight to watch them navigate the ups and downs of freshman year, fall in love, and fight for change at their school. Their journey of self-discovery beautifully illustrates that embracing who you truly are leads to a loud, wild, and wonderfully messy life.

What truly sets this book apart is the vibrant supporting characters. Betty, the warm-hearted restaurant owner, completely stole my heart, while the friendship between Sadie and Christina added so much depth and warmth to the story. The tight-knit group of family and friends forms the village that lifts Sadie and Seb through all their challenges.

The Rival is a heartwarming read that will leave you smiling and laughing. Don’t miss out on this gem!

honestly this was a miss for me— it just fell so flat and felt extremely cringe and boring. i had the same problem with the break up pact, i don’t why but i guess emma lord books just aren’t for me

3.5⭐️

Seb and Sadie grew up together. They were next door neighbours and best friends until an ill timed prank fractured their friendship and caused them to become fierce academic competitors/rivals.

Sadie was relieved when she got into her dream college and Seb didn’t. She could finally get a break from their rivalry. That is until she literally bumps into him on campus.
While they both deal with all the emotions of being away from their families for the first time and also trying to manage their parents expectations, both Sadie and Seb need to find a way to coexist on campus while competing for the one spot on the schools paper.

This was a sweet YA rivals to lovers romance with some predictable plot points, but was an enjoyable read and fairly quick to get through. I have enjoyed Lord’s books in the past but I am most definitely not the target audience for this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my advanced ebook to read and review. Publishing 1/21/2025

Sadie thought that she beat her academic rival Seb finally by getting into the dream college. But Seb got pulled off the waitlist and they are back to their competition again. They notice flaws in the school system and start working together....etc

Love Seb and Sadie together. Being an A type myself, I totally get them. Charming and funny. Funniest banter.
Really enjoy it.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Emma Lord's books are an auto-read for me and they never disappoint and always make me hungry. I really enjoy how her books have you take an inner look at yourself right along with the characters and really enjoy watching the main character come into their true selves as the book progresses on. I have always enjoyed a good enemies to lovers, and while I wouldn't say these characters were ever truly enemies, they were best friends turned academic rivals, I could definitely feel the tension between them from the start of the book to the end.

Also...now I really want pancakes.

Well, I think I’ve outgrown Emma Lord’s books and that sucks to admit. I really enjoyed her older releases, but her recent ones have completely missed the mark for me. I’ve only graduated college two years ago, but her books make me feel so old. I’m just cringing at the dialogue and the shortened words. It takes me out of the story because I can’t imagine someone actually saying this in real life. I had a hard time relating to the characters as well because everything felt one-dimensional. The romance also was not rivals to lovers at all. The rivalry was one-sided. I would classify this book as having the friends to lovers trope instead. All in all, this book didn’t work for me at all.

***I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review***

Lord takes a turn with the academic rivals trope and marries it with the 'we've known each other since we were in diapers' relationship. Sadie and Seb are basically family, but they have a rivalry that Sadie assumes she is free of until Seb shows up at her university. Lord's attempt to make sure this isn't a complete copy/paste of rivals to lovers puts them is this strange semi-frictionous (yes I made that word up) tension doesn't quite have the payoff I was hoping for. I would add that the more prominent conflict is that they are both trying to come-of-age and being there together is both a help and a hindrance and the main rub is them working out how they can both grow while they are egging each other on. All that said, I'd give this a mid-range rating. There is nothing scandalous, so if you're like me in an unkind to libraries region, this little romance should pass muster.
Thanks so much for the ARC!

This is the quintessential Emma Lord book. I loved it. It has everything: banter, quests, side quests, emotional revelations, belligerent sexual tension, unhinged snack foods. THE RIVAL is Emma Lord operating at her highest capacity.

This was an adorable YA romance book. As is the case with every romance book, it was a predictable storyline but the characters were fun to read and the plot was enjoyable. It was a great easy and fun read with a nice parallel plot that kept it interesting to read.

Cuuuuuute!

I am a *complete* Emma Lord fan girl through and through, and I was lucky enough to get to read an ARC of The Rival. The book does a good job of capturing the angst of being 18 and discovering yourself, apart from your family, and navigating relationships and love. I'm quite a few years out of collegez and some of the cliches may be dated, but I loved the heart of this story.

Emma Lord seems to be hit-or-miss for me. I LOVE Tweet Cute and Begin Again, but the rest of her catalogue falls flat––these other books often feel like roads not taken, and ideas she didn't have time and space to explore in her more successful novels. The Rival, for instance, feels like a B-side of Begin Again. Same vibe, similar characters, but far less depth and imagination and precision. I would love to see more fresh and consistent work by this author, even if that means publishing at a slower pace. I've seen what Emma Lord can do! I'm willing to wait for it.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=4.75 | 😘=2.5 | 🤬=3.5 | 14+

summary: rivals who have known each other their whole lives and competed and “hated” each other that long compete for a spot at their college newspaper but it’s much more than that and more emotional and poignant and sweet

thoughts: I really enjoyed this! so, so good at having a relevant, high-stakes plot line outside of the primary relationship drama, and the characters feel so real and lifelike and like actual scared college freshmen who have known each other their whole lives. Emma Lord is, in general, very skilled at clever banter and, significantly (!!!), writing in social media and modern Gen Z-isms in that vein in a way that, miraculously, does not make me want to tear my own eyeballs out. they feel real!! anyway. very, very good. almost made me cry, actually.

also, for the record, I think the title is super lame. like, you could have done better here. it sounds (said lovingly) like a self-published kindle unlimited romance, and it's not at all!! it's really good!!!!

I love a good friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story, and this one had all the added fun of a nostalgic romp, taking me straight back to the college campus where I studied journalism in undergrad. I love Emma Lord's stories and how they capture the teenage experience while showing satisfying character development and emotional depth. Would definitely recommend!

Just as I expected, this book was absolutely delightful. I was wholly rooting for Seb and Sadie the entire time. I loved the family dynamics for Sadie, the coming of age angst, and of course the swoons. Emma Lord is a treasure.

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my review.

This book is like a combo of The Paper (short-lived MTV reality show) and the "Damn the man, save the empire" vibes of Empire Records. This reference makes my elder millennial status quite clear, and with that, it also tells you I'm beyond the target age group of this book. This book is former/current rivals finding love during their freshman year. It's also them figuring the university experience, including some "stuff" that just doesn't make sense about the system, and they decide they're going to take it on. Overall, it was just a nice, fun read. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this January 2025 release.

The Rival is a charming, lighthearted read that delivers Emma Lord’s signature wit and warmth. The story brings together a fun blend of competitive tension and emotional growth as the characters navigate their evolving relationships. While the rivalry aspect creates some fun moments and clever banter, the plot can feel a bit predictable at times, and I found myself wanting a little more depth in certain areas. That said, the characters are likable, and the story moves along at a good pace. It’s an enjoyable read with just the right amount of heart and humor, perfect for fans of Lord’s previous books.