LIKE IVE SAID BEFORE my favorite books are books like this one. Books about rivals, enemies to lovers/academic rivals. Love that.

The Rival, by Emma Lord, is a fun rom-com without too much spice (for those who like your romance scenes to be a little less steamy). This one is a quick easy read that will pull you through to discover what will happen. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Emma Lord, the woman you are <3 As the self proclaimed leader of the Emma Lord Fan Club, being sent this ARC was an actual dream come true! And The Rival truly did not disappoint! Sadie and Seb had me laughing and giggling and screaming “JUST KISS ALREADY” Armed with so many sweet treats, The Rival is the PERFECT rivals to lovers with just enough sass and silliness that everyone will love it! Perfect for fans of Today, Tonight, Tomorrow and Love, Off the Record, The Rival is not to be missed!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC!
I’ve enjoyed some of Emma Lord’s YAs before, and this was no exception! It wasn’t my number one favorite of hers, but I still really liked it overall.
I feel like there aren’t as many YA college romances, and I was excited that the MCs were in college! That aspect made it a little different and so fun. The MCs are also childhood rivals to lovers, and I thought this trope was done so well!
All in all, I definitely recommend!

Emma Lord is a comfort author for me. I feel a kinship with her as I love her references and relate, despite not being in the YA group anymore. This book was no exception. So fun and quick, the romance was adorable. Highly recommend.

This was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed the rivalry between these frienemies and was rooting for that first kiss! Kudos to Emma! I’ll be recommending to book club for sure!

Sadie thinks moving to a new school without her lifelong rival, Sebastian, will be the fresh start that she wanted. However, on her first day of college, she runs into him. To make things even better, Sebastian and Sadie are competing for the same position at the school's journalism program.

I was obsessed with this book from the first page. The story sucked me in. Sadie and Sebastian had such an enjoyable dynamic. The banter was hilarious and had me giggling. The other thing I loved was quite literally all of the characters. Sadie was my favorite, though. She was interesting and had a ton of character growth by the end.

I am so thankful that I was able to read this ARC copy! Thank you so much to @stmartinspress, @netgalley, and @dilemmalord.

Adorable. Even in my 40’s I can appreciate a good YA. This reminded me a bit of Today Tonight Tomorrow which I loved. I have not read any of the authors backlist but I will now!

3.5 stars, rounded down

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Emma Lord's books I have read and was pumped to start this one! It didn't disappoint, per se, but it wasn't the same quality as her other books. With that said though, I think my biggest gripe about it was it was a college set book, and the college setting was so out of touch with how college actually is. It took away from the book for me.

I did really enjoy that it wasn't just about the romance, it focused on leaving family for the first time and how that changes your relationships. I found that refreshing and different from most YA books I've read that are set in college.

While this one fell a little flat for me, I still enjoyed the quick read and I will always pick up the next Emma Lord book that comes out. She is hands down an auto-read author for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 75%. I typically like Emma Lord but this wasn’t it. The storyline and characters are very immature and have nothing-burger problems, and it feels like the author threw in a bi identification for the MMc just for the lgbtqia+ tag rather than it actually having anything to do with the story (since he’s actually just been in love with the female mc forever). The “big” moments in the book made me cringe (everyone becoming a jock for a day?) just wasn’t for me.

Formal review to follow!

I appreciated the vivid setting, charming characters, and forceful plot devices. Emma Lord masterfully crafts a romcom for the ages in this rivals to lovers story set in the tumultuous freshman year at university.

i have read all of emma lord's YA books and they're always well-crafted, with so much attention to detail for the characters and the sense of place. the rival was no different- while i was initially hesitant since she's written about a college campus and rivals to lovers before, i still enjoyed the rival. seb and sadie's relationship was so sweet- a good amount of longing but also "if you know you know"- their progression made sense to me. the cast of side characters was colorful as always, and i thought the conflict/resolution made sense and (mostly) didn't feel out of place. overall, a sweet read with some great messages about finding your voice- especially in college!

I was really looking forward to this, particularly because I really enjoyed BEGIN AGAIN and was excited that this also took place at college. However, it unfortunately didn't have the same charm for me. The story was cute enough, but I thought the plot lacked depth. I also found myself wanting more from the characters, especially since Sadie's whole shtick is that she is funny and has a really voicey writing style, but hardly any of that came across throughout the book. For two main characters who have known each other their entire lives, I felt like I didn't know much about who Sadie and Seb were until the very end of the book. A cute read, but not my favorite by Emma Lord. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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