The Romance Rivalry by Susan Lee is a YA romance and what I term a love letter to romance readers and book reviewers/infleuncers. I felt seen! "I read for vibes not structure". Quite relatable. I also love how so many tropes were showcased in one book. I've always wondered why the MMC is usually the grump in the grumpy-sunshine trope, so it was great to see the FMC as the grump in this book. I enjoyed reading this.
Thank you, Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins, for the ARC. All opinions expressed are mine.

DNF 80% First I'd like to thank the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own. I started out really liking the concept of this book as well as all the book lingo and references but unfortunately it fell flat for me. Our MC's priorities are so messed up I just ended up being frustrated with her even though I found a lot of her personality very relatable. The romance also felt like it went from 0 to 100 way too fast. Slight spoiler but they finally admit to having feelings for each other and then two chapters later they jump in bed together. All romantic tension gone. Just no. There's also quite a few F-bombs and other language. Not something I'd recommend especially to a YA reader.

Have I read books that were more of a literary masterpiece than this? Yes. But do I often round up a rom com to 5 stars? No. This is one of these books that despite the corniness and cringe moments, it feels REAL. And I think that’s why those corny and cringe moments throughout the book just worked with this one. The FMC was so personally precious and real to me. Her feelings, her inner dialogue were just so raw and hit so close to home. The idea of reading a rom com based on Rom com tropes should, in theory, not be as profound as this ended up being, but wow did the author outdo herself. I found myself giggling, getting misty eyed, and having to take a moment to re-evaluate my own thoughts and entire young adult phase from the past. It was one of these books that I believe healed some tiny part of me from my youth. This may not be my most eloquent review, but wow did this book absolutely gut me and piece me back together at the same time. I loved it so much and would recommend it to anybody. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this book 🥰

♾️⭐️
Wow, where do I even start? This was the first book I’ve read by Susan Lee, and trust, I will be reading her entire backlog of novels. Before I dive into the relationship between Irene and Aiden, I first want to acknowledge how SEEN I felt. I’ve always loved romance books; I love them all: contemporary, dark, sci-fi, historical, shifter; give it a heavy romance plot-line and I’m down. Maybe it’s growing up in a house where the focus was sports and never having any friends or family who enjoyed reading the way I do, but I always felt like maybe I loved them a bit ~too~ much. It impacts me in so many ways past being a “hobby” that until I started a bookstagram and made friends who I got to gossip and scream and giggle with about books, I rarely talked about them with others because no one else seemed to feel the all-consuming rush of feelings I get when I read. The way I cry and laugh and scream into my pillow and how they follow me around all day in the back of my mind. The way they have lasting, impressionable effects on me. To read Irene and Aiden talk about the ~why~ behind their book accounts and their love of literature was really everything. (Shoutout to the Wattpad and then A03 comment sections- you guys were always the real MVPs)

I think something I particularly enjoyed was the reviews we got from both Irene and Aiden. I never gave much thought to the reasoning for the differing perspectives and opinions two people can have reading the same book. I always just chalked it up to people liking different things, which, like, yeah, sure, but also? Our own personal desires and insecurities trickle down into the most minute moments, such as how you perceive a book and the characters actions, so to see both Irene and Aiden’s fears and hopes speak through their reviews of the romance books they reviewed was EVERYTHING. And god, poor Aiden, man was going THROUGH it with his reviews, and I was giggling with every one. How can love be so obvious in the most inconspicuous sentences? The fake dating one?? The Miles Miller one?? Like, come ON😭

Irene’s struggles with balancing school were incredibly realistic and really got to the crux of why, when everything else in your life feels like it’s falling apart, the embarrassment can make you curl into yourself more rather than accept help. I loved that she saved herself, even though we saw Aiden wanted to help her and would have if given the opportunity.

Aiden was absolutely, hands down, in love with Irene from the very beginning, and Irene was so clueless:,) I genuinely think 90% of this book is highlighted.

The scenes with Irene, Aiden, and Taejin made me SCREAM. Irene and Aiden are going to be traumatized for the rest of their lives every time they hear the words “I’m premed” LMAO

ALSO one of the best meet-cute(meet-dread?) scenes EVER and the best, best, best first kiss scene:,) Also them cuddling in bed did NOT get the page time it deserved. I needed more😭

Random quotes that had me putting my kindle down and screaming into my pillow because really, I mean seriously, when will it be my turn?
“I’ll play the three wise men with you any day.”
“You haven’t figured it out yet?”
“I want to be Miles Miller when I grow up.”
“I wish”
“The fake dating was just a ploy to get her to realize she wanted him back. And my hot take is that every fake-dating story ever told runs on this unspoken premise: Someone has already fallen before the fake dating even starts.”
“Don't ever want you getting hurt," he says. "Not here..." He raises my hand and kisses it. I feel a slight sting and realize my palm is scraped. I hadn't even noticed earlier. "Not in here," he says as he kisses my temple. "Not in here," he says as he bends a little to kiss right over my heart.”

I need to get my hands on a physical copy right this very second because I’m pretty sure over 85% of the book is highlighted on my kindle, and I want to reread and annotate it all pretty IMMEDIATELY😭

𝟹.𝟻⭐

*+:｡.｡𝓔𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝔀𝓸 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷’𝓽 𝓯𝓲𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼, 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓯𝓲𝓽 𝓮𝓪𝓬𝓱 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻. 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽’𝓼 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽’𝓼 𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓽.｡.｡:+*

A light and easy read Irene wants so bad to have a boyfriend so nobody can call her an imposter and as the romance reader that she is she's going to fall in love according to book tropes but the reality is so different from books and Susan please gimme Aiden's manuscript I'm willing to read it

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

𝘈𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯 (𝑀𝐿): your typical K-drama hero, in other words a dream, he's so patient so loving get him outta this book now I need him

𝘐𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦 (𝐹𝐿): she's a hopeless romantic w̶h̶o̶ i̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ her self-esteem is a little bit low but she's a middle child so 🤷🏻‍♀️

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕿𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
🌸 𝚁𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚜? 𝚃𝚘 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜
🌸 𝙲𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚗 𝚁𝚘𝚕𝚕 𝙼𝙼𝙲
🌸 𝙺𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝙳𝚞𝚘
🌸 𝙲𝚞𝚝𝚎 𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

I love K-pop and K-drama so I think I'm gonna love this thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the eARC 💕

Unfortunately, this book did not hold my attention. I never wanted to pick it up to read more. The concept is cute but I never really felt connected to Irene and it became overly referential to the genre in a way that made it too much about the tropes and not enough about the story it was telling. I also wish the characters had been aged up a year or two because I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to believe an 18-year-old would have a million people following her romance book reviews (also I'm not a prude but I find the concept of someone under 18 years old writing reviews on smutty books kind of uncomfortable). The conclusion also felt really rushed and I wish we'd seen Irene work harder to resolve things. I wish I could have liked this book more but it just didn't hit like I wanted it to.

3.5 ⭐️. This book was sweet and cute like every YA romcom should be. The plot was unique, two "rival" book influencers competing to see who can fall in love first using romance tropes and be deemed the romance expert so they are chosen for some brand deal. We can all see where this will end lol. The chapter titles each being a different trope was also fun and something new. I also enjoyed the depiction of college and life in general for Irene; things weren’t easy for her yet she was still able to acknowledge that she still has so many people around her that care about her and she’s actually not as alone as she thought. Even though Irene could be a bit pick me at times, I found her to be very relatable. I LOVED Jeannette, she was such an amazing character and their friendship was definitely one of my favorite things about this book.
I will say that I was able to predict most of the story 1/4 of the way into the novel, but it didn’t annoy me too much since I was speeding through it wanting to see if my predictions were right. There were also a few random loose ends about Aiden that I thought would be cleared up by the end but weren’t, I don’t know if it was intentional or not.
Finally, thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-arc of this book!

Thank you, NetGalley for this arc!

3.5 stars

The Romance Rivalry is my first introduction to Susan Lee. I thought this book had a very interesting concept. I liked how each chapter was titled with a romance book trope and was concurrent with the story, and was followed by an epigraph of a review from our MCs about the trope. Irene was a completely relatable FMC and worthy of rooting for. Aiden was a great MMC and I too love his dimples.

This felt like a K-Drama in book form which I am not upset about. I did love the mentions of various K-Pop groups/songs.

I did not love this book. The main reason was that I really didn't like the female lead. I felt she was immature, self-centered and kind of callous. I liked Aidan a lot and found it a bit hard to believe that he would put up with Irene. So this story did not work for me.

Loved the use of the tropes-as-catalyst-for-romance throughout the book. She manages to include fanfic and even a/b/o!

The little inside jokes between the characters were great, given they both are romance readers. Their friends were so supportive and great comedic relief. It was definitely kind of predictable, but very heartfelt.

Irene & Aiden.

Or, as I like to think of them, teen fictional characters who embody the “grumpy and sunshine” trope. But, wait, there’s more. Tropes, that is.

The author uses the romance readers favorite tropes to develop a budding relationship of the FMC and MMC. Cute and sweet moments abound throughout the read.

Would’ve elevated this to a five star read had the author developed more of who Irene was in high school ( though cheered her friendship with Charlotte). There was a nod to the parentals and siblings but they seemed more surface level.

Still, wanted to see why Irene did not have any close connections and was more invested in her relationship to the public via social media. You actually understand more of Aiden’s background and frustrations with his flashbacks than hers.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Children’s Books, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

#TheRomanceRivalry #NetGalley

actual rating: 1.25. you can tell the author is trying to be relatable and quirky by name dropping all these reader-related buzzwords and tropes, but it just comes off as cringe. like so incredibly cringe that i have to give up on the book. there has to be a way to write a book about niche internet book reviewers that does not have to be having constant “haha, you see what i did there? i just broke the fourth wall! isn’t that so quirky and silly of me?” moments. the only reason this book is getting an extra .25 is because of Jeanette. she fucking carried this book!

This book.... 🫠🫠
This book has my heart. It's like....a giant love letter to bookish romance readers and I was HERE. FOR. IT! 😍
If I could give this 10 stars I would! Haha
In the book the characters, INCLUDING our delicious MMC, talked heavily on tropes, so I want to list a few that our MCs cover lol
We get a bit of college romance, rivals to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, & opposites attract , among a few 🤭
Irene can't stand Aiden at first because of their online rivalry. He never seems to agree with her book assessments and their followers seem to always send her mean comments. So of course, she isn't exact thrilled when they end up in the same school lol
It's adorable how hard Aiden both pokes her buttons while also tries to get her to work with him on their project. From "enemies", to class partners, to friends, their gradual grow in their relationship was sweet and fun and I couldn't get enough of them!
Susan was also genius on her chapter title and incorporating both Aiden and Irene's "online presence" while not taking too much out of the main story line.
Their mutal friends/roommates were also such a riot! Love them even more when all 4 were on the page!
Yes, the chapters were kind of long but I was enjoying the banter and literary references and Bookish fun SO much I didn't even feel it 😂😍
This is a MUST READ for anyone into Bookstagram, BookTok, Book blogging, or into the romance genre. I could relate to this so much and I honestly can't wait for more people to read this and laugh along at all the Bookish inside jokes 😂
Absolutely loved it and can't wait to add this to my book trophy shelf 🤭

This book is a love letter to romance readers and while it was a little cheesy at times I was sucked in and looking forward to the outcome of the main character’s competition. Told in a college setting I felt those aspects were pretty realistic in terms of friendships and workload demands.

4 stars

Why is Irene literally me? I felt her love for romance books and internal struggles on a personal level. Her and Aidan are so cute together. This may not be the best written book in the world, but it’s still super cute and perfect for YA romance readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

This book feels like a love letter to romance readers. We're talking popular tropes sandwiched between an adorable cover and a heartfelt plot. I bookmarked sooo many pages, and I already know I'll be rereading this book again and again. 4.25 stars and one of my favorite YA romances of the year!

This story has such a cute (and messy!) setup. It follows Irene and Aiden, two romance reviewers who attend the same college. They're competing for the same sponsorship deal and come up with a challenge: whoever finds true love first using book tropes wins. I think that's such a cool idea, and it leads to sooo many funny situations! Irene's grumpy/sunshine date and Aiden's shifter romance date (don't ask) had me giggling. The book is set up so that each trope gets its own chapter. There's small-town romance, forced proximity, fake dating, and more! I love that Irene and Aiden are as obsessed with book tropes as I am.

I'm also pleasantly surprised by this book's depth. "The Romance Rivalry" is about so much more than two people falling in love: it's an ode to figuring out your future, following your passions, and finding the courage to show your true self. I think this book will resonate with readers who value a strong plot and positive character growth.

I also have to say that the witty banter between Irene and Aiden is *chef's kiss*. Some of their conversations had me laughing out loud. I love it when I can see the characters together outside the confines of the plot. I feel like a lot of YA romances fling the love interests together for the sake of the story without establishing any depth between them. "The Romance Rivalry" does a great job showing how Irene and Aiden are stronger together. I felt so invested in their relationship!

The only reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is because I don't like how Irene constantly takes things out on Aiden. I understand it's necessary to show her character growth, but I wish she'd stop to consider things from his POV. Other than that, I really like this book! I love the dating-by-trope idea and think it's a great setup for the story. 4.25 stars and a solid recommendation!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

This book was just what I wanted! It is a great rivals to lovers in school romance and I enjoyed the building romance a lot!

📝review:
A book that takes the beloved rivals-to-lovers trope(it packs plenty of other reader-favorite tropes too) and gives it a literary twist. If you’re into stories about fierce rivalries, a sprinkle of mystery, and a satisfying slow-burn chemistry, this one’s for you. It's filled with everyone's most favorite romance tropes, bookish banter, and a rivalry so intense and fun, it’ll have you flipping pages like your life depends on it, rooting for these two to find their way to each other.



📝characters:
We’ve got Irene Park, a die-hard romance reader who lives for happily-ever-afters—on paper, at least. In real life? Her love life is as silent as an empty library. But when she starts college, Irene decides it’s time to stop reading about romance and start living it. And because Irene’s a romance connoisseur, she’s got a plan: find her soulmate through tropes, obviously.

Enter Aiden Jeon, her snarky online book rival. He’s just as passionate about books as Irene but with a slightly annoying knack of challenging her opinions. Surprise surprise, he is now in the same college as Irene. When Aiden throws down a challenge to see who can find their trope-tastic love first, it’s game on. But the real fun starts when they’re forced into the ultimate trope: fake dating. Yep, the very thing Irene’s been dreaming about turns out to be her worst nightmare—and maybe her best dream come true?



📝Irene and Aiden:
Watching Irene tackle the highs and lows of college life, friendships, and her dreams—both romantic and academic—adds so much depth to her character. She grows from someone caught up in doubt and fantasy to a person who knows her worth and understands love beyond fiction.

And Aiden? Beneath his confident and outgoing exterior lies a deeply caring soul. Despite his own struggles (which I can’t spoil for you here!), he constantly prioritizes Irene. He’s the kind of book boyfriend who will make your heart race and leave you swooning faster than you can say "fake dating". His moments of vulnerability, paired with his unwavering attention, support, and care for Irene, make him unforgettable.



📝them and their friends:
Chemistry between Irene and Aiden is pure chef’s kiss. From the very first in-person interaction to the very end of the book, the chemistry and tension between them was off the charts. Their rivalry? hilarious, their banter? electric, the brief jealous moments and the slow realization that maybe they see each other as more than mere rivals/enemies? PERFECT.

One can not talk about this book without mentioning Irene and Aiden's best friends –Jeanette and Charles– who were there to help and encourage our main characters at all times, providing unwavering support and some-much needed humor. It was so cute and adorable to see how they start from being supportive friends who end up as a sweet romantic pair of their own-such a delightful sub plot, all while betting on Irene and Aiden's love life.



📝what makes the book stand out:
What sets The Romance Rivalry apart is it's ability to mix the swoony giggly moments with authentic real-life struggles. Susan Lee doesn’t just deliver a fun rom-com; she gives us a heroine who in the beginning, feels like an imposter in her own skin in the start and comes out out as someone who's not chained to the shackles of her insecurities anymore, and is a strong-headed and wise person by the end of the book. She also learns that love isn’t about following a formula.

Aiden’s arc is equally powerful. Behind his charm and wit is a boy navigating the complexities of strict family expectations and personal hardship.

By the end of the book Susan Lee has made it very clear how, Irene and Aiden's journey isn’t just about love—it’s about breaking free from insecurities and embracing one's true self, taking risks, challenging norms, and finding beauty in imperfections.



📚Recommend for:
If you love rivals-to-lovers, fake dating, or books about people who love books, this one’s for you. It’s smart, heartwarming, and laugh-out-loud funny. By the end, you’ll want to grab your favorite romance novel, cozy up, and maybe start plotting you own happy-ever-after.

The Romance Rivalry is a page-turner that will leave you smiling, swooning, and utterly satisfied. Don’t miss it!
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First of all, thank you so much netgalley and the publishers for the arc.
OH. MY. GOD. OH. MY. GOD.
I WAS ACTUALLY PLANNING ON WRITING A BOOKSTAGRAM REVIEW BUT I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK I MIGHT HAVE TO WRITE A BLOG REVIEW AHHHHH BUT I WON'T BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK WITHOUT GIVING SPOILERS.... BRO I'M COOKED!!!!

4.5 stars

so CUTE. had me kicking my feet and giggling all the time, and i could not stop thinking about this book. aiden is so <333 and irene is so relatable (as an eldest daughter). and they're so perfect together. jeanette and charles were cuties too. and taejin was HILARIOUS with this "im premed"

i took the 0.5 off cause aiden's book being about werewolves and using the words alpha and sigma really threw me off. i cringed

but also, AIDEN WAS IN LOVE ALL ALONG?? AND HE ONLY READ BOOKS THAT IRENE RECOMMENDED? WHICH IS WHY ALL HIS REVIEWS WERE ABOUT THE SAME BOOKS AS HER AND WHY HIS REVIEWS ALWAYS CAME AFTER HERS. AND WHY HE ALWAYS COMMENTED ON HER REVIEWS. HE FELL FIRST AND FELL HARDER. I ACTUALLY LOVE THAT. AND HE LOOKS LIKE WONWOO WOW 😭

Two romance reviewers end up in college together. They get involved in a who can win game and fall in love with each other. It’s a super cute coming of age tale. First love impacts and how all it takes is one person, one post to change your life.