This was one of the most fun books that I've read lately. Susan Lee is clearly a big fan of romance novels and her love and appreciation for the the genre shines through. I really loved that everyone in the book, from our male main character Aiden to their Literature professor, Dr Kingston, really appreciates the benefits of romance novels.

I also really enjoyed that by having two Koreans main characters, and some Korean side characters, she really does present such a broad spectrum of Korean identity - sure, Aiden's parents are doctors and our female main character, Irene, has a sister who is a beauty influencer, but we also have aspiring novelist Aiden, bookstagramer Irene and a stay at home mom.

I loved the kindness between Aiden and Irene - even when there is some miscommunication, there is a real sweetness to their relationship, because they both think the best of each other (it is perhaps the least vitriolic enemies to lovers I've ever read). While there is some sexual content, I think this would be a great book for teenagers because it models the characters showing understanding and trying to be better communicators and supportive partners. I would really recommend this to anyone who enjoys Lynn Painter's books.

This was so exciting to read, especially as the book itself involves romance reviewers that I identify with, now that I am a romance reviewer! Their different takes on romance kind of both cuts into views I have about romance and different tropes so I was always caught in between both MCs POVs but it was wonderful to watch and read. I loved Irene, how tough she was and how falling in love took her on a journey that made her stronger in herself and with all her loved ones. Aiden was so charming and just made me smile and laugh and feel so excited for Irene! And then that last reveal was amazing, it just made me laugh and smile and hope the best for them. But especially, I connected with both because of Irene's love of Nora Roberts which I share because Nora Roberts was the first romance book I chose to read but, by circumstance, Pride and Prejudice was the first romance I read because it was the only book available when I began reading on a Nook. So both of them having deep connections with both NR and Pride and Prejudice just made me love them all the more. Overall, wonderful story and will, for sure buy when it comes out!

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, and Susan Lee for this ARC!

This is the love letter to the romance genre that we all need. Susan Lee has crafted one of my favorite YA romances yet, drawing on rivals-to-lovers tension, fake dating, and all our favorite romance tropes in order to craft a beautiful story about love—for yourself, for another person, and for your passions. Cannot wait for everyone to hold this in just a few weeks!

3.75 - Let this woman write a screenplay please! This would be so perfect for a teen romcom. I think a lot of why I’d like to see it on film is that a lot of this felt like it would have been more fun watching a quick montage. Some scenes got too much time while others weren’t given enough but in a miniseries or film this would be a delight. A fun, sweet, easy to read romcom perfect for high school readers I think!

This was a super cute YA college romance with an interesting spin. What initially got me interested in reading this book in the first place was the fact that the main characters were romance book reviewers. And I love how that was incorporated throughout the book as someone who both enjoys romance and is also a book reviewer. From the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter with Irene's and Aiden's reviews, the chapter titles being names after different tropes that related to said reviews, and even the detail of having a guide at the beginning of the book to explain different tropes and abbreviations for those that may not be as familiar. These all made the book ever the more fun to read.

I loved the relationship between Irene and Aiden, but maybe I'm biased towards rivals-to-lovers and he-falls-first. But I also very much enjoyed the side characters such as Jeannette and Charles and the friendship dynamics that developed. Honestly, Irene did come across as annoying at times, but I also can relate to her as someone who struggles with the fear of disappointing others.

This is me being a little nitpicky, but one of the things I struggled with the most while reading was the repetition of some descriptions. I get that Aiden has a cocky grin, please do not mention it again. I also felt that tropes were used a little too much throughout the book in a way that made them, and when the characters were talking about it, quite cringey. Though I think if you consider that this romcom is of the more cheesy variety, then maybe it adds to its character.

5 /5 ★

Date Finished ~ 04.01.2025
★ 𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖊 - 𝖒𝖞 𝖗𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜 𝖒𝖆𝖞 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖎𝖓 𝖘𝖕𝖔𝖎𝖑𝖊𝖗𝖘 ★

"𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚢𝚎𝚜. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎."

"𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕. 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚗."

"𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞...𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎, 𝚝𝚘𝚘."

“𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙸𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚎. 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝙸’𝚖 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜. 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛. 𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞. 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝙷𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛.”

𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑷𝑬𝑺 + 𝑺𝑷𝑰𝑪𝑬 ~
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ Rivals to Lovers
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ He falls first, He falls harder
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ Generational Trauma
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ 🌶️
↳ It's a nice balance between YA and open door, there's really only one scene that's suggestive.

𝑴𝒀 𝑩𝑰𝑮𝑮𝑬𝑺𝑻 𝑻𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑨𝑾𝑨𝒀𝑺 ~
╰┈➤ So admittedly, I had not known of Susan Lee until her promo for The Romance Rivalry, however after starting (literally, ch.1 and I was hooked), I immediately ran to buy Seoulmates and The Name Drop. Not only is she the representation I wanted AND so desperately needed, but her writing is like a breath of fresh air. As Aiden says, she "had me flipping each page wishing I had taken a speed-reading class in the past."
╰┈➤ I absolutely adored these characters, and I loved Irene. She is kind, caring, but most of all - she is deeply flawed. She's a chronic overthinker, and bears a LOT of weight on her shoulders. What I admired a lot about Irene's arc though is that Susan Lee has her admit that she was in the wrong. That she was at fault on multiple occasions and could have done better. Irene had a lot of reasons to feel the way she did - but I like that she was also able to grow as a character. I love that she had the moment with her family, and how receptive they were. I think a lot of us Asian children are going to resonate with that scene, because I think we all needed to hear it out loud (or read it on a page I guess haha).
╰┈➤ Aiden is the ooiest-gooiest cinnamon roll MMC I think I have ever encountered and I am obsessed. His pining is evident from day one (and y'all know how much I LOVE a man who pines) but the attention to detail he pays to Irene on the microscopic level had me SWOONING. *I literally went on a whole rant on social media about how he had me kicking my feet and squealing* I related a lot to Irene, but Aiden is LI of my dreams. To be seen is to be loved. Also, I have to say - I was CACKLING at his book. It was so sweet but also SO LEFT FIELD I was not imagining his first book to be omegaverse and I found it so funny.
╰┈➤ I wanted to shine a light on Jeanette and Charles as well, because yes although their main purpose was to support Irene and Aiden - I fell in love with them too. I love the bond that Jeanette and Irene had, and the small little differences in Irene that Jeanette caused over the course of the book. How Jeanette healed little pieces of Irene, even if she didn't notice.
╰┈➤ I think the use of tropes in this book are SO FREAKING CUTE. I think the formatting from the review to the trope being used in the chapter was absolutely brilliant and original - ultimately very impressive since navigating clichés and tropes is like walking a tightrope.

𝑰𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑬𝑵𝑫 ~
These are the kinds of books and voices that need to be uplifted. I cannot begin to accurately describe the euphoria I felt reading this book. I may not be Korean but this kind of representation MATTERS. I feel so lucky to read this and know that some little Asian teen is going to read this and feel seen. That the story isn't ABOUT them being Korean, they just HAPPEN to be Korean. REPRESENTATION MATTERS. I absolutely believe that Susan has become an instabuy and I greatly look forward to reading her other works. I am also extremely excited that I will get to see her in May at The Ripped Bodice in Bklyn.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review ~!

3⭐️

A cheesy, tropey, love letter to romance novels, this book was a fun little reflection on the contemporary romance genre with the main characters being online book reviewers. I definitely saw myself in both main characters, as a lover of the romance genre and as a reviewer.

Overall it was definitely a cheesy book but in a fun way where it was obvious that it was poking fun at itself while also having its serious moments.

I thought the story progression was a little quick, specifically with the romance between Irene and Aiden. I would have liked their little “game” (iykyk) with each other to have been explored in more detail rather than almost feeling like a montage of content to push the story faster towards its ending. I also would have liked a little bit more context between the 2 main characters as their romance seemed to have gone from 0 to 60 really quick.

This book definitely read like the YA novel that its intended to be, however, some scenes felt a little out of place in the overall context of the book and the style. Some moments/writing style felt more juvenile whereas others felt more mature so it felt a lot like a tennis match whipping my head back and forth to keep up with what was happening.

I enjoyed the little snippets of reviews and the little Easter eggs about popular books or authors in the romance genre that were sprinkled throughout the story. Each chapter having a new review by the main characters that then tied into the theme of the upcoming chapter was also a fun addition.

Overall, a quick and fun little read where if you don’t mind lots of cheese and tropes, I’d say go for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this ARC

If you love romance books filled with witty banter, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a little self-discovery along the way, The Romance Rivalry is for you. This easily became my favorite novel Susan Lee has written.

Irene Park is obsessed with romance novels, so much so that she decides to test out her favorite tropes in real life during her freshman year of college. But things get complicated when she realizes her biggest online book-review rival, Aiden Jeon, goes to the same school. Their love-hate dynamic is full of competitive tension, hilarious moments, and unexpected feelings.

Susan Lee does a great job blending romance with real-life emotions. Irene’s journey isn’t just about falling in love—it’s about learning that real relationships aren’t always like the ones in books. The friendships in this story are also a highlight, adding warmth and humor.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collin’s for this E-ARC!

It took me a few chapters to really get into this one. And while I was reading it, I kept thinking about the fact that it's categorized as Teen/YA. Perhaps it's because I live in a conservative state (I'm NOT conservative), but I felt like this book was definitely on the older edge of Teen. It's not a book we would purchase for our Junior High library (grades 7-9) because of the sexual content.

However, I did like the story and I loved the "he fell first" and "he fell harder" part. I love those.

I do feel like this would have worked better as a New Adult novel with more "open door" type content. The cover makes it look tame but, in my opinion, it wasn't the type of Teen book we would carry.

What a fun book. I loved how much this book was about books haha. Trying to find a boyfriend while using all the tropes. I thought it was really fun and enjoyed reading it. It was fade to black and had a some language. So excited for this one to come out!

Thank you so much to the author, Netgalley, and the publisher for providing this ARC.

The Romance Rivalry written by Susan Lee is a New Adult novel, focused on First Year college students and romance reviewer "rivals," Irene and Aiden. As one might be able to guess from the description and other reviews, most of the book centers around different romance tropes. Irene and Aiden ultimately make a good rivals to lovers trope, even if Aiden is more of an unwilling/unknowing rival. In the end, some of the story felt forced or confusing, especially around the competition component, however, that did not prevent me from enjoying the book.

Aiden is so sweet and clearly falls first. Irene's struggle with her first semester of college was believable, but as a college professor, that storyline really made me want to shake her. It also made me want to shake the professor...I'd never let someone who is clearly failing to do their OWN work completely tank their partner's grade, but I guess that's just me. Not Susan's fault per se, but this aspect of the story pulled me out the world that had been built.

The side characters (Jeanette and Charles) and the friend group aspect of the story was something that I loved! Jeanette really made the story shine for me.

Given that it's a NA story there's some of the spice you'd expect from Freshman in college...although the really spicy moment fades to black. That being said, my preteen daughter grabbed this book before I did, and she was a bit surprised because she's read Susan's other YAs that have less spice. Oooops!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC (that I read) and to HarperCollins Children's Books for the physical ARC I won on Goodreads Giveaways (that my daughter read) in exchange for my honest review.

Susan Lee is one of my favorites authors and I was super excited to get approved for the ARC of this book. Sometimes you can see the cute kdrama moments play out in your head when they happen and it gets me giggling and kicking my feet. Though I still liked this book, I think it may be my least favorite of hers so far. I was hooked in the beginning and then it just didn’t really pan out to me.

The good:

- the concept: I LOVED the concept of a dating challenge based on romance tropes. I loved that each chapter was a different trope. This novel is a love note to romance readers.
- Aiden- Great, swoon worthy, very nice.
- A cool perspective of Booktube/BookTok
- The relationships- I liked the dynamics of Irene’s family and the friendships she made.
- The reveal at the end- I’m glad they joked about it being creepy bc it def could have been lol

Critiques:
- I didn’t find the FMC Irene very likable… she had a lot happening and seemed like a nice person, but she did drop the ball on things and it took a lot for her to actually hold herself accountable. Aiden kept telling her how amazing and smart and driven she was and I just didn’t feel it.
- The relationship at first. I get “enemies to lovers” or “rivals to lovers” but oh my god she was just so MEAN to him about everything! And then he was like “awww hey okay don’t be like that 🙁”. Like obviously it progressed but GIRL. Rude when he was being nothing but nice to you in person. She took literally everything as an attack.
- A big plot point of the story was Irene struggling with what she wants her future to be and what she actually wants to do and I don’t feel like that got resolved for me as a reader. She found the freedom to pursue her goals, but I would have liked a bit more on what they turned out to be. I suppose the flip side is that it can be left to the reader’
- This is a me one for sure and it did make me laugh but also cringe…. The big story to change Irene’s life and save her grade was Omegaverse?? I had to read the word “knot” in this book (iykyk) and then she turned that in??? Hahahaha girl you are braver than me I could never.

this was really cute and fun. I'm not generally the biggest fan of pop culture references or media i enjoy in books and the story was definitely centered around that but i didnt completely dislike it. There were sometimes where I felt like it was a bit much and I wasn't a fan of that. I found myself really relating to the main character and her aspirations and feelings. I really enjoyed the formatting of the story and the way each chapters' name was a different trope. In terms of the story, I thought the plot was really interesting and creative but it felt kind of weak in the book. Overall though it was nice and entertaining.

This book was super cute! I loved the use of all the book tropes. Although it was pretty predictable, it was such a fun and quick read and the characters were super likable. I always enjoy this author's books and the cover is so cute I knew I had to read it.

This was super light and totally bookish! I loved the rivalry between our two main characters and this one has a lot of tropes in it! Mostly I loved the idea of wanting to explore love and life more in this next phase of life, I thought that was inspiring. This is a great, casual read you can pick up when life gets hectic.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins for my ARC

3.5/5

This was a sweet read that I think romance lovers will either love or hate. The author has included basically every possible trope, sometimes successfully, other times a bit haphazardly. I wish we could have seen more dates with other people, perhaps as fewer tropes but with more depth for each. Aiden was a great character, and the premise of dueling romance book reviewers was promising, but I just never really got to like Irene. Her roommate was in many ways a more compelling character!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide an unbiased review!

Each chapter has a romance trope which I love, but I have seen that in a romance book before. I struggle when the two main characters sort of make it a competition to date other people when you know the two of them will end up together in the end, but if you're willing to get halfway through the book it then gets a lot better.

This was cute but also gave the vibe of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what would stick. How many tropes is too many tropes evidently this many. With that being said, I did enjoy the character of Aiden. He was a sweet golden retriever. Irene is a book girlie to the max and unfortunately it did not translate well. The book overall was fine but nothing extremely memorable.

CUTE BUT ALSO… CHAOTICALLY OVERLOADED WITH TROPE MADNESS.

This book was fine. Did I hate it? No. Did I love it? Also no. It exists in this weird limbo of mildly charming but also slightly cringe, like when a millennial tries to speak Gen Z fluently and ends up sounding like a TikTok comment section from 2021.

Let’s talk tropes. I love a good trope-fest, but The Romance Rivalry said, “Why stop at a few when you can include them ALL?” At one point, I was waiting for the kitchen sink to make a cameo.

Now, onto the characters. Aiden? ADORABLE. My sweet, golden-retriever baby who single-handedly kept me from DNF-ing. Jeannette? Loved her. But Irene?? Girl. GIRL. If this is how “book girlies” sound all the time, I need to formally apologize to everyone who has ever listened to me ramble. (This is why I scream into my review account instead of inflicting my book rants on the innocent.)

Overall? A semi-charming, if slightly exaggerated, rom-com that will likely hit better with a younger audience. Middle schoolers and early high schoolers will probably eat this up, but for me? It was fine. Aiden, you deserved better.

The Romance Rivalry is about Korean American book influencers/college freshmen Irene Park and Aiden Jeon. Irene Park lives and breathes romance via pages but has no love or dating experience to speak of in her real life, so she decides to fall in love using her knowledge of romance tropes. However, book review rival and coincidental real life classmate Aiden challenges her in who can find true love via tropes first. Between this competition, transitioning into college life, and figuring out her own personal goals, Irene finds that she’s struggling to find balance and answers for and about herself, none of which her knowledge of romance tropes can help her with.

I adored this book. This is truly a love letter to and celebration of romance readers— for those of us who find home and safety and joy in the guaranteed happily ever after. The way every trope rolled out was *chef’s kiss* delicious, and I ate up every last one of them.

I relate to Irene in a lot of ways. I am also a person who’s lived most of her love story vicariously through the pages of romance books, and it makes all the sense in the world to me to read Irene trying to figure out how to fall in love via the language of romance tropes in which she so fully immerses herself. I relate to her internal doubt that comes with the lack of experience of finding and being in love in real life— I straight up wrote in my notes, “is this fucking play about me?” I absolutely loved reading Irene use romance tropes as the building blocks to her understanding of love beyond books and then really experience and learn that love is more than just those tropes. Her journey of falling in love and figuring out herself in the aggressively hard transitional time that is freshman year of college felt like a piece of home settling into my chest.

And Aiden. Aiden is so sweet. I love a good “he falls first,” and he is /it./ His banter, his support, his readiness to call Irene out when she needs it. Aiden is great. No other notes.

Another thing I love is the different experiences and expectations that these two Korean-American children of immigrants have given themselves as well as the ones they believe that their parents put on them. When it comes to the high expectations they put on themselves, I aggressively relate to these two teens because as children of immigrants, I understand the need to take advantage of any and all opportunities in order to have what society, and especially parents, deem a successful life. Conversely, Irene and Aiden’s parents are polar opposites when it comes to what careers they expect their children to go into; while they may be on the extreme sides of giving/withholding support, I loved reading how supportive Irene’s parents were for her, even after finding out that she’s still figuring out what she wants from life. While my parents are somewhere in the middle of Aiden and Irene’s parents in terms of their Asian immigrant expectations on my American-born self, it still felt like some sort of wish fulfillment and catharsis to be reading a young Asian American woman being so fully supported, loved, and anchored by her family, especially in light of her feeling like she’s drowning and failing at life and being a human.

Additionally, I loved reading Irene find family in her friends, especially her roommate Jeanette. Irene and Jeannette’s easy friendship and love and support for each other was so wholesome, and the group that they formed and the home that they found in each other and their new circle of friends was heartwarming.

My only gripe about this book is that the “only one bed” trope is listed and “just one bed.” When?? has the mass populace?? consistently referred to this elite-tier trope as “just one bed”??? Perhaps, I’m the one in the wrong, but I am so sure that it’s mass-agreed upon as “only one bed” over “just one bed.”

With every book that Susan Lee writes, she lays another brick in the foundation of my library of comfort authors. Thank you, Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins, for the ARC!