I love this book. I enjoyed the characters, the way college life and the difficulty of balancing everything were portrayed, and the need to prioritize. I love that in Irene, I could see similarities despite the difference in our ages. Her quite mature views, yet with a touch of childlike innocence. The idea with the tropes is brilliant 🤌 Sweet Aiden... thank you, Susan Lee, for such a wonderful character.

This book beautifully weaves together the best parts of "Better than the Movies" and "XO, Kitty." If you're a fan of either of these stories, I can't recommend this one enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Romance Rivalry" was a fun read and a unique take on finding love through romance tropes.

I found myself genuinely impressed by the character growth we see from the female main character in "The Romance Rivalry" by the end. Her redemption arc actually felt earned, and the ending wrapped things up in a satisfying way that left me smiling. That said, I found myself constantly frustrated being stuck in her head throughout the story—her inner monologue and decision-making had me wanting to reach through the pages and shake some sense into her.

The book's biggest downfall is how it tries to cram in every romance trope imaginable. It's like the author was checking boxes off a list rather than focusing on developing a unique story. I would have loved to get more scenes from Aiden's perspective—he was easily the most interesting character, but we barely scratched the surface of who he really is beyond his role as a love interest. His moments definitely stood out, but there simply weren't enough of them.

Overall, it's a decent read if you're in the mood for something light and don't mind predictable romance beats. It will take you back to your college days if they are behind you. :)

Meeting your online rival in your first college class could end extremely bad or take a turn for the most exciting college experience. This is the situation Irene finds herself in.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy!! This was a wonderful little read. You've got all the tropes from romance as well as coming-of-age. I'll give it a 2 chili pepper spice rating. A really good book showing how difficult the start of college can be as well as asking for help. Just a short sweet little novel about finding love for the first time and getting past the thoughts in your own head weighing you down.

I’m so glad this is over with. I hated the main character. She was such an annoying brat. I hated the love interest. He was so cringey. I hated the writing. Irene was not likeable enough for me to enjoy reading from her perspective and honestly, the writing style altogether was so odd. Even the character development was so badly done. I haven’t read the author's other works before and honestly, I don’t think I will be now.

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this book still. I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it either. I enjoyed the concept of throwing multiple romance book tropes in to make the story, but there was something about it that just wasn’t hitting in the way that I was hoping.

I feel like a lot of it had to do with the main character, Irene. I understand that she’s 18, so she’s a mess and doesn’t know how to handle life, but she felt a little too “not like other girls” to me to a point where it was grating. Her back and forth feelings with Aiden and the shift from rivals to lovers felt insanely quick. I know that there was forced proximity as the two wound up at the same school and in the same literature class, but it just felt very…meh.

There were a lot of loose ends and the ending felt rushed. I wish that it was fleshed out more because there was so much potential here. I think cutting out some of the tropes and focusing more on the relationships without rushing through things would have been a better choice.

That being said - this is a very quick read and I would recommend it for that alone. It’s also good for someone who really loves romance tropes. I just wish that there was more to it so I didn’t feel as though aspects were lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really liked the romance and the butterflies. But this one was a bit not my vibe. At some points, it felt like the FMC was giving STRONG not-like-other-girls vibes. But I enjoyed the vibes of the book and the ending was very sweet.

Thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the ARC! Perfect for fans of This Time It’s Real and Dungeons and Drama comes Susan Lee’s fake dating romance novel coming out on May 13, 2025.

I can honestly tell when a millennial tries to write about Gen Z, so I stayed purely for the vibes and because Aiden is actually cute and was looking forward to Irene’s character development. It’s a light and fluffy read, with just the right amount of drama and heartfelt Korean-American representation that I adored.

To be honest, there’s not much to work with in this novel. It felt like scrolling through ao3 in the middle of the night because the author decided to lump together 10+ romance tropes. It turned out to be cringe, and I don’t think anyone else my age would actually find this enjoyable. However, I think if I were still at the cusp of my teen years, I would’ve 100% ate this up. The characters clearly had tension along the lines of ‘he fell first and harder’, but this book could’ve done without too many generic romance tropes in the narrative. As a book reviewer, I could relate to Irene, but her obsession with romance novels just isn’t my cup of tea. Why on earth would anyone even add omegaverse references and force an enemies to lovers type of tension in contemporary teen fiction romance? They’re college students LOL. Overall, I recommend this if you’re looking for a fast read and are very much yearning in the middle of a life crisis where you think you’re going to die alone. But otherwise, it is truly up to you!

5 stars

It's so cute. My heart is about to burst. Irene and Aiden are relatable as best friends and a couple.

3.8/5 Runded up
This is definitely a story for romance lovers and those in the bookish community as the main characters are book reviewers. As the summary says the FMC decides to find love using what she knows best, book tropes. Then her rival in the book reviewing world is also attending the same school and they decide to do it as a challenge and as you can imagine they partake in fake dating and fall for each other. I had to remind myself that they were teenagers, specially in the case of Irene. She came across a bit standoffish at times and very insecure, which she had her reasons for. When the part of the third act conflict came her reaction was not the best, I felt like Aidan was the one more invested in their relationship. I will say I did enjoy the writing and the way the tropes were incorporated. There is a bike incident scene that felt like a k-drama, and as someone who enjoys them it had me smiling and kicking my feet. Overall it was a cute story.

*3.5 stars rounded up
This book was somewhat unexpected. I didn't see some of the more explicit parts coming or the love interest writing an A/B/O self-insert novel, but I was really enjoying the book itself most of the time. These two reminded me so much of Rowan Roth and Neil McNair, protagonists of one of my absolute faves, so I got a lot of nostalgia from T3. I felt like the main characters were purposefully obtuse sometimes, but they had consistent characterization, and the plot flowed quickly, both romantically and otherwise. The connection seemed to be so physical the second the two main characters got together and actually a little less romantic, but I do understand there were a lot of blurred lines from the fake relationship trope. Overall, I'd recommend to fans of the rivals/aren't-they-more-like-begrudging-friends to lovers trope and those who just want some cute romance to brighten their day. WARNING: BURNT OUT COLLEGE STUDENTS DO NOT READ.

FUN & FRESH
For a book about tropes, it's not cliche-y at all. Every chapter leaves me a gasp. It was a satirical joke on romance tropes but it never makes fun of the romance genre. It wasn't just there for jokes sake. It helps Irene and Aiden grew closer together.

I don’t read much YA romance because I do prefer some spice, but a lot of my favorite authors have been promoting this book so I was excited to read it. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was a quick, cute, lighthearted read. I thought the concept of each chapter being based on a trope was very creative and I loved it. Almost an ode to book lovers with the focus on tropes and literary references throughout.

The FMC Irene did get on my nerves a little and I wish her character was a bit more developed so I could connect with her more. Aiden was such a golden retriever cutie but I think a dual POV could have been beneficial to add more depth to his character, too. (And also so we could feel him pining for Irene!) It all came together a bit too quickly in the last third but it was still a satisfying ending.

This book was a trip for sure. I'm pretty conflicted on the rating being because character plot and writing were not necessarily bad but I had a few issues with this book.

First and foremost, this book is clearly labeled as YA. I in no way agree with this. The young adult genre includes twelve year olds, there was one scene in particular that is for sure not appropriate for younger ya. (the on bed trope chapter in case anyone wants a warning)

Which brings me to my next point, every chapter in this book was named after a romance book trope and the whole point of the book was who could score the most points by completing the most tropes kind of thing. I'll admit it was my fault for requesting the book without super looking into the summary but I hate the over tropifictaion of books. Like common sometimes it's a situation not a trope. But also it makes every book feel the same and I imagine writing has became more of a game on how to include as many or the most popular romance tropes into your book. I'm very much of the opinion that writing the book comes first and then upon reflection readers or publicists can find the 'tropes' when recommending them to readers. Not to mention that half the time it feels like a spoiler anyways.

Finally, (minor spoiler) the mmc writes a book that is supposed to be pretty impactful to the ending of the book as being rather profound. Tell me why it was poorly written fan fiction of the main characters as wolves, alpha and all. My jaw was on the ground I felt like I had been pranked, it felt so completely out of place like huhhhh. (made the 2.5 a solid 2)

With all that said I read 50% of this book in one day and the other 50% in another so it wasn't unreadable or anything. Thank you net galley and the publisher for approving my request!

I love me a good rivalry romance. Especially a cute YA one that has me kicking my feet and giggling the entire time. Well, most of it.

I loved the relationship build up and the character arcs. I disliked very few things, and even then I don’t think I can say I disliked any of it. The moments I was cringing were apart of the plot and I appreciate them now.

Definitely a five-star, and now I want to read the rest of her books!

A light easy read. The story has a great concept either sweet moments but moves slow. I had a hard time immersing myself in the novel.

This book was so cute. I absolutely loved that the two main characters review books in their spare time (they’re one of us!!). I also thought it was so funny to see the two of them compete on how many tropes they could cross off on dates with other people (all the while pining for each other). It was also so great to see their friendships bloom coming into college. Fair warning though, Irene did get on my nerves, especially in the third act, but it all turned out good. My only real complaint was the “epilogue”, which just felt odd and unnecessary (although I guess it was kind of cute??). Anyway. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves books, especially if you are a reviewer.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The idea of this book being "find love based on tropes" was executed very well. Having each chapter centered on a trope? LOVED IT. Irene’s checklist of dates in the first quarter of the book were so fun! It was shenanigan-y, which is my number one thing about rom-coms ACTUALLY BEING rom-coms.
However, my excitement falters there. Irene felt underdeveloped, as did her supporting characters. I thought they had good relationships and banter, but I didn’t believe in Irene’s motivations. As a middle child myself, I get her struggles with her identity, but I knew next to nothing about her otherwise. What made her turn to social media and how did she get good at it? Does she feel more herself online or is it all a front and why? And based on the bit I knew, she seemed to me like someone VERY slow to trust, but she buddied up to Jeanette quickly and without much backing.
I liked the idea of the dating app brand deal, but we never know what it is about the dating app that makes it compelling. Why this app? Because it’s Korean and so is she? Okay cool but WHY does she want it, besides to grow her following? Additionally and a bit spoiler-y, none of it pays off. They email her about wanting to speak face to face about the deal, but we never see that scene or what came of it.
Then there is Irene’s schooling, which I probably had bigger gripes with than I would have if I wasn’t 29. Does she go to class? Why isn’t she doing any of her homework!! Why doesn’t she care! The "reasoning" being that she can’t bring herself to do it for no discernible reason is pretty close to me when I was in college and depressed as shit, which is a whole other ball game to go into. And when she meets with her professor and he asks her to make him a video like she would for social media about her favorite trope…we never see that on the page. It’s referenced eventually, but did she learn anything from it?
Also why did she never read any classics in high school?? Pride and Prejudice was summer reading for me but we definitely covered stuff! So what was the curriculum lol
After the initial trope dates, once she joins forces with Aiden, we lose what they are all DOING. We never see any more dates or how it’s influencing their social media. We never see them working on their Lit project. And we never see Irene reading or making content (except the Live they do), so I’m sitting here like, well why isn’t she doing her schoolwork if she’s not making videos or reading? So much happens off page that I was left wanting so much more.
Aiden was sweet but also a bit underdeveloped, and their fake dating turned to real so quickly that the tension didn’t get to breathe. And then when it all falls apart, it gets resolved before we get to sit with it. She forgives him before she’s done the work on herself.
Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but "anyways" isn’t actually a word, no? Not technically?? It was used so much I couldn’t quite get past it.
Wow, it sounds like I really hated this book. I didn’t, I swear!!! I thought it was cute and had heart and warmth. But it left me wanting more. I wanted to be so much more immersed in these characters because I thought they were sweet and funny and had potential. This book has BONES and I love it! It just didn’t have the muscle for me.

A romance novel about romance readers who do reviews on books…what’s not to love! I enjoyed following Irene’s journey from HS book worm to active college student on her quest to find love. And finding out her arch nemesis is going to the same college as she is and does everything he can to be apart of her life. There were a few moments I was not a fan of the downward spiral of thoughts, anxiety and low confidence but that might be because I am drawn towards more stronger minded people.

📚 Every.Single.Trope. (by design)
📚 Rivals to Friends to Lovers
📚 Slow Burn
📚 He falls first
📚 Self Deprecating FMC
I think or a YA romance, The Romance Rivalry by Susan Lee, checks off all the boxes. It is a pretty quick, lighthearted read. Irene and Aiden are both college freshmen at the same college and just so happen to be book reviewer rivals. At least that’s what Irene thinks. A literature class project gives us a forced proximity trope that gets Aiden’s foot into the door of Irene’s life. When a friendly competition leads us to our fake dating trope, Irene must decide is she can put her insecurities and people please aside.
I really enjoyed the chapters reflecting the romance tropes and tying it into the storyline. The supporting best friend characters were great and I wouldn’t mind a duology if we got to see more of them.
For all the slow burning and build up the resolution seem to come on very fast at the end. I think there was still some room for some character development but in terms of a short and sweet YA novel it works.