Thank you Wednesday Books and St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own. Jesse Vilinsky’s narration was fantastic.

I’m a big fan of Emma Lord’s YA romance. This was not my favorite of her books, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sadie thinks she’s made it by getting into the college of her choice and by beating out her high school rival, Sebastian, until he shows up on campus. He’s also going out for the same student organization/publication. Their competition continues as they compete for the one open spot.

I loved their rivalry. They’ve known each other their whole lives so their banter and barbs back and forth were hilarious. I also them working on their articles and seeing this part of journalism. I also really loved how they leaned on each other their first semester away from home. Their rivalry/friendship slowly becomes more. I loved seeing this and how they leaned into each other.

I’m also happy for more books from Emma Lord.

I really wanted to like this. Academic friends to rivals to lovers sounds great! However I was so bored while listening to this and I could not get into the story. Thank you so much for providing the ALC but unfortunately I did DNF.

This book was Emma Lord loveliness to a tee! It was a cleverly done book that was sweet as sugar (or maple syrup if you will).

I thought that Sadie and Seb’s rivalry/friendship/etc. was fun to watch grow as the story went on. This book was very young adult coded however the language was a little more coarse than I would have expected!

Overall, if you want to see the grumpiest pancake shop owner, ridiculously fun sounding student clubs and a writing contest — this could be the book for you!

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for this advanced copy on NetGalley! 🤍

Emma Lord has done it again! She has written a college story that I adored. There are these two college freshman, they have known eachother their whole life. They have competed against eachother their whole lives. But, with their families being friends, they have had to play nice. Now they wind up at the same college, fighting for the single writer spot for their college's zine organization, with their family and friends not around will they still play nice?

This story was so cute. I loved the journey the characters went on in finding themselves. I am a sucker for this kind of love story and it played out very well. The college atmosphere was also very well written, as were the supporting cast of characters.

With the flirty/witty banter the story kept my attention.
This narrator was also very good!

I have rated three of Emma Lord's YA rom-coms 3.66 stars. I usually find them to be very sweet and especially fun. I didn't like The Rival nearly as much. It's not bad; it just didn't wow me like the others did.
All too quickly, I was bored by Sadie's repetitive whining. That might have been improved by writing from dual point of view with Seb.

The good: campus activism; Sadie and Seb pushing each other to perform well; Sadie finally asserting herself with her sisters (though this relates to Sadie's likely misperception of their parents' expectations).

The bad: excessive whining; Sadie being terribly dense about her mutual attraction with Seb.

The neutral: college kids finding their independence, even as they're a bit homesick [I'm not sure I ever knew anyone who was].

By far, my favorite characters were Daisy—writer/sunshine wife—and Betty—a pancake restaurateur/grumpy wife. I wish they played much bigger roles in the story, and that I could share a quote from Daisy. If you read it, please let me know when you get to Daisy and whether you are similarly amused by her.

The audiobook is narrated by Jesse Vilinsky, whom I like.

I have had the absolute honor of advance reviewing so many of Emma Lord's books. I love her writing and I am always excited to see one of her books pop up in my inbox!

I am not usually a big fan of YA books, but yet I always enjoy Emma's. The Rival is a bit different as it is set in college so it is a bit YA, and a bit New adult. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Synopsis:
At long last, Sadie has vanquished her lifelong academic rival — her irritatingly charming, whip smart next door neighbor, Seb — by getting the coveted, only spot to her dream college. Or at least, so she thinks. When Seb is unexpectedly pulled off the waitlist and admitted, Sadie has to compete with him all over again, this time to get a spot on the school’s famous zine. Now not only is she dealing with the mayhem of the lovable, chaotic family she hid her writing talents from, as well as her own self doubt, but she has to come to terms with some less-than-resentful feelings for Seb that are popping up along the way. But the longer they compete, the more Sadie and Seb notice flaws in the school’s system that are much bigger than any competition between them. Somehow the two of them have to band together even as they’re trying to crush each other, only to discover they may have met their match in more ways than one.

Likes:
-This story was cute and funny. There was a lot of banter and funny comments throughout that actually made me laugh quite a bit!
-This book seems to be aimed mostly at college freshmen as it tackles leaving home/family for the first time, which I thought was done really well. I thought that scene where Sadie goes out in search of pancakes on her first 'pancake day' away from home was such a sweet moment.

Dislikes:
-The rivalry was really one sided and at times it jus seemed a little odd.
-This book also made me either feel really old, or questioning if the characters were old enough for college. There was just some dialogue and wording that made me cringe a bit.

Overall, this book was sweet and funny. It was a great and quick read that I think is coming out just in time to be on your Valentine's Day TBR!

Pre-order your copy of The Rival now! Releases Jan 21, 2025!

3.5 stars rounded up
A Ya Romance set in their first year of college with two rivals/enemies. They've had a rivalry all through school. Sadie was hoping to be alone at college and away from Seb. She finds out Seb was taken off the wait list. They will be going to the same college as her. He's also going for the same spot on the college newspaper, Newsbag.

This was a cute ya romance. I wish there was a pov of Seb. But it's just Sadie's unhinged whiny inner dialogue. I can't be too annoyed because they are only eighteen years old. Babies trying to figure out who they are. The narration on this book made it easier to listen to the characters annoying ways and naivety. The MC does redeem herself in the end. I didn't hate this book or love it. I did crave Betty's pancakes throughout the book. I also liked the look into scholarship students and what they go through at college to keep their GPA up. Overall a good romance.

Emma Lord is an auto-read for me. Her books feel like a warm hug. This one was no difference. A cute rom-com with friends to enemies to lovers. If you are looking for a fun YA Rom-Com...this is a fantastic option for you!

Emma Lord is the undeniable queen of sweet romcoms and coming-of-age stories.

Sadie and Seb have known each other their entire lives, the by product of being born to parents who are best friends and growing up next door to each other. The last decade has been a series of never ending one-upping each other, but Sadie has finally rid herself of her longtime rival by being accepted into her dream college. That is, until she gets there only to realize Seb has made it off the waitlist and isn't only also on campus, but he will be competing against her for the open writing spot for the school's magazine. Launched into another one of their ruthless competitions, their precarious balance of mortal enemies and polite adversaries just might reach its breaking point.

I don't know how Emma Lord consistently, perfectly captures the feelings that come along with being on the edge of adulthood, but she does. This just might be my favorite book by her yet!

The banter between Sadie and Seb was top tier, I was literally laughing out loud at all of their quips and one-liners. I was also smiling and, metaphorically, giggling, kicking my feet at all of the adorable, sweet, first love feelings flying around. A lot of the time when an author writes two characters that have known each other their whole lives, I feel a little cheated in not being able to see what their dynamic was like before the beginning of the book. However, I thought Lord did an excellent job of giving us well-developed characters, with enough backstory and anecdotes that I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. My favorite part of Lord's books is always the personal growth that her characters go through, and oh did she deliver in this one. Even though I don't come from a loud, chaotic family, nor am I the overlooked middle child, the eldest daughter in me could really relate to Sadie's feelings of having to be the peace-keeper and fixer of the family. I also related to her and Seb's feelings of not wanting to disappoint their parents by being something different than their parents' idea of them, as I am sure a lot of us can.

Clearly, I cannot say enough good things about this book. I highly recommend you give it a read, and maybe do so with a stack of pancakes covered in sprinkles.

The audiobook was well produced and the narrator did a fantastic job. Her voice acting made me feel like I was actually inside Sadie's head and added another layer of depth to the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favorite tropes is academic rivals and The Rival by Emma Lord perfectly fit the bill! This was such a fun read. Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advance copy!

I tend to listen to my audios when I am doing work around the house. I have little children in the house. When I grabbed this “sweet, young adult, romcom,” I was not expecting there to be multiple swears within the first few minutes. And it continues. This author has an obsession with the S word (and uses other swears too, including the F word). And it’s not just an occasional usage, as it can be said multiple times in a row as a complete response to things.

There is an inclusivity theme as characters in this book introduce themselves with their pronouns.

I wanted to continue this book to see if things would even out, but I just couldn’t justify wasting my time. I made it through a few chapters, but the cons vastly outweighed the pros. After a few chapters, I did DNF. I did not make it far enough to determine if this was truly the no spice, sweet romance it was marketed as.

It’s sad because I was really enjoying our main characters and their enemies to sweethearts, grown up together, rivals. I just didn’t want to listen to swear words every couple of minutes. That, coupled with drinking references and pronouns, made me worry about what other content it would contain.

The narrator was amazing! 5 stars for her.

Sadie went off to college with one goal in mind: write for the schools famous zine. Another perk to going away meant escaping her frenemy and neighbor, Seb. For years Seb and Sadie have been competing in everything imaginable and Sadie is glad to be rid of him. That is until he shows up on campus too and is going out for the same writers position as Sadie. Will they continue their power struggle to end up on top or will the lines between enemies and friends blur into something more?

I have been a fan of everything else I’ve read by Emma Lord so I figured I would like this one too and I wasn’t disappointed. I was pulled in from the first chapter and fell in love with Sadie and Seb instantly. I enjoyed seeing their stories play out on the page and see how they found themselves and each other. The enemies to lovers trope was well done in this book and I could feel the chemistry between Sadie and Seb instantly. This college romance was cute and sweet and I didn’t want to put it down. This book is perfect for anyone looking for a cute enemies to lovers romance!

The Rival is my second Emma Lord book & I was thrilled to receive an ARC from NetGalley to get a sneak peek!

The Rival by Emma Lord is a charming, fast-paced YA novel that explores themes of rivalry, personal growth, and friendship. Sadie (FMC) is your typical high-achieving and extremely motivated freshman at a prestigious college. Self-described as her family’s keeper, Sadie she gives a good deal of “eldest daughter” energy. This opportunity to finally find herself and move past the persona she created to stay the pace and never be a bother can finally be shed. Until, Seb.

Seb was her childhood best friend turned rival for every opportunity in high school and the one person she knew she wouldn’t have to compete with again. Cue a spiral on how she’s going to win a competition against the people’s person - hot, charismatic, and a genuinely good human. Now, they’re both competing for a prestigious spot for the school zine, both vying for the opportunity to kickstart their dreams of writing.

The dynamic between Sadie and Seb shifts as they relearn each other’s backgrounds and motivations, and their rivalry turns into the friendship both angst teens clearly missed. The narrative is filled with plenty of hilarious, witty banter, (so many) emotional moments, and the right amount of drama, which keeps the pages turning. The pacing is swift, and Lord’s writing is engaging, making it easy to become immersed in the story.

Ultimately, the storyline was great. There’s a great mix of characters who help propel the story forward and really helped solidify my 4/5 rating.

Tropes:
* Enemies to Lovers
* Childhood Besties (but *le gasp* miscommunication)
* LGBTQIA+ Representation
* MMC Falls First

Special thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

I listened to the audiobook and it was excellent. The narrators were great, and the book was just fun.

This was a very sweet rivals-to-lovers romance. I love reading Emma Lord's YA novels and will definitely purchase this one for our school library. I enjoyed the main characters’ banter and the cast of supporting characters. I found this read to be enjoyable as an adult, but it’s also not something I would hesitate to recommend to an actual teenager—especially because there is virtually zero spice. Things between the main characters never go beyond kissing, so clean romance readers will like this one. The chemistry and banter will definitely make this book a hit with all romance readers as well.
The plot and storyline around the romance was really good and something I think students will enjoy. I thought this was overall a very fun and cute read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the audioarc to preview.

Another Emma Lord book that has so much potential, but is too long. I found myself drifting off and not caring about the rivalry. We all know how it’s going to end…just make it there!

Very cute read! At first I thought it was going to be too YA for my taste, but after a few chapters I got really into the story and loved the character development. The little jokes throughout the book were great and I absolutely loved the pancake meet ups. Joey is adorable and I’d definitely read a stand alone focusing on him in the future!

Emma Lord does it again! (She will never fail me.) This book was the perfect mix of funny and serious, with great romance, and great depth. I particularly liked how it was about the tough transition from highschool to college, and balancing who you want to be with who you were known as before you go to college.

The author also hit on some great (and slightly painful) points about burnt out athletes with funding they can’t control and student organizations with control over where their funding goes, but only if they can get the money. It was great to see both these groups come together through the various antics of Seb and Sadie.

Sadie and Seb’s relationship was also so great, as they pretended not to hate each other around other people until they finally realized they never actually did. Also, just with their little competition for the spot on the paper.

PS, I really want pancakes with sprinkles now.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I honestly think I liked it more as an audio than I would have in print.

This is a true YA book with only limited kissing.

Childhood friends to rivals to frenemies to lovers.

Sadie and Seb were childhood friends. Their parents were great friends and ended up living next door to each other. Their lives were entangled their whole childhood, but they ended up spending many of their years as rivals after a prank goes wrong and Sadie decides they’re enemies.

Sadie thinks she’s finally going to get rid of Seb when she goes to a college he was not accepted to, but on her way to a newspaper interest meeting they literally run into each other. Seb got off the waitlist and is now also going out for the single spot on the paper.

The two of them have to navigate being away from home, changes in friendship, and competing for the spot on the paper. They join a fight regarding funding at the school and put it all on the line in hopes of making change. We watch them learn about themselves, their families, their friendships, and their future.

It is single POV, so we learn about the details from Sadie’s side. She felt relatable and vulnerable, and it was great to see her evolving throughout the book. It really did feel like that transition time I often see in my college freshmen (the age they are in the book). I also loved in inclusion of school and family.

4.5⭐️

Emma Lord is one of my favorite YA authors and I love how I can always count on her to deliver a heartwarming coming of age story that is brimming with wit, theatre references, sugary treats and snacks, adorable friend groups, and characters that are striking out on their own and pursuing their dreams, while discovering themselves in the process.

I love how Lord’s stories center around creative pursuits - writing, podcasts, art - and passions of the main characters, and how the characters discover how to use their voices outside of the familiar comfort and safety of home and high school. These books are a beautiful blueprint for YA readers on how to build community, foster friendships, to give yourself grace and take a chance on your dreams, and to use your voice to help others.

I absolutely loved the recurring conversation between Sadie and Seb where they discussed relationships and emotional health, speaking on how relationships and “firsts” are up to you and there is no checklist or timeline. I think this was such a fantastic conversation to have and I adore Seb for reminding Sadie that relationships and all they entail are completely personal - there should never be any pressure to have those firsts and that it’s perfectly acceptable take your time and wait for that right person. I love the younger generations for normalizing conversations around emotional health.

I just love Jesse Vilinsky’s narration and their vocal performance bringing Sadie and Seb to life was fantastic!

Gosh, this story was abundantly charming, so heartwarming, and an overall delight to read!

4.5 rounded up

Narration: I enjoyed the narration. The narrator chosen for this story fit the character I would have pictured and brought the story to life.

Story: Emma Lord never disappoints and I loved this one just as much as her previous books. While I am out of the age range this books are meant for, I find her stories are still relatable. I was brought back to my college days and trying to find my place just as our main character is doing. Granted, I did not have a cute boy vying for the same things as me.

The characters were enjoyable and I loved how our main character found herself.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review this book.