Before The Rival, I had read two books by Emma Lord. I loved one of them, so I was excited for another book by her. Unfortunately, this book struggles with the same thing the other books do: it’s simply too long. Begin Again was the book by Lord that I loved, and even that one I can agree was too long. Being that I did love Begin Again, I did appreciate the connection to The Rival, mentioning the same school as Begin Again.

The Rival is an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story, but I never fully got on board with their love story. It’s very cliché in the sense that the guy always liked her, but she didn’t notice it, but of course, everyone else did. In high school, Sadie and Seb were rivals in everything. Their competition brought the best out in each other. Now they are at the same college competing for the one position on the prestigious college journalism program.

I did like Seb for most of the story, but Sadie rubbed me the wrong way from start to finish. There is a difference between being goal-oriented and selfish, and Sadie was always selfish. She never thought about the people close to her when considering any of her actions. Even in the end, when I normally would come around on a character, Sadie never won me over.

I’m now two for three with not loving Lord’s books, and I hate that. I can’t wait until her next book comes out so I can even up the score.

So, last year, i swore to myself that i wouldn't read anymore from this author because i never gave her anything above a 3 stars but i couldnt help but request an arc because of the cover and im glad i did. I gave this 4.75 i actually really enjoyed and liked this book a lot. The characters were easy to like. The plot was enjoyable. And i loved the narrator

I was excited for a new Emma Lord book and unfortunately this one fell flat for me. I was not a big fan of the main character but enjoyed the side characters. I believe people will like this book but it just wasn't for me

My first foray into audiobooks from NetGalley, but likely not my last. It shows how desperate I am to have Emma Lord's sweets-focused narratives injected directly into my veins.

Seb and Sadie basically grew up together, and yet they have a huge secret: They hate each other and have been enemies slash rivals since about middle school. Sadie thinks college will be a clean break, until she sees Seb going into the same meeting she is. Throw in some homesickness and trying to separate herself from who her family thinks she is and who Sadie is becoming, it's pretty great.

I requested an ebook version from NetGalley, and was too impatient to try and get before I had to wait forever for my library to get it. I need Emma Lord's words in my January that badly. Overall, I liked it. I appreciate how she can portray people on the precipice between childhood and adulthood well. I thought the narration was well done, and since I sometimes zone out during audiobooks, I'll probably reread this as a print book.

Thanks, NetGalley!

THE NOSTALGIA.

Emma Lord does an incredible job of making me feel nostalgic for my college aged years. Where things are confusing, live has a lot of new turns and you’re just trying to find out where you want to be and the goals you have to achieve to get there. I adore this setting so much and love that it’s set in college but still YA appropriate.

I loved the dynamic between Sadie and Seb. The banter was fantastic. The quips and pranks back and forth really sold me on how much they care about each other even though they have been ignoring those feelings for so long. The cute pancake dates and tender quiet discussions were sweet and impactful for the storyline.

It’s a genuine and fun read. I also adored the complex family relationships. That there was support and love but issues too. It’s not all sunshine, yet you know who’s in your corner. I love the authentic nature of these kinds of plots.

If Emma writes it, I’m going to read it and this is no different. Another gem and one I am so grateful I got my hands on early.

Overall audience notes:

New adult contemporary romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses

Thank you Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Summary: When lifelong academic rivals Sadie and Seb end up at the same dream college, their fierce competition for a spot on the school’s zine leads to unexpected teamwork, self-discovery, and a realization that their biggest rivalries might not be with each other after all.

My review: The Rival is a sweet and charming YA romcom that expertly blends the enemies-to-lovers and opposites-attract tropes. Set against the vibrant backdrop of college life, the story follows Sadie and Seb as their competitive dynamic evolves into something deeper and more heartfelt. Beyond its delightful romance, the novel tackles themes of leaving home for the first time, navigating sibling relationships as teens grow into young adults, and the awkward yet exciting beginnings of new connections. The narrator’s engaging and relatable voice adds an extra layer of warmth and makes the story easy to follow and enjoy.

Genres/Themes: Young Adult Fiction / Romance - Romantic Comedy / Coming of Age / Social Themes - Emotions & Feelings

The Rival is scheduled for publication on January 21, 2025, by Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners.

I always look forward to a new Emma Lord book, and The Rival was no exception. She has created another adorable enemies-to-lovers and opposites-attract love story set in college. This is an entertaining, incredibly cute, and heartwarming read you shouldn't miss!

this was a fantastic YA book. it involved characters who were figuring themselves out and understanding that a balance is needed in life. family traditions and understanding it is ok to take different roles in different situations. Every family is different but that doesn't mean bad. Overall I thought this book was fantastic.

I plan to share this book on my instagram on Tuesday, January 21st to celebrate the release.

Emma Lord does it again. I absolutely loved this sweet YA book. This is a tale of Sadie and Seb, who grew up neighbours, and their families were best friends but they were secret rivals and lived to outdo each other. This continues right into college where they are competing for the only position on the schools comedic paper. This is a hilarious and heart warming enemies to lovers story. The author has fun with this trope. Everyone surrounding this couple knows it just a matter of time before they get together. It becomes a running joke throughout the book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listener copy. The audiobook narrator Jesse Vilinsky was an absolute delight to listen to. I highly recommend this book, it's a lot of fun.

Of course this is just like you expect an Emma Lord book to be; a little bit of humour, heart and growing up.

The problem I had was that this was a lot like her other books to a detriment. It just didn't give me much to look forward to while reading it and I just feel like I'm kind of Emma Lord-ed out.

This is a cute book though to its core and I think a lot of people will enjoy it. It's solidly YA, and the characters are pretty relatable.

I guess I wasnt really aware how much "young adult" this was going to be. I feel like it didnt have as much romance as I wanted in it. Cute but corny plot.

Having loved and enjoyed some of Emma Lord’s previous books, I basically hit play on The Rival after seeing the cover and enjoyed this fun little rivals to lovers romcom that made me laugh quite a bit with fun characters that are fleshed out and well built conflicts that kept me listening from start to finish.

As a side note, I feel this book is more New Adult for the college setting and copious amounts of swearing and some innuendo. There’s no explicit sex though, nothing beyond kissing, so this is good for the spice-free crowd and upper YA readers.

The story’s simple: For years, Sadie has seen herself as the peacemaker of the family, wanting everything to be in her control and sees Maple Ridge College as her first time away from the drama. She’s dreamed of writing for Newsbag, a student run newspaper, to develop her comedy writing. But two problems, her life long rival, Sebastian Adams is competing for the job, and second, Newsbag might be going under in a matter of weeks due to budget issues.

Overall, the vibe of this story is heartwarming and chaotic fun. We explore Sadie’s first semester as she balances classes, social life, friendships, and family. The other major plot line is Maple Ridge College’s budget issues, which intertwine with the Newsbag competition, as well as just about everything else Sadie does at school. Sadie herself is an interesting protagonist, having to learn some harsh lessons about control and her life as she navigates through everything.

I loved the character dynamics between just about everyone in this book. Each character had their own version of energy, especially Amara and Rowen, the pair of editors at Newsbag that come off with a grumpy/sunshine vibe. I especially love Sadie and Sebastian’s relationship as they get closer, there’s quite a bit of dimension to the whole thing. There were also segments of the story that was just hilarity and made me smile or laugh, or both. Also, pancakes!

The narrator, Jesse Vilinsky, added to the chaotic vibe with her narration style.

If you’re looking for a college rom com with some laughs and a valuable life lesson, or just more Emma Lord, check this out.

The Rival is another adorable YA rom com by Emma Lord. The narration is perfect and readers will stick with this story through to the end. Hand this to teens who enjoy Lord's other works.

This was such a good rivals/enemies to lovers story, with a slightly more complex backstory! Hard to crush your enemy if your family loves him lol
I loved peeling the layer of who Sadie & Seb were to each other and seeing them come together to help their fellow students 🤩
The only downside was I hate how those closest to Sadie kept expecting too much from her, accusing her of things were really outside of her control and making her feel guilty and pressured.
Otherwise though, I really enjoyed this story and how a bunch of kids brought to light and did something about a corrupt system! It turned to be so much more than a fluffy romance! Though, I enjoyed the romance part too 🥰

First book by Emma Lord that I've listened to/read. I liked the story idea, and I have to say the voice was refreshing. The audio performance was enjoyable, and I found myself wanting to keep listening even though you could see how Seb and Sadie's story was going to pan out. While there is some language, the romance level is very appropriate for upper middle school readers to high school. A happily ever after! Enemies to friends to dating. Journalism setting on a college campus. All good fun for this lighthearted read/listen.

Sadie is ready for her first year at college, where she'll finally get to pursue her drama of comedy writing. Until she literally runs into Seb, her childhood best friend who became her rival, and finds out he will be attending the same college - and they'd both going to be going after the single staff writing position for the campus zine. Determined to get her dream position, and continue crushing Seb, the two seem poised to continue their rivalry. But threats to the zine's funding mean they may have to work together, and maybe should have been doing so all along.

In many ways, this book felt like a typical enemies-to-lovers, and it definitely had the author's tone. Sadie is likeable and feels authentic, even if some of her family tension feels a little underdeveloped at times. Her relationship with Seb also feels fairly authentic, if a little tropey. Overall, an enjoyable read that also touches on some of the issues being faced on college campuses.

Emma Lord writes the nicest YA romcoms. Yes, they’re a bit transparent, but that’s okay, because they just warm you throughout.

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Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

I really wanted to love this one, but sadly it was just too tropey and cutesy for my taste. Right before this one, I read an almost identical book right before this one and maybe I'm just a little sick of the "rivals" that are secret authors/neighbors, etc. but so much of this is SO trendy and common right now that they all start to blend together.

I still have high hopes for Emma's adult novel FOR THE RECORD and think I may need to stick to her adult novels going forward!

I'm sure this will be a hit with the YA crowd though!

As far as the audiobook production, that is 5/5. Jesse Vilinsky is an absolute star and makes every book she reads so much better!

Mixed feelings on this one. At the end of the day, it wasn’t my favorite Emma Lord book. While I enjoy young adult stories, this one felt very high school to me (and yes, I recognize the characters are in their first year of college). It’s an enemies to lovers (which is one of my favorite tropes), but the constant bickering feels very juvenile and is way too much at times. The story felt a bit long, like it could’ve been easily cut down without any necessary parts being lost.

Some pros of this book, however, are the other relationships. I really appreciate how Emma Lord tackles different familial and friend relationships and how these are especially impacted when someone first moves away from home. There’s a lot of positive communication that occurs, which is a refreshing change of pace. It’s also told in a progressive manner and attempts to tackle larger issues as well, making it a bit deeper than a typical YA rom-com. Overall, it’s a fun, easy, low stakes read.

Thank you to Emma Lord, Macmillan Audio, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Emma Lord is back! I love her young adult novels every time. Despite having older protagonists, this one felt like the target audience was younger than her others. Sadie and Seb are best friends from childhood, but their dynamic felt incredibly similar to Lord’s other enemies-to-friends storylines. Some of the pranks they pull at Newsbag were unrealistic and kind of annoying to read. However, this was a fun book and I’m glad I got to listen to it and escape for a few hours.