wes and mo are super cute!
i personally really enjoyed the book and the whole storyline it follows. it kind of felt like a documentary of someone writing an adaptation but not at the same time.
mo and wes are both authors and work in the literature industry and i feel like this made them relate to each other a lot more personally.
they spend a weekend away together competing to be able to release a book adaptation, which then turns into something more.
gary and estelle were also really cute!
i thoroughly disliked estelle’s daughters too.
i think the whole idea of the story was actually really cool and unique.
if you like tropes such as:
enemies to lovers
rivals
competing
he falls first
then i feel like you will love this book!
it is really heart felt and does have some sad parts but mostly happy and i loved the epilogue and ending!
3.75 stars.

I can't lie, I didn't expect to love this when I first started reading it but I think I kind of did. Wes was really endearing. I liked how determined he was to make a name for himself on his talent, not on his mothers, yet how thoughtful and considerate he was of Maureen.

That, and how immediately gone he was for her. I will never love anything in a romance book more than an MMC that is immediately a goner for the FMC and doesn't even try to deny it to themselves. How magical it would be to live in a world where men like this weren't a minority. Or entirely made-up. I loved how effortless the friendship and relationship between Wes and Mo developed. Their banter just clicked and nothing about them felt forced.

This book was a little corny at times, but it had a couple of laugh out loud moments. It wasn't a remarkably stand-outish book in the world of romance books, but it's definitely for the people who love academic rivals, bookish dorks falling in love with each other and genuinely earnest male main characters.

Maureen and Wes have written a modern adaption of a book they were inspired by while in high school. The original author’s estate has rights and must approved the adaptation leaving Maureen and Wes both vying for the right. They are invited to the estate and are reading their manuscripts to Estelle, the daughter of the original author. I loved that Maureen had to work as a caterer to write while Wes came from a wealthy background and was a literary agent himself. Their friends, family and acquaintances contributed to the story of Maureen and Wes. I enjoyed Maureen’s family, and the puppy farm her sister ran in Iowa. The contrast of New York City and Iowa was fun. There is a lot of love in the story as well as humor, reflection, and pride in all people. Great book!

This was an enjoyable enemies to lovers slow burn romance. We follow Mo & Wes. They both write their own adaptations of a beloved classic book but only one of them can get published and sold in bookstores. This is when the rivalry begins but the more they are pushed together the more the romance sparks between them.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and this was a quick read for me.

I think this book had a lot of potential, but continued to fall flat for me. The dialogue felt forced at times and didn't quite seem to fit nicely into any category. I feel like it was trying to be a romance, but even fell flat there.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was SUCH a cute and easy read!! I really don't have any substantial criticism — I enjoyed it thoroughly, it made me smile, laugh, tear up a little, and warmed my heart. The characters were endearing, very relatable, and they had such good, well-written chemistry and banter. The rival to lover trope was done well, and the plot was good and interesting (and new to me!). I liked that the MMC was bi, and I loved that he was called out for his privilege being from a rich, well-connected background. Also looved that the characters weren't teenagers or young, young adults, but my age :).

Perhaps my only criticism is that the spice stood between closed-door and descriptive in a vague sort of way, which I'm not sure is the type for me but might be quite good for others!

Loved the edgehog too haha! The ending and epilogue were super cute. Would definitely recommend it to anyone who's looking for an easy, flirty modern romance with an interesting bookish plot!

I loved the chemistry, the characters- the plot, the best way I can describe it is a modern day pride and prejudice! Beautifully written; exactly as the title suggests. If you love the trope, you’ll love this!

4/5!
If you love Pride & Prejudice, I think this book is for you. Wes being from a family of well standing, famous mother and connections wishing the publishing industry whereas Mo is from a small town, working in catering, looking for her big break. Ultimately I thought both charters to be prideful and almost prejudice towards each other.
This book started off really slow and I almost DNF'd it within the first quarter BUT as the characters started competing for the adaptation I found the story picked up pace. I thought Mo and Wes to be socially awkward and slightly neuro- spicy which I think really made me like this story more as I found them really endearing. The ending was super cute and I really enjoyed the slight twist.
Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the Arc!

This is quite possibly one of my favourite reads of 2025, it was so beautifully written and the chemistry was off the charts. The plot was intriguing and I think it was written really well!

I loved the premise of this book, but ultimately it fell really flat for me.

What worked for me: Mo and Wes had great chemistry and banter. If you love bookish stories and are looking for a low-key romance, this book may be for you!

What didn't work for me: The story fell really flat for me and I felt like I had to really push myself to pick up the book/finish it. When I reached the half way point of the book, it felt like nothing had really happened.

Overall, this was a light and easy read but it fell a little flat.

Rivals to Lovers is a fun, flirty take on the rivals-to-lovers trope, mixing literary ambition with undeniable chemistry. Mo and Wes are both determined to bring their dream adaptation to life, but only one can win—cue the tension, banter, and plenty of stolen glances over well-worn pages.

The premise is fresh and intriguing, though at times the story leans a little too heavily on familiar romcom tropes. That said, the witty dialogue and playful flirtation keep things entertaining, and there are some genuinely funny moments sprinkled throughout.

If you love bookish romances with a competitive edge and a bit of spice, this one is a solid choice. While it doesn’t break new ground, it delivers exactly what you’d expect—a charming, lighthearted read with just enough drama to keep you hooked!

3 stars

Overall, this was mostly cute and enjoyable enough for a Rom-com (a genre I am notoriously picky about0! I enjoyed that both characters were writers and I liked the overarching plot/competition between them, though I wish that their rivalry was a bit stronger, in a sense? Basically, I feel like they started to like each other way faster than I wanted/expected for a book called "Rivals to Lovers." Additionally (though this is a common complaint for me for romcoms), so many of their problems could have been resolved by them just talking to each other earlier on, before things blew up/got complicated! Otherwise, I appreciate that the author added some elements that (at least in my experience) aren't as common in the genre (like the MMC being bisexual, and the book calling him out on his privilege) and it was a pretty easy read, hence my overall rating !

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute book. I did enjoy the premise, but found it to be a little too tropey and similar to other books i had read. There were some funny moments, and the flirting was cute too!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was really cute! at times i felt like the publishing world setting was almost too much for those who aren't familiar with it (certain parts might be confusing) but on the whole, i think this was heart warming, sweet, and a good comfort read. the competition between the two felt so low stakes at points and so high stakes at all, but it all wraps up into a really satisfying ending which i always enjoy.

unfortunately, this book fell flat for me, and i DNF at 37%. i felt as though nothing was happening and found the plot a tad boring.

I wonder if it’s just me, but there’ve been a lot of books lately about writing and reading; not quite as meta-critiques, but more like clingy shadows or tributes to film and classics that rom-com lovers have long put on their favourites lists.

‘Rivals to Lovers’ is one that sort of references these tropes, though Wes and Mo tussle over who should win the rights to adapt a classic work on an old, grand estate where the author’s family member is on the verge of accepting these pitches.

I did lose my enthusiasm at the start though and never quite regained that back after the initial rush of blurb-reading. The way both Mo and Wes met felt like somewhat odd circumstances, or maybe it’s the banter that shines at times (going at an irreverent clip that had me grinning) and befuddles at others (where the descriptions just felt so out of place and off-centre that it kicked me off what was supposed to be a spicy or steamy moment). Which brings me to the sex scenes that lie somewhere between being closed-door and literary-posh-descriptive rather than explicitly-moisture-filled. I was disappointed, to say the least.

‘Rivals to Lovers’ isn’t one filled with animosity, huge heaving breaths and highly-charged scenes overall, and so defied my expectations with a vibe that’s a little more reflective, low-key and cuddly. So it really wasn’t what I’d hope it would be and that led me to skim the rest of the book, but this is really my own personal preferences showing up rather than a reflection of the writing itself.

Rivals to Lovers is a cute book that follows two writers (Mo and Wes) who are both trying to write a story of the same classic literature story "The Proud and the Lost"; however they must compete against each other to find out who will get published and have their book get sold in stores. Both are invited to read their manuscripts to the daughter of the author and her two children. Over the weekend, these two authors continue their rivalry, but also learn more about one another that their hatred for each other soon become love.

While this book was well written, easy to follow and read, it honestly dragged on. In the beginning of the book it was hard to get into the book and I almost put the book down as a DNF. However, as you get to about 1/4 of the book that's when it picked up and I loved the dynamic between Wes and Mo.

Like the synopsis says, this book is definitely for those who love to read and like to read books about bookish people.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A nice easy romance read. Mo and Wes are rival authors adapting a classic novel, vyng for the permission of the original author's family to publish their interpretation. What starts out as rivalry ends in ?

Enjoyed the character development of Wes and loved the pet hedgehog 🦔. The ending was great and felt just right. Romance lovers will love this 🙂.

I read a lot of romance novels, and this is one that really stood out to me. Maureen and Wes are both being considered to write an adaption of the Proud and the Lost, a Gatsby-esque seminal novel. I really enjoyed that this book allowed both authors to be ambitious. Too often in romance novels, dedication to work is considered a negative character trait, but to be passionate about what you do, especially something like writing, it becomes a core part of yourself and your dreams. Wayland never judges her characters for wanting their work to be published and read.

Wes is also an unusual main male character. It has become more and more common to see female main characters who are bisexual, but it's still more unusual to see someone like Wes, who identifies as bisexual, feels strongly about expressing that aspect of himself, even in a relationship with a woman, and has a strong sense of his masculinity. I also appreciate that the two really were rivals, rather than enemies: they respected each other's skill, drive and passion even while competing. The side characters were all very uniquely drawn - from Wes' mother, a lifestyle guru in the vein of Martha Stewart or Gwyneth Paltrow, to Maureen's sister, who is incredibly happy as a vet in their small town in Iowa without judging her sister for working to make it as a writer in New York. Finally, this book won my heart with a reference to Clue, the movie. All books should reference Clue, the movie.

Wayland is obviously someone who has personal knowledge of getting a public published and the harsh nature of being a writer, and it was wonderful that she was able to share this experience with humour, insight and compassion. I would really recommend this book to people who love Emily Henry (who frequently writes about writing and publishing) and You've Got Mail.

3.5⭐️


Mo escribió una nueva adaptación de su obra favorita, The Proud and the Lost y espera publicarla, pero no contaba con que la familia de la autora original aún tuviera los derechos de autor. Entonces, su editora logra conseguir una reunión para convencer a la familia de que le permita publicarla, pero no será fácil, ya que al parecer tiene competencia y Wes quiere hacer su debut con otro libro que también es una adaptación. Ahora tendrán que convencer a la hija de la escritora de que su trabajo es el ideal. ¿Quién ganará? ¿Qué pasará cuando Mo y Wes empiecen a gustarse? ¿Lograrán estar felices el uno por el otro en caso de que su trabajo sea seleccionado, o será el principio del fin?

~


Wes se robo el libro, me cayó muy bien.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.