The Rival coming January 21, 2025 from Wednesday Books; 320 pages
Content Warning: Alcohol, foul language
About the Author: “Emma Lord is the NYT bestselling author of YOU HAVE A MATCH and TWEET CUTE, a BuzzFeed market editor, and dessert gremlin living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, a whole lot of love, and copious amounts of grilled cheese” (Bio from author’s Goodreads profile).
Find Emma Lord on the following platforms:
Sadie and Seb have known each other their whole lives, first as best friends and now as rivals. They grew up as next-door neighbors with families who adored each other, but Sadie and Seb’s friendship over the years became an obsessive need to beat each other academically. When Sadie finally defeats Seb by getting the only spot at her dream college, she’s over the moon—until she learns Seb made it off the waitlist. Now, Sadie must compete with him once again for the most important prize yet: a writing spot at the school’s famous zine. Meanwhile, she’s struggling to come to terms with her feelings about her chaotic family and being away from home. As the semester progresses, Sadie starts to feel differently towards Seb, and they work together to uncover the financial flaws in their school’s system, uncovering their true feelings for each other along the way.
The Rival is my favorite Emma Lord book to date. She has the uncanny ability to capture the tumultuous feelings of a new college student trying to grapple with love and life on their own for the first time. Both Sadie and Seb spoke to each other about their struggles, even continuing their families’ tradition of eating pancakes together on Sundays. Because Sadie and Seb had known each other their entire lives, they had such a deep connection that you could really feel while reading their interactions and banter. Even when they were rivals, they had this undeniable spark and cared deeply about each other, which was why I liked their relationship as much as I did. However, my favorite part of the book was the way Lord portrayed Sadie’s relationship with her family. I appreciated how Lord acknowledged the way that everyone can struggle with their family sometimes, even if they have a great one. Oftentimes, the only familial struggles represented in books are related to a lack of support or even abuse, but Sadie’s family took a toll on her even though they were loving and supportive. Sadie missed her family, but she also felt guilty for not missing them as much as she thought she should, and I think that’s something many college students struggle with. The Rival showcased the realities of complex relationships, both familial and romantic, while still maintaining a comedic, light-hearted feel that made it the perfect coming-of-age romcom.
The Rival releases on January 21, 2025.
Sam Yanis and Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Wednesday Books for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer
Read all posts about