Book Review: The Rival

The Rival by Emma Lord ~ 320 pages ~ to be published on January 21, 2025 by Wednesday Books

Goodreads 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.

What I Thought:

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!*

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. 🥰

Emma Lord is one of my absolute favorite authors. If she wrote it, I will read it! The Rival was written in her same witty, sweet-as-cookies style that I have come to know and love from her.

Sadie and Seb were delightful characters to get to follow along on their journey through their freshman year of college. I loved their banter, and their friendship (although Sadie would be hesitant to call it that, especially at the beginning). Seeing them both grow and change was a delight. Romances set during college is something that I love and am hoping to see more of from Lord as she grows as an author.

I really enjoyed the storyline of this novel. I liked getting to see the trials that are unique to your first year of college/university. I also loved getting to meet all of the side characters along the way. Seeing the various clubs and societies interact was so much fun, and it took me back to my own first year at university, attempting to find my way in a brand new place.

The deeper meat of this story was how Sadie and Seb were trying to figure out who they were as individuals, apart from their families and the expectations that others put on them, or that they put on themselves. It was moving, and heart-wrenching at times, to see each character slowly figuring out how to be an adult and make their first real adult decisions.

**Slight Spoiler Alert!!**

The only thing that bothered me with this book was the sheer denial that Sadie was in regarding her feelings about Seb. The more I learned about their history, the more frustrated I became with her blindness in regards to him. Not even about having romantic feelings, but just in considering him a friend in the first place. She has known this boy since she was an infant…how can you tell me you don’t know how you feel about him in regards to friendship?! Okay, I’m off of my soapbox now.

**Spoiler Alert Over!! You are safe now!!**

All in all, I loved this story and the friendships and relationships fostered within it. I also love how Lord manages to insert her love of all things sweet into her novels, in this case, pancakes 🥞 🤤 If you are a fan of rivals to lovers romance, friends to lovers, first year of college stories, and books with delicious food…then this is the book for you!!