The Rival by Emma Lord

The Rival book cover

Reading a romance novel is always risky for a multitude of reasons. Not only do romance novels have more layers and niches than people, but choosing an author is uber important in ensuring that you read a romance novel that is up your alley, enjoyable, and more importantly, worth your time and money. I am a very plain romance reader - I prefer rom-com-esque novels that are more cute and love-filled than some other genres that take darker turns or explore specific niches that, quite frankly, I can't believe anybody could read or enjoy. 

I took one of these risks 2 weeks ago when I bought a brand-new novel from author Emma Lord. With her debut novel in 2020, Lord is also a writer for BuzzFeed, located in New York City, and a big fan of Barbie and "sweet treats". Prior to The Rival, I'd read 2 books by Lord: Begin Again (2023) and The Getaway List (2024), both of which I enjoyed, but I was not overly excited by. I felt they were just okay - cute, at most. An excerpt from my Goodreads review of The Getaway List reads: "cute but not enough happening. I like that there were no evil plot twists and that they have mutual love for each other, but it just kind of feels like a lot of lead up for not much in the end." Safe to say, I was happy I had checked out both of these from the library, and not purchased them for my collection. 

But, up at school, I don't have the easy luxury of driving to the library to pick out any book I please, and when I take the hike to Barnes and Noble, I am forced to make important decisions in only a little bit of time (until the next bus returns). So, when I was there 2 weeks ago, I decided to buy Emma Lord's newest novel, published January 21st, 2025,  The Rival. And I'm glad I did. 

The Rival follows college freshman Sadie as she begins her new life, where she feels she can be her true, authentic self, finally free of her longtime academic rival and family friend, Seb. Sadie's dream of being a comedy writer is finally in her reach, as long as she can obtain the one free spot on her dream college newspaper, Newsbag. However, there is one snag. Seb shows up on her first dya ot the very same meeting, vying for the very same spot. This book is a rivals-to-lovers with an academic twist, full of cute quirks and lots of emotions. And a lot of pancakes. 

I really enjoyed this book. I feel like every time I read one of Lord's novels, I relate to the characters in their age, and I think that makes me like it more. Because this time, I could sympathize with Sadie on navigating freshman year of college and getting your bearing - even if her college seems much more interactive then mine, and much friendlier - also, this novel did not highlight any of Sadie's own academic struggles but focused mainly on her navigating her relationship to Seb and to Newsbag. It did discuss academic expectations and unfair budgets for student-athletes through the overworked character of Christina. It also discussed leaving home and feeling free from an overbearing and loud family, which Sadie feels, but I felt quite the opposite of. Sadie has felt like she couldn't be her true self around her family because she has always had to control her emotions and keep them in control, but away at school, she feels free to be very authentic. This is just one of the self-discovery trails explored in this novel, but it fits in well with the setting of a new college and new state, so it doesn't make the book feel overly full.

The romance in this novel was super cute, too. They were the type of "rivals-to-lovers" where they are clearly in love with each other but will deny it until the end of time. By the end, spoiler, they do give in, and the build-up through the whole novel was very cute. I would definitely recommend it to younger rom-com readers as well because there was nothing explicit, and it's a cute story to read. 

One thing is for certain, more so than the writing quality or cute characters: Emma Lord's novels will always include a signature "sweet treat".