Review: The Rival by Emma Lord

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.

• Title: The Rival
• Author:  Emma Lord
• Publisher: Wednesday Books
• Publication Date: January 21, 2025
• Genre: Romance, contemporary 
• Source: Digital ARC via Netgalley / Publishers  in exchange for an honest review 
• Targeted Age Range: YA
• Content Warnings: Mentions of fertility difficulties, Panic attack (on page, mild)
• Rating: ★★★★★

By now you all know that Emma Lord is one of my favorite authors and of course, I was completely thrilled to get at ARC of The Rival last year. Since reading her debut, Tweet Cute, she’s become one of my go-to authors and every year I look forward to her releases. I love each book more than the last and have given each of her books 5 stars, so it’s no surprise that I absolutely loved The Rival. I loved it so much that it made it onto my Favorite Books of 2024 list. 

As always when reading an Emma Lord book, I try to figure out what Taylor Swift song relates to the book and characters. mirrorball girlies, buckle up because Sadie is one of us and you may feel a bit called out by reading this one. 

I’ve always found a way to relate to Lord’s main characters, but Sadie truly felt so familiar to me. I saw so much of myself in Sadie. I completely related to her competitive nature, but more so than that, I felt like I understood her at a deep level. Sadie is what you’d call the “good” kid. She never caused any trouble with her parents, never gave them any reason to worry, just kept her head down and did what she needed to do, didn’t cause waves and was always the “peacemaker” and that’s something I can definitely relate to. Our situations are different, but I know that feeling well; I understand what it’s like to be the one to keep the chaos from getting too big, to be the one to sometimes tamper down your own feelings because someone else’s feelings are already so huge. I did a lot of that as a kid/teenager, and it’s something that I still deal with, so I really understood her struggle. That need for control when you feel like there are so many things outside of your control; how if you can do just this one thing, if you can just keep the situation from getting out of hand, then you can breathe a little easier. Sadie’s journey of self discovery and letting go of the need to always be in control of herself for fear of being “too much” for others and pushing down her own feelings to help keep things calm was so wonderful to read, and I was so proud of her. I just adored her and thought she was a relatable and easy to root for main character.

The banter between Sadie and Seb was top notch; they were so funny. There were so many moments where I found myself laughing out loud and I just had such a fun time reading about these two. I loved their competitive streak and their antics, I loved them as individuals and as a couple. Academic rivals to lovers is a particular favorite trope of mine (probably because I too loved academic success and am very competitive) and I loved what Emma Lord did with the trope. I loved that Sadie and Seb’s parents were best friends so they’ve literally spent their entire lives around one another. I felt this added another layer of understanding to their relationship and thought it was more interesting than just two kids who have gone to school together their entire lives. There was a level of understanding and domesticity (I’m talking about you, first scene at Pancake It or Leave It) between the two that made the storytelling more interesting to me and I loved how intertwined their families were — I loved how much Sadie’s younger sister loved Seb and that he genuinely cared about Sadie’s sisters. It just added something more for me, and I really loved that.

As always, Emma Lord books just make me laugh. I truly think Emma and I have a very similar sense of humor, because she just cracks me up. I loved the One Direction and Harry Styles cardboard cutout reference, Seb’s love for the musical Wicked (so valid), the “Resurrection Mystery Party” (this had me cackling and now I was to go to one), the letter parties — she just knows how to write fun scenarios that you want to be part of. I also think she does such a great job of throwing in pop culture references that feel natural and not forced. 

I had this ARC for a while and waited until the end of last year to read it, and honestly that was the perfect choice. I had felt a little burnt out with work, and reading, and commitments and…just kind of everything, but sitting down and reading The Rival was almost a revival of sorts. It brought me so much joy and truly reminded me of why I love to read. 

If you want a book that’s going to make you laugh, and cry, and help you escape for a few hours, then you absolutely must read The Rival, and make sure that you’ve got a sweet treat with you when you do!

Links for The Rival: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop