The Rival by Emma Lord
Published by Wednesday Books on January 21, 2025
Age/Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
Rivals-to-lovers gets an academic send-up in this charming and irresistible romantic comedy from Emma Lord, New York Times bestselling author of Tweet Cute and Begin Again!
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.
They had been pushed into each other's lives since birth by their best-friend-parents, but Sadie was finally free of Sebastian! Or so she thought. Sadie was ready to conquer Maple Ride when she learned that Seb got off the wait-list and got into HER school. Now, the two rivals were competing for a spot with the university's lauded zine, Newsbag which had some surprising results.
It's always fun being in a world created by Emma Lord. Her characters are well developed with sharp wit and humor and are bound to elicit laughter from me. She also does over-the-top in a way that amuses rather than annoy me while still exploring relevant issues.
It may have been a long time ago, but I remember how scary and different it was when I started college. There are a LOT less rules and nobody really trying to keep you in line, so you tend to grow. Some people are lucky, and they are easily able to adapt, but it can be a process for others. They need to find their boundaries, their people, their "home" away from home. Lord explored this first year of college in a thoughtful way, shining a light on the positives and the negatives while also delivering a great rivals-to-more love story.
I absolutely bought into the rivals aspect of Seb and Sadie's relationship, but I am not sure how much "hate" was there. It seems hard to hate someone that you shared so much of your life with. It was sweet the way they gravitated to each other when they were missing home, but it was also obvious that there was or had always been something bubbling beneath the surface with them. It was wonderful seeing it take root and grow as Seb and Sadie also grew. And pancakes. It's as if Emma Lord knew the way to my heart. This was a fun and cozy part of the story, and I couldn't wait to see what kind of pancakes Betty would serve up next.
Speaking of Betty, she was one of many characters who added to the amazing chaos of this story. Like I said, it's always fun to be in a world created by Lord because of her colorful characters, snappy banter, well placed pop culture references, and whip-smart dialog. All that along with a cause to rally behind had me throughly entertained as I waited for all the cards to fall into place for Sadie.
Overall, it was a pleasure accompanying Sadie on her first year at Maple Ride where she found herself, learned to embrace the messy parts, fell in love, and established herself on campus.
*ARC PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on June 4, 2024
Age/Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
They fell for each other in just twenty-four hours. Now Rowan and Neil embark on a long-distance relationship during their first year of college in this romantic, dual points of view sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow .
When longtime rivals Rowan Roth and Neil McNair confessed their feelings on the last day of senior year, they knew they’d only have a couple months together before they left for college. Now summer is over, and they’re determined to make their relationship work as they begin school in different states.
In Boston, Rowan is eager to be among other aspiring novelists, learning from a creative writing professor she adores. She’s just not sure why she suddenly can’t seem to find her voice.
In New York, Neil embraces the chaos of the city, clicking with a new friend group more easily than he anticipated. But when his past refuses to leave him alone, he doesn’t know how to handle his rapidly changing mental health—or how to talk about it with the girl he loves.
Over a year of late-night phone calls, weekend visits, and East Coast adventures, Rowan and Neil fall for each other again and again as they grapple with the uncertainty of their new lives. They’ve spent so many years at odds with each other—now that they’re finally on the same team, what does the future hold for them?
I never expected RLS to revisit Rowan & Neil, but I am glad she did.
After the HEA can be tricky. That first installment of this duet was this amazing night where Rowen and Neil finally acknowledged those long simmering feelings for each other. It was BIG and filled with so much happy anticipation.
After that amazing night came real life. Rowen and Neil began their relationship right before they were set to go their separate ways and embark on the next chapter of their lives - college. They were faced with so many challenges, and I think Solomon did a wonderful job capturing all those first year emotions. If I was the target audience, getting ready to go to college or approaching the end of high school, there is so much to glean from this story.
But, I sort of just wanted more of that Rowen and Neil magic, and that was hard to get with them physically apart for most of the book. BUT! Solomon gave me the ultimate gift of an epilogue which brought tears to my eyes, and don't worry, they were the happy kind.
Overall, I did enjoy catching up with Neil and Rowan and being a part of their personal journeys as they faced new challenges.
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