I really apologize for being so late with my reviews. I’m almost through with my pregnancy and I’m hoping I’ll have more time to actually write my thoughts down about what I’m reading when I have a bit of a slower time during maternity leave—but let’s see! I did read this back in January, so the details are a bit muddy, but Emma Lord is a great writer…I’ve read pretty much everything she’s written since Tweet Cute (with a few exceptions), and I had no doubt that she would deliver something I would enjoy reading.

At long last, Sadie has vanquished her lifelong academic rival—her irritatingly charming, whip-smart next-door neighbour, Seb—by getting the coveted only spot in 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.

Emma Lord really is the queen of YA rom-coms, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. While I’m not quite in the season of my life where that is what I’m looking for, it was the premise of this one that caught my eye. I love an enemies-to-lovers story (duh) and something about putting people in a university is appealing to me—possibly because I miss that simple time in my life? Either way, I did quite enjoy this one!

Also, just wanted to let it be known that I’ve seen a few reviews saying that they thought the female main character swore too much, but I didn’t notice it at all, like not one bit, so I’m not sure what the says about me, but thought I should point it out.

What didn’t work for me

The missing POV: It might just be because I’ve gotten used to reading two sides of the story with both main characters’ thoughts, but I missed Seb’s side of things. I found Sadie to be a bit…much…at times, and I think seeing where his head was at would have balanced her out a bit. That being said, it did make the ending/the third act a little less predictable, but it’s not like there was a giant mystery to be figured out.

What I liked

The tropes: This is enemies-to-lovers as well as work/academic rivals and also, weirdly, friends-to-lovers. It kind of hits all the bases—then adds a school setting…all my faves when it comes to YA.

Family dynamics: I enjoyed that Sadie and Seb both had very different family dynamics that they were dealing with and that we got to see it play out. Going off to school is a big deal, and parents (and kids) have to learn to navigate it. I feel like Lord did a great job of showing the pressure from a couple of different angles without showing broken or dysfunctional families. It was nice to see.

3.5 STARS

“Keep your friends close and your lifelong academic rivals you’ve imagined kissing multiple times against your will closer.” —Emma Lord, The Rival

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced book copy in exchange for my honest review.