I have loved everything I’ve read by Emma Lord so when I saw The Rival by her available through Netgalley, I HAD to request it!! This one fell more on the YA side and followed lifelong rivals Sadie and Seb. Their parents were best friends and they grew up next door to each other. Being the same age, they spent their life competing with each other all through school. Now they’re going to the same college and find themselves competing with each other again for the last spot on the school’s newspaper staff.

Emma Lord does such a good job at making me remember what it was like to be 18 and for everything to be new and difficult and messy and often dramatic. I occasionally found myself annoyed at Sadie for making a big deal out of something that wasn’t really a big deal, but then I remembered who I was at 18 and thought “no wait that tracks”. I loved watching her and Seb see each other in new lights- choosing to work together instead of against each other. I loved watching them carve out space for themselves and discover who they were away from their families. I also always love Jesse Vilinksy’s narration. All in all I really enjoyed this one.
4⭐️
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