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A review by annacate11
Rivals by Katharine McGee
4.0
I do have to admit that reading these novels is my equivalent of binge-watching reality television. I'm not proud of my emotional attachment to them at the ripe age of nineteen. The first book captivated me two years ago, and from that point forward, I've been snatching these from my local Books a Million any time I get the chance.
I enjoyed this infinitely more than the second one. The new characters were incredibly fascinating--Louise in particular was a brilliant standout. I do wish we had gotten to see more of the other members of her little friend group, and I hope they return in future entries. I will admit that I found myself the most invested in Daphne and Nina's storyline, even if just because it reminds me of my favorite teen film of all time (Do Revenge, for those of you searching for a recommendation), and the way it ended absolutely disappointed me. I hope there's a future for their friendship, because if there's one thing I don't think this series does well, it's maintaining good female friendships--and though they may not have been the healthiest in the world, they were the closest thing we had to a well-written friendship between two women.
I also would've liked to have seen Teddy more. He was the only character I didn't want to absolutely box in the last book, and he was slightly butchered in this one. I miss him.
And I disliked the ending. Putting Beatrice in a coma feels like a complicated thing to tie up in one book, and we're going to see Jefferson take the throne entirely through someone else's eyes, since he's not a POV character. We'll never get to know what he thinks about it, and that breaks my heart. I do hope he gets his chance to shine in the next one, because he feels the least fleshed-out of all the major characters, and I'd like to see him take the spotlight.
All in all, however, I had such a blast reading this book, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next one.
I enjoyed this infinitely more than the second one. The new characters were incredibly fascinating--Louise in particular was a brilliant standout. I do wish we had gotten to see more of the other members of her little friend group, and I hope they return in future entries. I will admit that I found myself the most invested in Daphne and Nina's storyline, even if just because it reminds me of my favorite teen film of all time (Do Revenge, for those of you searching for a recommendation), and the way it ended absolutely disappointed me. I hope there's a future for their friendship, because if there's one thing I don't think this series does well, it's maintaining good female friendships--and though they may not have been the healthiest in the world, they were the closest thing we had to a well-written friendship between two women.
I also would've liked to have seen Teddy more. He was the only character I didn't want to absolutely box in the last book, and he was slightly butchered in this one. I miss him.
And I disliked the ending. Putting Beatrice in a coma feels like a complicated thing to tie up in one book, and we're going to see Jefferson take the throne entirely through someone else's eyes, since he's not a POV character. We'll never get to know what he thinks about it, and that breaks my heart. I do hope he gets his chance to shine in the next one, because he feels the least fleshed-out of all the major characters, and I'd like to see him take the spotlight.
All in all, however, I had such a blast reading this book, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next one.