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A review by amandas_reading_nook
The Rival by Emma Lord
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Emma Lord is the undeniable queen of sweet romcoms and coming-of-age stories.
Sadie and Seb have known each other their entire lives, the by product of being born to parents who are best friends and growing up next door to each other. The last decade has been a series of never ending one-upping each other, but Sadie has finally rid herself of her longtime rival by being accepted into her dream college. That is, until she gets there only to realize Seb has made it off the waitlist and isn't only also on campus, but he will be competing against her for the open writing spot for the school's magazine. Launched into another one of their ruthless competitions, their precarious balance of mortal enemies and polite adversaries just might reach its breaking point.
I don't know how Emma Lord consistently, perfectly captures the feelings that come along with being on the edge of adulthood, but she does. This just might be my favorite book by her yet!
The banter between Sadie and Seb was top tier, I was literally laughing out loud at all of their quips and one-liners. I was also smiling and, metaphorically, giggling, kicking my feet at all of the adorable, sweet, first love feelings flying around. A lot of the time when an author writes two characters that have known each other their whole lives, I feel a little cheated in not being able to see what their dynamic was like before the beginning of the book. However, I thought Lord did an excellent job of giving us well-developed characters, with enough backstory and anecdotes that I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. My favorite part of Lord's books is always the personal growth that her characters go through, and oh did she deliver in this one. Even though I don't come from a loud, chaotic family, nor am I the overlooked middle child, the eldest daughter in me could really relate to Sadie's feelings of having to be the peace-keeper and fixer of the family. I also related to her and Seb's feelings of not wanting to disappoint their parents by being something different than their parents' idea of them, as I am sure a lot of us can.
Clearly, I cannot say enough good things about this book. I highly recommend you give it a read, and maybe do so with a stack of pancakes covered in sprinkles.
The audiobook was well produced and the narrator did a fantastic job. Her voice acting made me feel like I was actually inside Sadie's head and added another layer of depth to the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sadie and Seb have known each other their entire lives, the by product of being born to parents who are best friends and growing up next door to each other. The last decade has been a series of never ending one-upping each other, but Sadie has finally rid herself of her longtime rival by being accepted into her dream college. That is, until she gets there only to realize Seb has made it off the waitlist and isn't only also on campus, but he will be competing against her for the open writing spot for the school's magazine. Launched into another one of their ruthless competitions, their precarious balance of mortal enemies and polite adversaries just might reach its breaking point.
I don't know how Emma Lord consistently, perfectly captures the feelings that come along with being on the edge of adulthood, but she does. This just might be my favorite book by her yet!
The banter between Sadie and Seb was top tier, I was literally laughing out loud at all of their quips and one-liners. I was also smiling and, metaphorically, giggling, kicking my feet at all of the adorable, sweet, first love feelings flying around. A lot of the time when an author writes two characters that have known each other their whole lives, I feel a little cheated in not being able to see what their dynamic was like before the beginning of the book. However, I thought Lord did an excellent job of giving us well-developed characters, with enough backstory and anecdotes that I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. My favorite part of Lord's books is always the personal growth that her characters go through, and oh did she deliver in this one. Even though I don't come from a loud, chaotic family, nor am I the overlooked middle child, the eldest daughter in me could really relate to Sadie's feelings of having to be the peace-keeper and fixer of the family. I also related to her and Seb's feelings of not wanting to disappoint their parents by being something different than their parents' idea of them, as I am sure a lot of us can.
Clearly, I cannot say enough good things about this book. I highly recommend you give it a read, and maybe do so with a stack of pancakes covered in sprinkles.
The audiobook was well produced and the narrator did a fantastic job. Her voice acting made me feel like I was actually inside Sadie's head and added another layer of depth to the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.