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THE RIVAL by Emma Lord
9781250904027
1/21/2025
Wednesday Books
Ages 12-18
E-galley available on Edelweiss and NetGalley
Sadie and Seb have been competing against each other their entire lives. Growing up, their parents were neighbors and best friends, so the pair was thrown together constantly. But rather than create a best-friendship of their own, instead they secretly hated each other and tried to one-up the other at every chance, from elementary school talent shows to high school GPAs. So when Sadie gets into her dream school, Maple Ride, and Seb is waitlisted, she’s thrilled to have bested him once and for all. Until she arrives at Maple Ride and runs into none other than Seb, who has been accepted off the waitlist. Turns out, they’re both vying for the opportunity to be a writer for the school’s famous zine. As they compete for the one open spot, they discover that the school has been misusing funds, putting the zine at risk of shutting down. Now Sadie and Seb must find a way to work together to save the zine without destroying each other—or falling for each other—along the way.
This latest rom-com from Emma Lord is filled with everything she does best: a hilarious and relatable cast of characters, swoony romance, and SO MUCH WITTY BANTER. Sadie and Seb are hellbent on crushing each other, but they end up crushing on each other instead, making for a delightfully rompy first-love story. Freshman year of college is such a specific and meaningful time, and Lord captures it perfectly, highlighting the unique struggles of being away from home for the first time. This rivals-to-lovers rom-com will captivate any readers who are looking for a laugh-out-loud funny story à la Never Have I Ever and FRESH.
“Via Sadie and Seb’s rapid-fire jokes, quips, and jabs, Lord nimbly plots a cheeky and gentle romance full of murky, unexplainable feelings; depictions of messy burgeoning adulthood; and the excitement of first love.” —Publishers Weekly
“A clever and entertaining college campus romance.” —Kirkus Reviews
Happy Reading!
<3 Emily
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