The Romance Rivalry by Susan Lee
Publisher Summary: She’s read every romance…except her own…
Irene Park loves romance novels—so much so she’s made a career of them as an online book reviewer with a massive following. But Irene’s real life dating story? Non-existent. So when she starts her freshman year of college, she sets her sights on finding true love using the one thing she really understands…romance book tropes.
If only it were that easy.
Enter Aiden Jeon, Irene’s online book review rival and biggest nemesis. When Aiden challenges her to see who can find love-by-trope first, he becomes the one person standing in her way to getting everything she wants both professionally and personally, too. So when the competition takes an unexpected turn, forcing the two of them to have to partner in the ultimate trope, fake dating, Irene is not prepared for everything she believed about romance, and Aiden, to flip on its head.
As Irene tackles the challenges of college life, struggles to figure out what she really wants for herself, all while trying to win the race for love, Irene realizes the answers may not be found in a romance novel. Happily Ever Afters seem so easy on page. But for Irene to find her ultimate HEA, she’ll have to get her nose out of the book and become the main character of her own story.
My Thoughts: What an incredibly fun book! I was so glad to have the chance to read The Romance Rivalry. It was a pure delight and full of many tropes that I love including fake dating. The heart wants what it wants and so many of the tropes worked for me.
For romance readers, this will bring a lot of smiles and melty hearts and for folks that are newer to the genre, they may learn a bit about how romance books work and about the romance community. There’s a romance glossary at the beginning to assist, but also make those in the know connect and get all prepped to see some of their favorite things. Chapters begin with clips from online posts and are each titled with a trope. They provide some insight into Irene — and later Aiden, but also sort of give us a reset and new things to focus on.
Irene and Aiden have a lot in common with their romance reviewing and family expectations, but they also have many differences that cause for some interesting situations and interactions. We get a lot of information about Irene to start, but Aiden is revealed much more slowly bit-by-bit as Irene learns more and more about him. The layers are gradually peeled away in expected and unexpected ways. Some people complain about predictability in romance, but it is definitely one of the things I count on. There is just the right amount here. There are a few twists and turns, but the trajectory was very satisfying.
Susan Lee simultaneously delivers a slow burn delight of a romance while also celebrating the romance genre throughout. It’s like a delicious buffet of tropes with a decadent dessert table too.
Recommendation: Get it now especially if you are a romance fan. This is a book that will lift hearts and make a day brighter.
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 368
Review copy: Final copy via publisher
Availability: On shelves now