Early Reader Review: The Romance Rivalry by Susan Lee

Source: From the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

The Romance Rivalry by Susan Lee 
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date:  May 13, 2025

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

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.

Review: 

This YA romance was a charming and refreshingly clean read that balanced humor, heart, and a love for books in all the right ways. The story follows Irene Park, a romance-obsessed book reviewer who heads off to college with a trope-fueled plan to find true love. The pacing was excellent—fast enough to keep things moving, but with enough breathing room to enjoy Irene’s growth and hilarious missteps along the way.

I especially loved the book-influencer and reviewer angle. It gave the story a unique edge, and it was great to see social media and the world of book content creators handled with care and nuance. Aiden, Irene’s rival and reluctant fake-dating partner, was a great MMC not just because he read romance, but because the book thoughtfully explored what that means for a guy in the online space and how others perceive it. He was also so good to her without her realizing it. 

While the plot never veered into anything too heavy, it still offered depth in how Irene navigates her expectations of love versus the reality of growing up. As well as the pressure of going to college and figuring out what you want to do when you are an 'adult'. There were plenty of fun, laugh-out-loud moments as well, and the fake dating trope was handled with just the right amount of swoony tension.

Overall, this is a light, funny, and heartwarming story that YA romance lovers (especially those who appreciate or live in BookTok/bookstagram circles) will definitely enjoy.