The Romance Rivalry

Gr 10 Up–Irene is a notable romance book reviewer online, but she’s never been in love. With a chance to snag a big brand sponsorship, Irene decides to prove her worth and use all the tropes she’s read about to fall in love her freshman year at college. But when Irene discovers her online review rival Aiden attends the same college and is up for the same sponsorship, the two decide to go head-to-head in a falling-in-love competition. As the contest heats up, Irene finds her in-person connection with Aiden is shockingly less of a rivalry and more like fated mates. Lee knows how to hit all the cozy feels while expertly creating a classic love story. The love competition and subsequent fake dating are played out perfectly with Irene and Aiden’s personalities and struggles on full display. The epigraphs between chapters, disclosing some of the characters’ book reviews, offer fun additional insights into their minds. Irene is a people pleaser whose quest for a relationship results in learning to be kinder to herself while dealing with her flaws in a realistic, relatable way. Aiden’s softly strong demeanor displays how unapologetically a young man can love. The trope chapter titles are woven into the story, building a lighthearted atmosphere where one can’t help but root for sunshine Aiden to win over grumpy Irene. Irene and Aiden are Korean American.