This book didn’t really work for me. While I can see why people enjoy it, the writing felt a little too tied to current internet culture. Phrases like ‘villain era’ and the moment Josh broke the fourth wall to address us as ‘reader’ made me cringe. That said, I did laugh a lot. Josh was easily the highlight of the book for me. He’s weird, chaotic, and funny. I found myself enjoying his POV chapters.

My biggest issue was that the plot was weirdly convenient. Aly seemed to figure everything out really quick. The way she just happened to know that Josh was the masked man or have mafia family connections felt like an easy fix. There was never any real consequences for what happened. I also expected Josh’s father to play a much bigger role than he did. On top of that, I would have loved more scenes with Aly and her nurse friends, or Josh and his housemate.

Overall, this was a 2-star read for me. I really wanted to love this book with how much hype it had. I’m still undecided on whether I’ll continue with the rest of the series.

After Heated Rivalry, I was desperate for more Shane and Ilya. My favourite parts were the soft domestic moments, seeing them build a life together was so beautiful.

I loved the further development of Ilya’s character. Getting a deeper look at who he is beneath the confidence and humour was great. I do wish Shane had a little more room to grow as a character, but he’s still a great lead and the two of them remain one of my favourite queer couples.

So excited to see where the next volume of this story goes!!

I flew through Heated Rivalry after watching the tv show adaptation. It’s one of those books that’s so easy to sink your teeth into. Great pacing, TENSION, and characters that keep you invested. Every interaction between Shane and Ilya had me wanting to read another chapter.

What I loved most was the amount of queer joy in this story. The romance is passionate and intense without skipping over the nuance and challenges in a closeted relationship. I really loved how consent and genuine affection remained at the centre of their relationship.

As a queer reader, this is the kind of book I would have treasured as a closeted teenager. Seeing queer characters get to experience desire, happiness, humour, and love without their entire story being defined by suffering felt SO refreshing.