I’ve been a fan of Susan Lee since the moment I met her, almost a full year before her first book, Seoulmates, released. She’s an angel and I was so excited to dive into her third YA novel, The Romance Rivalry, which is such a sweet love letter to Romancelandia.

The Romance Rivalry [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] is about a popular book blogger and reviewer named Irene as she heads off to college. Reviewing books is the only thing she’s felt good at, minus the part where fans of a male reviewer troll her in the comments. She’s vying for a big brand deal, but the troll comments that she doesn’t actually know anything about love due to her lack of relationship are getting to her.

But of course, this rival reviewer, Aiden Jeong, just so happens to be in her lit class and becomes her partner for a semester-long project. Irene reveals a little about her plan to fall in love using romance novel tropes to prove she’s worthy of the brand deal, but Aiden wants to turn it into a challenge. First one to fall in love, wins. The loser shuts down their account.

Susan made this novel such a fun read thanks to some structure play. Before each chapter, we get little snippets of reviews from Irene and Aiden about the same book, highlighting their differing perspectives. It also gives a little hint about the upcoming chapter. The chapter titles are all tropes, which are also worked into the story in some way. When I saw secret baby and fated mates, I got a little worried, but she pulled them both off in fun and unique ways.

I loved how she name-dropped iconic authors and beloved books into the narrative. I especially loved the friendships on both sides of the relationship, and want to be part of their sassy banter. This book is so fast-paced an enjoyable. Do all of the character motivations and scenarios make sense all the time? No. But you know what? I also didn’t find myself caring too much. It’s just a good time.

If you’re on the fence about getting this, just do it. Susan went through so much nonsense from her publisher during this process, even going so far as to fund her own pre-order campaign with tons of goodies and prizes, as well as funding her own book tour. I bought extra copies because of this, so at least give it a shot.

73. SUSAN LEE: Romance tropes, K-Pop, and finding joy in community – LiteraryHype Podcast

Send us a textSusan Lee is finally on LiteraryHype! I've known Susan for a couple years and wanted to feature her books since I first read "Seoulmates". Now, it's finally here. We're talking all about her latest YA Romcom, "The Romance Rivalry", her upcoming adult romance debut, "Julia Song is Undateable", the upcoming return of BTS, and the love that binds books and K-Pop together.Susan is an absolute delight, and I hope you enjoy this conversation and her books.FOLLOW SUSANSUSAN'S KEYBOARDSBUY THE BOOKSBookshop:The Romance RivalryThe Name DropSeoulmatesJulia Song is UndateableAmazon:The Romance RivalryThe Name DropSeoulmatesJulia Song is UndateableLibroFM: The Romance RivalryThe Name DropSeoulmatesJulia Song is UndateableSupport the showSupport the podcast by shopping:EtsyMy Bookshop.org listsLibroFM audiobooksTry Audible Plus Gift Audible Membership Glocusent LED Neck Reading LightTry Shameless Snacks10% Off at Once Upon a Bookclub10% off Goli VitaminsTWO FREE AUDIOBOOKS with new LibroFM Membership: Kindle Unlimited FREE FOR THREE MONTHS!Prime Television FREE TRIALJoin the fun!WebsiteInstagramTiktok…

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