Rival darling by Alexandra Moody

Violet has always had one rule: never date a jock. That rule shatters when she’s forced to leave California and finish her last year of high school in Sunshine Hill, Minnesota - a town obsessed with ice hockey. Suddenly, she’s caught in a relationship with the local hockey team captain... until it crashes and burns. To prove she’s over it, Violet hatches a bold plan: fake-date his rival, Reed Darling, captain of the opposing team, known for his bad reputation and swoon-worthy charm.

Reed is used to being talked about, and not always the good kind. Rumors follow him like shadows, but underneath the confidence is someone determined to show Violet the truth. Despite the rivalry between teams, and his reputation as a heartbreaker, Reed agrees to Violet’s rules and plays along, until fake feelings start to get a little too real. Violet is smart, guarded, and beautifully flawed. She tries to keep her walls high, but how long can she keep them up with Reed slowly chipping away at them.

Rival Darling is an exploration of identity, trust, and how love can bloom in the most unexpected places, and from the most unexpected people. The characters are authentic, their fears, hopes, and emotional growth make them feel like real teens navigating the real messiness of first-time relationships, heartbreak, and love. Violet’s internal battle with vulnerability is particularly relatable, and Reed is more than just the classic bad boy trope, he’s layered, loyal, and low-key romantic.

The book is written in a relatable setting: the cold, tight-knit town where everyone knows everyone’s business. The plot is more character-driven than action-packed; it moves with satisfying tension between the characters, the kind that make you squeal into a pillow, or kick your feet, giggling. It’s about first heartbreaks, taking chances, and growing to become your own person outside of other’s expectations.

It shows clear themes of emotional growth, stereotypes, and the fear of vulnerability, and while it’s a clean romance, it doesn’t stop the author from showing the complicated feelings of love, heartbreak, and healing that everyone goes through at least once.

For fans books such as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, or Better Than the Movies, Rival Darling is strong on the feels and swoon-worthy.

Themes: Trust, Identity, Stereotypes, First love

Hamsini Chandrasekar (Student)