A review by originalbooknerd
Bitter Rival by Emery Rose Andrews

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

🌸𝔹𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 ℝ𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕝 - 𝕊𝕦𝕥𝕥𝕠𝕟 ℝ𝕚𝕕𝕘𝕖 𝕊𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝟙 - ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨🌸 

 

Author: Emery Rose 

 

Couple: Daisy Larsson & Beckett Heyward 

 

Tropes: enemies to lovers, small town vineyard, who hurt you?, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, banter/steam + HEA, opposites attract, childhood crush 

 

Review: Bitter Rival kept me in a chokehold and left me hanging out too dry! Emery Rose did what she does best in this book and I can’t even be sad about it after finishing Daisy’s and Beckett’s romance. The amount of hatred, revenge plotting, deceit, secrets, lust, banter and witty sarcasm that she had between these two amazing characters hooked me from the beginning and the unraveling of their romance and ultimate HEA left me in the BIGGEST book hangover of 2024. 

 

Daisy was a fiery FMC and a little different than what Emery is known for but oh so perfect for this story! I ADORED the way she pitted herself against Beckett and immersed herself into the Vineyard and the plans to crack his cold exterior. From her endless sass and sarcasm to the sunshiny and optimistic way she looked at life, her POV captivated me. The complexity Emery gave her character layers of rawness and grit that added to her story arc and I appreciated how Emery tackled the more intense emotions that surrounded her. The turmoil she faced with her mother and her past was shocking and tragic yet so perfectly Emery Rose that the tragedy sucked me into her evolution as a character. I loved seeing how her relationship with Finn and the emotional hurt she faced throughout her life affected her choices and molded her life choices. 

 

While Daisy was the ray of sunshine and chaos in Bitter Rival, Beckett Heyward was the villain in disguise. From page 1, he did everything in his power to undermine, antagonize and unbalance Daisy. The way he acted like a schoolyard boy tugging on his crush’s pigtails was hilarious and I enjoyed how his revenge plotting slowly began to break down. Emery was able to infuse just enough tension, angst and animosity within his character to allow for the tenuous bond he had with Daisy to implode epically and Beckett may truly be one stubbornest MMCs Emery has written in a while. I loved how once he began falling he was unable to stop and enjoyed seeing his hardened exterior completely melt for Daisy ad the chaos she brought into his life. I also LOVED Grayson, Caiden and Ledger had his back but also told him how dumb he was when he allowed Daisy to walk away. The bond between them was refreshing to see and I am excited to get each of their books soon! 

 

Daisy and Beckett were both emotionally stunted yet super complex characters and I enjoyed how they both pushed and pulled against each other from their initial meet-hate. The ups and downs Emery had them go through in this book were written to give maximum impact and it is safe to say both of them were characters that will stick with me for a hot minute. While this book is one of the more emotional volatile books Emery has written in my opinion, Daisy and Beckett are actually one of the sweetest couples together once they got their stuff figured out. I thoroughly enjoyed their romance and cannot wait to see them guide their friends on the right path in the future Sutton Ridge books! 

 

Rating: 100+, Daisy and Beckett ushered in the new era of Emery Rose and brought with them pages full of angst, banter and romance she is known for! 

 

Thank you to Emery Rose for sending me this eARC!