How Rachel Reid Wrote Unrivaled While Heated Rivalry Became a Global Hit

Rachel Reid is finishing Unrivaled, the third book about Shane and Ilya in her Game Changers series. She began the novel last spring and is nearly done with edits ahead of the book's June 1, 2027 release. The writing unfolded after Crave's Heated Rivalry TV adaptation turned the series into a much larger phenomenon.

Reid says the main change wasn't the story itself but the environment around it. Before the show, she expected Unrivaled to be a straightforward follow-up — "It's just more Ilya and Shane. You could probably make this a pretty quick write," she recalled thinking. After the adaptation's breakout success the writing felt heavier: a broader audience, more opinions about the characters, and added questions about whether the book could be adapted for screen again.

Those external pressures affected Reid's headspace. She said she had to consciously tell herself that future filming prospects weren't part of the writing process, because entertaining that would add too many variables.

For Unrivaled she tried something new: collaborative writing sprints with author Ruby Barrett. Reid usually keeps projects private, but after seeing the TV show's collaborative nature she experimented with FaceTime sessions to talk through ideas and get blunt feedback. Barrett acted as a sounding board and helped Reid decide what would or wouldn't land with readers.

At the time of the conversation Reid said she'd nearly completed editing Unrivaled. She described knowing what needs rewriting and feeling good about the parts she'd already revised, while still wanting uninterrupted time to finish those changes.

Relationship with the TV production

Reid plans to be much more present on the Season 2 set than she was during the first season. She said she was probably too cautious before, worrying she might make people uncomfortable. Now she expects to be on set as much as allowed, calling it a "nice little reward" after finishing the book.

After the fall tour and set time, Reid expects January to be her first complete month off in a while. She noted she'll take that break even if Halifax weather isn't ideal.

Unrivaled is close to finished but was harder to write because the TV adaptation changed Reid's audience and the stakes around the books. She adapted by changing where and how she writes, inviting a peer into early brainstorming, and leaning into promotion and production involvement as the series continues to expand.