Heated Rivalry: Should You Read the Book or Just Watch the Show

What's the story, and where did the inspiration come from?

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are rival professional hockey players, publicly locked in a well-publicized on-ice feud, while secretly involved in an on-and-off relationship they can't risk anyone finding out about. Reid has said she drew inspiration from the real-life rivalry between NHL stars Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, and she credited HBO's reality programming as a tonal influence in the novel's afterword — an interesting bit of foreshadowing given HBO Max became the show's American home. The novel is the second entry in a series that began with Game Changer (2018), followed by Heated Rivalry (2019), Tough Guy (2020), Common Goal (2020), Role Model (2021), and The Long Game (2022), with a further entry, Unrivaled, planned for 2027.

Is the show faithful to the book?

By most accounts, yes — closely enough that fans of the novel have embraced the adaptation rather than feeling betrayed by changes, which is rare for a romance adaptation this explicit and this beloved. Created by Jacob Tierney, known for co-writing and directing Letterkenny and executive producing Shoresy, the show leans hard into the steaminess, with NSFW scenes in nearly every episode — a significant part of why it became a word-of-mouth phenomenon. The series stars Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov, both relative newcomers to major TV roles before this project.

How big a hit did it become?

Massive relative to any reasonable expectation for a niche hockey romance adaptation. It became Crave's biggest original series on record, growing its viewership by nearly 400% in initial seven-day streams following its debut. The show remained consistently in HBO Max's Top 10 since premiere, racked up millions of social interactions, and drove such demand for the source novel that copies sold out on Amazon after the premiere.

Should you read the book first, or start with the show?

Either order works. The show follows the novel's central plot and structure closely enough that reading first won't spoil anything you haven't already inferred from the premise, and watching first won't rob the book of its pleasures. Want the steamier, more explicit content with less time investment? Start with the show. Prefer the internal narration a romance novel provides — particularly around Shane and Ilya's private anxieties about their careers and public image — read the book first.

Is there more coming, from the show and the book series?

Yes. Season 2 has been renewed, targeting April 2027, adapting Reid's 2022 sequel The Long Game. Reid's broader Game Changers series continues beyond that too, with Unrivaled planned for 2027 — meaning both the television and literary sides have confirmed momentum.

How has this show's success reshaped the landscape around it?

Heated Rivalry's breakout is widely credited with helping push hockey romance and sports romance TV adaptations into the mainstream in a way the subgenre hadn't experienced. Its success directly preceded and likely influenced the timing of other adaptations like Off Campus, based on Elle Kennedy's books, which arrived on Prime Video in May 2026 into a landscape already primed for this content.

Frequently asked questions

Is Heated Rivalry based on a real book? Yes, it's adapted from Rachel Reid's 2019 novel of the same name, the second book in her Game Changers series.

Is the Heated Rivalry TV show faithful to the book? By most accounts, closely faithful, which is part of why the adaptation has been so well received by existing fans of the novel.

Is there a Heated Rivalry Season 2? Yes, it's been renewed and is targeting an April 2027 release, adapting Reid's sequel novel The Long Game.

Who created the Heated Rivalry TV adaptation? Jacob Tierney, known for co-writing and directing the cult sitcom Letterkenny and its spinoff Shoresy.

What real-life inspiration did Rachel Reid draw on for the novel? She's said she drew direct inspiration from the real hockey rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin.

How successful was Heated Rivalry compared to other streaming releases? It became Crave's biggest original series on record and consistently placed in HBO Max's Top 10 after its debut.

Who stars as the two leads in Heated Rivalry? Hudson Williams plays Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie plays Ilya Rozanov, both relative newcomers before this role.

How many books are in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series overall? Six published so far, with a seventh entry, Unrivaled, planned for 2027.

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