Heated Rivalry

10/10 - no notes. The acting, the story, the yearning, the desire, the guilt, the roller coaster of emotions; it's everything people go through growing up in their 20s and seeing it showcased in such a beautiful way is pure perfection. There aren't many shows out there that can draw such an emotional response out of its viewers so this is special.

So unexpected. I guess we never expected to see these themes portrayed so perfectly. The acting is on a masterclass level, accurately portraying what so many of us have felt at some point, in some way, during our journeys coming out, or coming to self-realization. Dealing with society, with sex, with love, with self acceptance, with anger, with fear, with hope and joy. With all of it! It's so perfectly portrayed, seriously... what a gift for anyone learning to live authentically. Just think of the young people today, being able to see this love story, portrayed so honestly on screen.

So perfectly written. It's going to change so many lives. So many hearts. I know it will and it should. That's what the arts can do, and have done throughout time. Love, love, love, this series. These characters. This tale as old as time...

This is shaping up to be the most faithful book to screen adaptations I've ever seen. Not only do the actors embody the characters perfectly, but they also clearly convey the characters internal monologues despite there being no voice over narration. The cinematography is on another level. The moodiness of the lighting and camera angles, the editing choices from quick jump cuts to long uncut scenes, and the integration of on-screen text messages- it all works together to craft a visually stunning narrative.

Book fans will also be incredibly happy with the adaptation, as it sticks so closely to the source material. The additions that have been made so far in the first couple of episodes have all been incredibly intentional and have served to expand or highlight certain aspects (such as conversations about Shane's ethnicity and cultural identity) which only add more depth to the characters and the overall story.

Having reviewed the whole Game Changers series when it was originally published, I've been a big fan of Rachel Reid's writing ever since and I was delighted to hear Heated Rivalry had been picked up for a TV adaptation.

Having now seen both this opening episode and the second, I have to say I'm seriously impressed.

Not only is the casting spot on, but under Jacob Tierney's sensitive direction, the book has been brought to life beautifully.

Important scenes that drive the plot in the book are visually recreated in such a way that you can see the internal thoughts reflected on and through the actors faces and behaviour.

It's not slavishly the same though and the unique touches have only added more depth to what's already a genre classic.

I devoured the book in a day and I binged the first two episodes as soon as they came out a few hours ago. I didn't expect it to be so steamy (although I'm not complaining because it adds to the story buildup and character development that's in the book), but it exceeded my expectations with how well the actors were cast. With only two episodes and early in the story we already understood who these main characters are and why they are drawn to each other. The first two episodes were so good I'm encouraged to read the book again just to get more of the yearning that makes mm romance so appealing. It's going to be a long week until episode 3.