"Heated Rivalry" Author, Rachel Reid, Pushes Back Next Book Release to June 2027

Rachel Reid, author of the popular Game Changer book series, announced via Instagram on Feb. 24 that 'Unrivaled,' the seventh instalment in the book series, is being pushed back to June 1, 2027. The book was originally slated for a Sept. 29, 2026, release. In a candid video accompanying the announcement, Reid was open about the reason for the delay. Worsening symptoms from Parkinson's disease, which she was first diagnosed with in 2023, have made the physical act of writing significantly more difficult and time-consuming.

"I think when good things happen, sometimes the universe hands you some worse stuff to balance it out," Reid said in the video. "My Parkinson's symptoms have gotten a bit worse, and it's made it difficult physically to write, so I'm definitely a lot slower, and that's just something I need to learn how to navigate."

The announcement comes at an otherwise high point in Reid's career. Her readership has surged considerably since the release of the HBO Max series Heated Rivalry, the Crave-produced adaptation of her novel of the same name, starring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Reid acknowledged as much in her video, describing the past few months as "absolutely incredible" while noting that the momentum has come with its own demands on her time and energy. It's a balance, she noted, that the universe seems intent on enforcing. 

Interestingly, she first learned of her Parkinson's diagnosis around the same time director Jacob Tierney reached out about adapting her work, a coincidence that captures the push and pull she has been navigating ever since.

To be clear for anyone coming to Reid's work through the television side: 'Unrivaled' is a novel, the seventh in Reid's Game Changer book series, and the third book centred on Shane and Ilya. It is separate from the TV adaptation. The next season of the Heated Rivalry series, which will adapt The Long Game, remains on schedule and is not affected by this announcement. What's being delayed is strictly the book.

For More Information: Heated Rivalry Season 2: What Fans Can Look Forward To

That distinction matters because Reid's readership has grown considerably since the show introduced a new wave of fans to her work, and not all of them may be tracking both timelines. 

Reid was clear that the delay is about delivering the book her readers and her characters deserve. "There is nothing more important to me than 'Unrivaled' being the best book it can possibly be," she said. She also made a point of sharing the news now, well ahead of the original September release window, so that fans wouldn't be left in the dark as that date approached. Her publisher, Harper Collins, is fully supportive of the extended timeline.

For those coming in fresh or in need of a refresher: Unrivaled picks up after the events of The Long Game, the sequel to Heated Rivalry, which left Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov newly married and navigating a new chapter, Shane having joined Ilya's team, the Ottawa Centaurs, and their relationship now fully public. The book is the third centred on the two rivals-turned-lovers whose story sits at the heart of the Game Changer universe.

The timing of the delay may turn out to carry a silver lining for fans of both the books and the show. Season 2 of the Heated Rivalry TV series is currently in development with a 2027 debut in mind, which means the book and the new season could land in the same year, potentially making 2027 a significant moment for Shane and Ilya across both mediums.

The response from the romance book community has been overwhelmingly supportive, with readers rallying around Reid and expressing far more concern for her well-being than disappointment over the wait. That reaction will likely come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the readership she has built.

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