Overdue Podcast: Ep 742 – Heated Rivalry (Game Changers #2) by Rachel Reid

Host: Headgum
Date: February 16, 2026
Hosts: Andrew and Craig

Episode Overview

This episode of Overdue dives into Heated Rivalry, the second book in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series—a popular and critically acclaimed hockey romance. The discussion is sparked by the book's recent surge in popularity thanks to a successful TV adaptation, bringing MM (male-male) romance, hockey, and questions of queer representation in sports to the fore. Andrew and Craig both read the book (a special occasion for the show) and analyze its themes, structure, cultural context, and the reasons for its breakout status.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. About the Book and Author

• Heated Rivalry (2019) centers on pro hockey players Shane Hollander (Canadian, intense, “golden boy”) and Ilya Rozanov (Russian, brash, charismatic), whose on-ice rivalry masks a years-long secret affair.
• Rachel Reid (Rochelle Goguet), a Canadian author and hockey fan, uses her experience playing in boys’ leagues due to a lack of girls’ leagues. Her real-world hockey knowledge and fierce love for the sport deeply inform the book’s authentic setting.
  • [09:13] “She played a lot of hockey as a kid… would play in any league that she was allowed to be in.”—Craig

2. Heated Rivalry and Its Cultural Moment

• The book inspired a hit TV show (2025, Crave/HBO Max), making the title a mainstream crossover success and the subject of BookTok and social media “shipping”.
  • [23:12] “It was the most watched original series on Crave... highest performing acquired non-animated debut on HBO Max.”—Andrew
• The hosts discuss how the show is largely faithful, including direct scenes pulled from the novel; minor changes are made (e.g., treadmill race becomes stationary bike).
  • [23:59]“The decision to include a truncated version of the first book as episode three...gives it kind of emotional grounding for a show where you don't really have a lot of access to the interiority of the characters.”—Craig, referencing Katherine Van Arendonk’s Vulture piece

3. Queerness, Sports, & Representation

• The book’s timeline (2008–2017): grapples with the lack of openly gay players in the NHL and other pro men’s sports (as of recording, only Luke Prokop under contract had come out; none played an NHL game).
  • [11:54]“Luke Prokop is the first player under an NHL contract to come out as gay, but he has yet to play an NHL game.”—Craig
• Hockey culture and its slow pace on LGBTQ acceptance are central themes:
  • [16:57]“The whole series attacks the NHL and hockey culture quite a bit… but being more of a hopeful series where you know, things could work out for folks.”—Craig

4. Romance Genre Tropes and Innovations

• This is the first explicit MM romance covered by Overdue (not counting books with gay characters or subplots).
  • [07:04]“I think this is the first, like, mm romance that gets...spicy.”—Andrew
• The book’s unique structure—spanning nearly a decade—offers a slow-build romance, differentiating it from more fast-paced contemporaneous romances, and allowing complex personal and professional development for both leads.
  • [36:10]“I was really struck by that as a device in the novel… It was just really interesting to read something that took place over basically a decade.”—Craig

5. Interiority, Shame, & the Coming Out Process

• Shane’s coming out arc—his sexual “novitiate” status, awkwardness, and evolving self-understanding—felt authentically rendered to both hosts, mirroring experiences of queer friends:
  • [40:10]“I do think Shane’s experience…was very true to the experience of some of the people that we have known.”—Andrew
• Ilya’s initial attraction is to the danger of secrecy as much as Shane himself, setting up a dynamic where one character is learning about his sexuality for the first time while the other is more worldly, but guarded.

6. Hockey Romance as a Subgenre

• The hosts explore why hockey—rather than football or baseball—has become so prolific in the romance world: it offers individual stars and close team dynamics. BookTok and fandom culture, including “shipping” of real players, has amplified this trend.

7. Plot Structure and Key Beats (See Timestamps Below for Deep Dives)

• Prologue warns readers: this is going to be steamier than most Overdue fare.
• The relationship begins with competitive tension—treadmill races, on-ice clashes, and media-fueled rivalry—before evolving into clandestine hotel-room hookups.
• Over years, the connection intensifies: the men communicate in secret, grapple with jealousy, try relationships and flings with women, and eventually, through hardship and personal growth, pursue a path toward living openly.
• The book’s ending sets up future books and TV potential, with the men launching a hockey charity as their first public, if still ambiguous, step together.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Characterization, Humor, and Tone

• [37:03] “The setup is there's two boys… one is Shane Hollander and one is Ilya Rozanov...and they are going to have a rivalry together. That rivalry… it's going to get a little heated.”—Andrew (tongue-in-cheek)
• [43:00] “He's not reading books about dick sucking. I'll tell you what.”—Andrew
• [53:38] “Fuck, this was really gay.”—Shane's internal monologue, noted for its directness and the contrast with MF romance tropes.
• [66:35] “The tuna melt scene looms large in the heated rivalry canon… If you're trying to do boyfriend behavior at me and you make me a tuna melt to show me how much you want to be my boyfriend, it's going to have the opposite of the intended effect, I think.”—Andrew
• [73:07] “They do have a cool iPad Skype jerk-off contest where they race each other to, to see who can jerk off to completion first.”—Andrew (moment missing from the TV adaptation)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Topic | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------|-------------------| | Beginning of book discussion | 03:15–04:49 | | Rachel Reid’s biography & series | 08:35–10:24 | | Influence of real-life sports culture | 10:44–14:50 | | Summary of media/BookTok impact | 14:50–16:57 | | LGBTQ representation in hockey | 11:34–14:50, 16:57–18:36| | Show vs. book differences | 23:16–25:11 | | Plot/character structure summary | 34:10–41:42; 45:06–53:38| | Notable/striking scenes (funnies, sex) | 53:38–54:48; 66:35–67:41; 73:07–73:15| | Endgame: Family, coming out, charity | 80:06–83:41 | | Discord listener reactions | 85:45–88:29 |

Listener Community & Fandom

• The Overdue Discord and the broader fandom provided rich feedback:
  • Some listeners preferred the show’s performances & visuals, while others found the novel’s deep interiority more compelling.
  • [87:14] “Having a long time frame with flashbacks really helps with the balance between Insta Love and Too Slow Burn.”
  • The “tuna melt scene” and its odd romantic status is both a point of genuine discussion and gentle mockery.
  • Audiobook Russian accents are polarizing among listeners.

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• Cultural Impact: Heated Rivalry offers a rare, hopeful queer romance in pro sports, resonating with both genre fans and general audiences. The discussion highlights how contemporary romance can both reflect and critique the state of queer male visibility in sports.
• Style & Appeal: The book’s long timeline allows both emotional and sexual development to feel organic, and the hockey background is both authentic and, for many, fresh.
• Hosts' Verdict: Both Andrew and Craig enjoyed the book, appreciated its humor, authenticity, and structure, and are interested in reading more sports romance. They note this title as a “Boss Baby” for the new wave of MM romance—they’ll now measure others against its success and structure.

Selected Notable Quotes

• [41:42] “It is very cute to be like, I really would like to give this man a blowjob. And I don't know how, but I am going to give it my best.”—Andrew
• [84:30] “This is a happy love story and it can be yours…for queer people, you can have a happily ever after as well.”—Summarized from show’s cinematographer via Vulture

If you’ve missed the episode, this summary will give you a full tour of the book, the show, the hosts’ reactions, and the cultural conversations that propelled Heated Rivalry to its cult status.

For next week, the hosts will discuss Paul Beatty's The Sellout.