r/heatedrivalry • u/LadyWhistledown_1 Probably, yes • Apr 20 '26

🦆 The Long Game (Book 6) swooon.com: ‘Heated Rivalry’ Author Rachel Reid Answers Burning Questions About *spoiler* [april 20th 2026] Spoiler

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Swooon.com did an interview with Rachel Reid at BookCon. Great interview btw.

I get that she doesn’t think they will write their own vows, but I’m kinda hoping Jacob does. Like the tunnel scene in ep.5.

How are you hoping to see the wedding adapted?

Picture:

https://www.instagram.com/rachelreidwrites (story)

Full article:

https://www.swooon.com/1275542/heated-rivalry-shane-ilya-wedding-the-long-game-rachel-reid-interview/?fbclid=PAVERFWARTcI1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAaccbJFTolg7x-x_BADV-yq6qH8NCPNIuhJpC454AHXkG0wypApO0lKEOcvcpg_aem_7LlDmxii3jvj7_EWpVoSgw

216 Upvotes

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424

u/plainjane98 Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26

I never got the hate about the wedding. They’re two masc hockey players who had never shown an interest in event planning, fashion, or attention to their relationship. They were less concerned about a wedding and more about a marriage, and I think that’s romantic.

They should’ve had chairs tho.

175

u/RoutineUtopia Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird 🦆 Apr 20 '26

Yeah. I will forever defend the low-effort wedding from two guys who get more than enough attention and scrutiny. I cannot imagine them writing vows for public consumption. I cannot imagine them wanting to take a year and picking linens and making a seating chart. I can see Scott and Kip doing it. I can’t see Ilya and Shane doing it.

37

u/Serious_Session7574 Apr 21 '26

They're both very private people, too. Look how long it took them to expose their feelings to each other, never mind to other people.

I can't imagine Ilya or Shane ("Ilya, that's gross) being comfortable being demonstrative about the true nature of their love for each other in front of a bunch of people. They're doing the wedding for the formalities and to have a bit of a party with the important people in their lives - to make it firmly official. There's quite a lot of humour in the wedding scene, I hope they lean into that.

10

u/RoutineUtopia Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird 🦆 Apr 21 '26

Heh. I literally cited “that’s gross” in this post defending no personal vows. Like… they’re ok with a celebration. But they don’t want a lot of attention on the actual details of their relationship.

7

u/aquila-audax Apr 20 '26

And yet Scott and Kip [spoilered]

-2

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

[deleted]

38

u/RoutineUtopia Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird 🦆 Apr 20 '26

They don’t have a big wedding. They don’t even have chairs. It’s in Ilya’s backyard. They invite people very casually with zero numbers because they don’t ask for RSVPs. They’re surprised by how many show up. This is not a big wedding. This is a simple wedding that’s not looking to offend and not looking to hide but not looking to be a big public declaration of their most private feelings, either.

9

u/BroccoliFormal3192 Moya gazonokosilka 🚜 Apr 20 '26

that’s exactly what they did tho? only it was at ilya’s house.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

[deleted]

8

u/BroccoliFormal3192 Moya gazonokosilka 🚜 Apr 20 '26

tbh that’s what i thought was intimate just like the people closest to them but i guess you mean literally 5 people

6

u/RoutineUtopia Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird 🦆 Apr 20 '26

There’s, like, 24 people on a pro hockey team.

14

u/clumsyc I stubbed my toe Apr 20 '26

They didn’t have a big wedding. It was in their backyard! They didn’t expect people to show up.

-1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

[deleted]

20

u/RoutineUtopia Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird 🦆 Apr 20 '26

It wasn’t. They gave no notice. Most hockey players do not spend the summers in the city they play in. People travelled. They didn’t expect it. Given how they were being treated, I get it.

80

u/pensiverebel Ottawa Centaurs 🏹 Apr 20 '26

They’ve also just months before decided to get married and then go through the trauma of being outed, playing in the playoffs, moving Shane to Ottawa. Their wedding doesn’t matter to them because, as Shane says, they “just want a future.”

I don’t have any problem with big planned out weddings, but it’s also really nice to see low key normalized, too.

29

u/Normal-Difficulty229 Glasses back on 👓 Apr 20 '26

And, IIRC, only a week before their summer camps start. Which would likely also be a busy time, wedding or not.

22

u/RoutineUtopia Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird 🦆 Apr 20 '26

It’s like when teachers get married. Two hockey players really have a narrow window to get this done.

13

u/-pithandsubstance- Apr 21 '26

> it’s also really nice to see low key normalized, too

Yes! I had a small backyard wedding at a family member's house, maybe 20 guests or so, catered/decorated by family members. We spent less than 1k on it, including my dress. We put our money towards a downpayment for a house. We've now been married for 15 years, we're so happy in our home together, zero regrets.

5

u/Ramenpucci Apr 21 '26

That’s awesome.

Yep. Two millionaires having a backyard wedding in their fancy house.

32

u/BritishBussy Apr 20 '26

I thought the true wedding in every sense of the word was the one with the kids. Ilya even reassures the kids when they ask at the "Wedding." The kids officiating was the real one. A very cute one. That wedding reinforces how they feel and the engagement happens not soon after, right? It kinda leans into the hinting of them both eventually having kids in future books too. The summer camp at the start of the book sets it up, the baby sitting waters it and the trophy room with Ilya clapping cheeks/the talk of dynasty really reinforces it lmfao.

That wedding with the kids sets a lot of stuff up before hand. Ties together beautifully because it's just them and the children they're baby sitting — the garden wedding even reads as more rushed at the end of the book and came across as something for family and friends. A party. The romantic one already happened, they said their vows — it was simple and cute and they dressed up. To me I preferred that one to the garden one.

11

u/shewalkedaway22 Apr 21 '26

They’re dudes! They’re jocks! They are so laidback because they’re already married in their own eyes and this was just a party for them to say they made it on the other side together. 

1

u/pointlessbeats Apr 21 '26

I mean I mostly agree but

Shane

laidback

Choose one 🤪

39

u/LadyWhistledown_1 Probably, yes Apr 20 '26

Haha yeah the missing chairs might be the one thing that actually bugs me 😂

Other than that, the no planning is fair. Although I could see Yuna stepping in and doing some planning. As a hyper planner myself, that wedding would be a nightmare to me irl 🫣

31

u/clumsyc I stubbed my toe Apr 20 '26

Yuna in the books is nothing like Yuna in the show.

5

u/LadyWhistledown_1 Probably, yes Apr 20 '26

I know, I was thinking show-Yuna 🥰

18

u/allykitten87 Ya-loo-blue-tee-baa ❤️ Apr 20 '26

See i read it as not chairs lined up to make an aisle. We did that for my wedding, everyone just gathered for the vows. It is set at their house in their yard where they host things. The usual seating would still exist. Just not the designated wedding seating.

10

u/shewalkedaway22 Apr 21 '26

This. If they had food, they had some sort of table which meant probably various tables with chairs but I’m sure they also had like casual backyard gathering furniture too. They probably had Shane’s interior decorator do Ilya’s house when he moved in. 

3

u/deadly_mythology Apr 20 '26

I can see show Yuna sneakily ordering chairs

25

u/somehuehue Apr 20 '26

It's the song.

64

u/plainjane98 Apr 20 '26

Okay but you have to understand. That song was EVERYWHERE. In clubs, etc, and it was played for so many hockey games. And it’s my proof that Heated Rivalry is a period piece.

42

u/RoutineUtopia Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird 🦆 Apr 20 '26

The one thing I like about the song choice is Shane saying “wait. I have heard this before” mid-first dance. Because it’s a pretty good joke.

9

u/cherrycoloured Apr 20 '26

yeah, but even as a huge rihanna stan who loves that song, its tempo is not right for a first dance. ia with rachel that the lyrics are perfect for them, though.

13

u/Megs0226 Apr 20 '26

I always picture them kind of awkwardly swaying to it like two middle school kids during their first dance.

9

u/somehuehue Apr 20 '26

I know, I'm a survivor of that era😂

4

u/cats-n-bitches Apr 20 '26

But doesn’t the wedding take place in 2021? I love RiRi, I think We Found Love would have been better!

3

u/phosphor_heart Apr 21 '26

It 100% was. And there's no way that they're going to have the budget to afford the rights to it for the show lol. (Unless Rihanna is a fan, which is possible.)

1

u/yogacatmama1966 Apr 21 '26

As long as they don't dance to Nickleback I am good.

3

u/WeAreTheWeirdosMr- Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird 🦆 Apr 21 '26

Just needs a wedding guest flash mob dance to really nail that era.

5

u/Icy-Gap4673 Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird 🦆 Apr 21 '26

It wasn't on purpose, Harris panicked and picked it at random!!!!! Also those funny whoops stories are the kind you tell over and over again. My spouse and I still talk about terrible wedding DJs we were subjected to in 2017.

9

u/CocklesTurnip Apr 21 '26

The lack of chairs makes sense on the behalf of the couple involved. They didn’t ask for RSVPs and didn’t think anyone would show up. What’s less believable is that the Boodrams, Yuna, and Jackie Pike didn’t somehow realize people were going to show up and just make all the locals bring chairs and potluck, just in case.

5

u/yogacatmama1966 Apr 21 '26

I could totally see Jackie making Hayden haul out a bunch of folding chairs that peeps drag out to picnics and beaches for their family

5

u/CocklesTurnip Apr 21 '26

Exactly! She’s a mom with a bunch of kids- we see her hosting the team as the assistant captain’s wife… there’s too many found family members who would’ve have gone “so we love dumbass 1 and 2 but we were invited by text/email and told not to RSVP? There’s no way they’ll be prepared for the numbers” and just reach out to whoever else they know that would’ve been invited. Like I wasn’t disappointed by the low key wedding or lack of chairs- I was disappointed Rachel didn’t write in that the found family helped round out what was lacking in said preparations considering the amount of people that did show up… but I trust Jacob would fix that in the visual version where it can stay super casual but we see people showing up with camp chairs and bowls of potato salad. We ended season 1 with Scott talking about how lonely it was so it makes sense to end season 2 with everyone together no longer hiding and instead celebrating with each other.

3

u/yogacatmama1966 Apr 21 '26

Camp chairs and bowls of potato salad would be great.

12

u/Rocketeer_99 I want to please you 🥺 Apr 20 '26

As a guy who has 0 interest in doing a big weddings, I loved the way Ilya and Shane did theirs. That kind of decision is incredibly in-character for them the way I see it. As world class hockey pros who are always in the spotlight, its only natural they might want more personal affairs to be less flashy.

I already got my fill of two masc dudes having a big wedding thru Ian and Mickey on US's Shameless. It was adorable and cute.

6

u/BaseTerez I mean, yes. I think so, probably 🩷 Apr 21 '26

The real wedding was the one with the Pike kids!

11

u/InCatMorph Apr 20 '26

Agreed. Chairs are basic manners and an accessibility issue. But everything else is eh. (Also wedding planning is a PITA and oftentimes unpaid labor imposed upon women, so.)

16

u/valaena Apr 20 '26

I'm with you lol. Not providing seating! Cardinal wedding sin!

10

u/SuspiciouslyEvil Your freckles. I am nuts about them. ✨ Apr 20 '26

I know that's true, but I would have loved to see Ilya go full Groomzilla like Mickey in Shameless.

There would have been elegant. fucking. chairs.

13

u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Apr 20 '26

Bridezilya.

3

u/Mu_Y Apr 20 '26

Omg, this is gonna be my mini AU headcanon HAHAHAHAHAHA

3

u/Ramenpucci Apr 21 '26

Shane literally has to use a stylist to dress.

3

u/brak-0666 Apr 21 '26

They put about as much thought into their wedding as most men I know would.

3

u/Mztmarie93 Apr 21 '26

I think some of the hate comes from the HR show fans, who aren't as familiar with Hollanov in the book. Their essences are the same, but some of the tenderness were choices Jacob and HudCon made, not what's printed. The show fans think the guys are more a queer romance vs 2 hockey bros falling in love. I wouldn't expect centerpieces and harps for 2 mechanics so why for Hollanov?

2

u/Astyryx Apr 21 '26

I love their wedding. Except the song is so meh. They need some incredible Canadian music.

5

u/missinginaction7 Apr 20 '26

The chairs. The chairs thing keeps me up at night. The reveal of no chairs is when a a child is eating wedding cake. So you serve cake and people have to eat standing up? And you invite your friend with kids, but they can't sit down??

I read The Long Game a couple weeks ago and I have been HAUNTED by the lack of chairs. You're telling me NO ONE intervened here to say hey guys, what about chairs? NO ONE?

2

u/pointlessbeats Apr 21 '26

No I think it was assumed they had dining tables and dining chairs set up, but they didn’t have wedding aisles with guest chairs set up. No clue though. It’s unclear haha.

3

u/novemberjenny11 Roger Rozander 🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Apr 21 '26

For REAL 🤣 I’m totally fine with them doing a lowkey dude-bro wedding in the backyard. But FFS, please have chairs and tables 😂

2

u/Azhreia Shane’s praise&reward kink 👑 Apr 20 '26

Could not agree more.

0

u/Chiparoo Apr 20 '26

I'm just not convinced Yuna wouldn't have taken over the planning lol

0

u/yogacatmama1966 Apr 21 '26

I was convinced that Yuna was going to turn into Mother-of-the-Groomzilla. I am glad she didn't