I’m sure we’ve all heard of the newest hit TV show Heated Rivalry, which tells the beautiful story of a gay hockey romance. Who can we thank for this masterpiece, you may ask? The answer is Rachel Reid. Reid wrote the best-selling series, The Game Changers, and helped adapt the story, along with writer and director Jacob Tierney, into one of the most-streamed and most talked about shows so far this year.
Now we know some backstory. But what are the main differences between the book and the show, and why should you pick one or the other, or maybe even both?
Warning: This article may include some spoilers!
What is Heated Rivalry?
If you haven’t been on the internet in the past couple of weeks, I’ll enlighten you on the massive phenomenon of Heated Rivalry, which follows Shane Hollander, a Canadian hockey player, and Ilya Rosanov, a Russian hockey player.
Right from the start, the two are “at each other’s throats,” at least in the public’s eyes. They are two of the youngest and most talented players to be drafted into the big leagues, so naturally, they are rivals.
A steamy occurrence between them eventually turns into something more. As the two characters navigate the complexities of their developing relationship, they learn more about themselves and their identities. It’s a relatable, beautifully told, 10-year-long situationship, with an excess amount of sexy scenes. I couldn’t recommend it enough. But which form of the story is better? The series or the book? Let’s dive into it!
Let’s talk about the show
The show was released on November 28, 2025 and can be watched on streaming platforms such as HBO Max for the US and Australia territories and Crave for Canadian territories. As a fan of the story myself, I can confidently say that I watched the show before reading the book. I tuned in once a week as the episode came out on HBO Max and became unbelievably obsessed. There are countless factors that go into making a TV show, so it would be unfair to judge the story as a whole and compare the different versions of said story without diving into each factor.
The acting
The acting in any type of visual medium can really make or break the product as a whole. If an actor cannot properly portray the character’s emotions, the viewer will likely not be able to connect to them. Actors need to communicate how their characters are feeling through facial expressions and physical movements, especially in a show with this level of emotional background. Thankfully, that was not a concern for the Heated Rivalry series. The actors who play the two main characters, Connor Storrie as Ilya Rosanov and Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander, were phenomenal at conveying the inner emotional landscape of their characters.
In the first episode, you can visibly witness how closed off both characters are. Shane is only just figuring out his sexuality as he sleeps with a man for the first time. Meanwhile, Ilya is is being secretive because of his family’s expectations. The actors capture this nuance masterfully. As the characters gradually drop their guard, we see the actors engage in subtle gestures such as softening their eyes and voices at just the right times. As viewers, we notice these things, even if we may not be aware that we are noticing. The hardest part about acting is making such moments believable. Storrie and Williams do a beautiful job of opening up throughout the story, as Shane and Ilya begin to trust and love each other.
Character’s Appearance
As for the character’s physical appearance, there are some slight changes from book to show. In the book, Ilya supposedly had brown hair and a bear tattoo plastered across his chest, but as you can see, the actor’s hair is a lighter blonde, and he doesn’t have a tattoo in the show. A similar phenomenon occurred with Scott Hunter’s character, who has blonde hair in the book and dark brown hair in the show.
In the book, there were also height differences between Ilya and Shane, with Ilya being noticeably taller than Shane, a feature which was overlooked in the show.
Now, do these small differences really change the story in any meaningful way? No. So in my eyes, they’re too minuscule to pay attention to.
The Spicy Scenes
The book and show are heavily spiced up, which the audience likely has no complaints about. Each explicit scene in the show was well done and proved relevant to the storyline. Th spicy scenes provided characterization without the need for explicit dialogue. One good example compares the first sexy scene and the last. The first is rushed and uncomfortable, as the characters are nervous to be in such an intimate moment with each other. When you fast forward to the last spicy scene, we see playfulness and tenderness between the characters, with that softening of the eyes and open smiles. This can largely be attributed to the writing, but the actors also portrayed the transition beautifully.
A deep dive into the book
To be completely honest, I had never heard of the book before watching the show. But boy, am I glad I did. The book is fast-paced and very similar to the show. The dynamic between Ilya and Shane progresses similarly: slow, heated, on and off, like the cliche of walking on eggshells. We have access to the characters’ internal monologues, which convey their feelings and struggles.
One aspect of the book that was lacking, in my opinion, was Shane’s heritage. The writers and director have explained how they wanted to make Shane’s Japanese heritage prominent but not overbearing in the show. I feel as though the show mentions it enough to get the point across but not enough that it feels important to the character. Overall, I would’ve liked more background in both the book and the show.
Another noteworthy aspect of the book was the number of spicy scenes. Am I a lover of a good spicy novel? Yes. Personally, and I don’t say this often, the book had a little too much sex. I wanted more plot. I wanted to know more about Shane’s internal confusion with his sexuality and about Ilya’s family struggles. These things were touched upon but could have used more detail.
What Did the Show Miss Out On?
I have to say, after rewatching the series and reading the book right after, there wasn’t much that the show missed. A steamy scene or two, a character’s physical attributes mixed up, but other than that, only a couple of major changes stood out to me. These changes do not necessarily negatively impact the show, but they do represent significant departures from the book.
What are the Major Differences?
- The presence of Svetlana in Ilya’s life. In the book, Svetlana was a passing character in Ilya’s life, not a consistent presence. Svetlana and Ilya have a friends-with-benefits situation, rather than her being Ilya’s childhood friend, as described in the show. I personally liked the show’s adaptation of their dynamic, which added an extra jealous trope with Shane and gave Ilya a reliable outlet for his family struggles.
- The iconic phone call between Ilya and Shane, where Ilya speaks about his troubles to Shane in Russian. The show truly captured the intensity of the scene, while the book doesn’t maintain the same attention to detail. Specifically, the book relays the scene from Shane’s perspective, so Shane and the audience don’t know what Ilya says in his confession. It is only touched upon later in the novel when Ilya provides hints. In this case, I am glad that the show got it right by allowing viewers to hear and understand the intense monologue.
- When Shane and Ilya are in bed at the cottage. They speak about their future together, and Ilya plans out an adorable proposal. This scene speaks to the growing comfort within their relationship and proved highly beneficial to the storyline. However, it was not included in the show, and I feel as though we missed out.
- The epilogue. The epilogue explains how Shane’s teammate, Hayden, finds out about Shane and Ilya’s relationship. This lifts a weight off of Shane’s shoulders; at last, someone he cares about knows the true him. Though the concluding chapter reveals a great deal about Hayden’s character and his friendship with Shane, I don’t think it was necessary for the show.
My opinion
I’ve seen the show a handful of times. Yes, I realize it has only been out for 2 months, but I truly enjoyed everything about it. I read the book after my second watch, and I certainly recommend it to anyone craving more of Shane and Ilya.
Now, this pains me to say, and I do not say it lightly, but I found the show to be slightly better than the book. The book contained at least one spicy scene per chapter, and while I am not complaining, per se, I would’ve preferred richer descriptions of the characters’ emotions and background. I wanted to know more about Shane’s heritage and Ilya’s family life, and I believe that the show did a better job of diving into these topics.
All in all, read the book if you want in-depth, steamy scenes. Watch the show if you want more of a balance, along with a beautifully portrayed love story.
