Author Rachel Reid has postponed the release of her novel Unrivaled from September 2026 to June 1, 2027, citing worsening Parkinson's symptoms and demands from recent fame. The book is the seventh in her Game Changers series and the third focused on hockey rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. Reid announced the delay in an Instagram video, emphasizing her commitment to quality.
Rachel Reid, known for the Game Changers series that inspired the HBO miniseries Heated Rivalry, shared the delay of her upcoming novel Unrivaled on Instagram on February 24, 2026. Originally scheduled for September 29, 2026, the book will now arrive on June 1, 2027. Reid, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2023, explained that her symptoms have intensified, making writing physically challenging and slower.
In the video, Reid stated, "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." She also noted the impact of sudden fame following the success of Heated Rivalry, which premiered on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the US in November 2025, and on Sky and NOW in the UK in January 2026. "My life has gotten very different in the last couple months, and although it's all good, it's also taken away my ability to have quality time to write," she said.
Unrivaled continues the story of Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov, rivals-turned-lovers, picking up after the events of The Long Game, where they marry and make their relationship public, with Shane joining Ilya's team, the Ottawa Centaurs. The series began in 2018, with five subsequent books. Heated Rivalry, adapted and directed by Jacob Tierney and starring Hudson Williams as Shane and Connor Storrie as Ilya, has been praised for its sex positivity and LGBTQ+ representation of athletes. The show was the top-rated series on HBO Max in its first season and has been renewed for a second season adapting The Long Game, set for a 2027 debut unaffected by the book delay.
Reid's diagnosis coincided with Tierney's interest in adapting her work. In December 2025, she credited the show's success with helping her access better medical care, including an appointment with a Parkinson's specialist after a five-year wait. Her publisher, Harlequin (an imprint of HarperCollins), supports the extended timeline. Fans have responded supportively, prioritizing Reid's well-being. Unrivaled is available for pre-order.
