The Author Of 'Heated Rivalry' Just Responded To Fans Complaining About Season 2 Casting — And She's NOT Having It 👀

Stop what you're doing, because the Heated Rivalry fandom is having a MOMENT — and author Rachel Reid just shut down the haters with one perfect Instagram story. 💅

The drama kicked off Friday when it was announced that Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie have been cast as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett for Season 2 of the hit Crave series. And while most fans were celebrating, some viewers immediately started complaining that the casting was "wrong" for the beloved book characters.

Rachel Reid Had The PERFECT Response

According to Deadline, Reid wasted no time clapping back at the negativity. She posted a side-eye selfie to her Instagram Story with a caption that basically said it all:

"Thinking about all the people last summer who told me the casting for Ilya and Shane was wrong and bad…"

Yes, really. She went there. And honestly? We're living for it.

The Tea ☕

• Justice Smith is playing Harris Drover, the team's cheerful social media manager
• Charlie Gillespie is playing Troy Barrett, a hockey player with a complicated past
• Some fans are upset that Smith doesn't match their mental image of Harris, who's described as chubbier than the hockey players in the books
• Reid's post is a not-so-subtle reminder that fans said the EXACT same thing about Season 1's casting — and Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams became overnight sensations

Here's The Thing Though

The Hollywood Reporter notes that fans were particularly focused on the fact that Smith is "skinny" compared to how Harris is described in Reid's Role Model novel, the fifth book in her Game Changer series.

But if Season 1 taught us anything, it's that the Heated Rivalry team knows EXACTLY what they're doing when it comes to casting.

Remember when everyone freaked out about Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams playing Ilya and Shane? Yeah, those two literally became the internet's new obsession and launched their Hollywood careers. The chemistry was UNREAL and fans couldn't get enough.

Showrunner Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady clearly have faith in their choices. Variety reports they released a statement saying: "Rachel Reid has given us two beautifully layered characters in Harris and Troy who you can't help but root for. From the start of the casting process, we knew we were looking for actors who could create something truly special together and bring that same depth and heart to the screen. Justice and Charlie do exactly that."

And Then It Got Worse

This isn't even the first time the Heated Rivalry cast has had to deal with online hate from supposed "fans."

Back in March, Hudson Williams and co-star François Arnaud posted matching statements telling off viewers who were posting racist, homophobic, and other hateful comments on their castmates' social media.

"Don't call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynist/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind," the posts read. "None of us need your hateful 'love.'"

PREACH. 👏

What's Coming In Season 2

For those who haven't been following along: Season 2 will see main character Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) moving to the Ottawa team to be closer to his now-boyfriend Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams). That's where he'll meet Troy and Harris, whose relationship drives the plot of Reid's Role Model novel.

In the books, Troy is a hockey player who gets traded to Ottawa after cutting ties with a former teammate accused of sexual assault, while Harris is the team's social media manager who helps Troy integrate into his new squad. The two develop a relationship that fans of the book series are DESPERATE to see on screen.

Production started this week in Canada, and the season is set to premiere in spring 2027 on Crave and HBO Max.

The Bottom Line

Look, we get it — when you love a book, you have a very specific vision of the characters in your head. But maybe, just MAYBE, we should trust the author who literally created these people and the showrunners who delivered one of the most talked-about queer romance series of 2025?

Just a thought. 🤷‍♀️

Plus, if the fan complaints about Season 1's casting taught us anything, it's that the haters are probably going to be eating their words come spring 2027. We cannot WAIT to see Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie bring Harris and Troy to life.

Are you Team "Trust The Process" or Team "The Books Are Always Better"? Sound off below! 👇

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Sources:

• Deadline
• Variety
• The Hollywood Reporter