
I understand the story jumps around in time because of the demands of professional sports – players on different teams rarely see each other. This applies to the characters Hollander and Rozanov, who are separated by distance, weather, and their commitments to their teams and families. However, these constant time jumps work much better in the book version, Heated Rivalry. The HBO Max series is based on a Rachel Reid novel that spans ten years in the lives of Shane and Ilya. The story is divided into chapters named after specific events – matches, championships, and even the Olympics – and follows their secret moments together while competing in the same city. The chapter breaks allow the story to show what happens when they’re apart, with each character’s thoughts filling in the gaps.