Heated Rivalry surges after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's recommendation

The New York Public Library has seen a record number of downloads of Rachel Reid's popular queer hockey novel series Heated Rivalry, following a recommendation from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The incident occurred against the backdrop of a severe snowstorm that swept the city on January 25.

At a press conference on Sunday, Mamdani urged residents to stay indoors due to the weather and recommended the library's Heated Rivalry series, which is available for free in electronic and audio formats, to pass the time. His words were met with laughter at the press conference.

According to Lizzie Tribone, a spokeswoman for the New York Public Library, the number of downloads of the book has increased by 549 percent since the mayor's recommendation. 86 percent of the downloads were recorded precisely after Mamdani's statement.

Starting January 24, the library has made Rachel Reid's six-book series available on its app with unlimited digital copies. Since then, the Heated Rivalry series has had over 13,000 downloads.

The library says it expects interest to grow in the coming days. The event is seen as a rare and remarkable example of openly queer literature gaining visibility from mainstream public institutions.

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