Rachel Reid appears to have responded to negative reactions surrounding the Season 2 casting of Heated Rivalry, following the announcement that Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie will join the series.

Reid addressed the online response through an Instagram Story after Smith and Gillespie were announced as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett.

The characters are a couple featured in Role Model, the fifth book in Reid’s bestselling Game Changer series.

Reid wrote, “Thinking about all the people last summer who told me the casting for llya and Shane was wrong and bad…” alongside a side-eye selfie.

Photo: Instagram

Her post appears to reference the reaction to the original casting of Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams as Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander.

The pair became closely associated with the series after its first season gained significant attention.

Smith and Gillespie were cast as the leads for Season 2, which is scheduled to premiere in spring 2027. Production on the second season began in Canada earlier this week.

In Role Model, Troy is a hockey player on Ilya’s team with a history of bullying, while Harris works as the team’s social media manager and is described as cheerful.

Series creator Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady praised the casting, saying, “Rachel Reid has given us two beautifully layered characters in Harris and Troy who you can’t help but root for.”

They added that Smith and Gillespie “immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters”.

Reid’s post has consequently drawn attention as fans debate the new casting, although her wording does not explicitly state whether she was responding to specific individuals or the broader reaction online.