Actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams in "Heated Rivalry." Photo: Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max
You may have to wait a bit if you're looking to borrow a copy of "Heated Rivalry" from the library.
Why it matters: The "gay hockey smut" book-turned-HBO-streaming-hit has exploded into a mega pop culture sensation, sending reader demand soaring.
Catch up quick: Rachel Reid's novel, which follows two professional male hockey players as they fall in love, came out in 2019.
But the "Heated Rivalry" fandom has grown and gone nuts since the Crave and HBO drama dropped late last year.
Now Reid's book — and the entire "Game Changers" queer, hockey romance series it's a part of — are in high demand.
By the numbers: As of yesterday, there were nearly 590 holds on 70 e-book copies of "Heated Rivalry" (estimated wait time: 17 weeks) and 110 holds on 33 physical copies that are on order, Multnomah County Library spokesperson Shawn Cunningham told Axios.
Library card holders who prefer to listen to the audiobook, however, can enjoy it now thanks to the county's "always available" license agreement.
There've been nearly 2,000 checkouts for the audiobook since December, Cunningham said, making it "the most checked out book in our digital collection by a wide margin ever since."
The bottom line: If you prefer to read your hockey smut on loan from the library, it might be awhile.
Luckily, that's plenty of time to rewatch Season 1. Again.
