In a time when many modern adaptations are essentially butchering readers' favorite books, Jacob Tierney's Heated Rivalry showed them how it's done. HBO Max and Crave Canada's record-breaking queer hockey romance, which wrapped its six-episode freshman season on December 26, is based on the second entry in Rachel Reid's beloved Game Changers book series.The show follows the decade-spanning secret fling between two star hockey players in the MLH, the shy Canadian-born Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and the cocky Russian-born Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), and how it gradually transforms into a complicated yet meaningful relationship.Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry, which sold over 650,000 copies by late 2025, was already a hit among her loyal readers but the HBO Max show has introduced Shane and Ilya's story to a wider audience, who are calling it the perfect adaptation.While Tierney's adaptation faithfully followed Reid's book, some fans have noted that the Heated Rivalry finale ends on a different note from the book. The answer to this question is partially yes. While the show does not feature a different ending (from the books), it did not adapt the book's epilogue, which is set a year after the events of the finale.More on this in our story.Heated Rivalry did not adapt Rachel Reid's epilogue View this post on Instagram Instagram PostLike Reid's book, Heated Rivalry concludes shortly after Shane comes out in front of his parents, hears Ilya call him his 'boyfriend', has a heartfelt conversation with his mother and makes peace with his sexuality and relationship with his parents. The HBO Max show leaves us with Shane and Ilya driving off into the sunset in Shane's car, playfully talking and caressing each other fondly.While this satisfactory conclusion perfectly aligns with Reid's book ending, it is cut short (for television), skipping the book's epilogue, set about a year after the events of the finale. Reid's Heated Rivalry epilogue follows Shane as he comes out to his best friend, Hayden Pike, and Ilya, as he leaves the Raiders and signs up with Ottawa to stay close to his boyfriend. The epilogue also establishes the joint charity founded by the couple, which is named Irina, after Ilya's mother, who died by su*c*de. The couple holds a press conference to announce this joint charity, essentially changing the dynamics of their 'rivalry' in the media.While the Heated Rivalry finale skipped this epilogue, the couple did discuss plans to launch a joint charity and Ilya potentially switching teams to secure Canadian citizenship. Even though Tierney opted for a more aesthetic happy ending, he offered substantial teases about the couple's future, which will likely be explored in Season 2.Why did Jacob Tierney cut short the Heated Rivalry finale? View this post on Instagram Instagram PostWhile fans naturally wanted to spend more time with Shane and Ilya in the finale, Tierney opted to conclude their story on a hopeful note, befitting of a television adaptation, as he told Variety:''Well, books are so different from TV and I didn’t know if I was even going to get to make more of these. As much as I care about their charity and what they’re going to do, I don’t know that we need a bunch of exposition at the end of a season of TV like this.''The creator further added that he wanted to leave the fans on an emotional note and opted to skip the press conference from Reid's epilogue in the Heated Rivalry finale:''I wanted to leave the viewer with what the book left me with emotionally, which was the kind of warm, fuzzy feeling of them getting to be happy together...There’s a simplicity to the two of them in a car, driving off into the sunset, and not over a cliff. That was all I ever wanted out of this story.''You can stream Heated Rivalry Season 1 on HBO Max.For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.