The romance genre is full of so many delicious tropes, and one of our favorites is enemies to lovers! We love seeing hate turn to love as the protagonists clash, spar, and banter…then realize that maybe they don’t hate each other after all! We’ve rounded up fifteen excellent enemies to lovers romance books that you’ll definitely want on your radar!
The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel
Liya is successful, smart, driven, and she has no interest in letting her parents arrange her marriage. Jay is a handsome and successful catch by anyone’s standards, but when their parents set them up, Liya walks out…only to find that Jay is the new corporate lawyer her company has hired and they have work together. As Liya tries to keep a line between her work life and personal life, she keeps running into Jay every which way.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
January and Gus are two college rivals who end up successful romance and literary fiction novelists, respectively…and also end up neighbors for the summer. Gus is struggling with writer’s block and January is reeling from heartbreak and can’t work, so they dare each other to swap genres, and what ensues is a memorable summer of writing, research, and trying not to fall for each other.
Written in the Stars by Alexandra Bellefleur
When Darcy and Elle are set up by Darcy’s brother, it’s an utter disaster…so Darcy lies and says it went well! Elle is very confused, as she cannot stand uptight Darcy, but she agrees to fake-date Darcy just through the holidays. Only, the more time they spend together, the more they find that their first impressions of each other may have been incorrect.
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the American president, can’t stand Prince Henry of England. At all. When the tabloids catch wind of their beef, their respective handlers force them to go on a publicity stunt in a show of friendship…but the two young men actually find themselves becoming friends, and then maybe something more as they spend more time together.
A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore
Lady Lucie is an Oxford suffragist who has lived on her own for years, ever since she ran away from home. She and her fellow suffragists have now raised enough money to buy into a prominent London publishing house and are excited to start using their new business venture to sway ladies to their cause…but then Lord Tristan Ballentine and his majority share in the business ruin everything. As Lucie goes about convincing infuriating Tristan to let her run the publisher, she finds that he might actually amuse her more than annoy her…
I Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre
Emma and Sophia are two teens who are not only nemeses, but they’re competing for the chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to attend a film festival that could be a major help in their careers. As they compete for the top slot, they slowly find themselves falling for one another in a plot twist neither of them saw coming.
Fight or Flight by Samantha Young
Ava is flying back from having to attend a funeral when she has a run in with Caleb Scott, a handsome and absolutely infuriating man who steals her first class ticket out from under her, and antagonizes her the entire flight…only for them to somehow end up spending a steamy layover together. When Caleb ends up sticking around, Ava has to confront her confusing feelings for him.
A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
Bao and Linh come from families who each own rival pho restaurants, and they’ve been feuding for years. Rao and Linh have avoided each other at school as a result, but when chance brings them together and sparks fly, they begin to suspect that there’s more to their families’ rivalry than meets the eye.
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigradar
Nishat has just come out to her parents, and is struggling with their non-reaction when she reconnects with a childhood classmate, Flàvia. Nishat is instantly attracted to her, which is a problem because it’s not long before Nishat realizes they are running rivalry henna businesses for a school project. As the competition heats up, so does their attraction–and Nishat has to decide what matters most to her.
Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon
Annika is the mind behind Make Up, an app to help failing relationships, and her former fling Hudson is the genius behind the app Break Up, the “Uber for break ups.” She’s furious that his app is much more successful than hers, and that he’s moving into the office next to hers. When they must compete for funding, she discovers that maybe she’s wrong about him.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Eve Brown is a bit of a chaotic, well-intentioned mess, so when her parents cut her off and tell her to get a job, she goes to interview at Jacob’s B&B. He absolutely refuses to hire her, and tells her so…but then when she accidentally hits him with her car, he’s forced to take her on in order to keep his B&B running!
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
Carolina is a wedding planner who was once left at the alter, but she’s going to move on from that and focus on her career. When she’s given an amazing opportunity to take her job to the next level, she jumps at the chance…and then finds out that she has to work with the best man from her wedding that never was, a man she absolutely can’t stand.
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Shay is a public radio producer who is great at her job, but things get challenging when the station hires Dominic, a know-it-all who thinks his master’s is worth more than Shay’s on the job experience. When their station launches a new show that features exes giving out relationship advice, they’re named cohosts because of how much they can’t stand one another. But as lying to their listeners gets more complex, so do their feelings for each other.
To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters
Diana is a widow and Jeremy is a sharp-tongued Marquess. The two are known for their stinging insults and occasional flirtation in society, and they often make wagers against each other. But when Jeremy’s pride is hurt, he comes to Diana and suggests a short-lived fling so she can give him some honest feedback about his prowess in bed…leading them to a relationship neither anticipated.
Snapped by Alexa Martin
Elliott has just landed her dream job as a publicist for the Denver Mustangs–just as the star quarterback, Quinton, decides to protest police brutality by kneeling during the National Anthem. Elliott is sent in to “manage” the situation, and Quinton doesn’t take too kindly to her so-called help. As they clash politically and professionally, they slowly realize that they’re on the same side, and maybe their first impressions are wrong.
Need more enemies to lovers romance in your TBR? Check out this deep dive into enemies to lovers as a trope, and YA enemies to lovers romances!Want to make sure you never miss an enemies to lovers romance? Sign up for TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations! TBR is a personalized book recommendation service that sends you books you’ll love to read.
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