Enemies to lovers is one of my all-time favorite tropes. There’s just something so unputdownable about a book where you get to witness rivalry unfold into romance, waiting for the main characters to confess their undying love to one another (even better if it’s a slow burn).
There are so many subcategories within this trope too; for example, one of my favorites is not only an Enemies to Lovers story but also a second chance romance – what more could you want?
However, there are so many books in this genre that it can be hard to know where to start if you’re new to reading this genre. Equally, it can be difficult if you’ve already read an enemies-to-lovers book that you’ve enjoyed and want to find another!
There are so many incredible enemies-to-lovers books, but I’d like to share my personal favorites with you all and why I love them so much! So, carry on reading to discover 6 Enemies to Lovers books worth adding to your bookshelf, depending on what vibe you’re looking for…
If You Love The Enemies To Lovers Trope In Books Read...
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
If you’re looking for a coworker romance, you need to read The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. This book follows our main characters, Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman, rival co-workers whose only common ground is their hatred for each other.
In an unlikely turn of events, Lucy and Joshua find themselves competing for the same job promotion, where they are eventually torn between their strong dislike for each other and some newly surfaced feelings…
Their relationship as summarized in Joshua’s words: “The trick is to find that one person who can give it back as good as they can take it” – the two of them are just as smitten as each other, despite all attempts to keep at arm’s length!
The Hating Game encapsulates some of the best enemies to lovers features, with its rom-com vibe and perfectly charming main characters. I love this one so much; Sally Thorne does such an amazing job of crafting a story that is equally character and plot driven with some real steam.
Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
If you’re looking for a romance with chronic illness representation, Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert is for you . One of my ultimate favorites and part of Talia Hibbert’s trilogy, The Brown Sisters, this comforting book follows Chloe Brown, who has fibromyalgia and suffers from chronic pain and insomnia.
Both Chloe’s fiancé and friends have left her, leaving Chloe on a mission to make her life less ‘boring’. She enlists the help of her grumpy but hot building super, Red, to help her meet her bucket list goals and discovers a different man underneath his rough exterior—a man who ends up falling for her.
My favorite quote is from Red himself, whilst helping Chloe during a flare-up: “I’m doing it for you because that’s how people should behave; they should fill in each other’s gaps."
Get A Life, Chloe Brown is a lesson in how to both accept and give love and it should be read by everyone. Talia Hibbert’s writing is simultaneously powerful and playful!
Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzalez
If you’re looking for a romance with LGBTQ+ representation, let me introduce you to Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzalez. This YA queer enemies to lovers novel tells the story of eighteen-year-olds Maya and Skye, who share the same ex-boyfriend Jordy and have been invited on to a reality dating show alongside another four of Jordy’s exes.
Jordy has had a recent claim to fame in which a new charming, good-boy image of him is being shown in the media. Despite having wronged her, Skye longs to rekindle with Jordy, whereas Maya “would rather be swallowed up into the bowels of hell and enter an arrangement with the fallen angel Lucifer than date Jordy Miller again." Through their conflicting scheming and plotting, what these two girls could have never expected was to fall for each other in the process.
Never Ever Getting Back Together is a sweet, easy, feel-good read with scenes that are equally emotional and hilarious. Sophie Gonzalez is a rom-com expert!
The Rule Book by Sarah Adams
If you’re looking for a second chance AND sports romance, check out The Rule Book by Sarah Adams. This book was released in 2024 and follows the lives of exes Nora Mackenzie and Derek Pender.
Nora is a newly promoted sports agent, and Derek is a famous NFL player. The two never expected to see each other again—until Nora discovered that Derek was her first client.
To cope, Derek sets out to make Nora’s life as difficult as possible as his agent, including establishing a Rule Book – but he knows that she won’t go down without a fight. However, all hell breaks loose following a wild night in Vegas, which may cost Nora and Derek their careers. What follows is a story of risks and second chances.
Sarah Adams is an amazing writer, and I could have cried when Derek confessed, “I'm at your feet Nora, if you want me, I'm yours." The Rule Book is such an easy read and maybe the very definition of an ‘unputdownable book’.
Baby, One More Time by Camilla Isley
If you’re looking for a second chance AND a medical romance, you must read Baby, One More Time by Camilla Isley. Marissa Mayer has achieved great success in the world of work. The problem is, she’s single, and now she wants a baby.
Having been betrayed by love in her teenage years, Marissa has no intention of finding a partner to have a baby with. That is, until she discovers her doctor is none other than the very boy (now a man) who broke her heart: Dr. John Raikes. Marissa makes it her mission to keep John at arm’s length, but John is determined to show Marissa that he is no longer the person that he was, making her mission a whole lot harder: “I don’t care how long I have to wait, you’re worth every second."
Baby, One More Time highlights how hard it can be to give someone who has wronged you in the past a second chance, but equally how much it is worth it for true love.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
If you’re looking for a small-town, bookish romance, look no further than Book Lovers by Emily Henry. We meet Nora Stephens, a book-loving literary agent who is too attached to her work. She’s been dragged on vacation by her sister to the quaint town of ‘Sunshine Falls’ in North Carolina. Here, Nora encounters Charlie Lastra, a handsome but stern book editor whom Nora has had previous unpleasant encounters with.
Sunshine Falls is Charlie’s hometown, and, against all odds, the two end up working together to edit one of Nora’s author’s books. They form an alliance and find both their worlds and steely exteriors come crashing down…
I love this one so much. Both Nora and Charlie believe that they’re unworthy of love, but soon find that they’re wrong, and they are just perfect for each other: in Charlie’s words, “If you’re the ‘wrong kind of woman,’ then I’m the wrong kind of man."
Emily Henry has made a name for herself in the romance genre, and Book Lovers is a testament to her talent.
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