There’s so much to love about so many of the most common romance book tropes, but perhaps the sexiest and most satisfying of all is the enemies-to-lovers setup. Sure, it’s sweet when longtime best friends finally fall for each other, and pursuing a forbidden romance despite all the obstacles is undoubtedly swoonworthy, but truly, is there anything more romantic than two people being so irresistibly attracted to each other that love wins out over any animosity or annoyance between them? I think not.
The enemies-to-lovers trope in literature dates back centuries: Shakespeare wove it into plenty of his plays, and Jane Austen, of course, immortalized it in her 1813 classic Pride and Prejudice, an enemies-to-lovers story so enduring that it has since sparked untold numbers of adaptations, riffs, and retellings on both page and screen.
Here, we’ve rounded up 15 of the best enemies-to-lovers books that’ll have you rooting for love to triumph over even the most ridiculously strong resentments, from classics like P&P all the way to present-day #BookTok-beloved rom-coms from the likes of Emily Henry, Chloe Gong, and more.
Many readers’s first introduction to the enemies-to-lovers trope may have been this beloved classic, in which the headstrong Anne held an impressive grudge against her school rival, Gilbert. Their disdain for each other was sparked by his disparaging comments about her red hair—until, years later, they finally become friends and, eventually, realize they’re each other’s one true love.
Of course, reigning rom-com queen Emily Henry has dabbled in the enemies-to-lovers trope. This 2022 novel, for instance, focuses on two rivals from the book publishing world. They continually find themselves in forced proximity throughout their respective visits to a small town in North Carolina, leading them over time to reexamine what they thought they knew about their relationship and themselves.
The first book in Sarah J. Maas’s wildly popular ACOTAR romantasy series is basically a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Meaning, it's an excellent example of two enemies—a handsome faerie and the human he’s taken captive—developing an undeniable bond as they spend more and more time working together to save the faerie lands.
In this LGBTQ+ rom-com, the titular Delilah returns to the small town where she grew up to photograph her stepsister Astrid’s wedding. There, she crosses paths with Claire, whom she remembers mainly as one of Astrid’s insufferable friends. When they're forced to spend quite a bit of time together amid all the wedding prep, Delilah realizes Claire may mean a lot more to her than she did in the past.
In the first book in Rebecca Yarros’s hit Empyrean series, aspiring dragon rider Violet starts training at an elite military academy, and seems to have a budding friends-to-lovers thing going with her lifelong pal Dain. However, she soon finds herself irrepressibly drawn to her brooding, ruthless wingleader, Xaden, who appears (at least at first) to want absolutely nothing to do with her. (Fourth Wing will soon be adapted into a TV show, so read this one soon and start your dream fan casting.)
Often credited with kickstarting the current rom-com book craze, this 2016 fave centers on Lucy and Joshua, two publishing company assistants who outright hate each other. Their passive-aggressive feud ramps up even higher when they begin competing for the same promotion—building up so much that they just might be forced to admit that there are more complicated feelings between them than pure hatred.
When successful but burnt-out pediatric surgeon London decides to hook up with her former archnemesis, wealthy businessman Drew, following their high school reunion, she’s expecting it to be a purely physical thing. But, of course, things get a lot more confusing as London spends more time with Drew and begins—very begrudgingly—to realize he might not be quite as bad as she remembers.
Wild-child heiress Piper gets off on the wrong foot with rugged sea captain Brendan almost immediately after she arrives in the small seaside town where she’s been sent by her stepfather to learn some responsibility. But in tiny Westport, Piper and Brendan are naturally going to keep running into each other, realizing each time that, against their better judgment, there’s a growing attraction between them, no matter how different they are.
Another centuries-old entry in the enemies-to-lovers canon, Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel starts with governess Jane arriving at Thornfield Hall and initially finding her employer, Mr. Rochester, unbearably scornful and arrogant. As time goes by, however, they find themselves falling for one another—though their love story won’t be a straightforward one, thanks to Mr. Rochester’s big secret.
In Ali Hazelwood's beloved science-romance novel, theoretical physicist and adjunct professor Elsie has another life working as a fake girlfriend to paying clients. Those worlds collide when her latest faux suitor turns out to be the brother of a notorious experimental physicist who holds Elsie’s academic future in his hands. As the pretend romance brings them together, however, the fiery animosity between them starts turning into something a lot more...smoldering.
The ultimate tale of two seemingly sworn enemies eventually falling head over heels for one another, Jane Austen’s all-time classic centers on the stubborn Elizabeth Bennet and the arrogant Mr. Darcy. The two come from different worlds and have entirely different worldviews—and openly disgust the other for it—but who nonetheless find themselves pulled together by some force much stronger than contempt.
You’ll be giggling and kicking your feet through this heartstring-tugging rom-com, which starts with the First Son of the United States and the Prince of England each holding a longstanding grudge against the other, until a very public mishap forces them into a fake friendship for the media. And, as all experts of the genre know, it only takes one powerfully flirty moment to send any fake relationship down a slippery slope into a much sexier, more complicated connection.
Elena Armas’s 2021 book blew up on TikTok, and for good reason: It’s another unputdownable cross between the enemies-to-lovers and fake-dating tropes. Our protagonist Catalina tentatively accepts the surprising offer from her infuriatingly patronizing coworker Aaron to serve as her (totally platonic) date to her sister’s wedding—and soon learns that there may be more to him than his insufferable exterior.
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is more of a forbidden romance than a true enemies-to-lovers story, but Chloe Gong’s riff on the classic tale leans fully into the latter. Her contemporary fantasy novel centers on Roma and Juliette, the heirs to rival gangs in 1920s Shanghai. The two are forced to reunite to save their city from a mysterious monster after a devastating breakup years before left a bitter wall between them.
After suffering through her twin sister’s wedding day alongside her nemesis, Ethan—a.k.a. the best man—Olive is rewarded with the chance to take the honeymoon trip in her sister’s place, as almost everyone in the wedding party has been hit with food poisoning. The only other person who avoided it, of course, is Ethan, setting up an all-expenses-paid tropical getaway in which the duo might discover that they maybe, possibly, actually enjoy getting to pretend to be newlyweds together.
