15 of the Best Enemies-to-Lovers Books

Portia Hobbs drops her high-paced lifestyle in New York City to act as an apprentice to a Scottish swordmaker, as we all wish we could do once in a while. Tavish McKenzie is immediately put off by the brash and infuriating Portia, but they both can’t deny their attraction. When Portia finds out Tavish is a secret duke, their apprenticeship is flipped and she has to give him her expertise about how to handle the media and fame. Two very different people put aside their differences and find the brilliance in each other’s methods.

Luc is in need of a very normal boyfriend to rehabilitate his image. Since his aging rockstar dad is back in the spotlight, one bad night is enough to take Luc and his own life down. He enlists the help of Oliver Blackwood, a very normal and upstanding lawyer, to be his perfect-image boyfriend. However, Luc and Oliver don’t really like each other or want to date, so they choose to have a fake relationship instead. Oliver’s aggressive organization originally grates on Luc’s nerves, but their long talks and bonding in favor of making the fake relationship seem real allow them to get past their original assumptions. This book combines the joys of fake dating and enemies learning the other one isn’t so bad after all.

Lady Diana Templeton loves to argue with Jeremy, the Marquess of Willingham. Their heated exchanges are well-known across English society. During a bickering session, Diana bets that Jeremy will not marry within the year. However, when Jeremy finds out his bedroom skills might not be up to par, he goes to Diana (who is a widow, so she knows what she’s doing) to give him a brutally honest assessment. She is confident that she can win their bet and also broadcast that she’s ready to take a new lover, but the intensity between Jeremy and Diana gets much higher after their tryst.

Looking to make a change from her life as a train robber, Teresa July takes a job as a cook to service a high-society family in Philadelphia. Her plans are waylaid by her employer’s son, Madison, following her every move and waiting for her to slip up into her old, train-robbing ways. He has his reasons to be concerned based on his family’s past experiences. However, their rivalry has to be put aside so they can work together to protect Teresa and Madison’s family, and find something more.

Everything feels urgent in high school, especially beating your academic rival. The two students at the top of their class, Rowan and Neil, fight over everything, from extracurriculars to grades to book taste. After their graduation, Rowan and Neil pair up for a senior-wide game across Seattle. Their time together gives them the time and space to understand each other, and Rowan has to assess why she hates Neil so much to begin with, especially when he doesn’t seem to hate her at all like she thought he did.

Sana and Rachel are in different high school universes — Sana is a cheerleader and Rachel is a film nerd. When Rachel is working on her movie, she knows that Sana would be the perfect lead. However, Sana asked Rachel out years ago, and Rachel thought it was a cruel joke and has hated her ever since. Both of them have to get over their assumptions and work together, and maybe find something more.

Ollie and Will have the picture-perfect summer romance, but summer ends and Ollie is devastated when Will ghosts him. When Ollie has to go to a new school unexpectedly, he ends up at the same school as Will — but it’s a completely different guy from the one he had a beautiful queer romance with over the summer. Ollie definitely hates Will for breaking his heart, but it might not be that simple. This is the queer Grease retelling of my dreams.

Liz and Wes are neighbors and, in Liz’s mind, could have been perfect candidates for a movie-perfect romance, if Liz didn’t hate Wes so much. In senior year, Liz decides fellow student Michael is the perfect guy for her, but he’s close friends with her enemy, Wes. She decides she needs Wes’s help to get her movie-perfect prom date with Michael, but maybe hating Wes isn’t all she feels for him.

Aideen has plenty of problems that she has to deal with, so coming across her most hated enemy, Meabh, having a breakdown isn’t exactly something she wants to deal with. Aideen helps Meabh get out of her extracurricular activities by pushing her down the stairs so she sprains her ankle. Aideen then takes on the annoying task of helping other students that Meabh brings her, bringing Meabh and Aideen closer together.

Adam and Whitney are on opposite sides of a battle in a You’ve Got Mail–like fashion. Adam needs to protect his dad’s indie arcade from the takeover by a series of soulless gaming cafés, owned by Whitney’s dad. Adam sees Whitney as an encroacher on the last piece of his dad that he has left, while Whitney is just trying to get by. When they get trapped together during a snowstorm, all of the animosity seems to fall away.

Through an annoying series of events involving getting beat in basketball by an ex and getting into a car crash, Scottie has to carpool every day with her biggest enemy, Irene. Scottie and Irene continue to hate each other in their car journeys, but when Scottie finds a way to get back at her ex, she enlists Irene’s help in a fake dating scheme. Everything should work, as long as Scottie and Irene don’t drive each other too crazy.