Hi everyone & happy Tuesday! I know I basically only write lists and tags on this blog, but I am idea-starved and they’re fun (usually)! So, today, I’ll be giving you all of my favorite books with the best trope, enemies to lovers. All the tension and the developing romance is always a favorite of mine, and I’m excited to share some of my favorites with you! Also, if the formatting is really messed up, it’s because I have no idea how WordPress image/column formatting works. I remember having an image heavy post once and after a week, like half the images wouldn’t show up because of the way I uploaded them from WordPress or something (I have no clue).
So, let’s get started!
1. The Cruel Prince
Of course, you don’t have an enemies to lovers list without this book! I feel like it’s the generic go-to for a lot of people (including me) with this trope because it’s so prominent. Even though Cardan was lowkey really mean & cruel, I thought that his own complexities played well when it came to the developing romance. He was so complementary to Jude and I loved them. The setting was really fun since I’m always a huge fan of fae, and I thought that it had some good plot twists.
2. Shatter Me
Okay, so ignoring the last three books of this series, because I don’t think they gave the first three justice, Juliette and Warner are SO good together. The whole thing where Juliette’s touch kills everyone besides him was so good, and they worked really well together. Plus, the series has one of my favorite side characters, Kenji. I usually don’t like dystopian books, but I found this to be a fun read.
3. ACOTAR
This series is one of my favorites, so of course it’s going to be on this list! I fell in love with all of the characters, and especially the developing relationship between Feyre and Rhysand. I am a huge fan of the “evil, tough guy is super soft and caring once you get past his shell” trope and this book was exactly that, so I was not disappointed! I know I’m saying this for every single book on the list, but they are so complementary. They’re both broken in their own ways, and all of their vulnerable conversations were really meaningful (especially when they each said one thing on their minds asdflkdajlfds).
4. Six of Crows
I loved Nina and Matthias so much in this series. Like Matthias was probably one of my favorites from the duology, and I still think he is very underrated. The tension was so good and I love how he was trying to let go of all his hatred of the Grisha for her. I loved reading about their history and they’re super cute together. Anyways, it’s probably another one of my favorite YA books & cast of characters! The heist plot worked really well, and I will forever be upset at the end of Crooked Kingdom (no spoilers though)!
5. Sorcery of Thorns
Sorcery of Thorns is probably my favorite fantasy standalone, and I’m still mad that there wasn’t a sequel after that barely conclusive ending. But anyways, I loved both Elizabeth and Nathaniel. There was so much charm and good banter between them and I liked that it was sorta slow-burn too (since I hate insta-love)! Plus, the friendship between Nathaniel and Silas is one of my favorites, since I feel like they usually aren’t as developed as romances typically are.
6. Red White and Royal Blue
Okay I’m a little over halfway through this, so technically, I probably shouldn’t put this book on a list until I finish it. But you know, whatever! Alex and Henry are really cute and I’m going to slap them on here. Since it’s a contemporary and it included some real life elements, I thought that it made it more realistic and meaningful! Henry gives me cinnamon-roll vibes if that makes sense, and it kind of contrasts Alex’s personality which I absolutely love. Their banter is really entertaining too.
7. Tweet Cute
Okay, so this book literally had Jack and Pepper communicate through three different channels (Twitter, some anonymous chatroom, and in-person) without knowing who the other was in 2/3 of them. It kind of worked though! I liked seeing how their rivalry played out, and it made for a light, humorous read. It was interesting to see their relationship develop in so many different ways as well. There’s also a mini plot on a baking blog which I loved, since baking is definitely one of my side-hobbies other than reading.
Anyways, that’s it, so thanks for reading through this post!! I’ve been so busy lately, so if my posts are short, that’s the reason why. I’ve also been trying to find good music on Spotify, which has proven to be near impossible, since I’m the worst at it, so I’ve invested wayyy too much into that.
But anyways, I hope you all have a great Tuesday, and to everyone in the northeast US with me, I hope you all stay safe with the incoming snow!
Happy reading!
Allison
Hey! Wonderful post! And I guess I’ve read almost all the book on this list. Also, if you like the tough cover, sweet guy thing, then Empire Of Sand by Tasha Suri is what you should read. AHHHH!!! I spent 5 hours grieving on that book which is a lot considering I recover super fast 😂
Anyways, have a good day!
Thank you! I have to read that one omg! I’ve seen it, and it looks amazing, but I’ve never gotten to it. I’ll definitely see if I can pick it up!
Welcome 😀
Tell me when you read it!!!!
OH MY GOSH ANOTHER MATTHIAS LOVER. He is so underappreciated and deserves so much more love~!! Definitely one of my favorites from the crew 😍 And I swear, every second Matthias and Nina had together in SoC almost gave me a heart attack. They’re amazingggg together ❤️ And yes Tweet Cute was adorable!
I really need to get around to checking out the other books on this list!! Especially The Cruel Prince and Sorcery of Thorns!! Great post Allison 💜
YES DEFINITELY! I know omg me too.
I agree with you wholeheartedly about Matthias! I liked how his development progressed. And Nina is awesome too, of course. She’s one of my favorite characters from that series. 🙂
Yes definitely!! For sure.
I love this list and totally agree! You can’t have an enemies to lover list without The Cruel Prince!
Thank you! And totally!
omg, i LOVE slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romances, but sometimes i find book recs where it’s just not executed properly. also YES YES YES MATTHIAS!! his death completely broke me 🥺😭 but i loved every moment he spent with nina!! i really need to get around to reading the cruel prince, and hopefully i get a copy of sorcery of thorns soon!!
also i recently finished reading serpent & dove which had some AMAZING slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, *if* you want to check that out!! i loved reading this post, allison ❤
Sameee! And omg me too, their romance was the best. I hope you get around to reading them!
I unfortunately didn’t like Serpent and Dove too much 😭 but I’m so glad you did!! Thanks for stopping by.
I love this list Allison!! I’m not a big fan of enemies to lovers but when done well I am absolutely trash for it haha. Definitely agree on TCP being the classic example of this trope and it lives up to the hype! Ah yes, do I spy Six of Crows?? I liked Kaz/Inej more but yes the banter and tension between Nina and Matthias was just pure gold … OMG Crooked Kingdom was the source of my heartache too haha… I’m going to check some of these other books out, thanks for the recs!!
Thank you! And yes, I totally agree. I loved Kaz and Inej too, and their tension was so good!! Thanks for stopping by!
Honestly, this isn’t a trope I’m usually that attracted to. However, I have recently read the first two books in a YA trilogy that fit well with this theme, and I loved the books. Have you tried Swati Teerdhala’s The Tiger at Midnight trilogy? And if you happen to be into audiobooks the first two have been narrated by Sneha Mathan who has such a fantastic voice and did a great job with both books (I actually started listening to The Henna Artist because she narrated it). I can’t wait to read/listen to the final book when it’s out (expected mid-2021).
I haven’t read that one! I have heard of it though, and I’ll definitely take a look into it. Thanks for the recommendation!
AH Yes i totally absolutely loved the first three books in the shatter me series too. i remember sitting in the library hunched over my copy of the book just desperately trying to finish it before class because i needed to know what would happen. ooh yeah henry is a total cinnamon roll haha. i also loved the banter in red, white, & royal blue.
Omg yessss! Literally me too the romance is so good.