Book Recs: Rivals to Lovers

Hi everyone,

In a continuation of our latest feature, let’s have a look at a super popular trope - Rivals to Lovers. I will be making a distinction between this trope and Enemies to Lovers, because for me personally enemies implies real enmity, life-and-death almost and that I have usually found in fantasy books (though, I am sure they exist outside of this genre e.g. Mafia romances). For that reason, this post will feature contemporary romance recommendations.

Rivals to Lovers is the opposite of Friends to Lovers - here, the two main characters start off disliking each other and as the story progresses, their feelings change. They might be work rivals, or one bullied the other in school or they simply got off on the wrong foot.

This is a wildly popular trope and I have read numerous books with it, but here are my top 3 recommendations.

For me, this trope works well because it allows for some great banter and tension between the characters. In order for the romantic relationship to grow, the two characters are usually forced to spend time together and slowly discover that there is more to them than meets the eye. I won’t lie, as much as I love this trope, it does often go hand in hand with one of my least favourite tropes - Miscommunication - and the antagonism between the characters is often due to unnecessary misunderstandings.

What are some of your favourite books featuring this trope? Let me know in the comments or send me a DM on our Instagram page.

Until next time, keep reading.

~ Lucia