Love ‘The Hating Game’? Dive Into Our Favorite Enemies-to-Lovers Romance Books
With The Hating Game now available on Netflix, the movie brings up great memories of reading Sally Thorne’s romance novel for the very first time. Lucy Hutton and Josh Templeman’s love-hate relationship was like tasting a freshly made strawberry shortcake (IYKYK).
The Hating Game wasn’t the first enemies-to-lovers romance novel, and it certainly won’t be the last. The trope is among the most popular within the romance universe, so Swooon has compiled a batch of our favorite enemies-to-lovers romance books. If you haven’t read them all, time to get these Swooon-worthy reads on your TBR!
The Unhoneymooners
Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren’s novels are always such a treat, no matter the romance genre. Olive is her sister’s maid-of-honor, and her sworn enemy, Ethan, is the groom’s best man. When the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, Olive and Ethan put their hatred aside for an all-expenses-paid honeymoon trip to Hawaii. Seriously, who would turn that down? Their trip to paradise takes a turn when Olive and Ethan have to pretend to be newlyweds, and they both realize they don’t mind this fantasy at all.
A Deal With the Devil
Elizabeth O'Roark
Who doesn’t love a grumpy boss romance? Elizabeth O’Roark brings her A-game with Tali and Hayes’ enemies-to-lovers romance. When Tali starts working for the the womanizing but brilliant Hayes, she can’t deny the incredible banter between them. His playboy ways are just a front for his heartbreak. Once she sees the man underneath the facade, Tali discovers that she doesn’t hate him at all.
The Spanish Love Deception
Elena Armas
There’s just something about an enemies-to-lovers romance centered around a wedding. Catalina Martín needs a date to her sister’s wedding because she knows her ex and his new fiancée will be there. Catalina is desperate to find someone to accompany her to Spain, and her infuriating colleague Aaron Blackford shocks her by offering to step in. She doesn’t have time to find another option, so Aaron joins her overseas. Even though he’s insufferable, Catalina starts to see that Aaron isn’t a bad guy at all. Cue the sexy wedding date escapades.
The Wedding Party
Jasmine Guillory
Maddie and Theo hate each other, but it’s complicated. In Jasmine Guillory’s delightful The Wedding Party, Maddie and Theo have a one-night stand and can’t stop thinking about each other — and about how much they want to do it again. They both have bridal party responsibilities as they support their best friend, Alexa, and agree to end their secret trysts when the wedding is over. Maddie and Theo think their relationship is purely physical, but the longer this little arrangement continues, the more the animosity between them crumbles.
Shatter Me
Tahereh Mafi
Perhaps the most quintessential YA enemies-to-lovers of the 2010s, Shatter Me follows Juliette Ferrars, a 17-year-old being held in solitary confinement on account of her fatal touch. When The Reestablishment deems her their newest weapon, Juliette becomes reacquainted with humanity and finds herself caught in love triangle between her childhood crush and her literal antagonist. Turns out, rooting for the villain has never felt so right.
How to End a Love Story
Yulin Kuang
Helen Zhang and Grant Shepard have a very complicated history. Over a decade after a tragic accident connected them forever, Helen and Grant are forced to work together in the writers’ room of the TV adaptation of her novel. They try to avoid each other at all costs, but they can’t seem to fall out of each other’s orbits. As they explore the feelings stewing between them and come to peace with their shared past, Helen and Grant might just find a way to move forward… together.
The Viscount Who Loved Me
Julia Quinn
The Viscount Who Loved Me is Julia Quinn’s second book in her Bridgerton series and the inspiration for the show’s second season. Anthony Bridgerton is the most eligible bachelor in the Ton, and he’s finally ready to marry. He chooses Edwina Sheffield (Sharma in the show) to be his wife, but her protective older sister, Kate, wants to put a stop to the marriage. Anthony and Kate push each other to their limits, and they both realize the animosity between them is just a cover for their undeniable sexual attraction.
Beach Read
Emily Henry
Almost all of Emily Henry’s books feature a little bit of enemies-to-lovers charm, but no book more perfectly suits the trope than Beach Read. Former academic rivals January and Augustus start living in neighboring beach houses, and they find themselves in similar creative ruts and make a pact to swap genres to squash their writer’s block. He’ll teach her to write the next Great American Novel, and she’ll teach him what makes a perfect rom-com. They’ll both finish their book and definitely not fall in love along the way.
Will They or Won’t They
Ava Wilder
Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy’s onscreen characters had the best slow-burn love story until Lilah left the show to become a movie star. Years later, Lilah and Shane have to reunite to film the highly-anticipated ninth and final season, the one where their characters will get their happily ever after. These costars have hated each other since Season 1, and they have to play nice—and get very close in order to give fans the closure they want. However, as Lilah and Shane address what happened years ago and their long-standing feelings, they might get a happy ending in real-life, too.
Unfortunately, Yours
Tessa Bailey
A bride and groom who hate each other (but eventually fall in love)? Yes, please! Natalie is a Napa heiress who just lost her job and her fiancé. She’s hoping to start the next chapter of her life with the help of her trust fund, but she has to be married before getting the money. That’s where August Cates comes in. There’s just one catch: They loathe one another. These two just need to get through this quickie marriage so they can both get what they want. But once they say “I do,” Natalie and August’s sizzling attraction soon overpowers any hatred they have for one another.
The Hating Game
Sally Thorne
Lucy Hutton hates her coworker, Josh Templeman. He’s her complete opposite in every way and is also gunning for the same promotion. (It doesn’t help that he’s extremely attractive, too.) With so much on the line, the tension between Lucy and Josh reaches its climax as they play their little games. As they straddle the line between love and hate, Lucy has to figure out what she’s really willing to win and lose.
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is the blueprint for all enemies-to-lovers novels. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy detest each other at first sight over a combination of, you guessed it, pride and prejudice. With some forced proximity situations, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s hatred for each other begins to melt as they overcome their differences, and they realize their feelings have evolved into love. When you talk about romance books, there’s no denying Miss Austen’s influence.
Twisted Hate
Ana Huang
Part of Ana Huang’s Twisted series of interconnected standalones, Twisted Hate features Josh Chen and his sister’s best friend, Jules Ambrose. From the minute they meet, he knows she’s bad news, but after years of hatred, they wind up working in the same hospital and come to a peculiar agreement: To be able to stand spending so much time with each other, they must become enemies with benefits.
