When Fictional Opposites Attract: Hate to Love Stories We Adore
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We’re here to talk about when fictional opposites attract. The romcom and romance trope of enemies to lovers is – no joke – our favorite trope of all time. We love seeing people who think they hate each other realize their true feelings and actually fall in love. We really love to see it. Which is why today we’re recommending five of our favorite hate to love stories. Because if a playground prank is now a national holiday, you better believe we’re going to take the opportunity to talk about books.
Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston
In this contemporary and delightfully fandom-centric adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, Rosie Thorne and Vance Reigns’ paths cross and a rare book is accidentally destroyed, Rosie finds herself working off her debt in the same house that Vance is staying in while he hides from the paparazzi. And Rosie knows she should be excited about this weird coincidence. Most Starfield fans would jump at a chance to spend so much time with the Vance Reigns. But there’s just one problem: Vance is a complete jerk and Rosie can’t stand him. But this is a romcom after all. And opposites attract is indeed a tale as old as time.
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Amazon | Books A Million | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida
Meet Mia: a millennial with short-term amnesia who just woke up from a coma. Mia’s trying to figure out exactly who she is, using only the information on her iPhone. She starts out by trying to find out where she lives. Luckily, there are a ton of photos of her duplex on her Instagram account. But when she arrives, she learns that she doesn’t actually live there. And neither does Max, the guy she meets when she arrives. He’s just housesitting. And after hearing Mia’s story, he’s intrigued enough to put the clues together with her. It’s all the makings of a cute romcom, with one problem: pre-coma Mia isn’t a good person. And it might be too late to go down another path.
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Amazon | Books A Million | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Lara Jean Song and Peter Kavinsky couldn’t be more different. Lara Jean is a good kid who likes baking and hanging out with her sisters. And Peter’s popular. He’s on the lacrosse team and he’s always going to parties. The only reason the two of them are fake dating is to make Peter’s ex jealous, and to take attention away from the fact that her secret never-meant-to-be-mailed love letters somehow ended up in the mail – including one to her sister’s boyfriend! It’s an arrangement of convenience, nothing more. And it’s kind of annoying that they have to do it in the first place. But things start to get messy when they fall for each other, for real. This is a romcom after all.
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Amazon | Books A Million | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
When Liv catches her celebrity chef boss harassing a young hostess at the restaurant where they work, Liv confronts him and is fired. Naturally, she vows revenge. And her greatest ally in this cause is the annoyingly full of himself Braden Mack. He’s a respected nightclub owner and family friend. She’s blackballed from the restaurant scene. And when Mack offers to help expose her ex-boss, Liv is suspicious. So suspicious, in fact, that she puts her guard up. And can you blame her? But this is a romance novel, so don’t worry. Things get steamy.
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Amazon | Books A Million | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi
Aminah Mae Safi likes to joke that the cover of this book is a spoiler in itself. But don’t be fooled! This is indeed an enemies to lovers romance. The first time Sana asked Rachel out, it went so horribly wrong that she vowed to never do that again. And in the years since, Sana avoided Rachel out of embarrassment. But Rachel thought Sana was making fun of her, which ruffled her feathers big time. But when the two of them start working together on a group project, the real story comes to light. And… Well, you see the cover!
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