The 52 Book Club: 2025 Challenge discussion
2023 Challenge
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38 -- An Enemies-To-Lovers Plot
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne will work for this category.
Throne of glass, which was already on my tbr for 2023. I could fit the whole series on the challenge
Just finished The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
The Rivals - Vi Keeland - Really enjoyed it!
i read
Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston for this enemy-to-lover plot prompt. This novel is a modern day retelling of The Beauty and The Beast story with nerds from the comic-convention. Very cute. Enjoy !
Anyone have one that is NOT a romance novel? I’m not a huge fan of the genre
I read Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao -- I'd originally intended it for 'title beginning with I' but it was too perfect for this prompt!
I’m just about finished Anne of Green Gables. I forgot how great it is and how much I love this story…I wonder what will happen between Anne and her arch nemesis Gilbert Blythe?
For this prompt there were SO many choices...I decided to read Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Absolutely loved this book and highly recommend!!
I gave this book 5 stars :)
I used Deception by Patricia Bradley for this prompt. The two main characters were childhood friends who meet again as adults.
I read Beach Read by Emily Henry. I didn't enjoy it too much, it was all a bit too cliche for me. I would have re-read Pride and Prejudice or North and South, both are great but I set myself a rule that I should read from a variety of authors and genres with no re-reads
Steph wrote: "Anyone have one that is NOT a romance novel? I’m not a huge fan of the genre"Take a look at This is How You Lose the Time War, it appears to be a different type of "romance" novel, being mainly science fiction-time-travel. I saw this as a recommendation in one of my groups, but for the life of me, I can't find it again. Garnered quite a few awards.
Gail W wrote: "Steph wrote: "Anyone have one that is NOT a romance novel? I’m not a huge fan of the genre"Take a look at This is How You Lose the Time War, it appears to be a different type of ..."
Looks like a great recommendation for me personally, a non-reader of romance novels....
Do You Take This Man by Denise Williams. https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2023...It actually has an 'enemies with benefits' trope going on.
Queen of Rot & Pain by Liv Zander. The other book in this "duet" King of Flesh & Bone would've worked for this prompt as well, but I used it for #16. I just really wanted a light, fun, smutty read :) nailed it!
Pride and PrejudiceI don't like the enemies to lovers trope. But I do love this book. This is a re-read, but it has been 10+ years, so I was glad to have this prompt to have the excuse to read it again.
Resting Scrooge Face (actually, this was a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers book)
I am not usually a fan of romance-type novels, but just finished The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and really enjoyed it!
"Mother Land" by Leah Franqui. Pushing the boundary of the category with this selection but it works on so many levels.
Lady Amelia's Scandalous Secret by Eva Shepherd. Loved this read, and fit the category perfectly!
I just finished The Unhoneymooners. Sadly, this was not for me. I am happy that many readers love it, but not this one.
I think I’ll read The African Queen by C.S. Forester for this prompt. This is a classic book and more of an adventure story than romance. The two main characters begin as two people with absolutely nothing in common and sort of disdainful of each other. When they’re forced to travel together on a riverboat, love blossoms. I think it fits the prompt.
Donna wrote: "I think I’ll read The African Queen by C.S. Forester for this prompt. This is a classic book and more of an adventure story than romance. The two main characters begin..."One of my all-time favorites.
The Valiant by Lesley Livingston. It was a more general "enemy of my people," and not the main focus of the story, but it still fits.
This was a tough one for non-fiction only. This book is about a woman who is enemies with her body, but comes to love herself in the end. An inspiring story. 5 stars.
Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery by Erica Barnett
Clara wrote: "This was a tough one for non-fiction only. This book is about a woman who is enemies with her body, but comes to love herself in the end. An inspiring story. 5 stars.[bookcover:Quitter: A Memoir ..."
That its very clever! Hope you don't mind if I steal this idea when I find a book (a different book though)
Denise wrote: "Clara wrote: "This was a tough one for non-fiction only. This book is about a woman who is enemies with her body, but comes to love herself in the end. An inspiring story. 5 stars.[bookcover:Quit..."
Thank you. I don't read romance books and I'm doing non-fiction only. This one was about drinking. I'm doing the challenge twice this year so I have another about anorexia and bulimia. Hope you find a good onel
I just read “Happy all the time” by Laurie Colwin. I think it fits this category well as the lovers described seem ill-suited from the get-go and the female characters are challenging and aloof, seeming uninterested and make it difficult for their respective male pursuers. This remains the case for much of the novel, the females holding back, resisting, until they discover that actually their relationship is working for them, and if not happy all the time, certainly happier. As Misty, the harder to crack of the two female characters observes well into the novel, “it was just as she suspected, love turns you into perfect mush”. While enemies is too strong a term for these characters, I still feel both females showed enough reluctance and resistance to fit this category. A gem of a novel by the way.
I chose
from the suggested list. It was pretty good but definitely aimed at a much younger audience.
Borrowed this idea from Clara above, and read a non-fiction book with a character who goes from self-loathing to acceptance: When Rabbit Howls, a first person account of multiple personalities. The subject, like many abuse victims, begins by despising herself and believing she deserved the childhood abuse, and also hates the missing memories and general issues that come with dissociative identity. By the end she has accepted her condition and learns that the abuse was never her fault.
Well, I’ve decided to use The Covenant of Water for this prompt. I haven’t finished it yet, but Part I is about an arranged marriage between a 12-year-old girl and a 40-year-old widower in India, early 1900s. They are both extremely reluctant about the union at first, but a sweet and loving relationship develops over time. Since I don’t prefer to read romances, this fits the bill pretty well, I think.
Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher
5 stars - not for how enjoyable it was - it wasn't - but for the honest telling of her life.
This was a difficult read. I saw faint shadows of my own behaviors in Marya. But I went the other way and ate instead of starving. She had to get to the point of death before she was able to let go and decided to live. An incredible read. I'd recommend it for anyone.
I listened to Book Lovers by Emily Henryas an audiobook. Gloria Whelan was the narrator and she was fabulous to listen to! Highly reccomend.
The 52 Book Club: 2025 Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Pumpkin (other topics)Stardust (other topics)
The Unhoneymooners (other topics)
Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia (other topics)
The Covenant of Water (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Julie Murphy (other topics)Neil Gaiman (other topics)
Lesley Livingston (other topics)
C.S. Forester (other topics)
C.S. Forester (other topics)
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A common trope within the romance genre is an “enemies-to-lovers plot.” This means that the characters start out as enemies (or really dislike each other) but by the end of the book are together romantically. This may be part of the main plot or act as a secondary plot. Likewise, this may involve the main protagonists or include secondary characters. You don’t have to use a romance novel for this prompt. The enemies-to-lovers trope is also found in many other genres as secondary plots.
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