Enemies to lovers is a self-explanatory trope. It starts with a few characters, usually two, who are rivals or enemies or don’t like each other. They’ve fallen in love by the end of the book/story. It’s one of the most popular tropes in fiction. One of the most compelling aspects of fiction is tension, and enemies to lovers have all types of tension. We’ve got hateful tension, inattention, and sexual tension. So, it takes the tension to the max, and readers eat that. Also, this is a trope that creators love to write but often mess up.
You can think of a million books out there with enemies to lovers that are big yikes. Thus, I’ve decided to save you the headache and give you my tips for writing this trope and mastering it by what to do and what not to do. The biggest issue is current literary trends, so pay close attention. Do you love enemies-to-lovers relationships and want to learn how to write a believable enemies to lovers romance? Then you’ve come to the right place.
How to write enemies to lovers? (Scenarios, Tropes, Prompts)
Hate to love romance is a pleasure to read and write. It makes your story more dynamic because a huge change of heart has to take place with your characters. If it’s written well, it can make your book so addictive that readers will not be able to put it down. A lot of character development has to occur for this major change of heart to feel believable to the reader.
So is it tricky to write? Yeah, but is it worth it? Yeah! Looking back on the stories that I’ve already written and the stories that I’ve been plotting in my head for years now, I realized that this is my favorite romance trope because I use it so much. I also love to read stories with hate and love romance, and evidently, many other people do. Pride And Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables are one of the best for me.
So with my experience of writing and fangirling over Hate/Enemy to Love Romance, I’m going to show you how to craft a realistic feeling and brilliant story arc that will take your characters from enemies to more than friends. Here are 15 best tips for writing enemies to lovers romance. Let’s begin!
1. Establish the reason behind the hate
Before we begin, we have to dig into the first impressions of these characters, whether they’ve loathed each other for a long time now or only met and did not hit it off. Nobody hates without reason. In fact, hate/enemy in this scenario can be better described as a negative judgment one character makes about another character based on their perspective. It sounds a little philosophical, but that’s what it boils down to.
So what negative judgments have your characters made about each other? Let’s take, for example, Pride And Prejudice. When Elizabeth first meets Darcy, she’s immediately put off by his pride and arrogance, not to mention his miserable expression. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Darcy judges the laughing and light-hearted Lizzie as barely tolerable and is repelled by her family’s lack of decency.
First impressions are usually the root of all dislike. When we don’t know a person, we’re trying to decide whether or not we should trust them and if they show any sign of being unlikable, our brain is quick to judge. So if you don’t have a first impression moment in your back story with when your characters first meet, I recommend you,
- Craft one, even if it’s backstory, write the scene, and feel the tension and conflict in these characters.
- Know the root of their problem with each other, and you’ll be able to write their problem so much better.
2. Figure out who hates who
Relationships are always more dynamic than we hate each other. As you probably noticed in the last question, much more tension and conflict are happening below the surface. But what if the bad feeling is not mutual? What if person A hates person B, but person B likes person A? Although the plot thickens technically hate to love romance, it throws a monkey wrench into an otherwise simple relationship. This is one of my favorite types of romance because there’s so much potential for many different types of plot twists.
Let’s take Anne of Green Gables, for example. When Anne first meets Gilbert, she smashes a slate over his head. Not a good first impression because he insensitively teased her. But what Anne doesn’t realize is that Gilbert likes her. Despite their competitive relationship, he admires her spirit, imagination, and determination to constantly better himself. It creates more conflict for the characters and makes the reader more intrigued to see what kind of change of heart will happen next.
3. Make a hard and soft character
Make sure there’s a reason they hate each other and let it be something that can be resolved down the road. For example, maybe they hate each other over a misunderstanding. Misunderstandings are frequently used in enemies to lovers romance. The first character is shy, and the second character thinks the first character is stuck up.
That misunderstanding leads to hate, but secretly they’re attracted to each other. It can be as easy as that formula. You want these characters to fall in love when it comes down to it. So early on, you must plan some seeds of love. First and foremost, the characters should find each other attractive, even if they don’t make it known to each other.
Obviously, attraction alone doesn’t lead to love, but it’s a good place to start later. You want to set these characters up to be forced to interact. In those instances, they must gradually drop hints about the people they truly are through their actions and words.
4. Impressions matter
The characters start as enemies, but the phrase is enemies to lovers. So, the characters have to learn to love one another, which means the reader has to love them too. If you drive the enemy idea too hard, your readers might not be able to root for them down the line.
The most obvious example from books is when the love interest, usually male, is extremely pompous and chauvinistic. I’ve seen a lot of plotlines involving a sexist man who makes tons of derogatory comments about women. At that point, you can’t convince the reader to ship the male character with anyone.
People can be enemies without being despicable human beings. Maybe they come from warring territories. Or maybe there was a miscommunication that got them off on the wrong foot. There are plenty of options that allow you to create a divide between characters without pegging one.
5. Choose the right level of enemy
Complete good and complete evil won’t combine well. So instead, choose two people who are more rivals or on opposing sides of a conflict. That would mean that they are obligated to be against each other and have been indoctrinated into different ideologies. People on different sides but who are not necessarily fundamental enemies in their hearts.
But the morals inside them, the deep things they base their lives and their perspectives on, should be somewhat the same. There should be some deep similarity between them, something they share and that they can bond over. It will also be the beginning of your romantic arc, the moment that these two have the chance to be vulnerable in front of each other and to learn what makes the other person tick.
6. Tension should be realistic
Tension is the opposite side of the coin. If your characters start as enemies, the divide between them needs to be realistic and understandable. Sometimes writers are so scared of making their characters unlikeable that they give them a flimsy reason to be enemies. The characters became enemies because one of them took the other’s donut and ate it. Call the cops! This execution may have worked if the characters in question were toddlers, but they weren’t.
So it had the opposite effect. Also, It wasn’t cute or charming, and it certainly wasn’t engaging. That made the characters look childish, which destroyed the likability factor. So, the divide between them should at some point be surmounted, but the divide still needs to be believable.
- Rivals, warring communities, or conflicting goals can make characters enemies without dipping into toxic territory.
7. Don’t add abusive scene
Enemies do not have to mean abuse. It is relevant to the first point, but it has become so prevalent in recent literature that it needs to be dressed independently. You do not need to establish enemies through abuse. If the relationship begins with abuse, it doesn’t matter how cute the relationship’s progression is. Moreover, readers are not going to be able to forget about the initial abuse. Some readers will, but they’ve got their issues.
If both characters are warriors and meet during battle, we will expect some battle. Other exceptions would be the only one kidnapping, manipulating, torturing a future love interest, attempting to strangle them to death or break their arm. All of this is too much, making it impossible to shift the characters.
- Violence is often utilized in fiction, but be careful of the implications you create because it is tough to come back from it once you cross that line.
8. Add plot twist
The shift is the moment when things start to change between your enemies. Many writers fall into the trap of making the shift something shallow. It’s usually that the characters realize they’re hot and get a big old throbbing boner. It’s great if your characters are attracted to one another. But an effective shift is a moment where respect is proven and earned. The character learns something about one another or witnesses an event that disproves their negative opinions.
- The keyword here is respect and plot twist.
Enemies do not necessarily respect one another, but lovers absolutely should. Thus, this moment plants the first of many necessary seeds to establish a future romantic relationship.
Find a way for your characters to see another side of one another. It could be as extreme as one of them. Saving an innocent bystander adds life, thus proving their heroism and moral standing. Or it could be one of them staying after work to help train a struggling intern, not sleeping with them as their future love interest had incorrectly assumed.
9. Don’t forget the halfway point of friendship
Nothing will make your hate-to-love romance seem unbelievable. Then your character goes from hating each other to loving each other. A change of heart is never sudden; It happens over time. Think of your story like the alphabet between A and Z. You have 24 other letters. You have all these other moments in your story, and that middle ground makes the change of heart believable. This is usually the place of friendship, or we don’t know what we are, but we’re getting along. Remember that!
Although it’s clear to the reader what’s going on, your characters don’t understand a thing. They won’t be able to pinpoint when their hearts start to change, even if the reader can. Also, this is what makes enemy to love romance so enjoyable, even comical. Sometimes our biology rebels against the change of any kind, which includes a change of heart from enemies to more than friends. When new feelings and ideas challenge our hard-won beliefs, we feel exposed.
- Try desperately to hold on to our old beliefs. But you have to let them fight. They feel for their nemesis if they cave to the first flicker of affection.
Every story is different, so your character’s internal conflict will be unique to them. But how they overcome their obstacles in their moment. That’s what the story is truly about.
10. Show the progression
Sometimes writers start strong, establish a compelling divide, and showcase the shift brilliantly. The characters are sucking their face. This border is on insta love because they’ve developed respect doesn’t mean they’re immediately getting into one another’s pants. Other important ingredients need to be established first: friendship, vulnerability, and trust.
You cannot create a swoon-worthy romance without these facets, and you build them up by showing the progression of their relationship. It’s also common for enemies to lovers to have a period of stubbornness.
They respect one another, but they’re still a butthead. Also, the transition from enemies to lovers is a bumpy one. So, showcase that natural progression to make it believable and satisfying.
11. Set the story from bickering to banter
We talked about three key ingredients to establish respect, friendship, vulnerability, and trust. Bickering to banter is a great way to establish a blossoming friendship between your characters. Even after your characters respect one another, they still might dislike each other. So they’re going to bicker. They’re going to poke fun at each other and get on their nerves.
But over time, as their relationship deepens, this bickering will transition into banter. We’re no longer looking at petty jabs. The teasing has become flirtatious. The laughter isn’t sardonic. This not only showcases your character’s friendship, but it’s also one of the most satisfying things to read. Readers love enemies to lovers for this reason, and they want to see the bickering and banter. Nailing this element will make the ship extra juicy.
12. Open up your characters
Every enemy to lovers ship will have a meaningful, thoughtful, and vulnerable conversation that allows them to open up and reveal the deepest scars they may resist. At first, someone may be stubborn and unwilling to share their secrets, but eventually, they spill the beans. It is when the characters establish common ground. They realize they’re far more alike than they initially assumed.
This instance of vulnerability is pivotal. After all, the healthiest romantic relationships thrive because these people can be vulnerable with one another and still feel safe, wanted, and loved. Plus, it’s plain romantic. You’ll have your readers gripping the book and thinking,
13. Save a life
This is where we establish trust. You can take this point literally if your story calls for it. The characters can save one another’s lives. But not all stories have life or death situations. In this case, you can think of it as the characters saving one another. Your emcee drops the ball at work and their former enemy, a rival at work, takes the blame. They put their promotion at risk to save the emcee from getting fired.
- The key ingredient here is sacrifice.
Your character needs to put themselves at risk for their love interest. It is beyond necessary for any enemies to be lovers in fiction because it establishes that these characters can depend on one another. Remember, they started as enemies. They hated each other. To sacrifice your well-being or job, your life establishes that the tides have turned. So, it is not only a pivotal progression in their relationship, it’s also exciting to read.
14. Resistance is futile
One of the best elements of the enemies to lovers trope is resistance. Your characters need to fight their romantic or sexual urges for one another for at least a portion of the novel. At least for a chapter or two, showing them fighting their feelings will make your readers giddy. It adds to the will they or won’t they element.
Also, It increases the tension, which is one of the best parts of fiction, let alone romance. The situations prolong the first kiss and or the first sex scene, making them more satisfying to read.
- The idea here is to make them getting together ten times more exciting, and you do that by dangling the carrot in front of the reader’s face.
15. Make a good romance
Your characters are no longer enemies. They are now officially lovers. Not only that, they are comrades and are on the same side and team. I’m emphasizing this point because many enemies to lovers plot lines mess this up. The characters become lovers, but they’re still fighting about whatever had them divided in the first place. It is dysfunctional! It’s not romantic or entertaining.
If you want to create a delicious enemies-to-lovers ship, you need to transition from the characters hating each other to being willing to die for one another. It’s a complete 180 degrees from where they began. The sense of unity is what the readers came for. They want to see the transformation, so go all in.
Enemies to lovers tropes
Before writing your enemies-to-lovers romance, keep some tropes in your head to pick the right plot. Here are some popular tropes for you.
- Friends to lovers.
- Forced Proximity.
- Stuck together – ‘trapped in an elevator.
- Second chance.
- Fake relationship.
- Amnesia/mistaken identity.
- Alpha hero.
- Work colleagues.
- Dark secret.
- Sworn off a relationship.
- Virgin/unexpected virgin.
- Bully turned nice guy.
- Love triangle.
- Afraid to commit.
Enemies to lovers prompt
You must have a motive or prompts that make your story real and easy to read. Readers want a specific plot/situation that they can start to visualize. So here are some prompts you can follow.
- The story begins on a bright summer morning in or cool nightclub.
- The heroine is determined to go on an epic road trip then she meets a guy who is annoying to her.
- One character finds the other in their tent/garden/beautiful place while camping alone.
- Character A catches character B stealing food from the restaurant where she works or any bad situation. Then they meet again in another incident.
- An undercover cop investigates a person for a crime and learns more about them. They have forced proximity.
- Two characters are in the same competition or workplace where they have to fight for their prize or promotion.
Enemies To Lovers Plot Generator
Plot Idea #1: “The Project Paradox”
Characters: A detail-obsessed marketing strategist (let’s call her Liv) and a carefree artist with a wandering mind (we’ll go with Sam).
The Setup
Liv’s company is dying to land a major client, one with a brand so recognizable it might as well be printed on the moon. But they want something “fresh and youthful.” Enter Sam, the one freelancer known for wild, artsy ideas—and Liv’s absolute nightmare in human form.
They’ve met before. Oh, they’ve met. He was the one who called her vision “as exciting as oatmeal” at an industry event last year. Oatmeal! She hasn’t forgotten. Now, they’re stuck in a 3-month contract working on the biggest pitch of their lives. 😬
The Spark
Sam comes in late, juggling a paintbrush and a coffee, with his shirt splattered in God-knows-what colors. Liv is five seconds away from tossing her neatly bound pitch deck at his head, but she restrains herself. Just barely. They clash on every detail: she wants structure, he wants chaos. She loves clean designs; he sketches ideas on napkins and sticky notes.
But as they spend longer hours together, she starts to see the genius behind his madness, and he notices the passion hidden beneath her perfectionist shell. Late nights turn into quieter moments where they begin sharing stories, maybe even a laugh or two. He shows her a world that isn’t color-coded. And she shows him the thrill of an organized to-do list (and he weirdly loves it).
The Twist
Just as things are warming up, the client changes the entire project direction—without warning. Liv is stressed. Beyond stressed. Sam, usually unbothered, steps up in ways she didn’t see coming. He’s organized, attentive, even… kind? This is confusing, very confusing. Suddenly, she’s not sure if it’s the project she’s stressed about, or the fact that she might actually like this man. 😳
The Realization
During one last frantic night, they accidentally fall asleep side by side at the office. She wakes up to find him drooling on her blazer, and instead of rolling her eyes, she just… smiles. By morning, they’ve got a plan to save the pitch—and maybe, a reason to stick around each other a little longer. 😏
Plot Idea #2: “The Rival Renovators”
Characters: Jay, a sleek, city-savvy architect, and Quinn, a contractor with a reputation for doing things her way. He’s as polished as his designer suits; she’s rough around the edges (and so done with architects who don’t get their hands dirty).
The Setup
Both of them are vying to remodel the same legendary mansion, a once-glorious estate set to be auctioned to the highest bidder. Jay wants to flip it into a modern masterpiece for profit, while Quinn dreams of restoring it to its former vintage charm. But thanks to a little mix-up (and an overzealous lawyer), they end up in a partnership contract. Neither can back out without facing a hefty penalty. 🙄🔨
The Spark
Every decision, from wall colors to furniture, becomes a battle. Jay’s clean, minimalistic taste clashes with Quinn’s “gritty, lived-in” aesthetic. She sneaks in a rustic wooden beam when he’s out; he’s horrified to find her trying to “antique” the cabinets with sandpaper. But he’s secretly impressed with her knowledge and her stubborn commitment to the home’s original charm.
As they get deeper into the renovation, Jay learns that Quinn inherited her passion for homes from her grandfather, a carpenter who taught her everything. She catches a glimpse of his softer side when he shows her an architectural model he built as a kid. Walls begin to crumble—literally and figuratively.
The Twist
Just when things start to simmer (and they almost kiss over an argument about tiling 😳), a big investor swoops in, offering Jay an opportunity he can’t refuse—if he’s willing to leave the project and Quinn behind. He’s tempted, but he can’t quite imagine walking away from… everything they’ve built together. (It’s not just about the house, and he knows it.)
The Realization
Jay has a choice: money and success or a home that’s finally felt like his, with the one person who saw him differently. One grand gesture (maybe painting her favorite mural back on the wall she loves), and he’s back, ready to make her dream renovation a reality… together.
Plot Idea #3: “Spies, Lies, and Love”
Characters: Two spies on opposite sides, Mia (for the Bureau) and Leo (a rogue agent with a shadowy agenda).
The Setup
Mia’s mission is to bring down the rogue agent causing chaos, Leo. But when their missions collide during a high-stakes undercover op in Paris, they realize they’re both hunting the same villain—and reluctantly team up. 🕶️💣
The Spark
Mia’s by-the-book approach drives Leo crazy, while his carefree, unpredictable moves infuriate her. He’s constantly stealing her thunder (and her gadgets). She pretends to be annoyed, but there’s a thrill to their teamwork, a thrill she hasn’t felt in years. They bicker over strategy in whispers, passing coded notes, and share a begrudging, adrenaline-pumped respect.
The Twist
One night, they’re both cornered. They barely escape with their lives—and end up in hiding, sharing secrets and fears they’ve told no one. Leo, the rogue agent who “has no heart,” admits he started this life to avenge his brother. Mia, the rule-follower, confesses that her loneliness is just as heavy as her duty.
The Realization
When it’s finally time to confront the villain, Mia realizes that letting Leo go might just break her heart. But he’s already a ghost, and she’s duty-bound. In a daring face-off, he fakes his own capture so she can escape. But as she leaves, she finds a note in her pocket, his last words: “Not everything is black and white. I’ll see you in the gray.” A month later, she spots him in a café, and they exchange a knowing smile. 💥💔
Enemies to lovers beat sheet
- The Setup
Who: Introduce our two leads with distinct personalities, interests, and lifestyles that instantly clash. Think of one being a meticulous planner, the other a laid-back rebel. They have to be so different it’s almost absurd for them to ever get along.
Goal: Establish why they can’t stand each other. It could be a past interaction gone wrong, a reputation that precedes one of them, or opposing views on something that matters to both.
Example: Olivia, a by-the-book lawyer, is forced to partner with Max, a rule-bending PI with a sketchy reputation, on a case she’s dreamed of cracking. The clash is instant: she calls him unprofessional; he calls her uptight.
- The First Clash (aka The “Oh No, It’s You” Moment)
Who: They’re thrown into a situation together, preferably one with high stakes or tension that requires cooperation, even if they’d rather wrestle in mud than work together.
Goal: Emphasize how mismatched they are, and show them getting under each other’s skin. This beat should hint that their irritation might have an undertone of something more (but only subtly!).
Example: Olivia’s perfect case prep goes out the window when Max’s reckless methods land them on the news. She’s furious; he just smirks. Cue eye-rolling, snapping, and maybe a slightly lingering glance after an intense argument.
- Forced Proximity
Who: Circumstances push them together, really together. Could be a project, a shared goal, or a situation that leaves them no choice but to work side by side.
Goal: Their personalities start rubbing off on each other. The conflict should stay hot, but small moments of understanding begin to seep through.
Example: Olivia and Max are locked in an all-night stakeout together. She watches him work—he’s chaotic but weirdly effective—and realizes he’s not just a jerk but actually knows his stuff. He notices her dedication and secretly respects it. Tension builds.
- The Crack in the Armor (aka “Oh No, They’re Human” Moment)
Who: They accidentally witness each other’s vulnerable side. This could be a personal story, a hint of loneliness, or a crack in their usual bravado.
Goal: Let the guard down. The friction morphs into something deeper as they realize they’ve been judging each other unfairly. This beat hints that feelings are creeping in, confusing both of them.
Example: Max confesses he’s been freelancing as a PI because he couldn’t cut it in law school, hinting at insecurities Olivia didn’t see coming. She offers a rare smile, admitting she also felt out of place early in her career. They share a quiet moment, with new respect and… maybe a spark?
- The “Maybe I Don’t Hate You” Realization
Who: They start actually enjoying each other’s company. But neither wants to admit it, so they keep bickering to hide what’s bubbling underneath.
Goal: Their “enemies” façade is cracking. The conflict shifts to protect themselves from admitting feelings. They might sabotage each other just to keep the tension alive, or one might try to get some distance to escape the weird emotions.
Example: After a particularly hilarious argument, Max brushes her hand, and neither pulls away. Olivia laughs, realizing she hasn’t had this much fun in ages. They quickly get back to work, avoiding eye contact but can’t stop thinking about it.
- The Almost Kiss / The Moment of Weakness
Who: The tension boils over, leading to a moment where they almost kiss—or actually do. Either way, it’s an accidental slip, and both immediately pretend it didn’t happen.
Goal: Make them both realize there’s more than attraction here; they’re starting to like each other. But it’s too terrifying to admit, so one or both push the other away.
Example: On a stakeout, their faces are inches apart as they hide in close quarters. For a moment, the argument drops, and their lips almost meet before they’re interrupted—or one of them pulls away and says, “This is a mistake.”
- The Conflict Comes to a Head
Who: A big, dramatic fallout. Usually, this is triggered by an outside force that reveals why they can’t be together, and both characters feel hurt, rejected, or betrayed.
Goal: The moment should show them exactly how much they’ve come to care, even if they aren’t ready to admit it. The pain of conflict drives the realization that they’re no longer “enemies”—they’re heartbroken.
Example: Olivia finds out Max’s PI methods may jeopardize her case. She accuses him of ruining everything, and he storms out, saying he thought she’d actually changed her mind about him. Both are angry—and secretly devastated.
- The Grand Gesture / Emotional Revelation
Who: One of them makes a move to win the other back. This could be a grand romantic gesture, an apology, or risking their own happiness for the other’s.
Goal: This is where they own their feelings and openly admit the truth: they’re better together. Cue the long-awaited confession or reunion kiss. 😘
Example: Max shows up in court, offering evidence that saves Olivia’s case at the last moment, putting his career on the line. After the trial, she finds him waiting outside. They both confess they never actually hated each other.
- Resolution / Happily Ever After
Who: They’re officially together (finally)! This is the sweet epilogue showing how they’ve found a rhythm that celebrates both their quirks and strengths, now working as a team.
Goal: Let the reader enjoy their newfound relationship with hints of their original “enemy” selves still playfully showing through.
Example: Olivia and Max are back in the office, bickering over coffee orders but unable to hide their grins. She rolls her eyes, he winks, and they’re off to their next case together—finally as partners.
Which one’s calling to you? Or maybe we should mix and match a little? 😄
I’d love to know what’s your favorite part about Enemies To Lovers Romance? Let me know in the comments.
Here are some books that will help you get some ideas to write:
7 Slow Burn Enemies To Lovers Novels
15 Young Adult Enemies To Lovers Books
Table of Contents
