What makes enemies-to-lovers actually work

Hello friends!! Welcome to my new series: The editor’s lens! Where I will categorically pull apart things that I see in books that… well, actually, just really annoy me. Study them. And then put them back together! Today I’m talking about what makes enemies-to-lovers actually work.

Enemies-to-lovers might be one of the most beloved tropes in romance. It’s certainly one of my favourites — when it’s done well.

Readers love the tension. The banter. The sense that two characters who absolutely should not fall for each other are somehow being pulled together anyway.

It’s the slow shift that makes the trope satisfying: the moment irritation becomes curiosity, curiosity becomes reluctant respect, and respect becomes something far more dangerous.

But like many popular tropes, enemies-to-lovers only works when it’s handled carefully.

Sometimes the characters aren’t really enemies at all — they’re simply annoyed with each other. Sometimes the emotional shift happens so quickly it feels unearned. And sometimes the story pushes the conflict so far that the eventual romance becomes uncomfortable rather than satisfying.

The difference between a compelling enemies-to-lovers story and one that falls flat usually comes down to a few key storytelling choices.

Why enemies-to-lovers dominates modern romantasy

If enemies-to-lovers has always been popular in romance, it has become something else entirely in modern romantasy.

Scroll through BookTok for even a few minutes and you’ll start seeing the same recommendations: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing, Serpent and Dove, From Blood and Ash, and Zodiac Academy. A huge number of the genre’s breakout hits are built around enemies-to-lovers dynamics.

Part of this comes down to the nature of fantasy stories themselves.

Fantasy worlds are built on conflict: rival kingdoms, magical factions, political conspiracies, ancient wars, competing loyalties. When two characters fall in love across those lines (or chasms), the romance becomes entangled with the worldbuilding in a way that naturally raises the stakes.

In Fourth Wing, Violet and Xaden’s relationship is shaped by rebellion, loyalty, and family history. Their tension isn’t just romantic — it’s political and deeply personal.

In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre’s initial distrust of Rhys creates a dynamic where every interaction is layered with suspicion, uncertainty and intrigue.

Enemies-to-lovers works especially well in fantasy because the world itself supplies the conflict. The characters aren’t just disagreeing with each other. They’re often standing on opposite sides of something much bigger than themselves.

Building a tension-filled enemies-to-lovers

1. The characters need real conflict

One of the most common mistakes with enemies-to-lovers stories is that the characters aren’t actually enemies.

They’re mildly irritated. They bicker. And they exchange sarcastic comments. But underneath it all, their goals and values don’t truly clash.

Real enemies-to-lovers stories require deeper opposition. (Much like how some characters need to build real redemption arcs.)

The characters should begin the story with genuine reasons to distrust or oppose each other. Their loyalties might lie with different factions. Their goals might be fundamentally incompatible. Or their history might involve betrayal, rivalry, or long-standing resentment.

That conflict creates the tension the story needs. Without it, the romance risks feeling shallow — because the characters never had anything meaningful to overcome.

2. The transition must take time — and respect

The emotional journey from enemies to lovers is the entire point of the trope. If the shift happens too quickly, the story skips the very thing readers came for. This is why a lot of enemies-to-lovers books are also categorised as ‘slow burn romance’.

Good enemies-to-lovers stories allow the relationship to evolve gradually. The characters begin by seeing each other as adversaries. Over time, circumstances force them to interact more closely. They begin to notice qualities in the other person they hadn’t seen before.

Respect often appears before attraction, and that shift matters.

Once the characters start respecting each other — even grudgingly — their dynamic begins to change. The conflict doesn’t disappear, but it becomes more complicated. And complicated emotions are where romance thrives!

One of the most satisfying turning points in an enemies-to-lovers story is the moment when the characters begin to recognise each other’s strengths.

They’re no longer dismissing each other, because something happens — a shared danger, a difficult decision, a moment of vulnerability — that forces them to reconsider the strengths the other person brings to the table.

This moment often marks the true midpoint of the relationship. The characters are still enemies, but they can no longer pretend the other person is insignificant. And once respect enters the equation, attraction (and protection) is rarely far behind.

3. Both characters have to change

The strongest enemies-to-lovers stories don’t just transform the relationship. They transform the characters.

If only one character changes while the other remains the same, the dynamic feels unbalanced. But when both characters are challenged — when both are forced to confront their assumptions, beliefs, or loyalties — the relationship becomes something deeper. It’s not compromise, it’s shared understanding.

By the time they come together, they’re no longer the same people who started the story. And that’s what makes the romance feel earned.

When the trope goes wrong…

Enemies-to-lovers doesn’t always succeed. Sometimes the conflict crosses a line. If one character treats the other with cruelty or sustained disrespect, the romance can feel uncomfortable rather than satisfying.

Other times, the opposite problem occurs. The story claims the characters are enemies, but the conflict is superficial. There’s no real opposition, no meaningful transformation — just a quick shift from irritation to attraction.

In both cases, the emotional arc collapses because the strength of this trope lies in the journey between those two points.

Why readers love Dramione

I think the most fascinating example of enemies-to-lovers appeal comes from fan fiction. In the series by she-that-shall-not-be-named one of the most popular non-canonical pairings is Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, a.k.a. Dramione.

In canon, Hermione ends up with Ron. Their relationship grows from friendship, shared experiences, and years of trust. (Although in my mind, completely unbelievable and therefore void.)

Dramione is far more hugely popular. (And has given fan fiction authors a platform and chance at traditional publishing due to said popularity. Recent examples include Alchemised, Rose in Chains, A Rather Vengeful Accord, and The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy.)

Why? Because it offers something different.

Draco and Hermione begin on completely opposite sides — ideologically, socially, morally. For them to fall in love, something has to change. Dramione stories explore that transformation.

They ask What would it take for Draco to unlearn his beliefs? What would Hermione need to see in him to believe he’s capable of change?

That potential for transformation creates tension that canon never fully explores. And that tension is exactly what enemies-to-lovers thrives on.

OMG the banter!

If enemies-to-lovers has a signature feature, it’s the banter. The sharp dialogue. The sarcasm. The way two characters can insult each other in ways that somehow feel more intimate than compliments. And readers love it.

Banter allows attraction to exist long before either character is willing to admit it. Two characters might insist they dislike each other — but if they’re constantly seeking each other out for verbal sparring, readers can see what the characters themselves cannot.

It’s tension disguised as humour.

It also gives the relationship space to develop without forcing emotional vulnerability too early. The characters can stay guarded while still building a connection.

And that push and pull — what’s said versus what’s meant — is where the magic of the trope lives.

Five enemies-to-lovers moments readers secretly love

Part of what makes this trope so addictive is that readers aren’t just invested in the outcome — they’re waiting for specific moments. The scenes where everything starts to shift.

Some of the most beloved include:

1. The “I could kill you… but I won’t” moment
Often literal in fantasy, but always symbolic. The moment where the character chooses restraint instead of conflict.

2. Forced proximity
Trapped together. Assigned as partners. Sharing a space they’d rather not. Conflict becomes unavoidable — and so does connection.

3. “Who did this to you?”
The shift from enemy to protector. One of the most powerful emotional turning points in the trope.

4. Reluctant teamwork
They don’t trust each other, but they have no choice. And slowly, competence becomes respect.

5. The realisation moment
The quiet, often internal moment where one character realises: This has changed. I have changed.

These moments work because they mark stages in the emotional journey. They’re not just romantic tropes — they’re transformation points.

In conclusion

At its heart, enemies-to-lovers is about transformation. Two characters begin the story certain they understand each other — and absolutely certain they don’t like what they see.

Over time, that certainty breaks down. They discover something unexpected. Something complicated. Something that forces them to rethink everything they believed. And in doing so, they change.

The romance works not because they were always meant to be together… but because they had to become different people in order to get there.