enemies-to-lovers

alternative enemies to lovers · alternative ETL

1. attributiveoftenuncountableA trope in romance fiction (particularly fan fiction) involving the development of an antagonistic relationship into romantic love.

   “And for everyone rooting for this little enemies-to-lovers tale...”

   2013, Maisey Yates, The Couple Who Fooled the World, Mills & Boon, page 42

   3 more examples

   I know that she never falls asleep before 2 a.m. and her favourite fanfic trope is enemies-to-lovers and she’s secretly a fan of Ariana Grande.

   2018, Alice Oseman, I Was Born for This, unnumbered page

   And that’s because Go Hex Yourself is a romantic masterpiece, and the sexiest, most bewitching take on enemies-to-lovers I’ve read in ages.

   2023, Ali Hazelwood, praise blurb in Jessica Clare, What the Hex, page 1

   When I read a book now, I think I'm much more trope-aware, because before I read fanfiction, I don't even think I fully understood what tropes were. So now I see, like, when a book has enemies-to-lovers, I see it, and I'm like, oh-oh.

   2023, Tara, quoted Fabienne Silberstein-Bamford, "The 'Fanfic Lens': Fan Writing's Impact on Media Consumption", Volume 19, Issue 2, March 2023, page 156