Where be these enemies?—Capulet, Montague,

See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,

That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love.

-William Shakespeare

Defining the Trope

In a recipe that has garnered success since the days of Shakespeare, the enemies-to-lovers trope has proven its timeless appeal again and again—but it isn’t just about the characters. Look at Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset or Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton from the sensational Bridgerton series. The trope is a staple for romance, but also spans genres. As a reader, there is nothing more important than a book’s ability to instill a sense of hope. If a trope creates the potential for love to spring from hate, readers will be hooked on the relationship’s progression.

Laying the Foundation

The foundation for this trope should begin being constructed from the characters very first encounter.  A genuine relationship cannot be built out of thin air. The reader needs insight into why there is animosity between two characters. This can and should be shown through character development. The introduction of each character should also include physical descriptions, no matter how subtle. The reader should be able to visualize these characters individually, but also be able to imagine them together; let’s not forget that two characters can be physically attracted to each other and maintain their feelings of contempt. This can be shown by a character obsessing over a certain obvious feature, maybe the striking eyes or hands of their nemesis. Or, one might mention details about a character that only someone who was paying very close attention would notice, like a heart-shaped freckle. Either way, there has to be a string of actions that show the development of a relationship, so readers believe that blatant distaste for another can eventually dissipate into desire.

Finding Common Ground

If two characters are to be eventual lovers, then the author must make the characters different—but not so different that the idea of them together doesn’t appeal to the readers. Their initial hatred might derive from societal restraints or different points of view. To keep the suspension of belief for two people to come together, the divide between them should not be caused by an unforgivable action. Common ground will be much simpler to convey if the characters change their perspective, rather than working through moral wrongdoing. There is a responsibility the author holds when utilizing this trope to keep toxicity out of the relationship. The reader of any book is left with a message—and it should not be that you can force love in a physically or mentally abusive relationship.

Reader Satisfaction

One of the most significant reasons to include this trope in a novel is to give the reader a sense of satisfaction. After all, readers enjoy romance because it presents them with hope if it is written properly. If the author can make the passion seem inevitable to the reader while unbeknownst to the pairing, the result will be a page-turner. A modern, LGBTQ, take on this trope was executed best in Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue. The success of this novel relies heavily on McQuiston’s ability to build tension between the two leading characters. When the son of the American president and the British Prince announce their hatred for one another from across the pond the reader gets a sense that their frustration could easily be mistaken for infatuation. When this pair finally gives into their emotions, the reader’s pay-off is worth the wait. Whether the reader finds satisfaction from knowing that this couple will end up together, or whether their first time giving into each other is a shock, a sense of gratification results. And unless the plot carries into another book, a resolution is necessary to keep the message of hatred-leading-to-love from becoming skewed.

The Arc

For enemies to lovers, the author must be mindful of how they will utilize this trope in the story. Whether the genre is sci-fi or romance, how the trope is weaved into the narrative is critical. Ultimately the goal is to have a reader salivating for this couple to get together. If we think about Jane Austen’s classic characters of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, the trope is so successful because readers are playing a waiting game. This storyline is not so simple as the characters detesting each other before they get together; as we know, they face a rather rocky path. Keeping the story’s arc in mind and where these characters need to end up developmentally is vital. It might also be a good idea to take a page from Pride and Prejudice, and play with the trope so that it is not as simple as a sudden shift from hate to adoration. The passion that has had readers hooked on Austen’s story for decades is the rollercoaster of ups and downs Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet endure before they devote themselves to each other.