Looking for LGBTQ enemies to lovers books? Here are 15 LGBTQ+ Enemies to Lovers books you seriously need to read!
This post contains affiliate links. That said, I won’t ever recommend a book I haven’t read and loved myself.
If you look on my bookshelves, you will find so many enemies to lovers books! I am obsessed with the storyline of two people going from hate at first sight to falling in love. If you’re also looking to add more LGBTQ+ books to your bookshelves then you’re in luck. There are a ton of insanely good LGBTQ+ enemies to lovers books.
Whether you're looking for slow burn enemies to lovers books, LGBTQ+ Fantasy enemies to lovers books or LGBTQ+ romance books. Hopefully after reading this post you'll have tons of new books on your tbr list.
For each book I've included the Good Reads average rating. Plus at the bottom is a handy comparison table with the content warnings, representation and tropes for each book on this list. What's more, if you head to this page you can find all things LGBTQ+ Pride related including book recommendations, LGBTQ+ Bookmarks and free phone wallpapers.
Looking for wlw enemies to lovers recommendations? I have a whole blog post dedicated to wlw enemies to lovers books - you can check it out here.
This post is all about LGBTQ+ enemies to lovers books
What are the best LGBTQ+ enemies to lovers books?
If you really can't decide what to read next then use the flow chart below to help you decide your next read.
LGBTQ+ enemies to lovers books - fantasy
1. A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth
This book is so underrated! If you like Crescent City then you will be obsessed with the grumpy/sunshine wlw romance in this book. It's a YA Urban Fantasy book with Fae. And it features 2 enemies to lovers romances.
A series of gruesome murders threatens to expose the faerie world to humans. Four queer teens – Nausicaä, Arlo, Vehan, and Aurelian – each hold a piece of the truth. And they must track down the mysterious killer.
The characters in this book are so well developed! Nausicaä is a grumpy, chaotic and sarcastic lesbian. Nausicaä and Arlo have such a perfect slow burn enemies to lovers vibe.
If you're looking for an audiobook then you should definitely give this one a listen. It features a full cast of narrators which make it so engrossing!
Good reads rating: 3.83
2. We set the dark on fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
This book features one of the best wlw enemies to lovers romances that I’ve read! It's a Ya dystopian novel featuring a wlw romance and Latine representation.
We Set The Dark On Fire follows Daniela Vargas. She lives in a dystopian world where each man is entitled to 2 wives. A Primera and a Segunda. The Primera is intelligent, calm and analytical. The Segunda is the mother figure.
Outside the wall, the people go hungry. Dani started life outside of the wall. And she must use her wits to survive illegally in the capital. She is also married to one of the most powerful men in the kingdom.
The premise was intriguing. And the main character was instantly likeable. She also grows a lot through the book. But the romance is what makes this so perfect. Two badass women who are married to a Straight man but fall in love with each other.
The world-building is also excellent. And the book has such dark academia vibes. It opens in a prep school for girls. But it discusses so many important issues such as immigration politics and forced marriage.
We set the Dark on Fire features an intriguing dystopian premise and a likeable, strong-minded main character. This YA LGBTQ+ Dystopian book explores immigration politics, toxic masculinity and feminism.
If you liked the Dark Academia elements of Legendborn then you should pick this one up. It's an excellent ya dystopian books with dark academia worldbuilding.
Good reads rating: 3.76
3. Crier's War by Nina Varela
Crier’s War is an epic urban fantasy novel with a f/f romance. It’s set in the Kingdom of Rabu and follows Ayla.
A War has ravaged the kingdom of Rabu. The Automae took over the estates of their owners and bent the human race to their will.
Ayla is a human servant who is rising the ranks at the House of Soverign. She dreams of avenging the death of her family… by killing the Sovereign’s daughter – the beautiful Lady Crier.
Now, Ayla, a human servant rising the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging the death of her family… by killing the Sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier. Crier, who was Made to be beautiful, to be flawless. And to take over the work of her father.
Crier was Made to be beautiful, flawless, and to carry on her father’s legacy. But that was before her betrothal to the enigmatic Scyre Kinok, before she discovered her father isn’t the benevolent king she once admired, and most importantly, before she met Ayla.
Good reads rating: 4.17
4. The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska
The Dark Tide is a seriously underrated book. It features a wlw romance, witches and a curse on a town.
It follows Lina. She lives on a small island where the dark tide could cause it to sink. So, every year the Witch Queen lures a boy back to her palace and sacrifices her on the full moon. And so keeps the island city from sinking.
Lina is convinced her brother is going to be taken. She asks Thomas Lin to help. Thomas is the only person to survive the sacrifice. But they draw the Queen’s attention. And instead, Thomas is taken.
Lina offers herself instead of Thomas. But the queen is nothing like Eva expected. And they must choose between saving the island or themselves.
The premise of this book hooked me in straight away. A girl goes to save a guy but instead falls for the 'villain'. If you're looking for a book with an enemies to lovers romance with a morally grey love interest - then this is the book for you.
It was such an angsty slow bur romance. And Lina and Eva had an amazing grumpy/sunshine dynamic. The cursed romance setup was so well executed and made the book so tragically romantic.
The worldbuilding is also really dark, moody and atmospheric. A sea wild tale. it was beautifully written and I fell in love with the world. Full of bitter witches, sea, salt, blood and sacrifice. If you're looking for LGBTQ Books with Witches then I have a whole guest post with queer witch books - you can check it out here.
Good reads rating: 3.83
5. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
When it comes to LGBTQ+ enemies to lovers books , you should definitely read Girls of Paper and Fire. It's a dark ya fantasy featuring magic and a dystopian society. And Asian mythology is woven seamlessly throughout.
Girls of Paper and Fire follows Lei. She is a member of the Paper Caste. And the people of Ikhara persecute her.
She sees the royal guards take her mother. Afterwards, Lei suffers with trauma. But the guards return and try to take Lei. She has to learn skills fitting of a King’s Consort. But she falls in love.
The worldbuilding in this book is seriously beautiful. Natasha Ngan was inspired by her own experiences growing up in Malaysia - a country with a mix of cultures. And Ikhara was heavily inspired by this.
The character development is excellent. I loved the wlw romance in the book. The grumpy/sunshine trope was executed perfectly. The plot of the book is quite dark but it was handled really sensitively
The pacing did lapse a bit in the middle for me. But the character development was so good that I still enjoyed reading it.
Good reads rating: 3.82
6. A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
There is so much to love about A Marvellous Light. It's an mlm romance about magic, a mystery to solve and a secret magical society. And it also has serious dark academia vibes.
It follows Robin Blyth. Due to an administrative error, he is named liaison to a secret magical society. So, he is forced to contend with magic's dangers and a deadly curse while he searches for his missing predecessor.
To do this, he'll need the help of Edwin Courcey. Edwin Courcey is his prickly magical society counterpart but he clearly wishes Robin were anyone else.
I love the secret society of magicians. And the Edwardian setting and mlm romance sets it apart from other books including secret magical societies.
If you like historical fiction or dark academia then you need to read this one. It's fantastic to read about gay men in an Edwardian setting.
For even more LGBTQ+ YA Fantasy books you can check out my blog post full of recommendations here.
Good reads rating: 4.13
Related post: 13 Insanely good LGBTQ+ mlm books you need to read
7. Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
Not Your Sidekick is a superhero-themed novel featuring a bisexual Chinese-Vietnamese protagonist, a trans character and a wlw enemies to lovers romance. And it’s written by an own voices author.
It follows Jessica Tran, a bisexual high school student who is resigned to a life without superpowers and decides to start an internship to improve her college applications. However, she quickly discovers it’s for a supervillain with her crush Abby.
Not Your Sidekick is a light, fluffy and fun read. It takes superhero tropes and gives a really refreshing take on a superhero story. If you enjoy urban fantasy books or ya contemporary then you should definitely read this one. The superhero storyline is woven seamlessly into modern everyday life.
It also manages to tackle a lot of issues while still staying fun. There is a whole series of these and I’ve already added Not Your Villain to my TBR list as I really loved Bells in Not Your Sidekick.
LGBTQ+ romance enemies to lovers books
8. Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
Her Royal Highness features one of my favourite lesbian characters in Flora. Flora is intelligent, funny and sassy AF. It also features an amazing bisexual character,
It's a light-hearted teen romance set in a school. The book follows Millie who is heartbroken when she discovers that her kinda girlfriend has been kissing someone else. After getting into a super elusive boarding school, she moves to Scotland. And this is where she meets Princess Flora.
Not only does this book include the enemies-to-lovers trope. But it also features the room-mates trope, royalty, an ex-girlfriend and a posh boarding schoolOh, and did I mention it’s all set in stunning Scottish highlands.
It did feel a litte rushed towards the end of the book. But it's still a sweet and irresistibly charming book. You could easily binge-read this in one sitting. It would be a great book to read on holiday or if you're struggling to get out of a reading slump.
Good reads rating: 3.79
9. The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
The Henna Wars is incredible! It’s an own voices, YA Contemporary book featuring a Muslim, Bangladeshi, lesbian main character
The Henna Wars follows Nishat as she comes out to her parents as a lesbian. They’re happy for her to be whoever she wants to be. As long as she isn’t herself – because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians.
Her life becomes harder when she is reacquainted with a childhood friend – Flavia. Especially when in a school competition they both decide to start their own henna business.
Adiba Jaigirdar wrote The Henna Wars. She’s a Bangladeshi, Irish writer who has been living in Dublin, Ireland from the age of 10.
This book includes a lovely queer f/f romance. But it’s also so much more than a romance It navigates homophobia, bullying, racism and cultural appropriation. It also includes one of the best main characters in Nishat. Nishat bravely deals with so many things being thrown at her.
This book deals with some heavy topics. But it still manages to remain a cute, funny and romantic debut novel. If you're looking for ya lesbian books with more diverse representation then you should definitely read this book.
Good reads rating: 4.03
10. She drives me crazy by Kelly Quindlen
I truly believe that you cannot go wrong with the enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes. She drives me crazy is a queer enemies to lovers romance with the fake dating trope. It also is a sports romance , forced proximity and it's set in a high school.
It follows Scottie Zajac. She loses spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up. So she gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person. Her nemesis Irene Abraham.
Irene Abraham is incredibly beautiful but also incredible mean. And things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved. And the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop.
And it only gets worse the more time they spend together. But then an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her ex. And she bribes Irene into playing along.
This book is such a cute, light-hearted read. And it makes for such escapism. I often don't want to read books that deal with heavy issues. Or that teach you something. If you're looking for a cozy, feel-good ya lesbian book or a cute wlw romance then this is a great choice.
Good reads rating: 4.09
11. Running with Lions by Julian Winters
Running with Lions is so underrated! Running with Lions is a sports romance set at a summer camp. It features a bisexual main character and a diverse sports team. It also has an adorable enemies to lovers romance.
This book follows Sebastian Hughes who is going to a summer training camp. And he is a member of an incredible team where he can be open about his sexuality. But Emir, an old best friend who hates his guts, is also at the camp.
I love how this book deals with sexuality in sports! There are not enough books that deal explicity with sexuality and diversity within sports. It was so refreshing to read about an accepting football team.
The author is Julian Winters. He started writing because he couldn’t find any books with people like him. Running with Lions won accolades for its positive depictions of diverse, relatable characters. The relationships between the football team are insanely heartwarming. Sebastian’s team is a multi-ethnic group with many different sexual orientations and they almost become a family.
Good reads rating: 3.72
12. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston
I seriously couldn't write this post without including Red, White and Royal Blue. It's hyped up so much online. But it's for a good reason. It's a New Adult enemies to lovers romance. And it also features the fake friendship trope.
It follows Prince Henry and Alex Claremont Diaz. They cause a scandal in the press and have to pretend to be friends.
It made the New York Times Bestseller list and won a Good Reads Choice award. Also over 30,000 people have reviewed it on Good Reads.
This is such a comforting book to read. It's an empowering queer romance story that takes place in a parallel universe where a woman with mixed-race children is president. And it has such feel good vibes.
The relationships between the characters are what make this book so special. The chemistry between the main characters is excellent. And the banter is genuinely really funny.
Good reads rating: 4.21
13. Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
If you like the Fake Dating Trope then you absolutely have to read Hani and Ishu's guide to fake dating. It's a ya contemporary with a wlw romance with Muslim and Bengali main characters. It also executes the grumpy/sunshine trope really well.
Hani is bisexual but she is having trouble getting her friends to believe her. Ishu wants to be Head Girl.
They decide to fake date so that Hani’s friends believe she is bisexual. And to help Ishu in her Head girl campaign.
The bisexual representation is executed so well in this book. There aren't enough books that deal with biphobia. And this explicitly deals with biphobic bullying.
The fake dating trope is executed perfectly – it leads to so many funny moments. And both characters learn from each other. The writing is really funny and the grumpy/sunshine romance led to so many funny moments. It had me laughing out loud so many times.
It’s an absolutely adorable book and the romance is perfect. The combination of tropes is executed really well. And this book will never fail to cheer you up.
Good reads rating: 4.21
14. Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
If you're looking for books with excellent bisexual representation then you need to Read Perfect on Paper. It's a ya contemporary book featuring a bisexual character who falls for a straight guy.
Perfect on paper follows Darcy Phillips. She runs an anonymous service giving love advice to her classmates via a locker. They slip in their worries and she responds with a carefully worded response. But Alexander Brougham catches her in the act. And in exchange for keeping her secret, he asks her to be his dating coach.
If you like the fake dating trope, I think you’ll really enjoy this book. The ‘dating coach’ concept worked really well. And it allowed for so much character growth and development. I also really enjoyed the romance between Alexander and Darcy.
The discussions around bisexuality and biphobia in this book are excellent. You can clearly tell this is an own voices story. And the discussions around bisexual girls in relationships with guys is absolutely spot on.
Gonzales’ Writing style is excellent. There was no purple prose and it was very easy to read. The teenagers were also written really well. And they were very believable. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between all the characters.
Good reads rating: 4.13
15. Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Written in the Stars is an incredible, feel good wlw romance. It features the fake dating, enemies to lovers and grumpy/sunshine tropes.
It follows Elle and Darcy. Elle is a free-spirited social media astrologer. She agrees to a disastrous first date with uptight actuary Darcy.
After the terrible blind date, Darcy is determined to stop her brother from setting her up again. So she lies and starts a fake relationship with Elle.
Written in the stars is incredible. It's a queer and contemporary version of Pride and Prejudice. The characters were so well-developed and well written. The fake-dating trope always allows for lots of character development. But you could feel the chemistry through the pages - it was written so well!
If you're looking for Christmas wlw books this would be a great pick because it has great holiday vibes. It's also set in Seattle and the imagery makes me want to visit there so much. A great choice if you're looking for festive books with lesbian characters
Good Reads Rating: 3.93
This post was all about LGBTQ+ enemies to lovers books
Other posts you might like
28 Must Read LGBTQ+ YA Books that definitely belong on your bookshelves
23 Insanely Heartwarming wlw books you should definitely read
The 16 best books like Heartstopper to read ASAP
Name & Author | Good Reads Rating | Tropes | Representation | Trigger warnings | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Running with Lions By Julian Winters | 3.72 | Enemies to lovers, childhood friend, found family | mlm, bisexual main character, gay main characters, Muslim love interest | alcohol use, bullying, islamophobia, body shaming, body insecurity, one scene that contained the use of homophobic language. | ||||||||
A Dark and Hollow Star | 3.83 | grumpy/sunshine MC, | pansexual, lesbian, | anger, arson, blood/gore, | ||||||||
We set the dark | 3.76 | Love triangle, | Latine, queer characters, wlw romance | abusive relationship, Assault, | ||||||||
Not your Sidekick by C.B.Lee | 3.90 | Friends to lovers, superheroes | Chinese-Vietnamese main character, Bisexual main character, F/F romance, Black side character, Trans side character, Latine side character | Kidnapping, Racism, | ||||||||
Perfect on Paper by sophie Gonzales | 4.13 | enemies to lovers, love triangle, | bi girl mc, trans sc, Vietnamese-American lesbian sc, bi sc, gay sc, pan nonbinary sc | alcoholism, divorce, manipulation, bisexual erasure (countered), biphobia/some internalized (countered | ||||||||
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston. | 4.21 | enemies to lovers, fake friendship, royalty, | bisexual MC, biracial character, gay characters | Sex under the influence of alcohol (not in a predatory context, but still), forced outing, attempted rape (talked about, not in scene), drug abuse (not in scene), parent death, rare instances of homophobia, racism, xenophobia. | ||||||||
The Dark Tide by | 3.83 | s Enemies to lovers, witches, ritual sacrifice, found family | lesbian characters, bisexual characters | loss of a loved one, human sacrifices, drowning, self-harm for blood for spells, blood depictions, violence, magical compulsion, grief depiction, brief mentions of abuse | ||||||||
Girls of Paper and Fire | 3.82 | enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine | Sapphic main characters | Abduction, Abuse,Death, | ||||||||
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins | 3.79 | Room-mates, enemies to lovers, boarding school | wlw romance, bisexual mc, lesbian love interest | Alcohol use, Cheating, Death (parental, recalled) | ||||||||
The Henna Wars | 4.08 | Rivals-to-lovers, long lost friend | wlw romance, Bengali Muslim lesbian main character* |
| ||||||||
Perfect on Paper | 4.13 |
|
|
| ||||||||
Crier’s war by | 4.17 | First-love, enemies | Lesbian protagonist, bisexual protagonist, | Potentially problematic representations of asexuality, | ||||||||
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur |
|
|
| |||||||||
| 4.09 |
|
| Toxic relationship, | ||||||||
| 4.01 |
|
|
| ||||||||
A Marvellous Light by Freya Markse | 4.06 | magic, grump/sunshine, enemies to lovers, dark academia |
