From Debates to Dates: Academic Rivals to Lovers Books
Have you ever hated someone for their intellectual superiority? Academic rivals to lovers books blend the thrill of competition, rivalry, and intellect together. Whether it’s college rivals or high school drama, academic rivals to lovers books offer the most amazing banter, story, and drama. Here are our top recommendations for academic rivals to lovers books.
Academic Rivals To Lovers Books List
Books On The List
- If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
- Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
- Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
- Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
- What’s Not to Love by Austin Siegemund-Br
- I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang
- My Mechanical Romance by Olivie Blake
- A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
Academic Rivals To Lovers Books
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
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| Pages | 320 |
| Age-Rating | 14+ |
| Themes | Alienation, Secret Superpower, Boarding School Setting, Moral Dilemma |
| Tropes | Classmates, Rivals |
| Readability | Easy |
| Trigger Warnings | Bullying, Class Disparities, Moral Ambiguity |
Alice Sun is studying at an elite boarding school in Beijing. She feels like an outcast among the rich kids. But then she develops the power to become invisible. Her strange powers are new and hard to control. When her scholarship is threatened, she decides to monetize her power. She’ll find out the secrets her classmates want to know for a prize. Along the way, she also works with her longtime crush and academic rival. Alice’s life gets complicated as she navigates her feelings and her power.
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
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| Pages | 400 |
| Age-Rating | 12+ |
| Themes | Coming Of Age, Forced Proximity, Secret Feelings, High School Drama, Scavenger Hunt |
| Tropes | Enemies To Lovers |
| Readability | Easy |
| Trigger Warnings | Bullying, Insecurity, Academic Pressure |
Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been academic rivals for very long. They competed over everything in high school, and now in their senior year, it’s a battle to be the valedictorian. Neil wins the battle, and Rowan is bitter. But then they both are forced to team up together due to the ‘Howl; citywide scavenger hunt that lasts all night’. Their classmates tag together against them, so Rowan and Neil have to tag together. The game allows them to see the other’s unexpected side.
Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese
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| Pages | 384 |
| Age-Rating | 16+ |
| Themes | Slow Burn Romance, Forced Proximity, Grumpy & Sunshine, Hearing Loss |
| Tropes | Enemies To Lovers |
| Readability | Easy |
| Trigger Warnings | Illness, Disability, Grief, Mental Health, Sexual Content |
Willa is a sincere student who manages her soccer career and academics. Then she missed one class and is paired with Ryder for notes. She absolutely hates the brooding man. He doesn’t speak much, and their conversations are filled with banter. They are forced to work on a project that forces them into close proximity, and it becomes a battle to outdone the other. But with time they catch unexpected feelings, which cause chaos in their already chaotic lives.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
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Short Summary
| Pages | 400 |
| Age-Rating | 16+ |
| Themes | College Rivals, Grumpy X Sunshine, Forced Proximity, Opposites Attract, Writer Protagonist |
| Tropes | Enemies To Lovers |
| Readability | Easy |
| Trigger Warnings | Sexual Content, Infidelity, Mental Health, Death |
January is a romance writer. She has written many successful, happily ever after stories. Augustus writes literary fiction and is infamous for killing characters. January and Augustus have a history of rivalry since college where they competed over everything. Now both of them are stuck in a writer’s block. When they accidentally become neighbors for the summer, they strike a deal. Augustus will write a happy book, and January will try literary fiction. Both of them will take the other out on an adventure to experience the genre.
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
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Short Summary
| Pages | 368 |
| Age-Rating | 16+ |
| Themes | Enemies To Lovers, Workplace Romance, Slow Burn Romance, Opposites Attract, Forced Proximity, Women in STEM |
| Tropes | Grumpy X Sunshine |
| Readability | Easy |
| Trigger Warnings | Sexual Content, Grief, Workplace Discrimination, Misogyny |
Bee Königswasser is a purple-haired neuroscientist. Her life changes when she is asked to lead a neural engineering project by NASA. But then she discovers she has to work with Levi. Ever since grad school, they have been sworn enemies. She hates his brooding personality and indifferent attitude. But then Bee’s colleagues are ignoring her, and surprisingly, Levi is by her side. With time, she sees the man’s true personality, which is gentle and caring. She is there for a project, not romance, right?
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
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Short Summary
| Pages | 416 |
| Age-Rating | 16+ |
| Themes | Fantasy World, Secret Society, Morally Grey Characters, Dark Academia, Competition |
| Tropes | Rivalry |
| Readability | Easy |
| Trigger Warnings | Moral Ambiguity, Violence, Manipulation |
The story is set in a magical world controlled by an elite society known as the Alexandrian Society. Every ten years, they select six talented magicians to compete and earn a place in society. The catch is that only five will qualify. Now they are put together in close proximity where they grow close, but competition breaks the greatest allies. Now the question about who’ll qualify remains.
What’s Not to Love by Austin Siegemund-Br
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Short Summary
| Pages | 400 |
| Age-Rating | 14+ |
| Themes | High School Drama, Forced Proximity, Academic Competition, Unexpected Romance |
| Tropes | Enemies To Lovers |
| Readability | Easy |
| Trigger Warnings | Academic Pressure |
Alison Sanger and Ethan Molloy are seniors in school who have been hardcore academic rivals since high school. They compete over classes, grades, and everything. Now they are in a battle for the title of valedictorian and securing a place at Harvard. Their principal teams them together to organize a previous class reunion party in exchange for a recommendation for Harvard. Even though they hate each other, they still agree. Now they work together in close proximity, which leads to unexpected feelings.
I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang
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Short Summary
| Pages | 320 |
| Age-Rating | 15+ |
| Themes | High School Drama, Secret Animosity, Alienation, Unexpected Romance, Rivals, ‘People Pleaser Heroine’ |
| Tropes | Enemies To Lovers |
| Readability | Easy |
| Trigger Warnings | Bullying, Mental Health |
Sadie Wen is the embodiment of perfection. She is the school captain and a sincere student with a clean reputation. But she also gets frustrated and needs to let loose. She takes out all her frustrations in emails that she’ll never send. She becomes totally unhinged in her insults in the emails, especially towards her rival and co-captain Julius. Then one day the emails are accidentally sent, and everybody at school hates her, but surprisingly, the only person standing up for her is Julius.
My Mechanical Romance by Olivie Blake
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Short Summary
| Pages | 272 |
| Age-Rating | 14+ |
| Themes | Robotics Team, STEM Romance, Misfit Heroine, Academic Rivals, |
| Tropes | Enemies to Lovers |
| Readability | Easy |
| Trigger Warnings | Bullying, Academic Pressure |
Bel doesn’t have a plan after school; she wants to escape the pressure of college, but then she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering. Her physics teacher put her up on the school robotics team. The problem is all the boys on the team ignore her, and the only other girl doesn’t seem to like her. But the team captain Mateo assists her until they start arguing. Bel doesn’t care about the nationals, whereas Mateo cares too much. Their meetings start to extend, but their goals are still very different.
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
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Short Summary
| Pages | 384 |
| Age-Rating | 16+ |
| Themes | Ideology Clash, Dark Academia, Historical Fantasy, Literature, Mysteries |
| Tropes | Enemies To Lovers |
| Readability | Easy |
| Trigger Warnings | Violence, Bullying, Mild Sexual Content |
Effy Sayre always had a love for literature, and her favorite author is Emrys Myrddin. Feeling like an outcast in her life, she jumps when the opportunity to redesign Myrddin’s house presents itself. The residents of the home are not welcoming, and the house has a strange aura. Enter Preston Héloury, who is a literature scholar fixated on exploding Myrddin as a hoax. These two rivals work together to explore the truth behind Myrddin.
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Conclusion
These were our recommendations for top academic rivals to lovers books. They have adorable couples to enemies to lovers to former lovers, and so much more. If you’re fond of intellectual rivalry and nerdy games, these books are your perfect hideout. Make sure to add these academic rivals to lovers books to your reading list.
