Love Between Enemies

3.5 stars — This one started off fantastically and ended leaving me super duper happy… It was just the middle that stretched a bit more than I’d like. Basically the book suffered from some similar pitfalls, or rather things that bothered me, as the first book in this series; I think I just had slightly less patience than I did for the first one. But quite a few of the things I loved about the first book were also present in this one. The funny thing is the concept of having the book take place in a 24 hour period was both a great strength because it made the book very unique, but also a source of trouble, as it makes the conflict in the book drag out a lot of the time. I’m not sure if I’m making sense. But it was another case of “will they, won’t they” and “I made a mistake, no I should stick to my guns.” Which is OK for a bit, but when it goes on too long I lose interest and just want to get to the next thing. This one was close, but…just a bit too much. But getting back to the beginning…while you definitely don’t need to read the first book in the series, I did and so I was already curious about what had happened to make Gordon snap, and what Zoey’s revenge plan was. I was worried that I wouldn’t end up liking either character actually, b/c they both didn’t leave a great impression in the previous book. And quite frankly, I don’t tend to seek out enemies to lovers stories b/c hate can make me uncomfortable…but Zoey and Gordon weren’t really enemies so much as adversaries…competitors. So it definitely wasn’t a normal enemies to lovers story, and I appreciated that personally. So all that to say that right from the prologue and first chapter I was relieved to connect with both Gordon and Zoey. And I didn’t have to wait very long to have my curiosity satisfied and to understand what would make Gordon and Zoey make such poor choices. And I did understand them. Both of them, though I will admit I sympathized more with Gordon’s situation than Zoey’s, but they were both struggling with challenges. I liked Zoey well enough, but I can’t honestly say I really fell in love with her. She was bright and fun and determined, but always it was overshadowed by her narrow minded focus on revenge. She was so tunneled in to her own problems, I feel like she forgot that if she didn’t confide in anyone, then they might not realize what her home life was like. One thing I did appreciate about her side of the story is that while her parents weren’t the best, they were also not monsters…basically they were flawed as well, and 3 dimensional. I liked how that resolved in the end, though part of me is not entirely sure if she learned a bigger lesson with all that happened… Obviously she regretted her revenge plan, but did she understand that perhaps not everyone’s motivations are the same? Hmmm…. My heart broke for Gordon, and I can honestly say that I *did* fall in love with him. He was smart, hardworking, kind, loyal to his family, and just kind of adorable in his cluelessness. I feel like he learned more lessons than Zoey did…though I suppose I wish it would have been more obvious if he learned not to judge other people based on things he sees on the outside. The only thing that disappointed me a bit with his side of the story was how often he would almost tell Zoey the full story, but then choose not to. I understood why; he didn’t want that to be the excuse for his behavior, b/c it was wrong no matter what. But it was frustrating how often he’d cut himself off right before… Perhaps if it never came up it would have bothered me less. These books are interesting b/c in terms of steaminess, they are good examples of young adult…innocent and sweet and cute. I liked how innocent Zoey and Gordon were, and that made their kiss that much more satisfying. BUT in terms of the details in the partying, the drinking games, I could see some stricter readers classifying it more mature young adult.

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite types of stories. The chemistry is beyond explosive and the phrase 'there's a thin line between love and hate' is always taken to another level. This book absolutely defined enemies and I loved how thin that line was for Gordon and Zoey. Gordon and Zoey have known each other since kindergarten and have been competing in virtually everything for almost just as long. The competition has always been healthy between them but at their graduation that changes and revenge becomes the name of the game for both of them. The amazing thing about this book is that all of it takes place over a 24 hour period but there was so much packed into that day. I couldn't stop reading once I started. While Zoey seems to have everything and Gordon seems to be losing it all, at the foundation, they are exactly the same. It takes bad decisions from both of them for them to learn that they are absolutely perfect for each other and that they could have had so much more if they had ever bothered to look past the constant battle to be first. Love in the Friend Zone, book one in this series, has been on my TBR forever and this book has pushed it to the top. I can't wait for the final book in this series. *This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*