If you read the first book in the grad night series Love in the Friend Zone then you know all about Gordon and Zoey. After reading that one, I was so waiting for their story. Gordon and Zoey are the smartest kids in the school. This has also made them competitors. It was always a cordial competitiveness though, until Gordon finds out Zoey went out for the same scholarship as him and won it. He really needed that to go to Stanford and doesn’t understand why Zoey would double cross him when he asked her if she was going for it and she said no. Plus her family has plenty of money so she doesn’t need it. Angry about his stolen scholarship Gordon does something horrible. After the events of graduation day Zoey vows to get Gordon back. Over the course of the night, both realize things aren’t always what they seem and they may have a lot more in common than they thought but can things that were put in motion be righted by the time the night is over?
Books like this are why I love contemporary YA romance. It was very realistic and I could feel for the actions of Zoey and Gordon. Teens tend to act first and think about the consequence later which doesn’t usually work out for the best. I felt so bad for Gordon after the conflict in the story. I just didn’t know how it was going to be fixed but I really loved the resolution to their dilemma. It’s so sweet to see two teens fall in love and kind of transition to that next stage of adulthood at the same time. They were a lot more grown up in making things right than some of the heroes and heroines in adult books I have read. I would definitely recommend this book. I hope the next story is about the rocker and the mathlete. 3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Love Between Enemies by Molly E. Lee! Gordon and his father have lived alone since Gordon’s mother passed away from cancer years ago. The two of them run a restaurant together while Gordon finishes high school. All is going well until their business partner makes bad decisions and they have to sell the restaurant to the rich businessman in the community, Zoey’s father. Zoey and Gordon have been competitive classmates since they were very young. They’re both trying for a Stanford full ride scholarship and an internship. Zoey receives the scholarship and Gordon is disgusted, especially since his dad broke the news about the restaurant the same morning he found out he didn’t get the scholarship. While introducing Zoey for her valedictorian speech during their high school graduation, Gordon loses his temper and spouts angry accusations about Zoey for the entire audience of classmates and family members to hear. Zoey is hurt, becomes angry and wants revenge on Gordon so she makes a plan to get a picture of him hosting a party at his family restaurant and posting it on social media to ruin his chance at the internship. Little does she know how much her plan will backfire as she sees how much she really cares for Gordon. Cute, romantic, stressful and funny story worth 4 stars!

Sweet as milk chocolate. And I'm not just saying that because its in the book. It's totally true! I own and have read Love in the Friend Zone, and loved it. Gordon and Zoey were both best in their class, with a prank that goes too far? I knew this was a book for me. I really have a fancy for pranks. Though I am not the prank-er, nor the one being pranked. It's a super cute, fun, quick read. Definitely something I would like to pick up again for something in the summer.

Competition

-‘Zoey had always been a girl I saw as almost an enemy—a threat, someone who beat me every time a competition presented itself.’-

-‘I was treading a dangerous new ground that bordered the line of faking it and wanting it to be real. And that wasn’t possible. I couldn’t like Gordon Meyers. Not after what he’d done.’-

Not as good as her previous one. I was disappointed. This one felt too negative to me. I like to read books that make me feel good. This one was too much angst and revenge-seeking. Having said that, it does redeem itself at the end. And the kisses are pretty awesome.
It was nice to see some of the characters from her previous book reappear here and getting other characters’ perspectives of the same scene was fun too. This is a stand-alone story, although some characters from another book make an appearance.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

The second in the Grad Night series, Love Between Enemies can be read as a stand-alone but I do recommend reading the first book too.

Zoey and Gordon have always been the two smartest and most driven students at their school. They often came in first and second when competing, and seem to have a lot of respect for each other.

Right before their high school graduation, though, Gordon is upset when his father's business may have to close. He also loses out on a scholarship that he thought Zoey wasn't applying for, and makes a mistake that he regrets almost immediately. Zoey, though, feels hurt and decides she will get back at Gordon. As with the first book, most of the plot unfolds at the party the night of the graduation.

It took me a bit longer to get into Zoey and Gordon's story, but I really liked both of them. They are book smart but are learning to understand and connect better with others like so many teenagers do. Having the dual narrative provided a lot of insight to each of their motivations and really reminded me of the old adage to not judge a book by its cover.

Overall this was a fun YA read and I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

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. For me, I kind of liked that it didn’t pull any punches in that direction, it made it feel more authentic and realistic. And now I want to play True Americans, or at least figure out what it’s about. They definitely had a lot of fun moments at the party together, learning what it would be like if they supported instead of competed.

I loved seeing little glimpses of Braylen and Fynn throughout the story, and I’m just that much more excited to see what’s going on with Lennon and Jade. I wouldn’t have minded more stories from this group of seniors. But this one was a bit lighter on the secondary cast. We did get Gordon’s Dad, who was amazeballs, but most of the others played very small roles.

So all in all I still really enjoyed myself, just not *quite* as much as with Bray and Fynn. But I seriously can’t wait for the next one.

Throughout their school days Gordon and Zoey have competed academically for top spot. The rivalry has been distant but friendly. However, in their final year at high school, they both have the opportunity to go after a full ride scholarship to their first choice college, Stanford and following a conversation and some misunderstanding, Gordon believes that with the Handler family's ability to finance Zoey's college education, the scholarship is his.

Zoey has spent years listening to others berate her efforts, claiming that her father's money has been able to pave the way for Zoey's success. The result being that Zoey is determined to show everyone that she can be awarded a full ride on merit.

When Zoey is awarded the scholarship on graduation day, Gordon in his grief of an opportunity and possible college education lost, humiliates Zoey in front of the whole graduating class and their families.

In a bid for revenge, Zoey sets up a plan to get her own back. However, Gordon feels so badly he arranges to apologise. Zoey enlists the help of some friends to help her pull off her plan.

The time that Gordon and Zoey spend together that night changes their relationship and they truly get to know one another. Before long Zoey is regretting her plan for revenge but is unable to call a halt to proceedings.

When everything comes to a head, Zoey makes sure that Gordon, and a lot of others, know what her feelings are in regards to their new found relationship.

Love between Enemies is a sweet yet profound story of hopes, dreams, sacrifice and ultimately love.

A definite winner from Mollie Lee!

Zoey and Gordon were two characters that I was rooting for from the very beginning. Always competing against each other in school, they still seemed to keep a distant friendship in tact. When Gordon gets some earth shattering news right before graduation, he believes that everything will still work out because he well win a scholarship. He knows he will win because Zoey didn't put her hat in the ring. When he finds out that she won the scholarship, he gets revenge by making it seem like she only got that, along with valedictorian, because of her last name. He immediately feels guilty, but will she let him apologize? If he does, will she accept it and move on?
Zoey is hurt because she always believed they made each other better, and now he has ruined everything. She devises a revenge plan of her own. She knows it is fool proof and she will get everything she wants. Out from under her family's name, the internship/scholarship, and revenge.
The whole book takes place over one night, but it feels like longer because of all the twists and turns. Throughout the night, they get to know each other better than ever before and a true friendship starts to grow. She has always kind of liked him, because she thought he saw her for who she was, not her last name. He also liked her, and was upset when he thought she intentionally lied to him about the internship/scholarship. Just when you think that they will realize they want to be more than friends, he realizes she was planning revenge and it all goes up in smoke.
Will Gordon be able to stop total ruination of his life, or will it be too late? Will Zoey be able to stop the revenge plan in time? When Zoey makes the ultimate grand gesture (I really liked that it was her and nut him), will he be able to forgive her or will it be a little too little to late?
Everything about this book was great. The characters were believable and well developed. The reasons why each character did what they did are compelling and true to high school ages children. I can't wait to read more.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Gordon and Zoe have known each other for many years as rivals, but during the grad night a lot will change. At the grad party they are closer to each other than ever before. They discover that their perceiving of the world is the same and that they seem to be perfect for each other. But just before the grad party something unexpected happens. Will they survive these complications? Can love conquer all? Well, it's for you to find out in 'Love Between Enemies'.

Gordon and Zoey have been in competition with each other since they were young kids. They both make judgment and assessments of each other without knowing the full story or background. Gordon is a hard working student with a heart of gold!! I loved him and his hard work ethic. Zoey surprised me as well as she wasn’t your typical rich kid and worked twice as hard to prove everyone wrong.

I’ve never read anything by this author and this was a cute read. At first I thought it was going to be your typical YA read but it taught a very important lesson about judging others, mending fences and acceptance. I liked how the author was able to convey this message with her story telling! I also purchased “Love In The Friend Zone” and I can’t wait for next book about Lennon and Jade!

After reading a serious mystery thriller, I had been in search of a sweet YA (because it's my comfort genre, if that's even a term!) novel and though this was far from sweet -until the very ending- it did the job pretty well.

The story spans twenty-four hours, a single day, that changes the lives of Zoey and Gordon.

One misunderstood conversation leads to a day full of destruction, hurt, revenge plans and broken dreams.

But the story ends on a positive note, and that's what made me raise up the rating to four. I loved the ending!

Love Between Enemies is the perfect read if you're looking for something short sweet and hundred percent YA!

the first 20% of love between enemies i was so anxious and upset and stressed about the huge misunderstanding between the two leads that i wasn't sure i'd be able to keep reading. what triggers the discord between gordon and zoey comes down to their sense of pride and their intense competitiveness. they've always been pitted against each other. and they are so wrapped up in trying to win and outdo and outlast each other that they've forgotten that they have reasons and feelings and emotions and goals wrapped up in all of this too.

when gordon loses out to zoey on a scholarship that is essential to his ability to attend his dream school—one that he thought she wasn't going for, one that he believes she doesn't need given her family's wealth and his family's lack of it—he feels utterly betrayed. and he takes it out on her in the most public and hurtful of ways.

so zoey comes up with the perfect revenge. but when her plot requires she spend some one-on-one time with gordon, she realizes that she may have misunderstood his reasons for hurting her. and she might be taking things a step too far. but revenge schemes are like a runaway train, unstoppable once they get going. and fixing things so that both she and gordon get happy endings will need some quick-thinking. luckily zoey is super smart.

**love between enemies will publish on january 5, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (entangled crush) in exchange for my honest review.

The premise was cute, but the character development was a bit rushed and so was the squeaky-clean ending. I could have used some more in-depth characters and maybe a longer road to the happily ever after.

This one is about frenemies which is one of my favorite stories. Zoey and Gordon both have the drive to be the best and have been pitted against each other since grade school. Each have challenges in their life but neither of them realize what the other is going through. The story was different in the way they get to know each other. Even though they both make mistakes, some bigger than others, they work to be the best for themselves and each other. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before I read love between enemies, I read the previous book in this series. While I really enjoyed it, I was truly interested in the parts of the book dealing with Zoey and Gordon. So I was really excited to read Love Between Enemies. This book is interesting from the beginning. I really felt for Gordon, even if he didn't handle things in the best way at the start. His graduation day certainly didn't go as he planned. I had a little bit of a harder time liking Zoey. I admired her need to do things on her own and make her own way. However, it seemed like she went a little overboard on getting revenge. Zoey did grow a lot by the end of the book though. So by the end, I liked her a lot more. The interactions between Zoey and Gordon are so fun to read. They obviously have a lot of chemistry. For two people who worked hard their entire high school careers, you see them cut loose on grad night and have a little fun. This book is a fantastic quick read for anyone who enjoys enemies to more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this from Engtangled Publishing via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked how Zoey and Gordon were lifelong rivalries, and Zoey really reminded me of Topanga Lawrence from Boy Meets World because they both loved getting the A's. I kept picturing her throughout the book and that made me smile. The plot was really cute too and it had a promise of a great story, but it ended up being ok to me.

The characters felt like they were just there to me and I wanted to know more about them. The book was still a fast read though and it was kind of in a 24 hour type of book. I liked how they tried to fix things when they really messed up.

This ended up being a three out of four stars though I will most likely check out the other books in this series still! Thank you publishers and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this!

Here's the thing: I really want to rate this book higher than I am - it was a cute plot with cuter characters who showed a great amount of growth (especially given the kind of mean-girl plot Zoey had). I loved that they were both the bigger person and could apologize to each other. I loved that they had never considered each other before and suddenly were. I loved the main characters' backstories. BUT, not only was Zoey's plot downright mean (and her kind of in the process?), the resolution of it was kind of unrealistic. Gordon's dad just makes him clean everything up? He isn't mad about a girl plotting to destroy his business? He isn't more upset that a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds were illegally drinking - and posting to social media - at his business? Not to mention, how do we have 0/3 for parents attending their kid's high school graduation? I know it's expected of kids today, but geez, it's still something to celebrate.
The whole story basically takes place within 72 hours, which I did think was kind of cool, however - and this was my problem with the story - the whole book is basically about alcohol. And teenagers. I teach seniors; I know that kids drink in high school, but it's illegal. And this entire book not only advocates for it, but gives kids (because that's the target audience) ideas on *how* to drink by giving all of the rules to the drinking games. I'm sorry, the authors gives half the rules, because the author assumes that the reader knows enough about these games to not go into more detail. The alcohol could have been taken out, or at least seriously cut down, and the story would have been the same - if not better, because at the end of the day, Zoey was trying to get Gordon drunk as part of her revenge plot. I adore being able to recommend books to people, espcially my students, but this is one I cannot bring myself to recommend (just a I don't recommend the best bars for my students to go to when they attend my alma mater).
Without the alcohol, the plot was cute: they've been in competition with each other for as long as they can remember (Branch was adorable, BTW) but they've never considered even friendship. Gordon apologized for doing something mean to Zoey but Zoey wanted revenge anyway. Even moving beyond the mean-girl mentality of Zoey, it was a good plot and the author did a great job at the slow realization that each character had. There was mention of other minor characters but I really appreciated that the author didn't try to force those characters into this story. I would assume that's because it's a series, though I haven't read any of the others. I liked the resolution at the end that both could be the bigger person and put aside their selfishness and their wants and think of the other person and what they might have done wrong even if it was a tad unrealistic with how no one got in trouble for anything - even Gordon, going completely off script and embarrassing a fellow student at graduation.
My hinderance aside, I probably would've given this book a 3.5/rounded up to 4/5 stars. The plot was quick and engaging and the characters were cute. If the author put out something beyond this series, I'd check it out, but very cautiously. Her writing was great and has a lot of potential and doesn't need alcohol to hide behind.

Love Between Enemies by Molly E. Lee is the second book in the young adult contemporary romance Grad Night series. Each book in the series features a new couple and can be read as a standalone. The idea of the series is at the end of high school there is a big party setting up a last chance at romance between two graduates.

In this book Zoey and Gordon are the top two overachievers at their school and have been battling out each milestone in their academic careers for years. It’s always been a friendly sort of competition between the pair pushing them to each do that much better and work that much harder but they have never become friends due to the rivalry.

Right before graduation Gordon finds that Zoey won the scholarship that he had been desperately counting on for college even though he thought that just this once Zoey wasn’t competing against him. This starts a back and forth between the pair that heats up over the course of graduation night and the party after.

Now when deciding to rate this one I was on the fence yet again with my feelings about this book. On one hand it was a quick, light read that I flew right through reading and liked the ease of the writing and the idea behind two “enemies” becoming something more. On the other hand however I found it to be a bit too over the top to be believable.

The story is told by changing the point of view between the characters which lets a reader know what each is thinking all throughout. The pair had some wires crossed which leads to the night in question and revenge plot that is in play. My problem really was it all seemed to be too high of stakes to one minute be hating one another and the next morning in love. The rushed insta-love can be overlooked since that’s the idea of the series but when we’re talking the rich girl taking money from the poor boy because she can and all forgiven by morning I can’t say I believe it which I’d like to by the end of a romance.

I’m going to stay a bit neutral with my rating on this one because it wasn’t necessarily one I disliked but I did wish the author had given the pair a set up that was a bit less of a life changing situation to resolve in a night. Simply something like losing out as valedictorian at the last minute to the girl you’d competed against would have me believing the one night tale a bit more. And I’d also give a warning that this should probably be more for older teens with the partying and drinking involved in the story.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Zoey and Gordon's rivalry for every project and award throughout their childhood comes to a head on graduation day. When Zoey wins a full ride to college Gordon realizes his dreams of college might not happen. This story is everything the reader wants from a rivalry turned romance story as college looms on the horizon.

Oh YES!! Another cracker from Molly E Lee!!

Love Between Enemies is the second book in the series of Grad Night books. The main characters (Zoey and Gordon), feature in the first book – Love in the Friend Zone – but they can both be read as standalones.

What I especially liked about Love Between Enemies, was that the events that take place happen at the exact same time as the events in book one, just from Zoey and Gordon's perspectives. Very clever!!

Zoey Handler and Gordon Meyers have been rivals, competing for one thing or another, since kindergarten. Now they've hit senior year the stakes are much higher – a full scholarship and summer internship are up for grabs – and the likelihood is, out of everyone who’s applied, they're the two that will be shortlisted. It also turns out that one of them in particular (as an act of revenge), will do anything they can to be the successful candidate!

I found Love Between Enemies a little slow going at first (only because I was impatient and wanted to know the outcome asap, lol), but I loved it, and I’m looking forward to reading Lennon and Jade’s story in the final book of this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.