This was an enemies to lovers romcom about two high school enemies that reunited after 12 years for their mutual friend’s wedding.

I really enjoyed this one! It had the perfect amount of slow burn and push and pull between June and Ryan and I’m an absolute sucker for the he falls first trope. The banter, jokes and pranks were perfect and it just felt like such a cosy read. Honestly, Sarah Adams can’t write a bad book. She nails the closed door romances every time and makes her characters feel so real and relatable.

I was really looking forward to this one after enjoying the Match, and it was super cute!

📖 The Enemy by Sarah Adams (7/6 re-release)
🎙️ Connie Shabshab & Will Damron (narrators)

📚 book 2 • It Happened in Charleston series (definitely can be read as a standalone)

⭐️ rating: 4/5
😘 spice: kissing only

June & Ryan had me cracking up with their pranks & antics. I felt so much for June and her insecurities, and loved the support she got from Ryan.

I would have loved more of Jake (June’s brother), Evie & Sam, probably cause I loved the Match so much 😅 I know it wasn’t their book, but I miss them!

read if you love:
🎓 high school enemies-ish to lovers
(reconnecting 12 years later)

🧁 a donut bakery owner fmc (June) who has a “one date rule” - no second dates unless she wants to spend forever with someone

👨‍🍳 a renowned Michelin chef mmc (Ryan) - a man determined to get a second date (and more) with June!

💍 wedding setting - their best friends are getting married - bringing them into forced proximity

🥹 mutual pining - they always secretly had feelings for each other, but “hated” each other instead

💞 dual 1st person pov

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for an advanced audio copy. All opinions are my own.

This was such a cute rom com. It was a super quick listen for me. I loved all their banter back and forth and how they loved playing tricks on each other.

It is such a delight to have another Sarah Adams audiobook out in the world! First published in 2022 before Adams' massive success with Practice Makes Perfect and The Rule Book, The Enemy follows high school rivals June and Ryan twelve years after graduation. Their dynamic reads like a supercharged version of the grocery store scene in Practice Makes Perfect when the characters kept sneaking embarrassing items into their opponent's basket rather than admit they enjoyed spending time together. As with most Adams novels, it translates very well on audio. The romantic tension is sublime, and spice is kept behind closed doors in this novel.
I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 because I found it difficult to root for our characters in the first few chapters. Once their antics are fully underway, it's easy to cheer for the relationship. But I never felt as invested in the storylines of their personal lives outside the relationship as I did reading Adams' more recent publications. Still, a cozy, romantic read worthy of any romcom lover's bookshelf.

I do enjoy a good enemies to lovers trope, and obviously "The Enemy" is just that. While I generally prefer a bit more of a buildup, Sarah Adams managed to create a good story around the budding relationship between June and Ryan without it. This story is the second in her series based in Charleston and it definitely hits as a rom-com with a lot of fun interactions amongst a network of friends that I hope to read more about. I definitely plan to go back and read the first novel in the series and I look forward to the third!

This is the 2nd book in Sarah Adams' “It Happened in Charleston” series (two interconnected standalones). June, the FMC, is Jake’s sister from The Match. In my opinion, you do not need to read the first book to fully enjoy this story (but The Match is fantastic, so I recommend you read it at some point!).

The Enemy is (obviously from the title) an enemies-to-lovers story, but I had a hard time with this at the beginning. It was missing a little of the tension that is usually present in enemies-to-lovers. However, the “enemies” phase doesn’t last very long. June and Ryan have known each other for so long that it actually starts to read more like friends-to-lovers.

I loved June and Ryan together. He is very clear about his feelings for her, but she is cautious and protective of her heart after being cheated on by her ex. Ryan stays patient and steady in his feelings. Their flirting is a little high-school but that didn’t bother me because they were so goofy and comfortable with each other. In true Sarah Adams fashion, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud embarrassing moments, as well as swoony closed-door romance.

I enjoyed the audio narration by Connie Shabshab and Will Damron. Their voices matched what I pictured for the characters and kept me thoroughly entertained. I loved that it was dual POV and dual narration so we got to know both characters really well.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Sarah Adams, and NetGalley for the chance to listen to this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m coming to really appreciate Sarah Adams books for the light hearted fun that they are. I loved the rivalry in this one between June and Ryan and had so much fun giggling in the background as they figured out how to navigate their relationship. While I don’t think there was anything particularly memorable about The Enemy, I had a really good time reading it.

It's been 12 years since June has seen Ryan and she is not looking forward to breaking that streak as her best friend's wedding is approaching, and they are both in the bridal party. June and Ryan were rivals in high school, and June has been avoiding even thinking about him ever since. When they run into each other again, will their rivalry still stand? Or has the competitive tension evolved into something else?

I am so excited that Sarah Adams has had the opportunity to republish the It Happened in Charleston series, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this novel. Our MMC Ryan was super cute and the perfect book boyfriend. I really loved how he kept on planning dates that weren't "dates" to get around June's one-date-only rule. I thought the book wrapped up strongly, and I was happily surprised that Ryan didn't end up buying out half of June's bakery, and he fully let her have the donut shop as her domain.

I'm not a huge fan of dual-POV enemies-to-lovers, especially when the main characters are secretly harboring feelings for each other, although I did appreciate that they confessed their feelings rather early on. I don't know if I would classify this book as a strict enemies-to-lover, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Some bits of June's personality felt a bit overdone, and I find it hard to believe that she hadn't heard anything about Ryan and that she had never told her friends and family what had happened with her ex.

I cannot wait to go back and read the first book in this series! Sarah Adams has done it again!

Amazing! I have loved The Enemy since it first was out and that new bonus chapter is everything!! I was laughing outloud and crying and just giddy. This book means the world to me for personal reasons and I just love it so much! June and Ryan are a great couple and I want a peach donut now!

Another great read by Sarah Adams! Although I did find June to be horribly annoying for the extent of her hatred of Ryan. It just seemed to be a bit much. Maybe it’s just because I loved Ryan so much!

High school enemies/rivals or just bad flirting? You be the judge! This was such a cute enemies to lovers story! June and Ryan had great chemistry! Also, we love a man who can cook! I am now all caught up on Sarah’s backlog, so I shall patiently wait for Beg, Borrow, or Steal in 2025!

This book was adorable! The Enemy is about June, Jake’s sister from The Match. She owns a donut shop with her best friend. When her best friend gets married and her fiancé asks Ryan, June’s enemy from high school, to be in his wedding party, June must see him again and deal with the feelings that invokes.

I thought this book was so cute. June was adorable and funny. Ryan turned out to be a sweet guy. Their flirting and pranks on one another were pretty funny! I laughed out loud at some of the things they did and said to one another. I loved their chemistry.

June’s Nick Lachey collection is so silly. Who knew there were so many things printed with his face on it 😂. Ryan’s comment about the “Love Lives Here” doormat cracked me up too. I would have to agree with his feelings there.

The trophies at the end!! 🥹🥹 And the bonus epilogue 🥹🥹 so good!

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration. It’s a dual pov book with two narrators. They did a great job!

Thank you Sarah Adams, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

After this, all I have left is her Dalton Family books to read! Those should be rereleased later this year too!

I have never read a @authorsarahadams book that didn’t have me beaming at some point — y’all know that she is my comfort author, and I’m so glad I finally picked up The Enemy— I’ve officially read every book of hers!!

Childhood enemies who have been pining for each other for years, reunited at their best friends wedding *chef’s kiss* (see what I did there 🤪)

I was lucky enough to get an audiobook arc of the extended version, and I truly enjoyed it. I thought the narrators were great, and the voices matched what I expected in my mind!! also, the extended epilogue— I S Q U E A L E D !!

if you want a light, fun, and flirty read to end out your summer reading list, I recommend adding this book to your tbr- pick up the new expanded edition next week!! Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the audio arc!!

This was such a fun and quick rom-com with childhood rivals to lovers vibes with some “it’s always been you” energy! I LOVED Ryan, and the tension between him and June (whom you might remember from The Match) was fantastic. I appreciated that this romance stayed closed door and that there was only some mild language (certainly nothing strong enough to distract from the story). I loved every Sarah Adams book I’ve read so far, and I can’t wait to read more from her!💕

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for sending me an advanced audio copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

⭐⭐💫 2.5 rounded up. Textbook fluff. She owns a doughnut shop for heaven's sake. High school rivals whose hatred toward each other was suppressed sexual tension....and in her 30s she still hadn't figured that out yet?! I'm a fan of the author's later stuff though and they are re-releasing her early stuff due to her recent success.

🌶️🌶️- Behind Closed Doors: At least one intimate scene occurs, but without the reader present.

Tropes:
•Enemies to Lovers
•Second Chance
•Childhood sweethearts

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲, 𝐈 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞!! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬; 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲! 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐭𝐨-𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 *𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐟’𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬* 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐈 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲.

𝐈𝐧 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒚, 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞/𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 “𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲,” 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧, 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬… 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 “𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬” 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩, 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐟, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒮𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒽 𝒜𝒹𝒶𝓂𝓈, 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓅𝑒 𝑀𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒶, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I will forever refer to Sarah’s books as being wrapped up in a cozy hug, and blanket. Her RomComs are just such comfort reads, and give me the warm fuzzies. And this one didn’t disappoint. The dual narration and both narrators were excellent!

Although it’s the second book in the series, it can definitely be read as a SA. But I will say I enjoyed the cameos from the characters in book one.

I love how Ryan fell first and harder, and always carried a torch for June. They weren’t tried and true “enemies” per se but they did enjoy engaging in prank wars back in HS (and love how this tradition came full circle in the epilogue). This was a closed door romance, so not spicy but definitely an enjoyable and fun Romance set in the southern town of Charleston.

If you’re looking for a fun and fluffy RomCom book then you have to pick this one up!

3.5 stars. Sarah Adams is the master of serving up cute and cozy, with a side of goofy and a sprinkle of angst (see what I did there, since the MMC Ryan is a professional chef?)
This follow-up to The Match is everything that I expect from a Sarah Adams novel. It’s lighthearted and funny, and the FMC’s voice is so fun and real, although the comedic moments sometimes border on cartoonish. There were a lot of things I liked about this novel, but I do have to say that I don’t love that it’s described as enemies-to-lovers. June and Ryan are in a years-long ongoing prank war. This does not mean that they are mortal enemies, no matter how many times June insists they are (and she sure does insist on it…a lot). I loved June and Ryan’s dynamic; I just did not care for it being marketed as enemies-to-lovers.
The audio narration was great! However, being a gal who lives in the South, I’m a little peeved that the setting of Charleston, SC and references to southern accents are mentioned throughout the novel, and yet neither narrator even attempted a southern accent, except for the side characters. Ryan even said at one point something to the effect of “oh it’s crazy how my accent comes back when I come home to Charleston”….and he said this in the most generic Northern accent ever. All I’m saying is commit to the bit. That all said, I enjoyed this one so much and it was the perfect summer rom-com!

Thank you @dellromance and netgalley for the arc/ alc!

The narrators were fantastic!

I recently re-read The Match, and I also loved it, but I couldn't tell you the differences between the original and this new release. When I re-read The Enemy, I felt like the new parts felt new. I could be misremembering, but it was such a treat because it almost felt like I was reading it for the first time.

I forgot how much I loved Ryan and that they aren’t really enemies to lovers, but more like people who are in denial about their love and show their love by pulling pranks, haha. The pranks had me laughing, and I just loved the two of them so much!

I am so excited for the next series to be re-released and to re-read them. Sarah’s books are just such a treat and this one is no exception.

This was such a sweet book!

I loved the “hate to love” storyline. The way they reunite and it an instant connection they’re trying to ignore. 😂

June being so hesitant to admit she feels anything other than dislike for her high school enemy(who she hasn’t seen in 12 years) was exactly what I needed. It was hilarious.

The banter between her and Ryan was amazing. Ryan being so down bad for June was so good 👏🏼😂

I seriously love Sarah Adams writing so much and this was no exception! I’m so thrilled I was able to listen to this audiobook.

The narrators did a fantastic job with the story. Kept me engaged all throughout and had me giggling so much!