6 Competitive Books About Academic Rivals
In another life, our school years were spent in a Hogwarts-style academy. Of course, we'd be the top of our class. Our biggest competitor would drive us insane (but maybe it'd be okay because they'd be nice to look at).
If you can relate, you are the perfect person for the academic rivals sub-genre. Here, you could practically cut the yearning and tension with the knife.
Below, discover a few enemies-to-lovers books in an academic setting you must try.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Iris Winnow's brother is missing, and her mother is growing more and more sad. She's the only hope for her family, which means she has to get the promotion at her newspaper. In the meantime, Iris has been writing to her brother, but it turns out her magical messages have been landing in the hands of her stone-cold competitor, Roman Kitt. Will the two be able to connect through their new bond or be pushed further apart?
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Hey, even college kids have academic rivals. No one said maturity magically appears after you graduate high school.
In Ali Hazelwood's Love, Theoretically, theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway is vying for a teaching job at MIT. Unfortunately for her, the one person between her dream position is the notorious experimental physicist Jack Smith. But maybe, he's not as bad as she thinks.
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I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang
Sadie Wen is the picture-perfect student: valedictorian, school captain. She's always smiling, but no one knows she channels her anger in hate emails—until they're sent out. When her co-captain Julius Gong and the rest of the school catches wind, her drama-free life is turned upside down. But Julius kind of appreciates her honesty.
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Bradley Graeme is a star football player and student. In fact, he's the top of his class in every subject, except the one he has with his ex-bestie Celine Bangura. She's the complete opposite of him—totally geeky and not the most cool—which is why Bradley ended their friendship. When the two are paired together in a survival course, they can finally confront their past and see what they've been missing all these years.
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
Are you searching for something more fantasy-driven than romantic? Check out M.L. Wang's Blood Over Bright Haven.
Sciona has been an orphan from a young age, which means she must try harder than all her peers. But her colleague are happy to remind her she's an outsider in this magical society of High Magistry. So, instead of working alongside a qualified lab assistance, Sciona is forced to work with a janitor.
What everyone doesn't know is this janitor is undercover, trying to discover who slaughtered his tribe. Together, these two could change the course of history forever.
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Alice wants to be at the top of her field, and she's sacrificed everything for it. Then, she finally receives the chance to work alongside Cambridge's Professor Jacob Grimes, until he dies in a freak magical accident—and Alice might be the one at fault. Meanwhile, her biggest rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to a similar conclusion that he may be at fault. Together, the pair must put their differences aside to get to the bottom of the case, leading them on an adventure of a lifetime to Hell.
Sadly, it's not out yet, but it will be released in August. We were lucky enough to get an advanced reader's copy, so stay tuned for our review!
Searching for even more book recommendations? Click HERE to discover the hottest releases of May 2025.