The enemies to friends to lovers trope was so well done—it had just the right amount of tension, banter, and heart. The chemistry between the main characters leapt off the page, and I especially appreciated how supportive the MMC was when the FMC faced harassment at work—he had her back without overshadowing her strength. The found family vibes from the FMC’s friend group added so much warmth and depth to the story. A perfect mix of swoon, sass, and emotional depth!

Based on the description, I had very high hopes for this book and I will say overall, the storyline and plot was pretty good. It was just the writing that didn't necessarily do it for me. I loved the multicultural romance, and it was definitely a nice break from traditional romance books and random places sex scenes lol

However, one thing I didnt enjoy was Charles' POV. The writing was kind of weird and clipped. I understand the idea of wanting it to sound different and maybe even more personal, but it just feels weird while reading.. I also didn't enjoy how during dialogue, the author decided to put their initials and what they said, it makes it look more like a move script during dialogue and again, makes it hard to read at that point.


Of course, thank you so much Zen Cho, Tor Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Cute contemporary romance with other themes of multicultural familial relationships and expectations. Good chemistry with the characters and definitely a PG13 account of things.

Kriya is following her supervisor to a new, high-powered law firm where she must share an office with her longtime “nemesis,” Charles Goh. This coincides with both Kriya and Charles each needing a reason for a fake romantic partner–Charles needs to assure his overreaching family that he is not gay, and Kriya needs to frighten away her boss, who is now sexually harassing her. Of course, this fake relationship only reveals Kriya and Charles’ incredible attraction. As they discover the problems of merging their corporate culture with their cultural heritage, they also learn how much they want a life outside of their all-consuming work.

I love diverse representations in romance, and I love The Hating Game, so I was truly excited to read this book. The representation of Malay and Lingnan culture did indeed serve as my favorite part of the book. The hilarious Malay friend group, the disapproving aunties, and the desire for justice for places that are still recovering from colonialism add moments of uniqueness to an otherwise standard office romance plot.

As much as the premise and representation work, the work plot line and the central chemistry each left me wanting. The legalese in many scenes seems excessive, and the plot with the supervisor feels predictable. I also wanted the scenes of intimacy to be more thoroughly developed and made into a focus. Charles is an admirable character, and I loved seeing the moments in which he parallels Darcy, but he does not gain strength over the book, and I found myself wishing that he would be more of a fighter.

Readers seeking new twists on a workplace romance may find success with this book. It is also worth mentioning that Kriya is a curvy, accomplished heroine who is easy to admire.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to try this one out!

ehind Frenemy Lines is marketed as an enemies-to-lovers romance, but it reads more like a hate-to-love story. Charles and Kriya aren’t truly enemies, their early interactions are more awkward and curt than genuinely antagonistic. There's tension, yes, but not the kind rooted in true conflict.

Charles Goh is a socially awkward, by-the-book kind of guy who often gives in to his family’s guilt trips, making him come across as a bit of a pushover. Kriya, on the other hand, is feeling stuck and reeling from a breakup. She feels stagnant in her career and doesn't really do much about it until the end (which makes sense, you need time to build up the guts to leave.). When she follows her boss to a new company, she ends up working alongside Charles and, unexpectedly, sharing an office with him. Their proximity leads to more time together and eventually, a fake dating situation.

This is a cute workplace romance with a solid hate-to-love dynamic. Both characters clearly rub each other the wrong way at first, yet there's a magnetic pull between them. I enjoyed the story overall, it’s a quick, fun read but I found myself wishing for more flirting, more banter, and more scenes of Charles and Kriya as a couple. The ending, in particular, felt rushed; I wanted more time with them together. But that's just my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Bramble for the eARC!

"Award-winning author Zen Cho delivers a sparkling and witty rivals-to-lovers romance reminiscent of Sally Thorne's The Hating Game and Sajni Patel's The Trouble with Hating You.

Sparks fly when an ambitious rules-bound lawyer clashes with a maverick new hire who threatens his chances of partnership - and the walls he's built around his heart.

Charles Goh has always played by the rules. It's how he survived his difficult childhood as the swotty foreigner at a posh English boarding school - and now, his high-pressure job at one of the biggest corporate law firms in London. His job is his life and he's happy that way...until she shows up.

Kriya Rajasekar's lost her way. Her longtime boyfriend's broken up with her and she feels trapped in her legal career. She knows she needs a fresh start - but it turns out her new job is at the same firm as her work nemesis. Charles Goh is like the bad luck charm she keeps running into, and their encounters lead to disaster every single time. And now he's her office mate.

But just as they're figuring out how to navigate this frenemy relationship, Kriya needs Charles' help: pretend they're dating so her boss will stop hitting on her. Soon, it becomes less clear whether they're enemies, friends - or something else."

I will read anything Zen Cho writes.

Zen Cho’s Behind Frenemy Lines is a sharp, witty rivals-to-lovers romance that delivers equal parts banter and heart. Charles and Kriya’s dynamic crackles with tension as they navigate office politics, unexpected proximity, and a fake-dating scheme that blurs the lines between rivalry and romance. Cho masterfully balances humor with emotional depth, making both characters compelling and deeply relatable. With sizzling chemistry and an engaging storyline, this novel is an irresistible read for fans of sharp dialogue and slow-burn romance.

An absolute delight; the kind of book that, once it gets rolling, will not let the reader stop reading (literally: "a few pages at lunch" turned into a lost afternoon, following with bated breath as Priya and Charles navigated their way through a perfect enemies-to-lovers arc). The protagonists are smart, even when they are dumb; the times they make poor choices, Cho perfectly describes the tortured route of overthinking and self-justification that each takes to arrive at their decision. They are funny and wry and self-aware. Cho's knowledge of the world of high-powered lawyering shines through, and the secondary characters (Priya's group of overly enthusiastic friends, Charles's anime-obsessed cousin) enliven and expand the world beyond the boundaries of "firm life."

I liked this book a lot, but I mainly review SFF, which this is not -- it's a delightful romance, between two former enemies. The characters are well done and the writing is delightful. Zen Cho usually writes fantasy, but this is straight-up romance.

I'm a big fan of whatever this was. Rivals to lovers? Check. Workplace romance? Kind of. I really liked both of the main characters and thought they were strong individually but I really liked them as a couple as well even though we don't get to see much of that. I loved the fact that the story had a law backdrop and the drama filled family dynamic was also good. Some may be turned off by Charles' social awkwardness but I adored him. Kriya's friends were a hoot and I liked the scenes with them involved. All of the food talk made me want to eat the delicious meals they were talking about.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and I'm excited to have a new author to rave about.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Behind Frenemy Lines was a quick, fun romance that I sped through. There was a little less romance than I anticipated, but I still really enjoyed Kriya and Charles's dynamic. This was also a more realistic book and not filled with tropes, which I actually found refreshing. The dual points-of-view also really worked; Kriya and Charles have very different perspectives, with his chapters reading as very analytical.

Getting to read a story with a South East Asian character as the lead was so nice, especially seeing her paired with another Asian character. I usually only see stories about East Asian characters, so getting some diversity is refreshing.

Oof, the emphasis on family reliance and dependence was a big kicker in the novel, and both characters had their own strife to deal with within their families. One reason I thought they got along well was being of the inherent understanding of their place within their own respective families. Both are caregivers and provide financial support for someone, which is stressful but is a job they know they have to do (for the most part).

Kriya is a strong female lead who takes shit from her boss for a while but eventually gains the courage to shut him down and move on to someone that serves her better. She loves her job and is steadfast in her morals/ethics surrounding the work she does. When she resigns with a intent to go behind the scenes and make sure someone is unable to sue, I was so happy for her for sticking up for her people and their future.

Charles was a character that took me a while to like. His prose through the novel was odd and often made me feel distant from his true thoughts. He's a very hesitant person who does not want to impose on anyone and is okay with getting the short end of the stick if everyone is taken care of. I loved seeing him gain confidence and do things for himself for once.

Together, they were an odd couple that matched well. The drama in the novel was more political and not necessarily a hinderance on their budding relationship. I was so stoked that Kriya took the job and chose herself after following men for so many years. Seeing Charles also make a life changing decision for her, their future, and his relationship with his mom, his pending move felt natural and right.

Overall, this story wasn't life changing but it was a nice break from crazy hijinks and awkwardly placed sex scenes. I'd recommend if you'd like a break from more mainstream romances and would like to read something different. Solid 3.5 for me.

Behind frenemy lines was a quick and fun read. The plot was cute and the execution was well done. One thing I did not like however, was the Charles's POV. The way it was writing was not my favorite, it was too choppy and the lack of pronouns (I) was not my fav. I also didn't like the dialogues being prefaced with the characters initial. I appreciated the fact that the author wanted to differentiate the writing between the characters but it could have been done better.
Reading passages like : [Opened the door. Sat at desk and started typing when Kriya spoke.
k : "hi"
CG : "hello"
Who is Kriya talking to? Continued typing. Got up. Left. ] was not for me.

The time jumps were also weirdly done. You only knew that it was a time jump when it ended and the characters were brought back to the present.

!!!!Minor spoiler!!!!
I liked the fact that they both thought the other hated them just because they're both a bit socialy awkward, a lot socially awkward for Charles xD

2.5/5 rounded up.

I had quite high hopes for this book, it sounded like it would be so much fun (and the premise kind of reminded me of The Devil You Know by Elizabeth O'Roark since they're both about lawyers having to get along).

I didn't find the characters of this book to be very engaging, interesting or likable. They were just so flat to me and I did not feel like they had really much chemistry at all.

And there was something about the formatting/writing style of this book that didn't mesh with me. It felt very choppy and stunted. And for the conversations, simply having the characters initials and a colon for them speaking was just so weird to me. And I don't think I know how to explain why.

I also got confused with the time-jump thing, but that's a person-to-person thing.

I just wanted more from this. Especially because it had such a promising premise that could've been so much fun.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I love law and everything related so of course I’m going to like a book where both mcs are lawyers. The fmc finds herself in the same law firm she tried to get w job at in the beginning of her career after her boss moves and takes her with him. She meets the mmc who is a lawyer at the firm and they relate on many level. They are both asian and British and both have gone through feelings of not being enough for the culture they are in or in their ethnic groups. I really enjoyed seeing both characters be proud and struggle with issues surrounding their culture and family expectations for them.

This is both a cute romance and a workplace tale and its a sweet, well written book that explores workplace harassment and shitty bosses. Overall a cute and diverse read. Thanks to Bramble for the earc.

Zen Cho delivers a romcom that crackles with wit, tension, and undeniable charm. Charles and Kriya’s rivalry is sharp, their banter electric, and their chemistry is absolutely scorching. Between office politics, fake dating, and the slow unraveling of their guarded hearts, this is the kind of romance that refuses to let go.

The romance is beautiful, unfolding naturally with moments of passion, vulnerability, and undeniable chemistry. Every interaction feels meaningful, drawing readers into a love story that lingers long after the final page. If you enjoy stories that delve into complex emotions and authentic relationships, this book is a must-read.