#the hunger games excluding Elle

[nomorespahgetti]

I’m sorry but if an alcoholic told me that I could live a thousand lifetimes and STILL not deserve a baker boy I’d crash out.

[kingandfireheart]

Do you have some recommendations for friends to lovers books?

Hey anon! I'm gonna give you some full disclosure: I've read maybe 60 books since December, but before then, I was reading 1-2 books a year for the last six years, and before that, I was a highschool student who read so many books, I can hardly remember the plots/characters.

So mutuals: please respond to this thread with recommendations!!

In my experience friends to lovers is actually two separate tropes

Friends First ([something] to Friends to Lovers)

This trope is usually where two people meet and they try for a long time to be friends, and eventually cave to their building feelings or attraction and then boom. Lovers. I like this trope because it gives time for people to get to know each other, and because it means there is a good amount of yearning (my personal sweetspot). If you're following me, chances are you've read TOG and know all about Rowaelin, who are the epitome of the friends first trope.

I'm excluding any books that start with sex or attraction, then go to friendships, because I think the friendships aren't always with pure intentions, and can fit a different trope category.

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton (modern, beachy read. The people are neighbors and there are some sexual/romantic undertones to most of their interactions, but they like each other as friends before they ever do anything physical together)

Radiance by Grace Draven (fantasy, arranged marriage trope. MCs meet at their wedding, but they spend a lot of time building their friendship before they are ever together romantically/sexually)

The Deal by Elle Kennedy (modern, beachy read. This book starts with a guy who desperately needs a tutor and a girl who has a crush on an unattainable jock. They start as friends, then there's some fake dating going on, and then eventually they get together. TW: there are mentions of past rape and past physical abuse in this book. )

Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (modern, enemies to friends to lovers. This book's premise is kind of ridiculous, but one guy is the president's son, the other is a prince. They start as mortal enemies, become friends (mainly through texting), and then they have like a friend-with-benefits situation for a while).

Longtime Friends to Lovers (what I think you're asking about)

I'm not gonna lie to you, nonnie. I kind of hate this trope - it comes with either a love triangle or angst plotlines, and Gale (Hunger Games) and Mal (Shadow & Bone) kind of ruined it for me. These people are fixtures in eachothers lives, and so there is a good deal of pining, but there's also pain over a potential lost friendship and lost history, and then some claim of "it's always been us" which is kind of unsatisfying for me. Maybe it's because I can't relate to having a a long-time friend become something more? idk this ask isn't supposed to be a personal psychoanalysis (p.s. jacob black deserved better than to be used by bella and then paired with a weird baby with a 17 year age difference, but I digress)

Anyway: the only book I've read in the past year that does this trope in a satisfying way is Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Kaz and Inej have been friends(ish?) from the beginning of the book, and have some clear romantic undercurrents through this book and the sequel, Crooked Kingdom. Chances are, you've read this book already or have a firm anti-Grishaverse stance.

I'm going to have to defer to friends/followers for this one.

Anyway, thanks for coming here and asking me! If other people send recs, I'll compile a list for you!

Recs from my girl @lysandra-ghost-leopard:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout (childhood bffs to lovers, some trigger warnings tho so check that out)

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren (childhood bffs to fall out to lovers)