I have a hot take for everybody this week: possibly the MOST underrated trope of all time. Some of the most consuming, captivating, entertaining romances I have ever read fall into this category, and the trope isn’t even widely recognized as a stand-alone type of romance cliché. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone use the exact term I’m about to drop. It’s a type of trope I as a college student, soon to be working professional, relate to closely. It draws you in and chews you up, leaving you on the edge of your seat chapter after chapter.

I think every book girl has a different favorite type of trope: a type of romance cliché they most like to read and imagine themselves experiencing. The classics include enemies to lovers, forced proximity, love triangle, friends to lovers… there are some pretty universally hated tropes as well: the cheating trope, the “I can fix him” trope, the borderline Stockholm syndrome type situations. They’re not called tropes because they happen all the time in real life, either. Rarely are tropes inspired by true events, but rather what many women wish would happen in real life more often. Think of how common a best friend’s brother situation is in real life compared to how many books there are written about that exact situation… tropes don’t necessarily have to be realistic.

Every reader has tropes that they love and tropes that they hate. Personally, I am a big fan of love triangles, though I know that isn’t the most popular opinion in the slightest. My best friend’s favorite trope is different than mine: hers is friends to lovers. While I love a toxic, unrealistic, entertaining romance, she loves a wholesome, lovey dovey read that she would actually want to be in. My absolute favorite trope, however, is one that not many people even acknowledge as a real trope. It’s underrated, underwritten, underappreciated, and entirely captivating… It’s the academic rival trope.

I would consider the academic rival trope a sub-trope of enemies to lovers (perhaps THE most loved trope if all time, at least on tik tok). The academic rivals trope follows two people who are each top performers in their class or job. Think about a race for valedictorian or a fight for that dream promotion. The people often featured in this trope are competitive, high achieving, talented, and/or highly skilled. The amount of work that goes into becoming the best frequently mixes with ego, and when that ego is threatened by another, jealousy and hate naturally forms. This is the foundation of the academic rivals trope. When this achievement-based hatred for one another starts to shift to complex feelings of love and lust, that’s when the bread of the academic rivals trope gets buttered.

The trope is just so captivating, perhaps to me because my entire life is academia at this time, but I think the idea of competing with someone to be the best in your class, field, or otherwise, and then falling in love despite or because of that competition is so entertaining and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire story. Not only are you invested in the romance and connection between the characters, but you’re equally as invested in who is going to “win” or be deemed the better between the two. People are extremely passionate about their studies and careers, and when that passion starts to mix with another person’s, it can ignite a fiery, bewitching love story where you too as the reader both hate and root for both characters.

Despite a never-ending list of reasons to love the academic rivals sub trope, I rarely hear people speak on this trope, if at all. Enemies to lovers’ and it’s sub-tropes are, rightfully so, spoken about so broadly that I’m shocked that more people don’t specifically rave about the academic rivals sub-trope. Enemies to lovers has a lot of sub tropes that are beloved in the reading community: the “no one can be mean to her/him but me,” trope, the trope where an enemy shows up injured on the other’s doorstep, forced proximity between enemies, and more. Something about two people who seemingly despise each other start to continuously drift towards one another really draws readers in, so I’m shocked that academic rivals isn’t raved about more often. I never hear the bookstagrammers or booktok video makers speak on this subject, which is very disheartening when it is ranked so highly on my list of tropes.

I’m sure this may be the first time you’re hearing of the academic rivals trope. If this is true, I urge you to give it a try. Some of the standout authors I recommend reading to start your journey into the academic rival trope includes Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood. The book that set my love for the academic rival trope in stone was definitely Beach Read by Emily Henry. In this story, two authors who were rivals in the same writing program in college end up living next door to one another, and one of the best enemies to lovers’ stories ensues. Many of Ali Hazelwood’s books have the same academic rivals’ themes as well, primarily Love on the Brain and Love, Theoretically.

I will leave you with a quote from Beach Read by Emily Henry, one to spark your interest in my most underrated trope. It may be a rare trope, with few books written about it

“I did what any reasonable adult woman would do when confronted with her college rival turned next-door neighbor. I dove behind the nearest bookshelf.”