Kristen Callihan

Dear Enemy

Keira 💫

Cold and often silent, Macon would usually stare at me as if he couldn’t quite understand why we were sharing the same air. It was one thing we agreed on. Otherwise, we got along like snow and salt.

arwen

lexie

macon saint how can i ever call u mine? i just don’t have words to describe this man. loved delilah she’s a feminist.

Faith Kitowski

4.7/5. soooo good ahhhhh. the tension literally was insane. so worth it. also MACON, love you <3

"Peaches”  by KAI
 “love and hate” by Kelsea Ballerini 

HOLY SHIT I IMMENSELY ADORED THIS BOOK!! Enemies-to-lovers trope written perfectly!! Delectable!! The banter is TOP TIER. The pining and yearning especially from Macon's POV is literal GOLD. 
Exhibit A: "A laugh bubbles over her lips, and I feel like I’ve won a damn medal" 
Exhibit B: "I know it wouldn’t matter what life I lived; I’d find my way back to Delilah" 
OMG how can this book be my favorite of the year and the year just started?!! Shit sticks! This book was SO GOOD!! I didn't want this to end and wish the epilogue was longer. 

Some of my favorite quotes (spoilers ahead):
Beautiful foreshadowing: (7%) "Just once, I’d like to bring that man to his knees, see him desperate and panting for me the way so many women are for him." -> (68%) “If you think you don’t have power over me, you’re completely deluded. Haven’t you been paying attention? One word from you has the power to bring me to my knees.” 

"But the second she walked back into my life, I became aware of two uncomfortable but undeniable facts: I am lonely as hell, and Delilah Baker feels like home."

“Delilah, we may have been enemies, but I knew your scent like I knew home.”

"I did want attention. But only yours."

“It can be lonely as fuck. But I’m used to being lonely. . I was okay with all of that. And then you came back . . Delilah, you are the only person alive who truly knows me for me. That used to piss me off. But now? It feels like a lifeline."

“ 'How did he look at me?' I insist despite myself. Mama eyes me thoughtfully. 'As if he suddenly realized you were the reason God created sexual pleasure.' ”

"I miss you, Tot. Can you believe it? Yours is the voice in my head, haunting my dreams, pushing me forward."

"I Miss You Delilah Ann Baker My little Hot Tater Tot"

"Who do I immediately want to tell? You. Fucking you. Why? Why is it always— YOU?"

“You are beautiful to me in the way of stars.”

"I’m content to lie here and simply be—because she’s here"

“I’m going to love you, Macon Saint. So long and so hard you’re not going to remember what it feels like to be without love.” - CUE THE TEARSSSS

“I don’t know a lot about love other than what I feel for you. I might make mistakes, but I know this much—you are utterly precious to me. I’ll honor you every damn day of my life, if you let me.” -SWOOONNN

I liked this enough to keep reading until the end. 

But not enough to ever think about reading it again. 

It was a good book, it had solid main characters. But I fucking hate the sister so much. 

I liked this enough to keep reading until the end. 

But not enough to ever think about reading it again. 

It was a good book, it had solid main characters. But I fucking hate the sister so much. 

Thank you and bye bye. 

Jennifer Eggleston 

Quite enjoyable ...

I love a good enemies to lovers story and this book is no exception! Delilah and Macon is this slow burn romance that has been stewing for awhile but is well worth the wait. Dear Enemy has all the beats of a good romance.

Catarina Vieira

A minha trope favorita é e sempre será "childhood bestfriends to lovers" mas este que é "childhood enemies to lovers" foi só a maior surpresa de sempre.
Embora não ache muito realista o acordo dela ser chef pessoal dele e assistente para pagar a dívida do roubo da irmã, adorei essa proximidade forçada. 
Abordar temas como stalking das figuras públicas e os impactos que isso pode ter foi interessante de ler. O livro lê-se muito rápido, num excelente ritmo e é dual POV.
Recomendo para quem adora enemies to lovers e um romance rápido e fácil de ler.

Melina Resbani

isabela 

didn’t know what i was getting into and surprised it was that good

OH MY GOODNESS GEACIOUS
I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY EXCEPT RE READ THESE
THE WRITING WAS AMAZING 
THE LETTERS WERE INCREDIBLE 
AND RHE NICKNAMES
AND MACON COULD KILL ME AND ID APOLOGIZE

Jordan /

Sam is the absolute worst. HATE her. 

Childhood enemy/bully to lovers. Slow burn but the tension is immaculate 🥵.

Caitlin Vanderheide

Kristen Callihan has a way of writing quippy humor and I love it. The way Macon and Delilah bicker has me in love with these characters. I loved the progression of their story, and their slow burn. Definitely recommend reading this one!

From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Callihan comes a smart, emotional contemporary romance about finding love with the most unlikely of people. As kids, they hated each other. Macon Saint was beautiful, but despite his name, Delilah knew he was the devil. That he dated her slightly evil sister, Samantha, was no picnic either. When they broke up, it was a dream come true: Delilah never had to see him again. Ten years later, her old enemy sends a text. Delilah's sister has stolen a valuable heirloom from Macon, now a rising Hollywood star, and he intends to collect his due. One problem: Sam has skipped town. Sparks still sizzle between Macon and Delilah, only this heat feels alarmingly like unwanted attraction. But Delilah is desperate to keep her weak-hearted mother from learning of her sister's theft. So she proposes a deal: she'll pay off the debt by being Macon's personal chef and assistant. It's a recipe for disaster, but Macon can't stop himself from accepting. Even though Delilah clearly hates him, there's something about her that feels like home. Besides, they're no longer kids, and what once was a bitter rivalry has the potential to be something sweeter. Something like forever.

lauren carla

4.5 actual rating. this book was a delightful surprise!! I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as i did. there were so many moments where I actually full on laughed out loud. absolutely loved macon and delilah!! the only thing I didn’t love was the predictably of one of the reveals near the end of the novel, but not a huge deal. my ideal casting would be chris wood as macon and jennifer lawrence as delilah :)

Aayusma Aryal

Dani Edgin

First off, I’m gonna start this by saying SCREW YOU SAM!!! What an awful sister. I was hoping she’d have some kind of redemption arc, but no. She’s just literally an awful person. 

Outside of my incredible dislike of Samantha Baker, I loved this book. Not only is it one of my favorite tropes, but it made me laugh out loud so many times (and I teared up a couple times too). Delilah is such a spitfire, and the banter between her and Macon was hilarious. I loved them.

Andrea Cárcamo

Geneva 

Love it. It was childhood friends but with a bit more hate I guess. I thought the guy was really sweet and attentive. Seemed not too unrealistic as well

b.andherbooks

I am so happy I was able to read this absolutely luscious slow-burner by the pool in Vegas. Whew. Definitely yelling at my Kindle to get these two to K-I-S-S for a very long time, but the sheer chemistry between Macon and Delilah was palpable on every page. I also really really didn't like Macon at first, and the story bordered *this close* to being a bully romance, which is not usually something I enjoy reading, but Callihan had my trust and brought it home in the end.

What made it work the most for me was the close proximity of having Delilah living in Macon's home, being his personal chef, all up in his intimate space(s). These two have a whole passel of baggage to sort through and I enjoyed watching them clean up their mess, especially in the bathtub *waggles eyebrows*

I also enjoyed reading about Delilah's complicated relationship with her sister, but I did find the bits after the dark moment to be a bit rushed and over jammed with plot wrap up. Just get back to the tub you dirty kids!

Bonus points for Macon playing a Khal Drogo type figure (armor and all) on his TV show and for body guard North who I hope will someday have his own book! I also appreciated the work to show Macon's restricted diet and how he had to work very very hard to have a body the show wanted him to have.

CW bullying, fatphobic comments, diet culture (Macon is on a diet because he needs to keep his eight-pack), stalking, parental death (off page), gas lighting, lying.

Thank you for the ARC Netgalley!

Saayan

First of all, I hate the name Macon. When I listened to the audiobook, it either sounded like Megan or Bacon all the time.

That being said, I loved this book! I'm not always a fan of the famous person x regular person trope, but I'm an absolute sucker for childhood friends/enemies to lovers. 

It was well written and I will definitely be checking out more books by this author!

Pamela Alvarado

I hadn't been sure about this one but I'm so glad I picked it up! It was a very lovable story. I hadn't been sure I'd enjoy it because of all the legit bullying past Delilah went through. But the story worked with it in a way that didn't feel fake or like it downplayed those issues. It was sweet, but real too.

Lacey

I am so sad I didn’t love this one more, since I adore Kristen Callihan and her books. The hero got on my nerves too much, and while he did grow on me by the end, I was still thinking of the awful things he did to the heroine growing up. (It doesn’t help that the epilogue literally reminds us of what he did... which did not endear him to me.) I thought his reasons for bullying her and being with her sister were so weak. A couple of the interesting plot points (like the heroine’s runaway sister, the stalkers, and the hero’s dad) became anticlimactic and didn’t wrap up in a satisfying way. I did love the foodie aspect of this romance though, which we surprisingly got a lot more of than the hero’s Hollywood background. I think Kristen Callihan is publishing another book with Montlake and I’m hoping I’ll enjoy that one more!

Dear Enemy

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