With the end of the fall semester quickly approaching, it is weird to be going home for over a month and leaving behind the school environment. Year after year, I hope to have a typical school romance, but ultimately, I end up seeking out something less traditional–an academic rival. My favorite trope in the media is easily academic rivals to lovers. Call me argumentative or self-brutalizing, but I love it when two characters spend seasons competing over something that no one else around them really cares about, only to realize that half of the reason why they cared so much was because they wanted to be around each other. So in honor of celebrating the end of the semester and my favorite romantic trope, I’ve compiled a list of five of my favorite academic rivals to lovers ships, along with what makes them so great.
- BENVI (Ben Gross and Devi Vishwakumar), “Never Have I Ever”
Set at Sherman Oaks High School in California, the series follows Devi Vishwakumar, an Indian high school student who is grieving the death of her father while trying to get the most out of her high school years. Devi has a long-term rivalry with fellow classmate Ben Gross that has followed the pair since elementary school. As their lives continue to intersect, they realize they have a lot of things in common. Although they both irritate one another, they eventually connect on a much deeper level as they begin to realize that they understand each other more than anyone else.
One of the greatest things about their story is the constant banter. Ben and Devi are constantly bickering and competing. One of the greatest episodes of the series is when the two take part in a class trip to a Model UN competition. After helping to throw a forbidden party in the hotel, the pair form an unlikely alliance and agree to take the same side during the debate the following morning. Things go awry when devi gets some bad news, and her hatred for Ben comes back full force. The episode marked a changing of the tides for the pair, however, and their romantic bond only continued to strengthen as the show went on.
- SHIRBERT (Anne Shirley-Cuthbert and Gilbert Blythe), “Anne With An E”
This Canadian television series follows an orphan named Anne who has spent her whole life being labeled as different. She is adopted by a pair of siblings, and given a second chance at a new life through them. When young Anne meets Gilbert during her first day of school in her new home, she is instantly put off by his boyish humor and flirty personality. Gilbert is intrigued by Anne, making their rivalry a bit one-sided. Despite this, the two still compete often during their coursework. They team up eventually during a presentation Anne took charge of regarding women’s rights, which allowed them to see how well they worked together.
While the previous couple mentioned often leaned into a mutual hatred, Anne and Gilbert’s relationship looked a bit different. Gilbert genuinely wanted to be close to Anne, and used her dislike for him to his advantage by forcing her to want to beat him. This allows for the trope to be written a bit differently, with the more sweet and tender moments being blatantly obvious, particularly to the audience.
- CASTELLAHIRI (Mindy Lahiri and Danny Castellano), “The Mindy Project”
Although “The Mindy Project” follows Dr. Mindy Lahiri’s life as a medical professional, her working relationship with co-worker Danny Castellano began back during their time as residents at a teaching hospital. Both heavily competitive and overly confident, it is quite easy to see how they had an ongoing academic rivalry going on during their time as students. Years later, now co-workers and unlikely friends, the two continue to argue and compete despite both having successful careers.
It is obvious rather quickly that the two have a lot of unspoken feelings for one another, and the chemistry was undeniable from the start. Mindy and Danny’s relationship adds many different tropes together, using academic rivals as a starting point for how the pair met. “The Mindy Project,” created by Mindy Kaling, is a delightful tribute to all sorts of television shows and movies, even having entire episodes and plotlines dedicated to rom-com tropes. “Never Have I Ever” was also created by Kaling, and celebrates popular culture in a similar way. It is important to note that Kaling is known for writing rivals to lovers stories, and is quite celebrated in doing so.
- CHLOESHARA (Chloe Green and Shara Wheeler), “I Kissed Shara Wheeler”
The first book on the list, “I Kissed Shara Wheeler” by queer author Casey McQuinston is an incredible story surrounding the disappearance of prom queen Shara Wheeler, and the subsequent search that her classmates plan in order to find her. The twist? The only people looking for Shara are three people that she had recently kissed. Her long-term boyfriend, next-door-neighbor, and her biggest competition for Valedictorian–Chloe Green.
Most of the story is written after Shara had already disappeared, so her relationship with Chloe is told in fragments, and only told from Chloe’s point of view. Chloe hates Shara, and does not care where she is. The only reason Chloe is even indulging the mysterious clues Shara has left behind is because if she doesn’t come back in time for graduation, Chloe will win by default. She wants to beat Shara fair and square, so failing to find Shara is not an option.
- JANUARYGUS (January Andrews and Augustus Everett), “Beach Read”
Emily Henry’s “Beach Read” tells the story of an unlikely romance between two writers who are spending the summer in a small coastal town. January and Gus first met years earlier during college, where they never got along thanks to Gus being overly critical of January’s writing. January strove to get better in an effort to earn his praise, but that praise never came. Instead, they graduated and went their separate ways. Now suddenly next-door-neighbors, the pair decide to strike up a deal–they’ll trade genres in an attempt to get out of their respective writer’s blocks.
Over the course of the book, it becomes clear that Gus always held an admiration for January’s writing, and the two begin to fall in love. They still have witty banter and the need to win, making the challenge between them all the more intriguing. Eventually, they realize that they share way more in common than they originally thought, and decide to embrace their feelings for one another.
Despite all of these examples being wonderful works, there are countless more to explore. The world of entertainment and literature is vast with stories, but having a starting point is definitely helpful. The drama that comes with academic rivals to lovers is unmatched, and is definitely an interesting storyline to explore. I genuinely believe that this trope is the best. I have yet to find my own academic rival here at college. There is a lot less time for unnecessary competition during finals season, so looking for love has definitely not been in the cards for me lately, but I hope to experience the thrill of a love story of my own soon.