“When he grins, it’s bright enough to light up the night sky. It’s kind of beautiful.”
Today Tonight Tomorrow is a 2020 contemporary romance book by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and the first entry in her Rowan and Neil series. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals during their time in high school, clashing in everything from test scores to pull-up challenges. After Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan realises her last chance of beating her rival is through Howl, a senior class game that takes them across Seattle. But, when a group of seniors set out to get the pair of them, they are forced to work together. As she spends more time with him, Rowan gradually discovers there is far more to her sparring partner than what meets the eye and, maybe, he might be the boy of her dreams. If you love cutesy young-adult academic enemies-to-lovers romance reads, check out the best books like Today Tonight Tomorrow with us at What We Reading!
Better Than The Movies (Better Than The Movies #1) – Lynn Painter
Kicking off our list of the best YA books like Today Tonight Tomorrow is Lynn Painter’s 2021 romance series, Better than the Movies. Liz Buxbaum is a daydreamer who handed her heart to Michael a long time ago. Now he’s back in town and she is determined to win his heart by bagging him as a prom date. Even if that means befriending Wes Bennet, her longtime rival who lives next door.
Wes and Michael are getting along famously, which means Wes is Liz’s in. But, as the two of them begin scheming a way of getting in front of her forever crush, Liz slowly starts to realise that she likes being in Wes’ company. And, as they continue to get closer, she is forced to reconsider everything she thought she knew about love, and what her ideal happily ever after may look like. A charmingly fluffy homage to rom-coms, Better than the Movies is the perfect story for fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon.
The Cheat Sheet – Sarah Adams
Bree Camden has found herself in the friend zone with her longtime best friend and extremely hot NFL player, Nathan Donelson. After a car accident ruined her chances of becoming a professional ballerina, she became a studio owner. However, a rent increase could mean the end of that dream too. Then, as per usual, Nathan comes to the rescue and buys the entire building.
A stubborn Bree is less than thrilled about this and decides to drown her sorrows in a few rounds of tequila, only to then spill all of her darkest secrets to TMZ. After an online video goes viral, the whole world now believes that Bree and Nathan are the perfect couple. Nathan’s publicist proposes a big opportunity that could mean the end of Bree’s financial worries, but the pair of them will have to pretend to be madly in love for three whole weeks. One of the cutest friend-to-lovers books like Today Tonight Tomorrow, Sarah Adams’ The Cheat Sheet follows Bree and Nathan as they play pretend at the feelings they’ve always thought about, realising that they’re both enjoying it more than they thought in the process.
Check & Mate – Ali Hazelwood
Check & Mate is the YA debut novel by Ali Hazelwood, bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis. Winning Best Young Adult Fiction in the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards, it is a similar book to Today Tonight Tomorrow featuring two ultra-competitive chess players whose lives converge in suitably swoon-worthy fashion.
After chess led to the disintegration of her family, Mallory Greenleaf’s days of playing the sport are firmly behind her. She reluctantly agrees to play one final charity tournament, and unexpectedly beats Nolan ‘Kingkiller’ Sawyer, reigning world champion and the ‘bad boy’ of the chess world. Surprisingly, Nolan is keen to cross pawns again, leading to Mallory climbing the ranks, winning badly-needed cash prizes and, gradually, rekindling the passion she once had for the game. And, as she falls back in love with chess, she soon learns that the spotlight is brighter than she imagined and her competition more infuriating, intelligent and attractive than she first realised.
What’s Not To Love? – Emily Wibberley
For another academic enemies-to-lovers YA book like Today Tonight Tomorrow, Emily Wibberley’s What’s Not to Love is an absolute must-read! Ever since high school began, Alison Sanger and Ethan Molloy have competed against each other on everything from the school paper, and community service to AP classes. If Alison could avoid Ethan until graduation, she would. Unfortunately, the two over-achieving seniors share all the same classes and extracurriculars.
So when the school principal assigns them the task of organising a previous class’ ten-year reunion, with the promise of a recommendation for Harvard as an incentive, both Ethan and Alison are willing to put up with each other for one final challenge. But, the extra time in each other’s company soon leads to their rivalry growing into a friendship and then something even closer than that. With the tension building, Alison soon realises that the only thing she wants more than winning is Ethan himself.
The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You (The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You #1) – Lily Anderson
Ahead of senior year, Trixie Watson has two important goals: save enough money for a set of Doctor Who figurines at the local comic book store, and to place third in her class, knocking Ben West (and the horrific moustache he’s grown over the summer) into fourth. Ever since the monkey bars incident in the first grade, the rivalry between Trixie and Ben has been legendary. And Trixie is willing to do whatever it takes to be crowned the champion once and for all.
But when Trixie’s best friend begins dating Ben’s best friend a spanner is thrown into the pair’s duel. The two of them are dumped together and forced to get along. But their cautious truce soon leads to a geeky friendship blossoming. When Trixie’s best friend is expelled, however, they are forced to choose between who they believe and what side they’re on. With plenty of fandom-based friendships and intense academic rivalries, Lily Anderson’s The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You is the perfect follow-up for anyone who loved Today Tonight Tomorrow.
As If On Cue – Marissa Kanter
Marissa Kanter’s 2021 YA romance tale, As If on Cue is one of the best books like Today Tonight Tomorrow for those readers looking for another swoony enemies-to-lovers story of two rivals forced to work together.
Natalie and Reid have never been on the same side. So when their school’s art budget faces cutbacks, they are naturally pitted against each other again. She’s trying to get her school’s first student-written play into production; however, doing so will require his award-winning band to lose their funding. A short-lived prank war results in them having to write and direct a musical together. After being at each other’s throats for so long, they have no idea how to work together, or navigate the inexplicable feelings they feel growing between them…
Last Chance Books – Kelsey Rodkey
Books & Moore has been in Madeline Moore’s family for generations and is the place where she feels the most herself. Nothing is going to stop her from coming home from college and taking it over from her beloved aunt. Nothing, except the rival chain bookshop, Prologue, opens up across the street and threatens to shut them down for good.
Madeline sets out to dismantle the competition, but the owner of Prologue, Jasper, seems hellbent on ruining her life. Not only is he hoovering up all of her customers, but he also has the incredible audacity to be extremely cute. Kelsey Rodkey’s Last Chance Books is a contemporary bookshop romance read following Madeline and Jasper’s turf war and has all the cute, rivalry vibes that any fan of Rachel Lynn Solomon is sure to adore!
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Words In Deep Blue – Cath Crowley
Years ago, Rachel had an intense crush on Henry Jones. The day before she moved away, she tucked a love letter into his favourite book in his family’s bookshop. She waited, but Henry never came. Back in the present, Rachel returns to the city to work at the bookshop alongside the boy she had hoped to never see again. But, she needs the distraction and escape after a personal tragedy rocks her world.
Henry’s future isn’t looking too hot either. The bookshop is slipping through his hands, his girlfriend has just dumped him and his family is falling apart. Surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold and exchanging letters through the pages, the pair soon begin to find hope in one another. Another one of the best romance books about books like Today Tonight Tomorrow, Cath Crowley’s Words in Deep Blue is a touching YA story about the power of words, love and second chances.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
