Behind Frenemy Lines, Zen Cho
Behind Frenemy Lines, Zen Cho
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Behind Frenemy Lines

Author: Zen Cho

Narrator: Daniel York Loh, Vera Chok

Unabridged: 8 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/01/2025


Synopsis

Award-winning author Zen Cho delivers a sparkling and witty rivals-to-lovers romance reminiscent of Sally Thorne's The Hating Game and Sajni Patel's The Trouble with Hating You.

Sparks fly when an ambitious rules-bound lawyer clashes with a maverick new hire who threatens his chances of partnership—and the walls he's built around his heart.

Charles Goh has always played by the rules. It’s how he survived his difficult childhood as the swotty foreigner at a posh English boarding school—and now, his high-pressure job at one of the biggest corporate law firms in London. His job is his life and he's happy that way … until she shows up.

Kriya Rajasekar's lost her way. Her longtime boyfriend's broken up with her and she feels trapped in her legal career. She knows she needs a fresh start—but it turns out her new job is at the same firm as her work nemesis. Charles Goh is like the bad luck charm she keeps running into, and their encounters lead to disaster every single time. And now he's her office mate.

But just as they’re figuring out how to navigate this frenemy relationship, Kriya needs Charles’ help: pretend they’re dating so her boss will stop hitting on her. Soon, it becomes less clear whether they're enemies, friends—or something else.

A Macmillan Audio production from Bramble Books.

About Zen Cho

Zen Cho is the author of the Sorcerer to the Crown novels, Black Water Sister and various shorter fiction. Her work has won the Hugo, Crawford and British Fantasy Awards, and the LA Times Ray Bradbury Prize, as well as being shortlisted for the World Fantasy, Lambda, Locus and Astounding Awards. Born and raised in Malaysia, Zen now lives in the UK.

About Daniel York Loh

Daniel York Loh is a mixed-race British East Asian actor, writer, filmmaker and musician. His first full-length play, The Fu Manchu Complex, ran at Ovalhouse in 2013. Along with composer Craig Adams, he won the 2016 Perfect Pitch award to create an original stage musical, Sinking Water, based on events around the 2004 Morecambe Bay Chinese cockle-picker tragedy, which is currently being developed under commission by Theatre Royal Stratford East. He is one of 21 writers of colour featured in the collection of essays, The Good Immigrant, which won the 2016 Books Are My Bag Reader's Choice award. He has served on the Equity Minority Ethnic Members Committee, is a founder member of British East Asian Artists and has worked with Act For Change to promote diversity in UK media.


Reviews

Goodreads review by April on June 30, 2025

3.5 ⭐️ | Behind Frenemy Lines was such a cute & resonating read. I loved the diversity of the characters & they were very easy to love. With underlying tropes of fake dating and frenemies to lovers, it was an overall enjoyable read. Kriya & Charles are forced to share an office when she embarks on a......more

Goodreads review by Leanna on June 17, 2025

Behind Frenemy Lines was a quick, cute read packed with romance! It’s a workplace rom-com with only one office yes, forced proximity fans, this one’s for you. There’s also fake dating, great banter, and solid diversity rep throughout. It’s a sweet, slow-build romance with no spice (fade to black), bu......more

Goodreads review by Ridhima on July 02, 2025

3.5/5 TW: several mentions of sexual harassment, workplace harassment I always love seeing unique representations of Asian culture, and this book was chock full of those. We had an Indian female MC, with some other characters hailing from Hong Kong and Malaysia. I loved seeing all the mentions and des......more

Goodreads review by sweetconnectionswithtoni on June 24, 2025

This was a cute Enemies to lover’s romance. Charles and Kriya aren’t truly enemies but there is tension between them! Charles is a stick to the rules type of guy and Kriya has just gone through a breakup and is not sure which way to go. Her career isn’t moving the way she wants it too and doesn't rea......more

Goodreads review by carthi ♡ on July 07, 2025

3.5 stars......more


Quotes

Praise for The Friend Zone Experiment

“A messy—yet beautiful—second-chance romance. Zen Cho writes vivid characters in difficult situations, and the hero and heroine’s history is deftly woven into their present-day interactions. It’s a compelling read, and I devoured it.” —Jackie Lau, author of Donut Fall in Love

“Renee and Ket Siong lose and find each other in an emotionally intense love story set against a dramatic backdrop of corporate greed, class, and family. Lovers of Zen Cho’s fabulous fantasy stories will be thrilled by her first contemporary romance.” —Lily Chu, author of The Stand In

“Cho is a marvel. Her deft observations go down like a charm, but their emotional power will leave you deeply moved . . . The Friend Zone Experiment is a story so intensely real that you’ll wonder later if it happened to someone you knew.” —Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun

“A lovely, tender romance, beautifully threaded through real world concerns that had me engrossed. I savoured every delicately written moment.” —Charlotte Stein, author of When Grumpy Met Sunshine

“A really fun and escapist read – I'm sure fans of Lauren Ho or Beth O'Leary will love this second-chance romance!” —Niamh Hargan, author of The Break-Up Clause

“A heartwarming second-chance romance, written with a sometimes sly sense of humor. With complicated family relationships, ominous shadows from the past, and the cameos of Southeast Asian food and beverages which are delectably familiar to me. A sparkling read.” —Eve Shi

“Reminiscent of classic K-dramas with a touch more reality, Cho perfectly balances a friends-to-lovers romance with familial tensions and business-world intrigue. Easily one of my top reads of the year!” —Simone Soltani, author of Cross the Line

“Renee Goh has joined the ranks of my favourite romance heroines; I was sucked into her story immediately and cheered for her the whole way through. This is a romance that celebrates its tropes while not being afraid to show its teeth, all delivered in Cho's assured and lively authorial voice. I can't wait to see where she takes us next in this genre!” —Freya Marske, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Marvellous Light

“I haven't seen an author weave romantic comedy and corporate complexity together quite this flawlessly. …Hilarious, insightful and hard to put down.” —J. F. Murray, author of Fling