Books like 'The Friend Zone'
Readers who enjoyed The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary funny young adult athletes sports friends to lovers new adult pregnancy college strong heroine
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Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker
Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change... -
Kade's Game by C.M. Owens
We never go after what we want without circling around it at least a hundred times. Instead, we play games, try to work just the right angle, even when it's not necessary. You've heard Raya's version, and now it's Kade's turn. He had everything mapped out. His life was a series of strategy and games, all of which he was mastering... -
The Dugout by Meghan Quinn
Let me ask you a question: If someone is vying for your spot on a team and just so happens to injure you during practice, would you believe it was on purpose? Word around campus is . . . it was no accident. That injury has cost me everything; my starting position, my junior year—and the draft... -
Anti-Stepbrother by Tijan
He told me to 'settle, girl.' He asked if 'something was wrong with me?' He said I was an ‘easy target.’ That was within minutes when I first met Caden Banks. I labeled him an *sshole, but he was more than that. Arrogant. Smug. Alpha. He was also to-die-for gorgeous, and my stepbrother’s fraternity brother...Categorized as:
new adult alpha male friends to lovers college sassy heroine angst strong heroine bad boys -
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That Baby by Jillian Dodd
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsFirst comes love, then comes marriage . . . and then comes That Baby. That Baby is the final book in the That Boy trilogy by USA Today bestselling author, Jillian Dodd. It’s amazing how a few little words can change your life. It starts with a simple I love you. It’s made official with I do. And becomes incredible with I’m pregnant. Jadyn is the girl I love... -
I Sold Myself To The Devil For Vinyls... Pitiful I Know by DarknessAndLight
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsLexi Grayson is just a normal teenager, as normal as she can be with her unobserving skills and her overthinking mind. But she'll need the overthinking if she wants to unravel the smirking mystery that is Blake Eaton... -
Adrenaline by Penelope Douglas
**You ask. You receive!*** Have you read Bully and the rest of the Fall Away series? Would you enjoy having all the bonus content in one place? Adrenaline is approximately 36, 000 words of bonus scenes, deleted scenes, character conversations, and Q&As shared over the past few years and is mostly material not found in the actual books. Here, you'll find.. -
Capture by Penny Reid
One week. Manhattan apartment. Super-hot ex-boyfriend. …What’s the worst that could happen? It’s been nine months since Kaitlyn Parker has seen or heard from Martin Sandeke—nine months and five stages of matter. She’s lived through the worst of first-love heartbreak, and is most certainly stronger (and less likely to hide in science cabinets) than ever before. But now Martin is back...Categorized as:
strong heroine bad boys friends to lovers athletes alpha male college sassy heroine angst -
Crushed by Lauren Layne
Lauren Layne’s latest novel about the healing power of redemption tells the story of a crush gone wickedly wrong, proving that what you want isn’t always what you need. Growing up in New York, Michael St. Claire never expected to spend his twenties wearing cowboy boots. But that was before he learned about his real father, a total stranger with a family in Cedar Grove, Texas...Categorized as:
friends to lovers slow burn college alpha male strong heroine bad boys new adult tortured hero -
My Little Monster, Vol. 1 by Robico
Mizutani is a self-absorbed overachiever, concerned only with maintaining the highest grades in school. Haru is an impulsive short tempered brute, who scares everyone with his explosive bursts of violence. Haru gets suspended on the first day of school when he encounters some bullies harassing a student and dispatches the bullies with great bloody violence...Categorized as:
m-f insta-love slow burn strong heroine sunny hero found-family possessive hero young adult -
The Relationship Pact (Kings of Football) by Adriana Locke
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsHow hard can it be?That was the question rolling around Larissa Mason’s mind just before she asked Hollis Hudson to be her fake boyfriend.It was only supposed to be for five minutes, after all.Granted, that was also before she felt his hand on the small of her back as he charmed the heck out of her family.She hadn’t heard his laugh yet either...Categorized as:
sports tortured hero new adult college friends to lovers athletes insta-love found-family -
An On Dublin Street Christmas by Samantha Young
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsBraden Carmichael and Jocelyn Butler share their first Christmas together as a couple, exchanging meaningful gifts and spending time with family... -
Kissing Madeline by Lex Martin
What’s the worst thing about wanting a sexy NFL football player? Everyone else wants him, too. After catching my boyfriend getting deep-throated by a skanky cage girl, I’ve learned my lesson – never date a professional athlete. Never. Besides, I have more important things to worry about, like not blowing my shot to make it as a broadcast reporter...Categorized as:
athletes friends to lovers sports slow burn strong heroine insta-love alpha male new adult -
That Wedding by Jillian Dodd
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsMarry the boy next door in this sweet contemporary romance by USA Today Best Selling Author, Jillian Dodd.The gorgeous engagement ring on my finger mimics my happiness. I feel so sparkly, glittery, and full of promise, because I absolutely know he's that boy. The boy I want to marry. My prince. My happily ever after.But then our pastor starts asking lots of questions... -
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Chihayafuru, Vol. 1 by Yuki Suetsugu, 末次由紀
Chihaya is a girl in the sixth grade, still not old enough to even know the meaning of the word zeal. But one day, she meets Arata, a transfer student from rural Fukui prefecture. Though docile and quiet, he has an unexpected skill: his ability to play competitive karuta, a traditional Japanese card game... -
That Wedding by Jillian Dodd
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsThe gorgeous engagement ring on my finger mimics my happiness. I feel so sparkly, glittery, and full of promise, because I absolutely know he's that boy. The boy I want to marry. My prince. My happily ever after. But then our pastor starts asking lots of questions. His parents say I haven’t dealt with my past. I have horrible wedding disaster dreams. I can’t find the perfect dress... -
The Bad Boy, Cupid & Me by Slim_Shady
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsReece smirked, "Trust me Chloe, the Good Girl always falls for the Bad Boy."Chloe Armel is a Good Girl.She never gets in trouble, gets excellent grades and is loved by everyone.Enter Reece.Wild, badass and has an ego that honestly couldn't get any bigger.He gets into fights, breaks every single rule and couldn't care less about the consequences that come with it...Categorized as:
bad boys new adult friends to lovers sports insta-love young adult high-school contemporary -
The Baller by Lulu Moore
My name is Lux Weston and I’m a matter of national security, apparently.All I did was meet a beautiful girl in a bookstore, then rescue her. One… twice… and maybe a third time - from a creeper. The problem? The creeper turned out to be Secret Service, and the girl… well, she’s Radley Andrews - the President’s only daughter. It has disaster written all over it. I should stay away...Categorized as:
found-family sports friends to lovers new adult college insta-love sassy heroine competent heroine -
Eden High : Series 2 Book 6 by Jordan Silver
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAfter the explosion that could've taken Sian's life, Jace is at the end of his rope. No longer willing to leave Mandy in the same town, he's set things in motion to see to her removal. But first he has to protect the people around him, some from Mandy's wrath once she's cornered, and others, from retaliating against her...Categorized as:
insta-love alpha male new adult contemporary high-school young adult humor length-novella -
Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis
In this charming and poignant novel that “oozes charm and wit and speaks beautifully about friendship and love, and the differences between the two” (Laura Pearson, author of I Wanted You to Know ), teenager Emmie Blue releases a balloon with her email address and a big secret into the sky, only to fall head-over-heels for the boy who finds it...Categorized as:
friends to lovers m-f slow burn competent heroine sweet heroine contemporary humor young adult -
Running Home to You by Suzanne Sweeney
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsLibrarian's Note: this is an alternate cover edition for ASIN B00IFR0XP2 Juliette Fletcher thought she had it all – a strikingly handsome man who adores her, a new business venture with her best friends by her side, and a dream house right on the beach. But appearances can be deceiving and everything comes at a cost... -
Remember When by T. Torrest
Years before Trip Wiley could be seen on movie screens all over the world, he could be seen sitting in the desk behind me in my high school English class. This was back in 1990, and I cite the year only to avoid dumbfounding you when references to big hair or stretch pants are mentioned. Although, come to think of it, I am from New Jersey, which may serve as explanation enough... -
Girl at Heart by Kelly Oram
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsAs the daughter of a successful Major League pitcher, Charlie Hastings has baseball in her blood. Unfortunately, being the only girl on her high school baseball team, Charlie has always been just one of the guys.When her best friend, and secret love of her life, asks another girl to the prom, Charlie is devastated. She’s tired of being overlooked by boys because she’s not like other girls...Categorized as:
sports new adult friends to lovers athletes rich heroine m-f young adult contemporary -
Tame This by Hadley Quinn
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsKISS THIS continues with Jay’s story, a rebel of his own sort with the need for freedom and unfiltered opinions. His days of unruly behavior and risky decisions have dealt him a hand that he’s still trying to overcome as he seeks to accomplish his business dreams. But the hits keep adding up... -
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Breakable by Tammara Webber
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsHe was lost and alone. Then he found her.And the future seemed more fragile than ever. As a child, Landon Lucas Maxfield believed his life was perfect and looked forward to a future filled with promise — until tragedy tore his family apart and made him doubt everything he ever believed. All he wanted was to leave the past behind... -
More Than Water by Renee Ericson
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsIt doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel wrong. It just...feels. EJ Cunning, an art history major, dates musicians. Foster Blake, a chemical engineering major, can’t sing a tune. They’re not each other’s type. They’re coworkers. Then, one night leads to sex—sex between friends—which leads to an agreement. It all seems so simple—but nothing ever is. Many layers build a person’s facade...Categorized as:
friends to lovers slow burn college sassy heroine angst new adult nerdy-hero tortured heroine -
More Than Water by Renee Ericson
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsIt doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel wrong. It just...feels. EJ Cunning, an art history major, dates musicians. Foster Blake, a chemical engineering major, can’t sing a tune. They’re not each other’s type. They’re coworkers. Then, one night leads to sex—sex between friends—which leads to an agreement. It all seems so simple—but nothing ever is. Many layers build a person’s facade... -
Summer Ever After by Kortney Keisel
Falling in love is easy. Finding the right guy to spend happily ever after with... that's the hard part. But I have a foolproof plan. I'm taking the tropes that work in romance books and applying them to my love life.Only one bed? Never fails.Caring for someone when they're sick? A classic."Who did this to you?" Seals the deal every single time.So long, loneliness...Categorized as:
sports new adult m-f cheerful heroine strong heroine sassy heroine athletes sweet-hero -
Guarding the Goalie by Jacob Chance
The first time I met Murphy, the goalie of the Coyotes hockey team, I thought he was the most attractive man I’d ever seen.The second time, we shared a wild night and I never planned to see him again.Imagine my surprise when I showed up for a work meeting only to find out Murphy was my new client.He needed a bodyguard to pose as his live-in girlfriend, and I was perfect for the job... -
Strobe Edge, Vol. 1 by Io Sakisaka
Having no experience in romance, the vibrant Ninako curiously explores the meaning of what "love" really is, and is surprised to feel a colorful range of emotions as she grows closer to the school heartthrob, the quiet yet gentle Ren, who also happens to be involved in a longtime relationship...Categorized as:
cheerful heroine angst slow burn sweet-hero sweet heroine m-f friends to lovers young adult -
How to Kiss Your Best Friend by Jenny Proctor
Brody Hawthorne is not in love with his childhood best friend. If he says it out loud often enough, maybe he’ll start to believe it. There’s no chance things will ever work out with Kate, anyway. Most of the time, they aren’t even in the same country.Is it possible to love someone through their Instagram feed alone? Definitely. Is it fun? Absolutely not...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult m-f angst found-family sports cheerful heroine competent heroine -
You and Everything After by Ginger Scott
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsI’m that teenaged girl who has MS. You haven’t met me, but you’ve seen me around. You probably know my sister. We’re twins, and she’s the pretty one. Maybe you’ve heard about my reputation, how much I like to hook up at parties—how easy it is to get me in bed, get what you want, and forget about me after. Forget what you think you know. I’m leaving that girl behind... -
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
A coming-of-age tale of fanfiction, family, and first love.Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan.... But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she's really good at it. She and her twin, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.Reading. Rereading...Categorized as:
new adult college friends to lovers m-f sweet-hero sunny hero young adult contemporary -
Finally, Forever by Katie Kacvinsky
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAuthor's Note: Can be read as book three of the First Comes Love series , or as a standalone . College baseball player, Gray Thomas, had to go far out into left field to find a girl like Dylan, the ex-love-of-his-life. More than a year later, literally at a crossroads, they find each other together on a journey that is a pause between a painful past and an uncertain future... -
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Looking to Score by Carrie Gray, Coralee June
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsHe’s like literally the worst. Oakley Davis is the star running back at our University, and the reason I’ve broken my vow to avoid the college party scene. Thanks to a mixup with my advisor, I’m now serving my Public Relations internship as a glorified babysitter to the party-hard football players.Specifically, Oakley.He’s impossible to manage...Categorized as:
sports new adult college bad boys friends to lovers athletes alpha male rich heroine -
Catching the Captain by Jacob Chance
When Kaiden Hart, the captain of the Charleston Coyotes hockey team, comes to my aid in an emergency, it’s the first time I’ve seen him since I was a young girl.And boy, have the years been kind to him.When he invites me out to dinner, accepting seems like the polite thing to do.At least that’s what I tell myself... -
Linc by Lane Hart
Hi, my name's Linc, and I'm an MMA fighter who’s in love with a porn star. Okay so maybe I'm not in love with Eve Kelly, but I'm completely freakin' obsessed with her, addicted even. Hell, I know that for years I've been using Eve as an escape from reality... -
Curvy Girls Can't Date Surfers by Kelsie Stelting
When my dog runs away on the beach and into the arms of a handsome surfer, I think I’m in luck. Until I realize said surfer is actually a crusty, rude, player who acts like he owns the ocean.I want to forget the encounter ever happened and focus on helping care for my dad, who suffered a brain injury while in the military. But I’m out of luck. Jerk supreme, aka Diego, goes to my new school... -
Eye of the Beholder by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
One girl. One boy. One bargain…MinaLook, I’m no social butterfly. I don’t care what the extroverts say; talking to people is scary. I’d rather hang out with my books than actual human beings. Books don’t call you names or dump water over your head in the cafeteria.But high school is almost over, and I’m realizing I have nothing to show for it but good grades...Categorized as:
angst m-f friends to lovers slow burn sweet heroine sassy heroine sunny hero sweet-hero -
All Out of Love by Gracie Graham
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBook three in the Boys of Riverside series takes off where book two leaves off, bringing you an epic love story for the boy Mackenzie Hart did not choose... -
How to Date a Douchebag: The Studying Hours: A College Wrestling RomCom by Sara Ney
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsHe is a CRUDE. ARROGANT. A**HOLE.Sebastian ‘Oz’ Osborne is a walking, talking cliche. One of the university’s most celebrated student athlete—and possibly the biggest douchebag-- Oz has a filthy mouth, a fantastic body, and doesn’t give a sh*t about what I, or anyone else, thinks.He loves to have fun, but loves winning even more...I am SMART. CLASSY. CONSERVATIVE... -
Sincerely, Arizona by Whitney G.
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsJust friends. We’re just friends. No, wait...Categorized as:
friends to lovers college new adult slow burn strong heroine sassy heroine possessive hero m-f -
The Catching Kind by Bria Quinlan
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHailey Tate thought she was worth more than a straight flush. Apparently not. When camera-shy author Hailey Tate’s agent loses a bet and brokers a deal, it leaves Hailey in the last place she wants to be: backed into the corner of Publicity and Paparazzi... -
The Guy in the Middle by Kate Stewart
Now an amazon TOP 50 bestseller! From the bestselling author of The Guy on the Right comes a heartwarming, steamy, second-chance romance. The Guy in the Middle is BOOK THREE of The Underdogs Series, but can be read as a stand-alone. I was born to play and bred to win. My priorities were instilled in me early on—family and football... -
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How to Lose at Love by Sara Ney
I, Dallas Colter, need a good girl to save my bad reputation.With too much on my plate, the very last thing on my mind was a relationship—the football draft was looming and dating got in the way. I never understood why my teammates bothered with girlfriends. None of us had the time...Categorized as:
new adult college sports friends to lovers tall-heroine m-f football from hate to love -
Chasing Olivia by Micalea Smeltzer
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsBook 2 in the Trace and Olivia Series How far would you go to reignite the spark you once had? Two years later, Trace and Olivia are as much in love as they’ve always been. But the spark they once had for life is waning and Trace is determined that they find it again. His solution? A road trip. But he doesn’t tell Olivia the real reason they’re heading north... -
Running Back to You by Suzanne Sweeney
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAlternate Cover Edition for B00I91EQCA Juliette Fletcher is a girl with a plan. Not one to sit back and wait for life to happen, she moves back home after graduation and begins to carve out a life for herself. Evan McGuire is desperate for a fresh start. His career in the NFL depends on it. Years of partying and carefree living have caught up with him... -
Bad Boys Don’t Fall For Shy Girls by Emma Dalton
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsEvery shy girl deserves to be heard.I’m the Shy Girl and I’m obsessed with romance. I dream of having a love story of my own, but guys at school don’t know I exist. Except for the bad boy who just came back from juvie.Zack Hastings gives off stay-away-from-me-vibes. It’s a little hard to do that when I’m stuck being his lab partner... -
Crossing the Line by Kendall Ryan
Recovering from a pulled groin muscle isn’t exactly how I planned to spend my much-needed summer vacation. But I’ll admit, being nursed back to health by my gorgeous friend Bailey, who’s just graduated from medical school, doesn’t exactly sound like a hardship...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers sports m-f sweet heroine sweet-hero athletes contemporary -
Then You Happened by Sandi Lynn
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhen Sierra’s father died, he left her in charge of the family business. At the age of twenty-eight, Sierra Adams became CEO of Adams Advertising & Design, one of the top 10 advertising agencies in the world. Her work was her life. She lived and breathed it every day, leaving little time for play...
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