Books like 'Social Skills'

Readers who enjoyed Social Skills by Sara Alva also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  gay romance  athletes  friends to lovers  new adult  sports  college  shy-hero  queer  queer-awakening 

  • Adoring Keaton by Siobhan Davis

    Adoring Keaton by Siobhan Davis

    Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    A friends-to-lovers new adult MM romance from USA Today bestseller Siobhan Davis. Stand-alone with HEA and no cliff-hanger. Keaton. Moving to California was supposed to be my fresh start. A clean slate. An opportunity to drop the façade, escape the lies, find a focus, and just be myself. But I should have realized it wouldn’t be easy, especially when my last name is Kennedy...
  • #Fate by Cambria Hebert

    #Fate by Cambria Hebert

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    What’s meant to be will always find a way. Perfection isn’t an illusion. I met it, held it in my hands. But then it slipped right through. Perfection isn’t an illusion. It’s elusive, cleverly evasive, and, in many ways, a horrible tease. I’m not a man to be toyed with. Quiet, thoughtful, and even sometimes careful,. but never someone to taunt...
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  • Hold 'Em Tight by Alisha Williams, Amber Nicole

    Hold 'Em Tight by Alisha Williams, Amber Nicole

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    They weren't kidding when they say life can change in the blink of an eye. One moment, I think I have it all. My men. Happiness. Friends. Family. And the next, my whole life comes crashing down around me. Betrayal like I’ve never felt before consumes me. A heartbreak so gut-wrenching it hurts to breathe...
  • Golden Boy and the Two Bears by Nash Summers

    Golden Boy and the Two Bears by Nash Summers

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Asher Williams is obsessed with love. His column is thriving, fellow students trust him with their relationship woes, and he’s on his A-game when it comes to matchmaking. At least, matchmaking other than his own. After a heartfelt letter written to his column, Asher is set on aiding the two love-struck heroes who desperately need his help...
  • Play Dead by Avery Cockburn

    Play Dead by Avery Cockburn

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    The popular Scottish gay-romance series returns with this must-read novella! Colin’s wounds have finally healed. He’s ready for his big comeback on the football pitch and can’t wait to return to a normal life—especially the rampaging sex he and his boyfriend, Lord Andrew, once indulged in. But Andrew has his own invisible wounds...
  • Rookie by Eddie Cleveland

    Rookie by Eddie Cleveland

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    * Although part of a series, you will enjoy it as a standalone as well! Rookie is everything you love in an MM first time gay romance. A journey of self-discovery, the undeniable sparks with the man who makes him question everything, the moment of realization, the secret relationship, and coming out. You can't miss out on this tender, loving, and hot-as-sin m/m college hockey romance! Rookie:...
  • Grinding by Sean Ashcroft

    Grinding by Sean Ashcroft

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Two childhood best friends. One accidental fake engagement. One Labrador puppy. One week to fall in love. When Harvey runs into his childhood best friend—literally—on the way into Otter Bay for his cousin's wedding, he doesn't plan to end up playing the part of the guy's fiancé...
  • Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Second wind: a new strength or energy to continue something that is an effort. After an amicable divorce, Lincoln Huxley is ready to embrace the sexuality he repressed for more than two decades. Rush Holden is no longer willing to settle for closeted men or those who don’t share his dreams of marriage and fatherhood. A chance encounter on a lakeside pier is the second wind they both need...
  • Cost of Redemption by Hayden Hall

    Cost of Redemption by Hayden Hall

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    He was my forbidden craving. My biggest regret. And now, he’s my only weakness. Elio. Some mistakes you bury. Others crawl under your skin and never let go. Jaxon Mercer was supposed to be my past. The stolen kiss. The fist that followed. The silence after. But now? He’s here—cocky, dangerous, and looking at me like he already knows how this ends. I should shut him out...
  • The Christmas Summons by Kelly Fox

    The Christmas Summons by Kelly Fox

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    From USA Today Bestselling Author Kelly Fox comes a Wild Heart Ranch Christmas novella. I’ve loved Gael Hernandez from the moment I laid eyes on him. We had a moment back in the summer, but he needed time to recover from the traumatic events that reshaped his family. It’s now Christmas, and I think my talented shoemaker is finally ready to let me love him for the rest of his life...
  • The Linebacker by Emerson Beckett, Rheland Richmond

    The Linebacker by Emerson Beckett, Rheland Richmond

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Is it wrong for me to want the world to know I’m in love with Patrick Griffin and have been since we were eight-years-old? Patrick Griffin. I hurt him. I didn’t mean to. Now he’s gone, and I deserve it. As a linebacker in the NFL, I've never found the right time to come out of the closet. Not even when I promised Cole I would...
  • Hit the Brakes by Beth Bolden

    Hit the Brakes by Beth Bolden

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Can they fake it til Tate makes it? Tate Ward is in a bind. His food truck hasn’t been the runaway success he’d always dreamt it would be. When he tries to join a new food truck collective to gain a larger following, his sales aren’t even high enough to win a spot. What he needs is a high profile endorsement—and he knows just the guy. Tate hasn’t seen Chase Riley since high school...
  • Definitely Deacon by Vawn Cassidy

    Definitely Deacon by Vawn Cassidy

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Jesse Ainsley’s life running his busy veterinary practice in the sleepy Cornwall bay he grew up in leaves no time for a serious relationship… at least, that’s what he tells himself, but the simple truth is much more cliché...
  • Easy, Schmeasy! by Becca Seymour

    Easy, Schmeasy! by Becca Seymour

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    There’s a lot in life that comes hella easy for me. Turning heads with my stellar looks, strutting like a peacock with my smooth moves and adorable charm. Heck, need ideas for party shots or fresh recipes to make your friends jealous? I’m your guy. It’s not even a front—my epic modesty—but that doesn’t mean I’m not a lying liar who lies...
  • Third Time Lucky by R.G. Alexander

    Third Time Lucky by R.G. Alexander

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    From Author New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author R. G. Alexander, Book 3 in the Finn's Pub Romance series! Ever had a thing for the man next door? My sexy new neighbor is confusing the hell out of me. Elliot Ransom is a baseball player and a single dad, but he doesn’t know his butter beer from a snozzberry...
  • Playing With Fire by Avery Cockburn

    Playing With Fire by Avery Cockburn

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    “I don’t want options. I just want you. ”. Robert McKenzie has a secret. As the only straight player on an all-LGBT soccer team, he’s known to fans as “McWhatAWaste. ” No one would guess Robert’s actually bisexual. At twenty-one, on the verge of a brilliant career in video game design, he’s finally ready to be his true self...
  • Delicious by Sierra Riley

    Delicious by Sierra Riley

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    “You’re exactly what I never knew I needed. ”. “I don’t have time for love. ”. Gavin Campbell has poured everything he has into starting up his bakery, Delicious...
  • Frat Bro by Raleigh Ruebins

    Frat Bro by Raleigh Ruebins

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 15 ratings
    This fall, I have one simple rule: don't fall in love with my fake boyfriend. I’m awful at following the rules. One minute I was a nobody in a small Colorado town, getting by on contract work, home renovations, and a dumpster fire of a dating life—and then suddenly, my life was on TV...
  • Nice Guys & First Times by K.M. Neuhold

    Nice Guys & First Times by K.M. Neuhold

    Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    You Always Remember Your First…. Come along for a sweet, steamy compilation of 4 MM romance novellas by the queen of swoon herself: K. M. Neuhold. **All of these novellas have been previously published either as part of the Heart2Heart Charity Anthology collection or as stand alone free shorts. Always You...
  • Yesterday by Sarina Bowen

    Yesterday by Sarina Bowen

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    It’s been seven years since John Rikker left his childhood home in Michigan. Surely that’s long enough to scar over the wounds he received there. Or is it? Can Rikker survive a visit with his parents? And can Graham let him do it alone? (Only published in the Novella Collection "Extra Credit" - The Ivy Years 6 which contains all three novellas.
  • A King in Wonderland by Nash Summers

    A King in Wonderland by Nash Summers

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Asher Williams is obsessed with love. Or at least he was, until it all came crashing down. He made a mistake. And even Asher himself, arranger of marriages and aider of lovesick hearts, doesn’t know how to fix it. And like every heroic quest, there are a few bumps in the road and dragons to slay...
  • Leaning Into the Look by Lane Hayes

    Leaning Into the Look by Lane Hayes

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Grant Kostas made a career based on his looks before joining his family’s real estate firm. He may not love his job but he’s better at sales than he thought. And when he’s poised to bring in the biggest account of the company’s history, even his father is impressed. Unfortunately, the extra attention highlights Grant’s personal life. His parents accept that he’s gay...
  • Playing the Player by Beth Bolden

    Playing the Player by Beth Bolden

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Center Logan Banks didn’t come to Miami looking for a best friend. He came for football and for a chance at freedom—the freedom to live out of the closet. But after a water main break, he lands an unexpected roommate, the new Piranhas kicker, Dylan Leonard. Between practices, games, and too many late nights on the couch, a best friend is exactly what he gets...
  • Saturated by B.L. Sparrow

    Saturated by B.L. Sparrow

    Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 12 ratings
    Being a college athlete is hard. You and your twin brother having a 'no-sex' pact to remain closeted until your trust funds are released? Also hard. But when one of you is harboring a secret kink from the one person you can tell everything to, that makes things even harder...
  • Skating to Him by Christie Gordon

    Skating to Him by Christie Gordon

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    I’m skating to the NHL while he’s running from his past. When we collide, am I brave enough to take the shot? Tyler. Hockey is my life. My ticket to the NHL is in sight, and I can’t afford distractions. Then Coach pairs me with Rowan, the new guy from Boston. He’s talented, sharp, and annoyingly irresistible. When he asks to hit the gay bar with me and my friends, I chalk it up to curiosity...
  • Ice Rivals by Christie Gordon

    Ice Rivals by Christie Gordon

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    I should hate him. But after learning the truth, how could I not fall for him? Mason. My rookie season in the NHL started with a gut punch. There he was, standing in my locker room. Jett Jarvis, a player hated by his former teammates. He has an arrogant smirk, intense eyes, and a birthmark that looks…too familiar. I’m sure I saw it on the dude who dumped me in my hookup app...
  • Break Down by Rebecca Norinne

    Break Down by Rebecca Norinne

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    His heart says no, but his body says yes. Liam Donnelly's honed, athletic body craves something he can't have. Not when the last time ended in disaster. Now, the Dublin Rugby player is seeking redemption with a new team in Edinburgh. His fresh start is going strong, but one look at Chef Lachlan MacLeod's inked forearms and whiskey-colored eyes and he's tempted by far more than what's on the menu...
  • Alex by S.M. Shade

    Alex by S.M. Shade

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Ninety- two days. Thirteen weeks. That’s how long it’s been since I lost my love, my best friend. It’s been everything I can do to drag myself out of bed and get back to work, but I know Cooper would want me to move on. I think he’d even be happy if he knew who I want to move on with. The target of my affection, though, may not be so thrilled about my choice. He’s straight. Or he thinks he is...
  • Change Up: An Out For You Gay Sports Romance by Quinn Ward

    Change Up: An Out For You Gay Sports Romance by Quinn Ward

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    No one expected the loudmouth of the team to be hiding in the biggest closet of them all. When he’s paired with someone who just wants to keep his head down and play the game, sparks are going to fly. Kevin Green has always been the life of the party. He’s the one everyone turns to for a bit of comic relief...
  • Behind the Curtain by Amy Lane

    Behind the Curtain by Amy Lane

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Dawson Barnes recognizes his world is very small and very charmed. Running his community college theater like a petty god, he and his best friend, Benji know they'll succeed as stage techs after graduation. His father adores him, Benji would die for him, and Dawson never doubted the safety net of his family, even when life hit him below the belt...
  • Three Is the Luckiest Number by Catherine Cloud

    Three Is the Luckiest Number by Catherine Cloud

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Elliot Cowell spent his entire life training to become a superstar. A prodigy on the ice, likely the future captain of his team, there’s no room for mistakes when it comes to Elliot’s career, but knowing all that didn’t keep him from falling in love with Blake Samuels...
  • Change Up by Sloan Johnson

    Change Up by Sloan Johnson

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Kevin Green has always been the life of the party. He’s the one everyone turns to for a bit of comic relief. With so many of his teammates coming out of the closet and living healthy lives, it’s getting harder for him to keep the secret only one other person knows: that he’s not as straight as everyone assumes when they see him out with his hot girlfriend...
  • Summer Catch by Beth Bolden

    Summer Catch by Beth Bolden

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 10 ratings
    Newly hired Charleston Condors’ coach Jonathan Kelley is very aware of all the uphill battles he’s got to climb. There’s a new owner he’s got to please. New culture to implement. New players to train. New rules to follow. But one rule hasn't don't spend so much time flirting with the cute bartender via text that you start to wonder if you're straight, after all...
  • A Midnight Clear by Kaje Harper

    A Midnight Clear by Kaje Harper

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Can a painful goodbye become a second chance? Adric's pretty sure his hopeless crush on his roommate Royce has an end date. They'll finish their EMT training course before the holidays and take the exam. When they pass—fingers crossed— he has plans for job hunting, but even when he teases or nags, Royce refuses to discuss anything beyond that looming test date. That has to be a red flag...
  • Biscuit in the Basket by Kit Oliver

    Biscuit in the Basket by Kit Oliver

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Every love story needs its happily ever after - and then even more. Biscuit in the Basket follows Sebastian and Gil through the week after their first story ends in Light Up the Lamp. In this novella, they settle into their new lives, get their feet under themselves, and start to build their future...
  • Teasing the Winger by Laura John

    Teasing the Winger by Laura John

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Falling for a tease is a bad idea, right? Growing up, all I ever wanted was to play soccer. I know it isn't going to be forever, but while I'm still in college, I am going to give it my all. Just like I’ve always done. Everything was going according to plan. .. until the universe decided it would be fun for me to develop feelings for the man I saw as nothing more than an annoyance...
  • Sweet Spot by Sloan Johnson

    Sweet Spot by Sloan Johnson

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Four years ago, it took no time at all for Cody Marshall to fall for the rookie pitcher at spring training. While their lives were nothing alike, Cody understood Nick Stone’s insecurities and pain. And then… Nick left. Eventually, Cody found his own passion and landed a dream internship with the Mavericks. His life was finally turning around. And then… Nick came back...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  queer  m-m  contemporary
  • Knowing Me, Knowing You by Renae Kaye

    Knowing Me, Knowing You by Renae Kaye

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Loving You: Book Four. Can friends turned occasional lovers move beyond past mistakes and wrong assumptions to build something that can last? Quiet bookworm Shane has a big secret—one he’s kept for fifteen years. AFL superstar Ambrose Jakoby grew up next door to Shane. They were close friends, and Shane supported Ambrose through school. One night, everything changed...
  • Obsessed with the Heartbreaker by Rina Damen

    Obsessed with the Heartbreaker by Rina Damen

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I’m the most boring guy in this college, but the Heartbreaker is secretly obsessed with me. People know Henry Campbell as the Heartbreaker, the unofficial college King that everyone wants but very few get to have. He hates me and yet he often secretly watches me, and once I find out, I can’t resist the temptation of slithering back into his life. We used to be close, neighbors. Then we weren’t...
  • This Isn't Me by T.A. McKay

    This Isn't Me by T.A. McKay

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Nathan Cooper thought he had everything in life worked out; his own company, a great best friend, and all the women he could want. That is until one night his whole outlook changed. One misunderstanding, a man instead of a woman, and just like that he was looking at guys like he never had before...
  • ‎Felix by R.J. Scott, Meredith Russell

    ‎Felix by R.J. Scott, Meredith Russell

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Hiring a fake boyfriend for a school reunion seems to be the only solution, but love was never part of the equation. Felix has enough on his plate looking out for his parents, let alone agreeing to being hired for a date with the friend of a friend. His instant attraction to the scatter-brained scientist has him making impulsive decisions he hopes he won’t regret...
  • Just Like Florence Nightingale by Sean Kennedy

    Just Like Florence Nightingale by Sean Kennedy

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Simon Murray is preparing to spend his first Christmas together with Declan Tyler, but he has to play nurse as Dec is recovering from a knee operation. With best friends Fran and Roger holidaying in Italy, how will Simon manage to become a modern day Florence Nightingale? NB: Short story, approx. 2000 words...
  • Two Weeks and a Day by R.G. Alexander

    Two Weeks and a Day by R.G. Alexander

    Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    It’s either the beginning of a great porno or a disaster waiting to happen. That feeling when you’re a thirty-year-old gay virgin with a little OCD, nosy neighbors and a lot of awkward, secret fantasies revolving around your straight best friend? Yeah, that’s me right now...
  • It's Never Over by Nealy Wagner

    It's Never Over by Nealy Wagner

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Six years have passed since the awful day when Axel and Caxton were caught making out in the woods at church camp. They were only teenagers then, but Axel had been devastated when Cax had cut off all contact with him. After that, his best friend seemed to vanish...
  • Riptide by Ruthie Luhnow

    Riptide by Ruthie Luhnow

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    "The weirdest part about kissing my best friend is that it isn't weird at all. ". Drew Riordan is excellent at compartmentalization. It's the only way he's managed to survive three years at Bellamy university—and on the crew team—and how he's made peace with staying in the closet for the foreseeable future...
  • Out on the Ice by Lane Hayes

    Out on the Ice by Lane Hayes

    Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Colby Fischer is a bad boy with attitude and a chip on his shoulder. As a senior at a Southern California college, he knows this may be his last shot. He doubts he’ll ever become the hockey legend he dreamed of being as a kid, but he definitely doesn’t want to be an accountant...
  • Wrecked Rose by Leila James

    Wrecked Rose by Leila James

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Max Sutton. Confident, witty charmer. Out and proud. I never expected him to cross my mind. One kiss wrecked me for anyone else. And now he consumes all my thoughts. If people find out, my world explodes. He doesn’t want to hide us. And I want him … but I might have to choose her. Welcome back to Rosehaven Academy...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  sports  queer  contemporary  m-m  length-short
  • New Development (Side by Side) by Hannah Henry

    New Development (Side by Side) by Hannah Henry

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    It’s wedding week, and Brady Griffin is already in a bad mood about it. Watching one of his best friends marry the love of his life should be awesome, but Brady is dealing with layers of confusion and denial when it comes to his feelings for his friend. His sour mood hasn’t gone unnoticed. In fact, it’s earned him a babysitter...
  • Don't Fall In Love With Me by Aiden Wilde

    Don't Fall In Love With Me by Aiden Wilde

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    EDDIE. Everyone knew Max was a bad boy, but everyone fell for him all the same. When I returned back home to live, he said we should hang out a bit. And that's what we did, except we started to hang out a lot. Because now I was falling for Max, too. MAX. No one has ever understood me like Eddie. I was so stoked when I heard he was coming back...
  • Boys of Summer by A.E. Wasp

    Boys of Summer by A.E. Wasp

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Teammates, roommates, friends with benefits. What could go wrong? Boys of Summer is a book about finding the perfect person to ride shotgun with on the crazy road trip called life. It contains a Dolly Parton lookalike, an unfortunate deer versus car incident, and poorly-timed epiphanies. Everybody leaves. That was the first lesson Thunder goalie James McVicker ever learned...
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