Books like 'Beauty and the Geek'
Readers who enjoyed Beauty and the Geek by Sidney Bristol also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary multicultural m-f angst friends-benefits hurt-comfort second chances grumpy sunshine friends to lovers grovel
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Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 3 by Fujita
A tall, quiet gamer boy and a geeky girl whose life revolves around yaoi manga are old friends, but when they start working in the same office, they decide to date. It's a relationship of convenience at first, but could it become something more? This manga comedy is now a hit streaming anime! Extra-long book includes 2 Japanese volumes! SUMMER ROMANCE FOR NERDS... -
My Dress-Up Darling, Vol. 5 by Shinichi Fukuda
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsA loner boy and a flashy girl find common ground via cosplay in this sweet and spicy romcom! Wakana has spent every summer vacation on his own. .Categorized as:
m-f cheerful heroine strong heroine shy-hero sweet-hero humor contemporary length-short -
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Time by Penny Reid
From the New York Times Bestselling Author Penny Reid. A (brokenhearted) physicist. Now an infamous (who is LITERALLY EVERYWHERE! ! UGH! ) musician. The worst has already happened. Mona has learned that she has nothing figured out and plans are meaningless. After leaving her in Aspen, Abram is now breaking sales-records, rising to rock star fame almost overnight. Mona can’t seem to escape him...Categorized as:
friends to lovers m-f second chances angst neurodivergent humor new adult contemporary -
Craft by Adriana Locke
They’re not quite enemies. Not really friends. More like frustrated balls of sexual tension and neither will give in. Lance Gibson drives Mariah Malarkey absolutely crazy. He uses her office like a phone booth, takes cupcakes from the corner of her desk like she baked them just for him. She didn’t... -
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My Dress-Up Darling, Vol. 4 by Shinichi Fukuda
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsA loner boy and a flashy girl find common ground via cosplay in this sweet and spicy romcom! The preparations for Marin and JuJu's group cosplay steadily advance. .. until at long last, the costumes are complete! ! That should just leave the photo shoot. .. but Wakana has a secret plan the other two don't know about! !Categorized as:
m-f cheerful heroine strong heroine shy-hero sweet-hero humor contemporary length-short -
Pretty It Up by Cee Bowerman
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsDescription. Sometimes love just isn’t enough, or is it? Lana Gold, one of the Donovan triplets, found her one true love in college but lost him when the life he’d dreamed of became reality. Being an outsider looking in and so far away from her family and hometown took its toll on Lana and her marriage until she’d finally had enough and left it all behind...Categorized as:
friends to lovers second chances multicultural sports contemporary alpha male length-short -
Some Sort of Happy by Melanie Harlow
Skylar Nixon is a twenty-seven year old failed actress with no Plan B. After a humiliating stint on a reality TV show crushes what’s left of her childhood dream, she finds herself back in her hometown with no money saved, no college degree, and no confidence she’s anything but a joke—a small town starlet who couldn’t hack it in the big city... -
The Consolation Duet Books 1-2 by Corinne Michaels
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLiam wasn't supposed to be my happily ever after. He wasn't even on my radar. He was my husband's best friend-forbidden. But my husband died and I fell in love with Liam only to be left shattered into a million pieces. Again. I want him. I need him. I yearn for him, but he's gone. Now I have to decide if it's him I love or if he was just the consolation prize all along. -
Landon & Shay - Part Two by Brittainy C. Cherry
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsOnce upon a time, I fell in love with a boy. A beautiful, broken boy who had his own world of struggles. People warned me against our love, but I didn't listen. We looked weak. Young, foolish. Dangerously in love. We didn't care. In order to keep our hearts protected from the opinions of others, we became each other’s secret. We shared stolen moments. Tender touches. Secretive embraces... -
Can't Escape Love by Alyssa Cole
Regina Hobbs is nerdy by nature, businesswoman by nurture. She's finally taking her pop culture-centered media enterprise, Girls with Glasses, to the next level, but the stress is forcing her to face a familiar supervillain: insomnia. The only thing that helps her sleep when things get this bad is the deep, soothing voice of puzzle-obsessed live streamer Gustave Nguyen... -
Her Perfect Gift by Theodora Taylor
Lacey Winters has sworn off love. She's kept her heart locked away for her own protection, and she's vowed never to fall under a dangerous man's spell again. But that was all before she met Suro Nakamura, a hit man who seems bound and determined to stomp all over her pesky vows... -
Fighting for Us by Claire Kingsley
How long would you wait for the love of your life? The Asher Bailey who comes home to his quirky small town isn’t the same man who put a ring on Grace’s finger. He’s bigger, harder, haunted. Forced to give up Grace and everything else that was good in his life for a prison sentence he barely survived... -
Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton Novels had one of the most unique towns in crime fiction. Murder at Haven's Rock is a spinoff, a fresh start. .. with a few new dangers that threaten everything before it even begins. Haven’s Rock, Yukon. Population: 0. Deep in the Yukon wilderness, a town is being built... -
Che by Jessica Gadziala
It was starting to seem like we would never get a break. We just needed a little peace, some time to add new members, build our club up, so we could take on whatever threats were coming our way. How could we have known that a new threat would be coming hot on the heels of someone I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade, someone who was back to call in a marker, someone who was in trouble... -
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What the Heart Learns by Jessica Gadziala
Liam has always preferred spending his life inside books, only looking up to occasionally growl at customers in his shop. Until the day someone new comes to town. A woman who could keep up with him, someone who sees beyond his guards, who makes him want something decidedly non -fiction for a change. The only problem is, Riley has a secret. One that just might tear them apart.Categorized as:
m-f competent heroine nerdy-hero cold hero hurt-comfort humor contemporary length-short -
Love, Delivered by A.N. Boyden
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTwo years ago, Noah Porter would have been described by his closest family and friends as charismatic, outgoing, the life of the party, and a social butterfly. That all changed when Noah became the victim of a mass shooting at a popular nightclub. Noah escaped with his life, but his two best friends weren't so lucky. Noah now suffers from PTSD, agoraphobia, anxiety, and depression... -
Christmas With a Crank by Courtney Walsh
A second chance with your first crush. Doesn’t happen often. For Liam Fisher, that first crush was his next door neighbor, Olive Witherby. Childhood was lazy summers, treehouse stargazing, and endless games of hide and seek at Pine Creek, the Christmas tree farm that’s been in Liam’s family for generations... -
Juniper: A Worthy Love by Asia Monique
“No gift would ever compare to having him. ” —Juniper. Juniper Baker knows what loving someone who doesn’t reciprocate that same love feels like. At seventeen-years-old, she was able to bounce back by finding solace in the people who loved her most...Categorized as:
angst friends to lovers second chances nerdy-hero sweet-hero contemporary african-american black-mc -
Shameless With Him by Carrie Ann Ryan
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan completes a sexy contemporary series with an unrequited crush on the bad boy next door. Caleb Carr might have once been ready for commitment, but when the unexpected slams into him with the force of a two-ton truck, he knows he has to run away from anything that might be important... -
Suddenly Engaged by Julia London
Single mother Kyra Kokinos spends her days waiting tables, her nights working on her real estate license, and every spare moment with her precocious six-year-old daughter, Ruby—especially when Ruby won’t stop pestering their grumpy next-door neighbor. At first glance, Dax Bishop seems like the kind of gruff, solitary guy who’d be unlikely to offer a cup of sugar, let alone a marriage proposal... -
THE QUIET BETWEEN: A Marriage Unraveling by Jona Leigh
The Quiet Between is a raw, intimate portrait of a marriage unraveling. Cameron and Sloane’s love once ran deep, but years of silence and growing distance have turned them into strangers. When Cameron admits he has sought comfort in another woman, the fragile threads of their marriage break, leaving Sloane devastated by heartbreak and betrayal...Categorized as:
m-f grovel second chances competent heroine strong heroine contemporary length-medium open-door -
She Loves Me by Melissa Foster
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsWhat are two besties willing to risk for something more? The New York Times bestselling author of This Is Love has the answer in this fun, sexy, and emotional romance about friendship, family, and giving love a chance. Something is off in Piper Dalton’s life, and she has a feeling it might just be her. All her siblings are blissfully settled with their forever loves...Categorized as:
friends to lovers independent heroine strong heroine m-f humor contemporary sassy heroine audiobook -
Sweet Talk by Cara Bastone
Listening Length: 5 hours and 42 minutes. Stay up all night with this funny, surprising romantic comedy from Audie Award-nominee Cara Bastone — scripted exclusively for audio! It’s officially booty o’clock, I’m alone again in my kitchen choking down a slice of terrible chocolate cake…and I’m pretty sure I just got drunk texted by the man I have a ginormous crush on... -
Her Giant Lumberjack by Clara King
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe’s a seven-foot giant who feels like a beast. She’s a curvy beauty looking for her happily ever after. Duke. Life isn’t easy when you look like a monster. With my scarred face and hulking frame, people see a freak, not a man. So I keep to myself, rarely leaving the safety of my workshop. Then Ariana walks into my life. She wants me to build her a bookcase. Sounds easy enough...Categorized as:
curvy heroine disabilities and marks m-f age difference insta-love contemporary length-novella -
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Learning at 40 by L.B. Dunbar
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsShe didn’t want a one-night stand. He couldn’t promise more than a ten-day fling. Sometimes compromise is all you need. Zack Weller is timely, orderly, and meticulous. Too bad his seven-year-old, twin sons are hellions. With his divorce final, a two-week vacation beckons him to his best friend’s cottage... -
Tanked by Mia Hopkins
A fighter without a purpose. A crusader with nothing to lose. Can she trust him with her heart, or is he just another lost cause? Angel. By day, I do all the grunt work at my family’s struggling L. A. brewery. By night, I blow off steam at an underground fight club... -
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
Benefits of a summer romance: it’s always fun, always brief, and no one gets their heart broken. There aren’t enough labeled glass containers to contain the mess that is Ali Morris’s life. Her mom died two years ago, then her husband left, and she hasn’t worn pants with a zipper in longer than she cares to remember. She’s a professional organizer whose pantry is a disgrace... -
Red, White, and You by Ash Keller
This Fourth of July, I'm declaring my independence from love. Too bad nobody told Phoenix Wood. Gigi Hart has two goals this summer: keep her bakery stocked with red, white, and blue cupcakes, and avoid anything—or anyone—remotely connected to her health-obsessed family and their fitness empire, Hart Health... -
A Flowering of Ink by K.L. Noone
One misdirected card . .. and a chance at love. Professor Burne Cameron loves his job and his environmental research. Unfortunately, three months of field work on a tiny island can get pretty lonely, especially when even his brother forgets his birthday. That is, until an unexpected letter arrives . .. and Burne finds himself fascinated by the mysterious sender...Categorized as:
friends to lovers hurt-comfort disabilities and marks sweet-hero nerdy-hero m-m contemporary queer -
Falling in Vermont by Elise Kennedy
Sophia Bertone books a six week stay at a quintessential Vermont pumpkin farm planning to perfect her rustic fall recipes for her upcoming cookbook. But after raccoons take up residence in her rental cottage pantry and the thatched roof caves in at the height of leaf-peeping season, she has no other option than to move in with her landlord, a quiet flannel-clad pumpkin farmer... -
The Guy at The Wedding by Katherine Center
It's the story of the night Jake and Helen (the main characters in Happiness for Beginners) first met. The first time Jake ever sees Helen, he's crashing her wedding with her little brother, Duncan—and Jake glimpses her for the first time as the boys burst into her dressing room without knocking just as Helen is adjusting the garter under her wedding dress... -
The Shadow by K. Alex Walker
Mike Huang was the son of one of the most powerful men in China until the empire his family built for centuries suddenly crumbles. The betrayal of a family friend sends him into hiding at the age of ten, and the only life he’s ever known has been on the run. There’s no normalcy for a man like him. No settling down. Everything he’s ever had has come by way of fighting for it or fighting against it...Categorized as:
multicultural east-asian-mc m-f contemporary black-mc length-long explicit-open-door -
Forever Right Now by Emma Scott
Darlene Montgomery has been to hell and back…more than once. After a stint in jail for drug possession, she is finally clean and ready to start over. Yet another failed relationship is just the motivation she needs to move from New York to San Francisco with the hopes of resurrecting her dance career and discovering that she is more than the sum of her rap sheet...Categorized as:
friends to lovers angst strong heroine grumpy sunshine competent heroine cold hero m-f new adult -
Tripped by Love by L.J. Evans
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe’s a broody bodyguard with secrets he can’t share. She’s a busy single mom with a restaurant to run. They’re just friends until a little white lie changes everything. Marco Hernandez is the somber trainer here only to bend my body into shape, but when the perfectly sculpted man holds my son in his arms and smiles, I’m a goner. Weak legs. Pounding veins...Categorized as:
friends to lovers grumpy sunshine angst multicultural m-f contemporary single-mother alpha male -
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Lightning Strikes Twice by Erik Schubach
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsReturning home to Seattle from a twenty year absence in London. .. Victoria discovers that time has not erased her feelings for an unrequited love. It soon becomes obvious that with true love, lightning can sometimes strike twice. This is set in the same world as Music of the Soul but is a standalone book. -
A Midnight Kiss on Ever After Street by Jaimie Admans
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBook one in the brand new and utterly enchanting series by bestselling author Jaimie Admans. A picture-perfect town; a place where dreams come true. Welcome to Ever After Street. .. Will a kiss at midnight change her life forever? Sadie Winters has spent her whole life doing as she's told... -
Playing For Fun by Tracey Alvarez, BookCover By Design
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPLAYING FOR FUN is the sixth story in Tracey Alvarez’s best-selling Due South books set against the stunning backdrop of Aotearoa, New Zealand. If you like Jill Shalvis, Marie Force, or Bella Andre, then you’ll enjoy diving into these heart-warming, sexy & seductive small-town romances with authentic men and women struggling to find their special someone. Meet Holly and Ford. . -
Kings Don't Break by Sienne Vega
The worst thing you can do is fall in love with your best friend. I learned that lesson the hard way. Ten years ago, I walked away from Blake Cash with a broken heart. Now I’m back in town, forced to endure his perfect smile and sparkling blue eyes. The familiar husky sound of his laugh and the way he’ll always feel like home. Yet, no matter how much I want him, we can never be together... -
When Sky Breaks by Ashley Alexander
Can the ultimate betrayal be forgiven? For five years, I’ve thrived. From my fantastic job to dating someone who encourages me to try new things, I’ve had the strength to cut ties with those who lied and move on. Or so I thought. Circumstances out of my control call me back to a place I vowed I’d never to return to…my hometown... -
My Grumpy Valentine by Nyla Lily
I fell for Penelope the moment my best friend introduced her as his new girlfriend. She wasn’t mine to want, but that didn’t stop me. I stood by as their relationship flourished, watched her walk down the aisle, and tried to bury my feelings beneath forced smiles. Leaving Hope Peak was my only option to give up on the woman of my dreams... -
Chasing Stardust: A Novel by Erica Lucke Dean
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA funny and heartfelt novel about learning who your parents are as people, finding yourself, and falling in love in the strangest places—with a David Bowie soundtrack of a lifetime. A crazy promise is still a promise. Zoey Jones is spreading her late mother’s ashes along a path her eccentric grandma G-Lo followed in 1972: David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust tour. G-Lo was no ordinary groupie... -
The Truest Thing by Samantha Young
Nine years ago, Emery Saunders moved to Hartwell to start her life over as a bookstore owner. Her inability to trust people made it hard for her to find a place in the small community until Jessica Lawson moved to town and befriended the shy beauty. But there was one person in Hartwell who tried to befriend Emery long before Jessica arrived…. Jack Devlin has his secrets...Categorized as:
friends to lovers second chances angst cold hero m-f contemporary new adult sweet heroine -
Better Than Me by Kimberly Kincaid
What happens when Remington's most notoriously single, notoriously sexy surgeon falls for the one woman he can't have? Did I mention that she's A) his best friend, B) immune to his charm, and C) sleeping on his couch for the next six weeks? Familiarity breeds temptation for Jonah Sheridan and Natalie Kendrick in this steamy friends-to-lovers medical contemporary romance...Categorized as:
friends to lovers friends-benefits m-f cheerful heroine sweet-hero humor contemporary length-medium -
Keeping Mine by Amy Davies
Court doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘consequences’. As a member of the Unforgiven Riders MC, he takes what he wants, when he wants, but he’s hiding a dark past—a past he uses to keep people out of his life. Pushing everyone aside was easy, until he met her. Sabrina’s life revolves around her son and career...Categorized as:
angst m-f hurt-comfort second chances grovel grumpy sunshine cheerful heroine independent heroine -
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The Deepest of Secrets by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 33 ratings#1 New York Times bestseller Kelley Armstrong returns to the captivating town of Rockton in The Deepest of Secrets, the next installment in one of the most imaginative crime series on shelves today. It’s not always easy to live in the hidden town of Rockton, something Detective Casey Duncan knows firsthand... -
Haru's Curse by Asuka Konishi
Natsumi’s little sister Haru was her whole world—and now she’s gone. After the funeral, Natsumi reluctantly agrees to date her sister’s fiancé Togo. But as their relationship develops with the passing seasons, Haru’s memory lingers over them like a curse...Categorized as:
m-f east-asian-mc strong heroine independent heroine cold hero angst hurt-comfort contemporary -
Sweet Spot by TheFeveredBookaholic
Sierra Lancaster has had an agonizingly mediocre life. She grew up in a happy home, made loyal friends, graduated college, and is now pursuing her dream of running her own bakery. Boring, right? A story like this wouldn't be one for the books. At least not until you bring a hot neighbor into the mix...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine friends to lovers curvy heroine from hate to love contemporary open-door -
Asking for Trouble by Rosalind James
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSometimes you go looking for trouble. And sometimes, trouble finds you. Alyssa Kincaid knows she needs to make some big changes. A move to San Francisco is the first step, and now it’s time to get serious, and to get the rest of her life on track. If only her messy life would cooperate. And if only it had Joe Hartman in it... -
His Grumpy Childhood Friend by Jackie Lau
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt's been five years since Charlotte Tam had to endure a public proposal at a baseball game—literally the stuff of her nightmares—and realized her ex never really knew her. She hasn’t dated since, afraid that no man will understand her cranky, introverted, coffee-obsessed self, but she wants to try again. Her friend suggests she ask a guy to ease her into the dating game and give her some lessons...Categorized as:
multicultural friends to lovers east-asian-mc m-f humor contemporary length-short audiobook -
Sexy As Sin by Julie Kriss
Second chances burn hotter. The assignment should be a fashion stylist’s dream. Dane Scotland—brilliant programmer, millionaire, partner in my brother’s company—is going to a big-money meeting, and he needs to look the part. The problem? Dane doesn’t want a makeover. He’s grumpy and reclusive, and his wardrobe consists of two pairs of old jeans. He doesn’t want me anywhere near him...
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