Books like 'False Start'

Readers who enjoyed False Start by Jessica Ruddick also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

new adult  sports  college  friends to lovers  siblings-bff

  • The Grip Trilogy by Kennedy Ryan

    The Grip Trilogy by Kennedy Ryan

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    The Grip Trilogy charts the course of rising star Marlon "Grip" James and his manager Bristol Gray. From the beginning, attraction ignites between the struggling musician and his best friend's ambitious sister. It starts with a kiss at the top of a Ferris wheel when they're young, combusts into a tumultuous love affair, and matures into an epic love that defies each odd and defeats every obstacle...
  • That Forever by Jillian Dodd

    That Forever by Jillian Dodd

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    Devaney Diamond and Chase Mackenzie’s relationship has been like a Taylor Swift song. Best friends in elementary school. First loves in high school. Friends with benefits while Dani was away at college.But deep down, they have always loved each other. Have always been drawn to each other. And after much drama, they have managed to work things out and are now in college together as a couple...
  • Sponsored links
  • Needing You Close by Kennedy Fox

    Needing You Close by Kennedy Fox

    Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    I never expected to see my first love again after he left me twelve years ago. Though I’ve moved on, working with Tyler is no easy task—especially when he focuses his bedroom eyes on me. Flirting with the past is like playing with fire, and considering I’m engaged, I’m bound to get burned...
  • Spiked by Love by Toni Aleo

    Spiked by Love by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Allison Titov and Asher Brooks have been best friends their whole lives. Brought up together as part of the Assassins family, they might as well be related. But... Ally has never felt anything sisterly toward Asher.In love with Asher since she was a teen, Ally has gone pro at keeping her feelings a secret. It’s been easy..
  • We Said Forever by Marie James, T E Black

    We Said Forever by Marie James, T E Black

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Rock bottom. They say the only way to go from there is up, but what is “up” when you’re born into someone else’s rock bottom? At ten, football became my first love. It’s what got me out of the house away from my self-destructive family...
  • Be My Temptation by Rachel Brookes

    Be My Temptation by Rachel Brookes

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    You met Josh Crawford and Ashlyn Hart in Be My December, now its time to hear their story. One night connected them.One decision separated them. One craving tempted them. Ashlyn Hart was done with men, or at least those outside of her books. After stupidly falling for the charms of her cheating ex and having her heart broken yet again, she decided to create a new life...
  • Writing the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Writing the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Poppy Anderson was nailing her sophomore year at Brighton University. She liked her classes, had the greatest best friend, and was finally ready to start dating again. Or she was … until her ex, Mike, transferred to Brighton and started exchanging long stares and inside jokes that Poppy thought he’d forgotten.Paxton Lawson was long ago labeled ‘The Golden Boy...
  • Running Wild by K.A. Tucker, Callie Dalton

    Running Wild by K.A. Tucker, Callie Dalton

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 42 ratings
    11 hours, 40 minutesFrom the internationally bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes the story of a woman at a crossroads in her life, struggling between the safe route and the one that will only lead to more heartbreak.Veterinarian Marie Lehr knows unrequited love all too well after pining for her best friend, only to watch him marry another woman...
  • Rumble by Jacob Chance

    Rumble by Jacob Chance

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Two years. That’s the amount of time I’ve wasted lusting after Wyatt Douglas. He had me the moment he roared up on his bike and flashed his charismatic smile my way. I wanted to jump on, wrap my arms around him, and ride off into the sunset. Then my brother introduced him as his friend and crushed my short lived happily ever after...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  sports  siblings-bff  humor
  • Promise by T.K. Leigh

    Promise by T.K. Leigh

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    He was supposed to be my first kiss. My first love. My first everything... There are moments in our lives that define us. For Brooklyn Tanner, it's the summer before her junior year of high school. The summer boys finally begin to notice her. The summer he finally begins to notice her. Andrew Brinks. Handsome. Popular. Star hockey player. Her best friend's brother...
  • My Next Play by Carrie Ann Ryan

    My Next Play by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    What happens when you fall for your best friend, but they fall in love with someone else? Nothing is what it seems in this unrequited love, new adult romance.Miles knew Nessa never had eyes for him.  Only when someone new tries to hurt her, he knows he can’t stand back any longer. It’s time she finds out the man he is behind the glasses and beneath the shell he wrapped himself in...
  • 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...
  • Inked Obsession by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Inked Obsession by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The Montgomery Ink saga from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan continues with a second chance romance sure to tug at your heartstrings.When men in uniform showed up on Eliza Wilder-Strong’s doorstep, she knew her life would be irrevocably altered. She not only lost her husband, but the future she’d carefully planned...
  • Jersey Girl by Rhonda James

    Jersey Girl by Rhonda James

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Brantley Cage is a standout D-man on Great Lakes University hockey team. Now that his dream of signing with the Detroit Red Wings has come true, his goals for senior year are simple: Work hard. Score big. Stay away from love. And then he meets her. There's just one problem...
  • Always Mine by Kennedy Fox

    Always Mine by Kennedy Fox

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    College parties, beer, and one-night stands—that was my life. Now, I hunt down criminals, ethically or not, but if no one’s asking, then I’m not telling. Drinking and women are still included, though I can’t seem to forget the girl who almost gave me her virginity. She would’ve until I realized she was too young, and I wasn’t looking to get thrown into jail...
  • Defining the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Defining the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 14 ratings
    It started with friendship. The best stories always do. Our story sounds unlikely. Bizarre. A fable. Like wine and cheese and my favorite pair of jeans, Things got better over time— Too good, it seemed. Arlo Kostas was the starting running back for Brighton University. His quick smile and sharp wit Was enough to disarm even the biggest cynic...
  • If It's Only Love by Lexi Ryan

    If It's Only Love by Lexi Ryan

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    From New York Times bestseller Lexi Ryan comes a sexy new standalone romance in the bestselling Boys of Jackson Harbor series. Meet single dad Easton Connor as he leaves the NFL and returns to Jackson Harbor to fight for another chance with the love of his life. *** I don’t regret much. Not my decision to enter the NFL draft before finishing college...
  • Taking the Leap by Kelsie Rae

    Taking the Leap by Kelsie Rae

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    A girl who’s competing in a man’s sport. And a guy who can’t wait to help her shine.My world fell apart when my dad was diagnosed with dementia.Now, I need money and a way to provide stability for my father.When an opportunity falls into my lap that can provide both, I grab hold of it with all my strength.I just need to...focus...
  • No Paine No Gain by McKinley May

    No Paine No Gain by McKinley May

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    One thing I've learned from three years as an undergrad?College is all about balance.Juggling a science-heavy course load, weekend bar crawls, and my plentiful dating life is an art form. An art form I've got down to a T...Until the campus Casanova comes barreling into my biology class and throws my mojo for a major loop...
  • Under a Different Sky by Lindsey Iler

    Under a Different Sky by Lindsey Iler

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    My life is a mess. I'm walking around with a black eye. My position on the hockey team is questionable at best, and if that’s not bad enough, I think I'm falling for my dead girlfriend's best friend. Every day, it's a fight to feel alive, and yet, I drink to numb the pain. Everyone is standing back, watching me fall apart. Everyone except Hannah...
  • Van by Kat Mizera

    Van by Kat Mizera

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Temptation could destroy everything he’d spent his career building…Professional hockey player Jean-Michel Vander is living the dream…. And the Las Vegas strip is a long way from the small town in Quebec where he grew up. He works hard but he plays harder, especially in the off-season. The sexy redhead he spots doing a striptease in a Paris nightclub is all kinds of fun...
  • Crashing the Net by Lasairiona E. McMaster

    Crashing the Net by Lasairiona E. McMaster

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    She’s lost her mobility, her career, and her dreams... Can she risk losing her heart to her best friend as well?In the blink of an eye, everything I’ve worked my whole life to achieve is gone, maybe forever. I’m not prepared to accept that I’ll never dance again. It’s all I’ve ever known, and I’m scared to find out who I am without it...
  • Burn by Ginger Scott

    Burn by Ginger Scott

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    **Burn is the third and final book in the brother’s-best-friend, friends-to-lovers Fuel Series by Ginger Scott. This second-chance romance completes this angsty, steamy, new adult trilogy.Dustin Bridge’s world is about speed. About the edge. His life has been carved by cutting corners and making moves, following impulsive decisions while weighing the facts at hand...
  • With a Hitch by R.C. Boldt

    With a Hitch by R.C. Boldt

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    RC Boldt brings us a smart, sexy new standalone about a matchmaker/dating coach who's faced with the challenge of finding Mrs. Right for the city's beloved NFL wide receiver... She’s playing it safe. He’s playing for keeps. DARCY Growing up in the foster system, I learned the hard way that lasting love doesn't always come easy...
  • The Endgame Is You by L.A. Cotton

    The Endgame Is You by L.A. Cotton

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Play hard ... Fight hard ... Love hard.The time has come for Cameron, Jason, and Asher to hang up their Rixon Raider jerseys and head off to college with the girls they love.But will their relationships stand the test of college life, new friendships, and most of all, football?*The Endgame Is You is a Rixon Raiders Epilogue. It must be read after the other books in the series...
  • In Pieces by Danielle Pearl

    In Pieces by Danielle Pearl

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Three years ago she was left in pieces . . . Most college freshmen love the newfound freedom of living on campus, but none of them craves it like Beth Caplan. One ill-fated night when she was fifteen left her locked in a posh prison of private tutors. It's for the best , everyone said, and maybe it was...
  • The Way Back To me by Anne Mercier

    The Way Back To me by Anne Mercier

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    She was perky, fun, and full of life—everything I hated about girls and their bullshit exterior. People called her bubbly; I called her “fake-as-hell.” The edgy, dark, lonely girl in front of me was not the Olivia Brennan I knew from high school—far from it, actually. I knew the story—the whole town knew the story, we witnessed it all...
  • Avoiding Temptation (A Bro Code Standalone) by Rachel Van Dyken

    Avoiding Temptation (A Bro Code Standalone) by Rachel Van Dyken

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 17 ratings
    I hit on her first. Realized she was my best friend Finn's little sister second. And got a bloody nose third — compliments of Finn after he watched me nearly score with the new underclassman. After all I did have a reputation on campus, word on the street was that a girl could orgasm within one minute just watching me eat Lucky Charms...
  • Fight by Molly McLain, Sara Eirew

    Fight by Molly McLain, Sara Eirew

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    **This is not a standalone. Check out FLY (Velocity, #1) first. amzn.to/2dPfsgW :) ** The story continues... I trusted Colton with every bit of myself. I believed him when he promised he'd never hurt me. But he broke me...and now I watch him give another woman everything I thought would be mine. I never saw this coming...
  • A Friendly Wager by Ajme Williams

    A Friendly Wager by Ajme Williams

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    My next-door neighbor is wifey material .Calm down... I’m not proposing to her.A fake engagement will do for now.My mother won’t get off my back.As a star hockey player love isn’t on the cards for me.Not now, not ever.I had a one-night stand with Ruby a decade ago.But that shouldn’t come in the way of our ruse.I doubt she misses the way I made her shake when I took her v-card...
  • Going All In by Ali Parker, Weston Parker

    Going All In by Ali Parker, Weston Parker

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Being the nice guy leaves me open to being a rebound romance.Which I’m not interested in. I’ve got better things to do.Like taking my spot on the NBA draft picks. It’s all that matters to me.Love has never been on the radar. I’m too focused for all that fluff.Then life slows me down. Way down.An injury at the end of the spring semester has me working my way back to full health all summer long...
  • Off Limits by C.C. Piper

    Off Limits by C.C. Piper

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Wanting her is wrong. It always has been.After all, Alaina is my best friend’s little sister.She’s wild, yet innocent.I’d been craving her when the club accidentally set us up.The beautiful accident might lead to something ugly.Her overprotective brother can’t find out about us.But I’m ready to fight him till the end.I’d do anything to have Alaina in my life...
  • Two for Roughing by Lasairiona E. McMaster

    Two for Roughing by Lasairiona E. McMaster

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    It’s a simple rule: don’t bang your teammates’ siblings.Finn O’Brien didn’t just break the rule, he annihilated it. Falling in love with his best friend’s younger sister when they were teens was an accident. He fought it for years, hiding behind a list of one-night stands a mile long, anything to convince himself Molly Morrison wasn’t the woman for him...
  • One Timer on Top by London Casey

    One Timer on Top by London Casey

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    DON’T SLEEP WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND’S EX. Okay. I get that. I respect that. But what about sleeping with your biggest rival’s ex? And… what about marrying her…?* * *I caught my boyfriend enjoying some “oral service” from another woman. Dumping him is easy. Getting rid of him his almost impossible since I work in PR and he’s one of my clients. (Yeah, I know, don’t mix business with pleasure...
  • Tiny Fractures by J.V. Reese

    Tiny Fractures by J.V. Reese

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    An emotionally devastating love story full of love, trauma, heartache, and healing. Tiny Fractures is the first book in the Halfway Broken series. Love, like light, will always find a way in through the smallest of cracks, the tiniest of fractures—even the invisible ones like those caused by fear, and pain, and violence..
  • Faceoff by Rebecca Connolly, Heather B. Moore

    Faceoff by Rebecca Connolly, Heather B. Moore

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    She isn’t supposed to want him. He isn’t supposed to want her. But wanting each other is inevitable. Clint McCarthy has finally achieved his dream of playing for a professional hockey program, and is eager to make his mark with his new team...
  • Fixated on You by Pamela Ann

    Fixated on You by Pamela Ann

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Emma Anderson’s career was thriving. Her personal life too—but she knew—it was all a ticking time bomb until everything blows up. What happens then? Even if he’s relationship with Emma was going great, Bass Cole still had a long way to go to make amends after the grief he’d caused Emma last year. No matter what the future held for them, he knew one thing—Emma owned his heart...
  • Off Limits by Jerica MacMillan

    Off Limits by Jerica MacMillan

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    She’s my best friend’s little sister …That alone should be enough to make me keep my hands to myself. Knowing her brother’s extra protective should seal the deal.But after Ellie turns up on our doorstep while her brother’s not home and falls asleep on the couch after a misunderstanding with her roommate, I can’t seem to stay away...
  • Breaking Defenses by JB Salsbury

    Breaking Defenses by JB Salsbury

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    I never should’ve loaned him my lucky pencil. Like every female in high school I was captivated when he spoke to me. I had no idea that moment would cause irrevocable damage. Over two years later I’m face to face with Carey Slade again. This time I won’t get caught up in his good looks and oozing charm. I work three jobs and get straight A’s. I can’t afford to get distracted. Not again...
  • Heartthrob by Katie McCoy

    Heartthrob by Katie McCoy

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Move over, Colin Firth - there’s a new Darcy in town! Jax Hawthorne is Hollywood’s sexiest bad boy. I’m a glorified secretary who thinks color-coding my library is a wild Friday night. So when he shows up after all this time wanting to make good on our childhood deal to tie the knot, it’s not because he can’t resist my perfect credit score...
  • Fortunate Son by Jay Crownover

    Fortunate Son by Jay Crownover

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Ry Archer and Bowe Keller are as different as night and day. But that doesn’t stop the childhood frenemies from reconnecting whenever one of them needs some help tackling any of life’s major puzzles, like figuring out why getting what you always thought you wanted isn’t living up to all the hype...
  • In Too Deep by Tabatha Kiss

    In Too Deep by Tabatha Kiss

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Pros: Star athlete. Amazing body. Excellent sense of humor.Cons: A bit cocky and-- Oh, yeah. I'm his tutor.This. Can't. Happen. I'm so close to getting everything I've ever wanted but all I can think about is John Kirby sitting in the front row of class. Teaching assistants and students cannot mix the way he obviously wants us to...
  • 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...
  • The Bro-Code by Melissa Adams

    The Bro-Code by Melissa Adams

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 10 ratings
    I’ve always been the most popular girl on campus. President of the hottest sorority, dating one of the hottest hockey players, but this fall it seems like my luck has run out.When my sorority house is destroyed, I’m forced to move into the frat house with not only most of the sexy-as-hell hockey team.I know I’m in trouble...
  • Going Under by Lexi Ryan

    Going Under by Lexi Ryan

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    GOING UNDER is a sexy and emotional STANDALONE sports romance set in the world of the Blackhawk Boys. ~ ~ ~ If I met Alexandra DeLuca for the first time today, I would only need one word to describe her: MINE. She's everything she was when we said goodbye. Beautiful, stubborn, sweet...and off-limits. After two years leading separate lives, our worlds have collided...
  • Chasing a Legend by Sarah Robinson

    Chasing a Legend by Sarah Robinson

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    The most soulful Kavanagh brother tackles the challenge of a lifetime—with a little help from the girl of his dreams.   “Fans of Lori Foster’s SBC Fighters series will love the MMA atmosphere of [Sarah] Robinson’s Legends.”—Library Journal A topnotch manager and agent, Quinn Kavanagh pictures a life outside of his family’s renowned MMA gym...
  • For Crosby by J. Nathan

    For Crosby by J. Nathan

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Crosby Parks had the life most guys only dreamed of. A wealthy family, girls vying for his attention, and pro scouts after his hockey skills. But when the life he knows comes crumbling down, he’s sent to Alabama to escape the media storm and to rebuild his life. If Crosby has any shot of playing professional hockey, he must keep a low profile and graduate from college...
  • Wreck by Ginger Scott

    Wreck by Ginger Scott

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    **Wreck is the second book in the brother’s-best-friend, friends-to-lovers Fuel Series by Ginger Scott.When Dustin Bridges left Camp Verde to try to make it on his own, he left half his heart behind. A life with Hannah Judge was just too dangerous...
  • Kiss To Remember by Anna B. Doe

    Kiss To Remember by Anna B. Doe

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Some moments define the trajectory of your life.Grace Shelton has experienced her fair share of loss and trauma, but moving to Blairwood is her chance for a new beginning.For Trent Remington, going to college is a chance to break free of his overprotective parents and finally play basketball.Some moments will change it forever...
  • Johnny Deeper: A Sports Romance by Tabatha Kiss

    Johnny Deeper: A Sports Romance by Tabatha Kiss

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    How deep can he go? All the way. ROSE John Kirby. Just another big, dumb jock with a real big… you know . I swore I’d never get involved with another man like him again. He’s crude and loud. Vulgar and unsophisticated. But he knows exactly what he’s doing when he touches me. I can’t let this happen. I’m a TA at our university and there are rules about this kind of thing...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  college  sports  athletes  humor  football
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
Find out more about romance.io.


Get recommendations by genres & tropes

Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

romance book finder

Looking for more inspiration? Enter another book title to get more suggestions on what to read next.


Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.