Books like 'False Start'
Readers who enjoyed False Start by Melissa Ivers also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary funny young adult sports athletes forced proximity dual-pov friends to lovers m-f
-
Skip and Loafer, Vol. 1 by Misaki Takamatsu, Nicole Frasik
The award-winning romantic comedy about a country girl chasing her dreams in Tokyo--and don't miss the anime! A Cheerful Country Mouse! Mitsumi is bound for high school in Tokyo! She’s got book smarts, but this small-town girl is about to find out she’s massively unprepared for the social norms of big city high schoolers...Categorized as:
m-f friends to lovers young adult contemporary high-school length-short humor tortured hero -
I sold myself to the devil for Vinyls... Pitiful I Know by DarknessAndLight
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsLexi Grayson is a normal teenager, as normal as she can be with her unobserving skills and her overthinking mind. But she might need the overthinking if she wants to unravel the smirking mystery that is Blake Eaton...Categorized as:
friends to lovers sports young adult contemporary high-school from hate to love humor bad boys -
Scarlett and the Kiss Thief by Ivy Smoak
I’ve never been kissed.I know…it’s a huge problem.It all started because I fell in love with my best friend, Axel Stevens. I decided to save my first kiss for him. But…he didn’t fall in love with me back.For the first time in years, he’s finally single though. And I have the perfect plan.I reinvented myself over the summer...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers new adult humor young adult contemporary high-school glimpses-kisses -
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... -
-
Hirano and Kagiura, Vol. 1 by Shou Harusono
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsBasketball players. Bad boys who aren’t really bad boys. Roommates. Senpai-kouhai BL romance. It all started when Kagiura moved into the school dorms with what seemed to be a bad-boy upperclassman... -
That Baby by Jillian Dodd
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 27 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... -
With This Heart by R.S. Grey
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsIf someone had told me a year ago that I was about to fall in love, go on an epic road trip, ride a Triceratops, sing on a bar, and lose my virginity, I would have assumed they were on drugs. Well, that is, until I met Beckham. Beck was mostly to blame for my recklessness...Categorized as:
friends to lovers forced proximity m-f humor contemporary tearjerkers virgin heroine college -
Misunderstood by R.L. Mathewson
From New York Time’s Bestselling Author R.L. Mathewson comes the YA series inspired by the Neighbor from Hell Series… The Neighbor from Hell YA Series. For readers who enjoy stories that leave them smiling… Do you ever feel like life isn’t going the way that you thought it would? That’s what Sebastian Bradford is realizing as he tries to figure out how everything went wrong so quickly... -
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
Lara Jean is having the best senior year. And there’s still so much to look forward to: a class trip to New York City, prom with her boyfriend Peter, Beach Week after graduation, and her dad’s wedding to Ms. Rothschild. Then she’ll be off to college with Peter, at a school close enough for her to come home and bake chocolate chip cookies on the weekends...Categorized as:
friends to lovers m-f contemporary young adult multicultural high-school new adult humor -
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 friends to lovers athletes contemporary humor christian tortured hero new adult -
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... -
Cheeky Brat, Vol. 6 by Mitsubachi Miyuki
Huh?! What does he even mean?! Stupid brat!! First he doesn’t push that girl away—after she kissed him—and now he’s saying THAT?? While eating squid? I mean, I know I’m the one who’s been avoiding talking to him head-on, and I did tell him to wait three months, but I was getting there, okay? Ugh, and as if that wasn’t enough to deal with, what was going on with Hakamada-kun at the festival.. -
That Wedding by Jillian Dodd
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 37 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... -
Cheeky Brat, Vol. 4 by Mitsubachi Miyuki
Is it bad for me to tell people we’re datingdating? Huh?! Who’s dating whom now? I said I’d think about it. And how exactly does he go from “I’ll come watch your games” to “I’ll be your girlfriend”? Stupid jerk even told the entire basketball team that he’s going out with a third-year... -
-
Cheeky Brat, Vol. 2 by Mitsubachi Miyuki
I, Yuki, have no intention of admitting it. Never. The last thing I will ever do is plead guilty to the crime of maybe possibly having a soft spot for my cheeky playboy of an underclassman-who's an absolute brat-Naruse. Speaking of which, instead of focusing on his strange grade school rivalry with this Shizuka guy, he needs to get his head in the game and focus on our qualifiers.. -
I'll Be Yours by Jenny B. Jones
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsShe's the coach's brilliant daughter, clueless about love.He's the dethroned football star, ready to teach Romance 101.When dark secrets and sparks collide, there's no playbook for what happens next. If life were a nerd parade, sixteen-year-old Harper O'Malley would be its grand marshal... -
Cheeky Brat, Vol. 3 by Mitsubachi Miyuki
Well, one of my problems has been solved, at least. The Naruse-leaving- the-team-to-practice-alone- because-he-didn’t-want-to-look-lame one. But that was so much easier to deal with than the Naruse-wants-me-to-say-Ilike-him or the Naruse-wants-me-to-be-his-girlfriend problem... -
Cheeky Brat, Vol. 8 by Mitsubachi Miyuki
When Hakamada crushes their dreams of the Winter Cup, Yuki’s tenure as basketball club manager is now over...However, her relationship with Naruse has only begun! But between Naruse’s captaincy and Yuki’s frantic studies, they hardly ever see each other... -
Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali
A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are.But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad...Categorized as:
friends to lovers dual-pov m-f young adult contemporary racism high-school multicultural -
Cheeky Brat, Vol. 9 by Mitsubachi Miyuki
Today is the day her future will be decided. After all, it’s finally time...for entrance exams. However, one thing after another keeps going wrong! Meanwhile, as Yuki’s graduation gets closer and closer to becoming a reality, Naruse is painfully aware that soon, he’ll be separated from Yuki by more than just a couple of classroom doors.. -
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... -
A Love Song for Dreamers by Piper Lawson
He said I taught him how to dream.Maybe he taught me, too.But when fate brings the strongest man I know to his knees, dreams aren’t enough to save us.But true love doesn’t fade to silence after a single verse.Tyler and I have one last chance.And the power to decide how this ends.A tragedy for the ages.Or the perfect ending to the most beautiful song ever written...Ours...Categorized as:
friends to lovers m-f new adult contemporary young adult humor length-short open-door -
Cheeky Brat, Vol. 7 by Mitsubachi Miyuki
It's autumn, and the qualifier for the Winter Cup is just around the corner! But first, time for one of Yuki’s last school festivals. Between prepwork for that, studying, managing the basketball team, and dating Naruse, Yuki just might have bitten off more than she can chew.. -
Stepbrother With Benefits 9 by Mia Clark
I just had to try and be a bad girl, didn't I? I blame Ethan. This is all his fault. Rule #9 – We were never supposed to get this far. It was only supposed to be for a week. I don't even know what we're supposed to do now. I've never done this before. "You ready for the ride of your life, Princess?" I ask her. "You think you're that good, do you, Ethan?" Ashley counters...Categorized as:
athletes m-f humor young adult contemporary explicit-open-door new adult stepsibling -
-
The Smirking Jerk by DarknessAndLight
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 11 ratings“I’m in love with you.” How many times would I have to think about this, how many times, before she could hear it, feel it, see it in my eyes? “I’m in love with you.” How could I make her see without telling her, without scaring her off… without losing her. I couldn’t lose her... -
Playing With Her Heart by Lauren Blakely
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFrom the NYT & USA Today Bestselling romance author, a sizzling and addictive story of a woman with a broken past and the man who can’t fight his attraction to her… Twenty-three year old rising theater star Jill McCormick has built a life out of pretending. Pretending she’s happy, pretending she’s not haunted by the dark secret that shattered her world six years ago...Categorized as:
dual-pov m-f humor young adult contemporary alpha male tortured heroine possessive hero -
Keeping Up Appearances by Elizabeth Stevens
Three's a crowd, but four's a war.Big girl undies? Check.Speech planned? Check.Nerves of steel? Check.A single crush? …not check…?What do you do when you find your best friend/crush kissing your other best friend on the day you were going to declare your feelings for him? You only agree to fake date your crush’s rival... -
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:
friends to lovers forced proximity sports young adult high-school contemporary bad boys humor -
Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce
From the author of the nationally bestselling Dungeons and Drama comes another gaming romance that's sure to win you over!After moving to a new high school, Quinn is desperate for friends, so she joins a D&D group with their own livestream and serious rules—most no dating fellow party members... -
A Love Song for Rebels by Piper Lawson
I swore I’d never fall for a rockstar. He swore he’d never become one.Tyler didn’t mean to break my heart. He did it anyway.Now, I’ll never play by anyone’s rules but mine.When he shows up in the last place I expect, with a confession and a promise…There’s going to be a reckoning.Because the naive girl he shattered is gone.And the woman in her place is ready for a fight...Categorized as:
friends to lovers m-f new adult contemporary young adult humor length-short open-door -
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... -
Winger by Andrew Smith
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsRyan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids in the Pacific Northwest. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy... -
Kilt to Order by Susannah Nix
A nerdy wallflower recruits her athlete roommate to give her love lessons As a Highland Games athlete and a firefighter, I’m used to women trying to get under my kilt. But I never expected to be propositioned by my bookworm roommate. Casey’s one of my best friends and my buddy’s younger sister...Categorized as:
friends to lovers athletes sports dual-pov forced proximity new adult humor working class hero -
The Dealmaker by Jessica Peterson
Hating and dating: I didn’t realize they’re two sides of the same coin until I meet him. Theo Morgan.One of Wall Street’s highest-paid traders, he may be hot as sin in his five-thousand-dollar custom-made suit and six-figure SUV. But Theo is the bane of my existence. He’s arrogant, rude, and as brash as they come.As our bank’s newest star hire, he’s also after the same promotion I am... -
-
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 friends to lovers athletes m-f young adult contemporary high-school new adult -
The Bachelor on the Shelf by Jana Aston
My name is Carter Sheppard and I actually like Christmas and my Christmas-themed hometown of Reindeer Falls. In fact, when I learn I have to return home in order to collect an inheritance—my uncle’s dog—it puts life into perspective for me.Sure, playing professional baseball is great. But it won’t last forever and every player needs a long-term game plan.And I just found mine...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers forced proximity dual-pov athletes m-f christmas contemporary -
Do You Do Extras? by Nikki Ashton
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTake a normal girl, a Hollywood star, a mean foul-mouthed agent and a pink glittery sex toy and you've got Do You Do Extras? - but remember what happens on set stays on set.Grantley James is Hollywood's newest action hero. He's got the looks and the body but can barely crack a smile.Phoebe Drinkwater is an extra on Grantley's new film... -
The Best Friends' Playlist by Jessica King
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI’m in love with my best friend. The problem? He doesn’t love me back.Five years ago, on the night of our high school graduation, I handed Jordan my heart, and he handed me a country song's worth of heartbreak and rejection.Now, after returning to my hometown for an internship, I find that despite my delusional fantasies, Jordan’s feelings remain the same. I’m still buddy-buddy Paige... -
The Ones We Remember by Katie Golightly
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsColin Hartrick is back. Even after five years away from his hometown, nothing could ever make him forget his family or the girl he left behind. The ghost of his eighteen-year-old, grief-stricken self never fails to remind him of how much he lost. Despite every memory and all the lingering feelings that sparked from their intimacy experiment, the girl of his dreams now wants nothing to do with him...Categorized as:
friends to lovers dual-pov young adult contemporary new adult grumpy sunshine high-school humor -
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... -
Lucky Star by Susannah Nix
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA lonely barista’s dreams come true when her celebrity crush asks her to pose as his fake girlfriend for the paparazzi. Boone Sheridan is a TV heartthrob with a public relations problem. He needs to clean up his image and create a distraction ASAP... -
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... -
-
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... -
Girls with Bad Reputations by Xio Axelrod
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAll her life, Kayla heard the same Don't be so loud. Don't act so wild. Don't take up so much space. Now she's the beating heart of an up-and-coming rock band…and the whole world is going to know her name. Once upon a time, the pressure to be the perfect daughter nearly broke Kayla Whitman... -
Looking to Score by Carrie Gray, Coralee June
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 37 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 friends to lovers athletes m-f humor new adult contemporary from hate to love -
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...Categorized as:
sports athletes friends to lovers forced proximity m-f humor young adult contemporary -
Wanting the Winger by Jacob Chance
My dad has been the coach of the Charleston Coyotes for as long as I can remember. All the time I’ve spent in ice rinks has taught me two things:1. I will NEVER date a hockey player.As a single mom, it’s not like I have time for romance anyway.2. Nothing smells worse than hockey players after a game.And I work as a dog groomer, so I have experience with smelly animals...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers m-f multicultural humor contemporary single-mother sassy heroine -
Remember When by T. Torrest
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 33 ratings"I’d spent too long in limbo. It was time to put The California Plan back into effect."~Layla Warren. I’ve been in love with Trip Wiley since I was sixteen years old. Yep. That Trip Wiley. Academy award-winning actor, known philanthropist, People’s Sexiest Man Alive two years running… Yeah. It’s not like I’m some delusional stalker-fan...Categorized as:
friends to lovers m-f humor young adult contemporary alpha male high-school poor heroine
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

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