Books like 'Not Dating Material'
Readers who enjoyed Not Dating Material by Saxon James also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary gay romance funny grumpy sunshine height-difference friends to lovers dual-pov hurt-comfort forced proximity friends-benefits
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The Long and Winding Road by T.J. Klune
Sequel to The Art of Breathing Family is not always defined by blood. It’s defined by those who make us whole—those who make us who we are. And here, at the end, Bear and Otter will be tested like they’ve never been before. There’s a knock at the door from a little girl who has nowhere else to go. There’s a phone ringing, bringing news they do not expect... -
For Real by Alexis Hall
Laurence Dalziel is worn down and washed up, and for him, the BDSM scene is all played out. Six years on from his last relationship, he’s pushing forty and tired of going through the motions of submission. Then he meets Toby Finch. Nineteen years old. Fearless, fierce, and vulnerable. Everything Laurie can’t remember being. Toby doesn’t know who he wants to be or what he wants to do...Categorized as:
angst height-difference hurt-comfort queer new adult grumpy sunshine sunny hero dual-pov -
10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love by Emmy Sanders
Wingman 101: Make him fall head over heels in love. BradWhat’s a straight guy to do when he accidentally goes on a date with his brand new gym-bro? Offer to be the best wingman ever, of course! It’s foolproof.Joey needs a man? I’ll find him one.He wants someone who looks, well, kind of like me? No problem!Not into watersports? I’ve got him covered... -
Until You by Briar Prescott
I’m the first one to tell you I have issues.Trust issues.Family issues.Probably a few others I haven’t discovered yet.Which is why I prefer to keep my life as simple and uncomplicated as possible.Until him.Blake McAdams barrels into my life and refuses to leave...Categorized as:
friends to lovers angst first-person-pov grumpy sunshine sunny hero sweet-hero queer hurt-comfort -
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Beautifully Unexpected by Lily Morton
Sometimes love comes when you least expect or want it.Magnus Carlsen is determined to grow old disgracefully. At fifty-two, he doesn’t believe in keeping anything. Men, sofas, books—everything gets jettisoned, eventually. He’s divided his life into happy compartments. A successful trial lawyer, he spends his days lecturing jurors, exasperating judges, and striding arrogantly around courtrooms... -
Until I Saw You by Dianna Roman
An MM romance story of survival, healing, and finding the courage to love.Harper Reid has no money and nowhere to go, but he can't spend one more day under the same roof as his abusive boyfriend. Desperate to start fresh, he takes on a special case through the caregiver agency that contracts him...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort friends to lovers dual-pov angst forced proximity caretaking sweet-hero sunny hero -
Role Model by Rachel Reid
Troy Barrett has been freshly traded to Ottawa after calling out Dallas Kent during a team practice. He wants to be a better person, and the weird, scrappy energy of the struggling Ottawa team seems like the place to...well. It seems like the only place that will have Troy right now... -
Davo by N.R. Walker
When Fergus Galloway takes on a research trip to a tiny mining town in the far Western Australian outback, he’s as far from Sydney as he can get. Which is entirely the point. He arrives in Pannalego totally unprepared for the baking heat, unprepared for the people who call it home, unprepared for the craziness and the laughs... -
Sem by Cora Rose
Sometimes your dream guy isn’t who you think he is. Sem has been stalking me for months. He shows up everywhere I am and lurks in the background, his eyes always on me. I don’t understand his fascination with me, but he won’t leave me alone. He’s definitely not my type. He’s too big, too reckless, and too feral...Categorized as:
height-difference grumpy sunshine bondage possessive hero anal sex sunny hero new adult angst -
Semantic Error, Vol.1 (Semantic Error (Novel) #1) by Soori Jeo
Computer science major Chu Sangwoo is the epitome of an inflexible and strict rule-abiding person. While working on a liberal arts group project with freeloaders who don’t put in any effort, Sangwoo reasonably decides to remove their names from the final presentation.But he didn’t imagine how involved he would become with the person whose study-abroad plans were messed up because of that project...Categorized as:
queer new adult grumpy sunshine angst height-difference forced proximity grovel possessive hero -
The Revenge Agenda by Saxon James
Rush: When I show up to surprise my boyfriend in a barely-there festive outfit, I’m expecting him to be alone. Not hosting family. His fiancé’s family. Down one boyfriend and up a lot of embarrassment, I flee with my tail between my legs. The broken heart will fade. My humiliation, not so much, but my saving grace is the fact that I never have to see either of them ever, ever again...Categorized as:
dual-pov forced proximity anal sex hurt-comfort grumpy sunshine sunny hero queer found-family -
Deal Maker by Lily Morton
Sometimes your mouth makes deals that your heart can’t honour. Jude is a highly successful model, but a very reluctant one. His life is full of casual hook-ups with pretty men in glamorous locations, but it’s still empty. However, circumstances decreed a long time ago that this was his path, so he’s resolutely stayed on it and accepted his fate with good grace... -
How to Be a Movie Star by T.J. Klune
Sequel to How to Be a Normal PersonA How to Be Novel Josiah Erickson wants to be a movie star. The problem with that is so does half of Los Angeles. But he’s on his way, what with memorable roles as a TV show background cadaver and a guy in a commercial for herpes medication. All he needs is his big break...Categorized as:
friends to lovers sunny hero forced proximity queer found-family m-m contemporary humor -
Himbo by Emmy Sanders
Surely I can’t fail at falling in love? CasNo one ever told me I might meet the love of my life on my knees in a coffee shop.I’m not one of those people who has everything figured out. I work at my dad’s company because it’s expected, not because I enjoy it... -
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After Felix by Lily Morton
Sometimes the best love stories come in two parts.When Felix met handsome journalist Max Travers, it was lust at first sight. It was just his luck that he then had to develop a terrible case of feelings and got his heart broken. However, two years later, he’s over all of that. His job is going well, he has good friends, and he doesn’t lack for male company...Categorized as:
angst forced proximity friends-benefits queer first-person-pov dual-pov grovel humor -
Sober Dope & Sundays by Nordika Night
WHEN ZERO WILLPOWER MEETS AN IRON WILL...Who goes to rehab eight times? Gage does. As a recovering addict fresh out of rehab, moving back in with his mom and starting over in his hometown isn't part of his life goals, but Gage needs all the support he can get. Lost and a little unsure of himself, Gage meets his new sponsor. A sponsor whose son is the perfect sober companion...Categorized as:
queer hurt-comfort friends to lovers forced proximity found-family dual-pov angst grumpy sunshine -
On Davis Row by N.R. Walker
Nearing the end of a suspended jail sentence should unlock a brighter future for CJ Davis, only the chip on his shoulder is as hard to shift as his bad reputation. Born into a family of career criminals who live down Davis Road, an address the cops have dubbed Davis Row, his name alone is like a rap sheet that makes optimism impossible...Categorized as:
new adult angst friends to lovers grumpy sunshine forced proximity tortured hero hurt-comfort queer -
Hopelessly Bromantic by Lauren Blakely
A sexy, passionate, utterly addictive, roomies-to-lovers MM romance from #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely!Look, when I met the sexy, witty Brit on the streets of London last night, I had no idea who he was. He was just that hot guy I wanted to have a drink with so I asked him out for my first evening in town. One thing almost led to another... -
Holiday Heart Strings by N.R. Walker
Hartbridge Christmas Series - Book FourEnglishman Braithe Branson arrives in Hartbridge, Montana, to take on a brief substitute kindergarten teacher position. His introduction to the sleepy town is being pulled over for speeding. Not an ideal start, but at least the deputy was cute.Colson Price takes being a deputy very seriously. After all, his job is all he has...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort queer height-difference caretaking anal sex found-family sweet-hero sunny hero -
The Amazing Alpha Tau Self-Improvement Project by Lisa Henry, Sarah Honey
Dalton Beauregard has a plan, and it involves acing all his exams, making the Dean's List every year he's at Lassiter College, and going to med school and becoming a doctor.Marty O'Brien has a plan too. His is to improve his life by emulating those around him. He's going to need a study plan, a tutor, and... a boyfriend?Dalton can't believe he's even considering this. It's utterly ridiculous... -
The Sunny Side by Lily Morton
Jonas Durand is successful, rich, and controlled. He owns a prestigious modelling agency and has the world at his fingertips, but a turbulent childhood has taught him to be focused and never deviate from a plan.Dean Jacobs threatens that stance. He’s one of the world’s most sought-after supermodels, but he’s also laidback and lighthearted and free in a way that Jonas has never quite managed... -
Felix by Emmy Sanders
What more could an exhibitionist want than a willing voyeur right next door? EmilI like being watched. I’m not ashamed of it, nor my job at Elite 8 Studios where fans know me as Felix. But when my newest costar turns out to be the very same neighbor I’ve been giving private shows to through the window, I’m thrown for a loop... -
You Are Cordially Invited by Jay Hogan
There’s a wedding in the air at Auckland Med, but Reuben wonders if they’ll survive the stress long enough to say, ‘I do’. Cam is directing the entire operation with his combat eyeliner in place, whilst the wedding party is doing its best to ignore him. The pressure is mounting and the cracks are beginning to show.There’s a bachelor party to survive.The paparazzi to outrun...Categorized as:
queer height-difference dual-pov first-person-pov sweet-hero sunny hero found-family hurt-comfort -
On the Run by May Archer
I was supposed to be partying with a bunch of celebrities in paradise this week, okay?But then I made one teeny, tiny error in judgement before leaving New York, and suddenly the paparazzi expected me to give a command performance as “the other man” in their straight celebrity “outing” of the week.Um, no, precious. So much no...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine height-difference queer new adult sunny hero sweet-hero dual-pov first-person-pov -
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French Fancy by Lily Morton
Pip Simmonds is the twinkiest twink in London. He’s loud, proud, and packed to the brim with sass. But when he’s laid low by illness, even his hotpants lose their sparkle and his worried boss sends him to the South of France to recuperate in his holiday home... -
Ranger by K.M. Neuhold, Nora Phoenix
I’ve been living under storm clouds since my honorable discharge, but Julian’s the sun.I’ve tried everything to deal with my PTSD from yoga to sunning my butthole, but nothing seemed to help.So when my brother suggests a therapy dog, I figure I don’t have anything to lose...Categorized as:
angst friends to lovers queer grumpy sunshine anal sex caretaking sweet-hero dual-pov -
You Can Count On Me by Fae Quin
They say you should love thy neighbor, but I don’t think they meant it the way I want to love mine.Miles “Rooster” Johnson: As a young single-dad with a teaching job, I haven’t had much opportunity to date. My son is my entire world, and though I would love to have a partner and someone to count on, the passing years have shown that it’s just not in the cards for me... -
Don't You Dare by C.E. Ricci
It was never meant to be more than a dare.A party game. A dare. A single kiss.That’s all it took to flip my world upside down.I’ve always classified myself as straight, and as far as I can tell, so has he.I didn’t think one kiss would change that, but I was so wrong.Now, I can’t stop thinking about him. In all the ways I shouldn’t.My best friend.Aspen...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult angst friends-benefits dual-pov forced proximity queer anal sex -
Stick Shift by K.M. Neuhold
Is it possible my straight best friend had a sudden stick shift?I made peace with my hopeless crush on my straight best friend, Journey, years ago. It helps that he’s never in the country long and our relationship consists of sporadic texts and video chats at odd hours.Now Journey is back. Back in the country, in my space, sharing my bed, and something is changing between us... -
Triple Trouble by Jesse H Reign
Two dude-bros, one beautiful femme boy, and a game of gay chicken that goes badly awry…It’s fair to say my best friend Mat and I are looking for trouble when we head out for a wild night on the town, and boy, do we find it. We find it in the form of Trouble, a guy with long, silky black hair, doe eyes, and thick, fleshy lips... -
Fandom by Eden Finley
DENVEREveryone remembers the night the boy band Eleven broke up. Hearts shattered around the world, including my own.I made a mistake, and I’ve been avoiding bandmate Mason Nash ever since.At first it was hard, but eighteen months ago, he made it easier by leaving Hollywood and disappearing.When Eleven reunion talks start, I’m against it completely...Categorized as:
friends to lovers queer angst found-family tortured hero first-person-pov dual-pov caretaking -
Method Acting by N.R. Walker
Chase SoriaEvery budding actor knows acting is a difficult gig. There will be grueling auditions and punishing rejections. If you’re lucky, there’ll be roles that pay the bills and even roles that won’t.Roles we don’t believe in.But that’s what acting is—acting as if we do believe in them.So when the semester’s production project is announced and I’m cast as one of the leads, I’m ecstatic...Categorized as:
found-family grumpy sunshine new adult forced proximity queer sunny hero dual-pov anal sex -
Fakers with Benefits by Willow Dixon
Just when I think my life can’t get any weirder, a mysterious stranger comes to the club and offers me a crap-ton of cash to pose as his boyfriend for ninety days.The job sounds simple enough. Evan is as rich as he is hot, and he says he doesn’t expect anything from me other than my acting skills. If we can pull it off and fool his friends and family, he gets his inheritance... -
Mistletoe and Mishigas by M.A. Wardell
Sheldon Soleskin should be having a horrible day. Even though he’s been unexpectedly transferred to a new school right before the holidays, has only one day to set up his new classroom, and just discovered his twin sister's been hiding an invitation to his ex-boyfriend’s Christmas Eve wedding, he’s still ready to take on the world with a smile on his face and a skip in his step... -
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Not Catching Love by Saxon James
Xander There’s something seriously wrong with me. For once, I’m not talking about the health anxiety that randomly pops up and wreaks havoc on my life. I'm talking about, well, everything else...Categorized as:
queer new adult hurt-comfort anal sex first-person-pov angst found-family sweet-hero -
The Weight of It All by N.R. Walker
After being dumped by his long-term boyfriend for being overweight, Henry Beckett decides to make some drastic changes. In a vain attempt at getting his boyfriend back, Henry does the most absurdly frightening thing he can think of. He joins a gym. Reed Henske is a personal trainer who isn’t sure he’ll ever be ready to date again... -
Easy Does It by K.M. Neuhold
I've never shied away from the hard things in life. But falling in love with Lux… EASY has never felt so good. Most of the guys on Palm Island call me the token straight guy. The truth is, I'm not so much straight as I'm just… nothing. Asexual, demi, the label doesn't make much of a difference to me...Categorized as:
friends to lovers queer found-family dual-pov sunny hero anal sex sweet-hero first-person-pov -
Between the Pipes by J.J. Mulder, Ivanna Nashkolna
Nico Mackenzie is angry and argumentative— in every way, he is the exact opposite of NHL goaltender Anthony Lawson. Thrown together for a summer of coaching college hockey at South Carolina University, Anthony makes every effort to be friendly; Nico, on the other hand, seems intent on being infuriating and keeping the other man at arm’s length...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity grumpy sunshine sunny hero height-difference dual-pov first-person-pov angst -
Boyfriend Goals by Riley Hart
MiloUnusual. Quirky. Different. I’ve heard it all. I’ve accepted I’m not for everyone. Maybe not anyone.When I find out I inherited a bookstore and apartment on a small East Coast island, I jump at the chance for a new life.Turns out, I’ve also inherited a sexy, tattooed guy who not only rents the space next to my store for his tattoo parlor but my apartment too... -
The Remarkable Lover by Maya Jean
JacksonDreams collapse in the blink of an eye, I know that better than anyone after losing my career as an athlete. Now I spend my days giving people pleasure for pay and playing with stocks. Most of my friends have settled in Clay Springs, Florida. A sleepy little town that moves slower than molasses...Categorized as:
found-family hurt-comfort grumpy sunshine friends to lovers queer sunny hero tortured hero dual-pov -
From Coast to Coast by J.J. Mulder
NHL forward Remy Stone steps off the plane in Calgary a newly divorced man. While he doesn’t necessarily want to live in Canada, the trade offered a good excuse for a fresh start and he means to capitalize on it.Defenseman Grayson Brody has played most of his career with Calgary, but has long fallen out of love with his team... -
Except You by Cora Rose
A straight man walks into a gay bar searching for meaning…It sounds like the start of a lousy joke. And honestly, that’s what my life is beginning to feel like. I look back at all the hateful things I’ve said and done—so many things I can’t take back—and I’m not proud. I let my ignorance steal my relationship with my youngest brother, Magnus...Categorized as:
queer dual-pov friends to lovers first-person-pov angst anal sex sunny hero sweet-hero -
Flash by K.M. Neuhold
Lewis tattoos himself on my brain instantly. Too bad this whole situation is about to get messier than spilled ink. LewisClingy, needy, Too MuchJust a few choice words from men who never deserved me anyway.I'm not going to make the same mistakes again though. I plan to ride the motorcycle hottie of my dreams just until we both get bored... -
Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley, Saxon James
Tripp The worst part of being in love with my straight best friend is the fact he’s too oblivious to see it.Years of pining have left me exhausted, and I need a break from Dex. I need space to get over my feelings. But when his relationship falls apart and he turns to me for comfort, I cave immediately.If there’s one thing I hate more than being hurt, it’s seeing Dex struggle...Categorized as:
friends to lovers sunny hero anal sex dual-pov sweet-hero queer forced proximity new adult -
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Spotlight by Eden Finley
RyderWhen I quit the biggest boy band on the planet, I was supposed to get my life back.It’s not that I wanted to leave the spotlight. I felt like I had to for my daughter. Her picture shouldn’t be splashed all over the tabloids.I thought I could do this parenting thing on my own, but it’s obvious I need help. I just didn’t expect to find it in the form of a gorgeous guy I meet by chance...Categorized as:
friends to lovers queer dual-pov first-person-pov angst sunny hero new adult grumpy sunshine -
Malicious Compliance by E.M. Lindsey
My life is good. I work from home, I answer to no one, and I pay my rent on time. In short, things are peaceful and solitary—exactly the way I like them. Yes, my apartment might be a dump with paper-thin walls and plumbing issues, but it’s mine all the same. And then he moves in...Categorized as:
angst forced proximity hurt-comfort grumpy sunshine queer m-m from hate to love contemporary -
Bossy by N.R. Walker
Michael Pietersen isn’t up for complications. He’s one of Sydney’s fastest-moving career-focused corporate realtors, and the only thing he has time for is one-night stands with zero fuss.Bryson Schroeder’s back home from two years overseas with plans to leave his family’s hotel empire and begin his own business ventures...Categorized as:
height-difference friends-benefits queer anal sex dual-pov first-person-pov sweet-hero sunny hero -
Dirty Trick by K.M. Neuhold
Can you be friends with benefits with a guy who hates you? What about enemies with benefits instead?My plan to lick every cupcake Boston wants until he realizes I’m his only option might actually work out…Was pretending to sleep with tons of men to keep my crush from hooking up with them a Dirty Trick? Sure. Do I regret it? Not one bit... -
Charlie Sunshine by Lily Morton
Sometimes love is a lot closer to home than you think.Charlie Burroughs can’t keep a man. All he wants is a good relationship like the ones he sees his friends having, but none of the men he picks ever work out. Despite him trying to be the perfect boyfriend, the men are either threatened by his looks or his epilepsy or a combination of the two...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult grumpy sunshine sunny hero first-person-pov dual-pov queer sweet-hero -
Jingle Bells & Mistletoe by Sammi Cee
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsJonathan watched all of his friends fall in love, get married, and grow their families. All he’s ever wanted is a relationship as wonderful as the one his parents have always had...
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