Book picks similar to
Like I Never Said by C.W. Farnsworth


arc
sports-romance
young-adult
college-young-adult

The Bad Boy Bargain


Kendra C. Highley - 2016
    But then sweet ballet dancer Faith Gladwell asks him to help wreck her reputation, and everything goes sideways.Faith knows a thing or two about love, and what she had with her cheating jerk of an ex wasn’t it. When he starts spreading rumors about her being an Ice Queen, Faith decides it’s time to let a little bad into her life.Lucky for her, Kyle Sawyer—dark, dangerous, totally swoonworthy Kyle Sawyer—is landscaping her backyard over Spring Break. Shirtless. And if she can convince him to play along, “dating” Kyle will silence the rumors.But Faith’s plan threatens to expose Sawyer’s biggest secret of all…and that’s a risk he’s not willing to take.Disclaimer: This book contains drop-the-book-and-fan-yourself kisses...and touches. Fall in love with a bad boy at your own risk.

First Down Darling


Tabatha Kiss - 2022
    Follow the syllabus.2. Don’t date the undergrads.Easy enough. I’m a science nerd with a Graduate thesis to write. My weekend plans don’t exactly include doing keg stands at the Alpha Delta Xi house.But when the fastest halfback in college football shows up in the front row of my chemistry class, the rules start to seem... a little more like guidelines to me.Hello, John Kirby.Farewell, my V-card.If anyone finds out about us, I could lose a lot more than my inhibitions.But John isn’t like any guy I’ve ever dated. He’s clever. And loyal. And ripped like a sheet.I can believe him when he says he’ll never hurt me. Right?We broke the rules.I never expected him to break my heart, too.First Down Darling is a steamy stand-alone sports romance guaranteed to tug your heartstrings. It was originally published as Johnny Deeper and In Too Deep. This new edition includes brand-new and extended scenes not available in the original version.Want more Chicago North University? Don’t miss the first book in the Kings of Chicago North series Touchdown Baby!

Runaways


Nicole Dykes - 2021
    . .You’ve heard about kids running away, but do we ever truly know why they run?Rae and Law had no choice. Forced to run when life let them down, when it was either leave or be subjected to an unimaginable fate.Can they survive?Two young people, completely alone on the streets with nothing but each other.This is their story.Can love win? Or will the big, bad world be even more cruel than what they had to face in their small hometown?For Raelynn Sanders and Lawson Davis, anything is possible as long as they have each other.Trigger Warning: this book deals with sensitive topics such as verbal and physical assault/intimidation. There is no rape, but some uncomfortable situations are mentioned and occur on page.

Pretty Reckless


L.J. Shen - 2019
    Shen comes an intense, high school enemies-to-lovers romance with a twist. Penn They say revenge is a dish best served cold. I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart was completely iced. I took her first kiss. She took the only thing I loved. I was poor. She was rich. The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast. Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project. Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much. Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother. There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears. Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess. Daria Everyone loves a good old unapologetic punk. But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way. The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you. In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day. Four years ago, he asked me to save all my firsts for him. Now he lives across the hall, and I want nothing more than to be his last everything. His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free. Now? Now he is making me pay.

Dear Ava


Ilsa Madden-Mills - 2020
    Once upon a time, I wanted to be part of their world--until they destroyed me.The last thing I expected was an anonymous love letter from one of them.Please. I hate every one of those rich jerks for what they did to me. The question is, which Shark is my secret admirer?Knox, the scarred quarterback.Dane, his twin brother.Or Chance, the ex who dumped me. . .Dear Ava,Your eyes are the color of the Caribbean Sea.Wait. That's stupid.What I really mean is, you look at me and I feel something REAL.It's been ten months since you were here, but I can't forget you.I've missed seeing you walk down the hall.I've missed you cheering at my football games.I've missed the smell of your hair.And then everything fell apart the night of the kegger.Don't hate me because I'm a Shark.I just want to make you mine.Still.Mature Content. Recommended for 18+.A short excerpt of Dear Ava appeared in Team Player 2. (No longer available) This all-new, full-length version is 376 pages and 100,000 words.

Ace of Hearts


Ella Goode - 2019
    High marks in all her classes are the path to being a cardiothoracic surgeon like her beloved stepdad. She has no plans on falling for anyone, especially not the hot jock who keeps staring at her. The athletes at FU High have the worst reputation and she refuses to let one climb into her jeans—no matter how nice Owen “Fast” McCoy seems. It only takes one look for Owen to know that Alice “Ace” Alister is the girl for him. He’s eighteen but he knows what he wants—a successful football season and the new transfer. He’ll do whatever it takes to achieve those goals from extra practices to joining the sewing club. He won’t give up until he becomes the ace of her heart.

Rebellious


Kristy Marie - 2021
    No cuddling. No blah, blah, blah. He wrote the rules onto our skin—every ink stroke tragically smeared by the lines we’d crossed. He claimed it was the only way we could be together—the only way we wouldn’t destroy our families.But there was an exception to his rules—one he never saw coming.All I needed was opportunity and a sunburn. The girl who played by his rules is gone. This girl… is not his “friend.”

The Upside of Falling


Alex Light - 2020
    But when her former best friend teases her for not having a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she’s been secretly seeing someone.Brett Wells has it all. Being captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom. When he overhears Becca’s lie, Brett decides to step in and be her mystery guy. It’s the perfect solution: he gets people off his back for not dating and she can keep up the ruse.Acting like the perfect couple isn’t easy though, especially when you barely know the other person. But with Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world was blown apart years ago and Brett just barely holding his together now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. When the line between real and pretend begins to blur, they are forced to answer the question: is this fake romance the realest thing in either of their lives?

Frayed


Laura Pavlov - 2021
    Innocent girl next door. Two different worlds. One small town. A million reasons why they should have stayed away from one another.My life was mapped out for me before I even entered the world.Who I'd date, where I’d attend college, what I'd be when I grew up.But there was a time in everyone's life when they'd face a fork in the road.Should I go left, or should I go right?It didn't matter as long as I didn't remain stagnant any longer.Jett Stone opened me up to a whole new world.Reminding me that it was okay to find my own way.I could have roots in Willow Springs and still spread my wings and fly.What I didn't expect was to fall in love with the broody football player.The boy I’d known since kindergarten.The boy who had somehow become my everything.

The Playbook


K.G. Reuss - 2021
    When my rival bets me to get the school nerd to fall in love with me, I accept the challenge. After all, I never lose.I just didn’t count on falling for her instead. She’s everything I didn’t expect. Sassy. Beautiful. Challenging. And she plays drums like a rock star. I can’t let her go now that I have her. My heart won’t let me.The only problem? There’s a video out there that could ruin it all. The truth always comes back to bite you. Too bad I’m learning it too late.GraceStaying invisible and wearing hoodies is my game. I’m a master at being a nobody. I’m fine with that. In fact, I celebrate my anonymity every Saturday night with scary movies and my own band of outcasts.When I land on Mr. Popular’s radar, I find myself in the center of the very place I’ve never wanted to be part of: the world of the court. The elite of our school.And the king has his baby blue eyes set on me.The only problem? Sometimes the truth hurts. Too bad I’m about to find out how much.The Playbook is a standalone high school romance. Trigger warning for adult situations and bullying.

Like You Care


Kaydence Snow - 2020
    I want to be seen.I want him to see me.I'm not who he thinks I am but I'm starting to suspect he's not all he says he is either.Just my luck that he starts to make friends with my tormentors. How am I supposed to tell him who I really am? How am I supposed to show him my true face? What if the boy I'm falling in love with decides I'm nothing too?*Like You Care is a part of the Bully Me Anthology. In the Bully Me Anthology, this was a 30k novella. This is now the complete book. *

The Sky Between Us


Mia Kun - 2021
    Some mistakes leave a mark on us and we have to carry their consequences forever.”HazelSix years ago, my life fell apart and ever since I was living within those broken pieces.Until I met him.The moment I walked into the Starbucks on my first day of work and laid eyes on him, everything changed.He saw me.For the first time in three years, I wasn’t invisible. I’ve grown used to staying on the sidelines and living in the shadows until I met him.Aiden Hitchings was my father’s favorite player. Our university’s soccer star. The one who lived in the spotlight.I knew I shouldn’t have tempted fate, but falling for him wasn’t a choice. History was about to repeat itself, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.AidenLast year of college was going to be epic. Juggling our NCAA Championship, coursework and my part-time job at Starbucks wasn’t easy, but it was all going to pay off once I signed my professional contract. That was before she walked in.The hazel-eyed girl with a sharp tongue, the one who always blended into the background, was staring right back at me. The Coach’s daughter, one I should have avoided at any cost but kept being drawn to. She shattered my carefully built-up world and inked herself deep into my soul.But she carried a secret with her that stood between us, slowly breaking us.And for the first time in my life, I lost control and I felt helpless.

Until You're Mine


Cindi Madsen - 2018
    No one cares about personal reasons when it comes to losing fights and money. I’m determined to get back to where I was. For you to hear my name again. I’ve finally convinced the owner of Team Domination to take a chance and get me back in fighting—and winning—shape. What I didn’t bargain for is the guy’s spitfire of a daughter. Factor in her two professional-fighter brothers who are acting as my coaches and the fact that my career hangs in the balance, and Brooklyn’s the last girl I should be fantasizing about. The closer we get, the more I want Brooklyn. The stakes are high, and I know there’s a big chance of both of us getting hurt, but I won’t stop until she’s mine.

Defining Us


Karen Deen - 2022
    I chose for you to live your dream life.Even if it would never include me!Yet the universe had other ideas.A steamy night, and the muttering of the words,‘Just this one time’.We try walking away,but the attraction keeps drawing us back.Time and time again,it’s the dance we keep performing.Until that one night, discovering your truth,of the life you’ve been living.And finally, everything comes crumbling down.Promises broken, lips colliding, and the heat that can no longer be denied.Will the universe finally win? Or is this the end of the sensual dance, with our words echoing ‘one last time’.

Suddenly Forbidden


Ella Fields - 2018
     We were never meant to let go, but it happened anyway. Too bad I didn’t know someone was waiting to take my place, or I would've held on a lot tighter. Two years later, we were exactly where we'd always planned to be. I'd kept my promise. He'd forgotten all about his. Not only had he moved on, but the person he'd moved on with was my best friend, leaving me to begin college with a broken heart. I guess this is the part where I’m supposed to tell you some other guy stepped in, repaired my shattered pieces, and made me smile again. This isn't that kind of story. My heart might have been broken, but it refused to fall out of love. WARNING: this book contains cheating.Each book in the Gray Springs world can be read as a standalone.