Books Like Daydream
by Hannah Grace
Daydream is a campus hockey romance built on a tidy, high‑stakes premise: bookish Halle Jacobs wants to write the romance of her dreams but feels she hasn’t lived enough to do it; Henry Turner is the reluctant new hockey captain who needs tutoring to pass a class he can’t afford to fail. They strike a pragmatic bargain — she tutors, he fake‑dates her so she can mine material — and the novel runs on the consequences of that deal. Structurally it’s told in alternating first‑person POV, which keeps the voice immediate and lets you live both the tutoring scenes and the locker‑room pressure. Tonally it balances romcom banter and campus‑level pressure with the more intimate, slow-unfolding emotional beats that make fake‑dating feel risky.
When recommending similar books I separate what readers usually mean by “books like this.” Some readers want another hockey or sports setting; others want alternating POVs and sharp banter; some want the fake‑dating mechanic or a heroine who’s bookish and awkward next to a confident athletic lead. Below are nine picks chosen so you can pick by which of those threads you most want to follow — from close hockey‑romance matches to looser emotional or structural cousins.
Recommended for fans of Daydream
The Deal
Elle Kennedy
College hockey, fake-dating, alternating POV, sharp banter and rivals-to-lovers heat.
Pick this if you want the most direct parallel — alternating POVs, campus hockey, sharp banter and a fake‑dating setup.
Him
Sarina Bowen
Hockey-centered romance with alternating POVs and heartfelt slow-burn emotional payoff.
Pick this if you liked the emotional depth delivered by alternating voices and want a hockey romance that prioritizes slow, heartfelt payoff.
Pucked
Helena Hunting
Irreverent hockey romcom with loud chemistry, banter, and sports-team hijinks.
Pick this if you want bigger comedy, team hijinks and chemistry turned up to eleven; this leans more into romcom silliness than Daydream’s quieter moments.
Kulti
Mariana Zapata
Athlete-coach dynamics, slow-burn tension and grounded emotional growth.
Pick this if you prefer a very slow‑burn, character‑driven relationship with grounded emotional growth rather than fast plot movement.
The Hating Game
Sally Thorne
Alternating POV, fierce enemies-to-lovers chemistry and witty, workplace-style banter.
Pick this if you wanted the alternating POV and the sharp, flirtatious banter but don’t need a sports setting — this is more workplace/office‑style tension than campus hockey.
The Kiss Quotient
Helen Hoang
Bookish heroine learning intimacy through an arranged partnership, big emotional payoff.
Pick this if you responded to Halle’s bookishness and the idea of learning intimacy through a practical arrangement; the emotional framing is similar even if the context differs.
Easy
Tammara Webber
College/new-adult setting, emotional stakes, and relationship growth amid campus life.
Pick this if you’re drawn to campus life and the higher personal stakes of young adulthood; this is closer on setting and tone than on sports specifics.
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
Christina Lauren
Playful fake-friendship-to-dating energy, quirky heroine, and romcom warmth.
Pick this if you liked the fake‑dating/fake‑relationship energy but want a quirkier, more extroverted heroine — a mood match rather than a structural twin.
The Friend Zone
Abby Jimenez
Funny, emotionally honest contemporary romance with high-stakes personal growth.
Pick this if you want contemporary romcom humor paired with serious personal growth; it’s a looser fit on the sports angle but strong on tone and emotional stakes.
At a glance
Matches were chosen on three axes: hockey/sports setting, the fake‑dating/relationship bargain mechanic, and narrative voice (alternating first‑person POV and romcom banter). Percent matches reflect how many of those elements each pick shares.
| Book | First published | Pages | Closest match on | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Deal Elle Kennedy | 2000 | 388 | College hockey & fake‑dating | 95% |
Him Sarina Bowen | 2015 | 356 | Alternating POV hockey | 90% |
Pucked Helena Hunting | 2015 | 392 | Loud romcom energy | 85% |
Kulti Mariana Zapata | 2015 | 570 | Slow‑burn athlete romance | 82% |
The Hating Game Sally Thorne | 2016 | 379 | Alternating‑POV enemies‑to‑lovers | 80% |
The Kiss Quotient Helen Hoang | 2018 | 336 | Bookish heroine arc | 78% |
Easy Tammara Webber | 2012 | 336 | College/new‑adult stakes | 75% |
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating Christina Lauren | 2018 | 315 | Playful fake‑friendship vibe | 74% |
The Friend Zone Abby Jimenez | 2019 | 384 | Humor with emotional honesty | 70% |
About Daydream
Daydream is Book 3 in Hannah Grace’s Maple Hills college sports romance series. It’s explicitly a hockey romance with alternating first‑person narration, a fake‑dating plot, and a tutoring‑for‑dates bargain between Halle Jacobs and Henry Turner.
Frequently asked questions
Which recommendation is the closest to Daydream’s hockey setting?+
The Deal by Elle Kennedy is the closest fit — it’s a college hockey romance with fake‑dating and alternating POVs, matching Daydream on setting and structure.
I loved the alternating first‑person voices. Which should I try next?+
Him by Sarina Bowen uses alternating POVs in a hockey context and leans into slow emotional payoff — a strong follow for readers who liked seeing both sides of Halle and Henry.
I want something that captures the romcom humor and loud chemistry more than the sports details.+
Pucked by Helena Hunting is a good choice: it emphasizes irreverent romcom energy, team hijinks and loud chemistry over the procedural sports realism.
Are there picks for a quieter, slow‑burn emotional arc?+
Kulti by Mariana Zapata offers a much slower burn focused on emotional growth between an athlete and the person who upends his life — it’s a tone match for readers who want depth over speed.
Which pick is best if I liked Halle’s bookish heroine who learns about intimacy through an arranged partnership?+
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang explores a bookish heroine learning intimacy through an arranged/contracted relationship and delivers a big emotional payoff similar to Halle’s arc.
More books by Hannah Grace
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