Books Like Overtime
by Avery Keelan
Overtime is built around a tight set of romantic mechanics: a college hockey player who transferred mid-season and is laser-focused on going pro, an ex who returns looking for forgiveness, and a strategic fake relationship that slides into real feelings. The story trades slow-burn build for locker-room immediacy and career stakes — practices, games and draft dreams are constant background pressure — and the emotional arc moves from guarded ambition to unexpected vulnerability.
Readers might have been drawn to different parts of that setup: the faux-couple cover that lets two fiercely career-minded characters lower their defenses; the sports-world texture of teammates, training and public rumor; or the friends-to-lovers chemistry that turns a mutual agreement into messy desire. Below are picks chosen by which of those elements they share with Avery Keelan’s book — fake-dating mechanics, collegiate hockey or sports-romance tone — so you can grab the next book that scratches the same itch you loved most.
Recommended for fans of Overtime
The Deal
Elle Kennedy
College hockey, fake-dating-to-love, steamy friends-to-lovers arc.
Pick this if you want the same campus hockey world and the precise fake-dating-to-love arc; this is the closest match to Overtime.
The Score
Elle Kennedy
Same campus hockey world with emotional growth and sports tension.
Pick this if you liked the team politics and emotional growth inside a college hockey program — same world, similar ups and downs.
The Mistake
Elle Kennedy
Off-campus college romance with strong chemistry and emotional stakes.
Pick this if you want off-campus college romance with charged chemistry and emotional stakes; it's not hockey-specific but nails the heat and heartbreak.
Pucked
Helena Hunting
Brash hockey pro, witty banter, and plenty of steaminess.
Pick this if you're after a cocky, pro-hockey hero and fast, raunchy banter; it's steamier and more overtly comedic than Overtime's college setting.
Intercepted
Alexa Martin
Football-player romance, enemies-to-lovers energy, flirty fake-relationship vibes.
Pick this if you'd swap hockey for football but keep the flirty fake‑relationship energy; it's more enemies-to-lovers-adjacent than a straight fake-dating twin.
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me
Mariana Zapata
Slow-burn sports romance featuring a professional athlete and emotional payoff.
Pick this if you want a slow-burn, emotionally deep sports romance with a professional athlete — this is much slower and moodier than Overtime.
Kulti
Mariana Zapata
Soccer pro and protagonist, slow-burn tension and eventual romantic payoff.
Pick this if you prefer a soccer pro's slow-burn tension and eventual payoff; like #6, it’s a patient read rather than a quick collegiate arc.
The Baller
Vi Keeland
Football-player hero, steamy contemporary romance with career-focused leads.
Pick this if you want a modern, steam-forward romance about a career-focused athlete; it's football-centric and a looser tonal match for Overtime.
The Hook Up
Kristen Callihan
College football setting, playful banter, friends-to-lovers and heat.
Pick this if you enjoyed the college setting, playful banter and friends-to-lovers feel; this one leans football but matches the campus rom-com energy.
At a glance
Matches emphasize three dimensions: the college/sports setting (especially hockey), the fake-dating/friends-to-lovers structure, and the level of steam and emotional stakes. Percentages reflect how many of those elements a pick shares with Overtime.
| Book | First published | Pages | Closest match on | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Deal Elle Kennedy | 2000 | 388 | College hockey fake‑dating | 96% |
The Score Elle Kennedy | 2016 | 354 | Campus hockey tension | 88% |
The Mistake Elle Kennedy | 2015 | 302 | Romance inspired by real stakes | 85% |
Pucked Helena Hunting | 2015 | 392 | Brash pro-hockey banter | 82% |
Intercepted Alexa Martin | 2018 | 308 | Athlete fake‑relationship vibes | 78% |
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me Mariana Zapata | 2016 | 608 | Slow‑burn athlete romance | 75% |
Kulti Mariana Zapata | 2015 | 570 | Slow-burn pro tension | 74% |
The Baller Vi Keeland | 2016 | 284 | Career-focused steam | 72% |
The Hook Up Kristen Callihan | 2015 | 352 | Playful college sports heat | 70% |
About Overtime
Overtime is Book 3 in Avery Keelan’s Rules of the Game college hockey romance series. Its plot centers on a mid-season transfer player determined to reach the pros who enters a fake relationship with Chloe when his ex reappears; their agreement evolves into a friends-to-lovers, steamy contemporary romance.
Frequently asked questions
Which book most closely mirrors the fake-dating-to-real-feelings arc in Overtime?+
The Deal by Elle Kennedy is the closest match: it pairs college hockey, a fake-relationship premise and a friends-to-lovers arc with explicit romance and team dynamics.
I loved the hockey setting — which picks have the same campus/team vibe?+
The Deal and The Score by Elle Kennedy share the campus hockey world and locker-room culture. Pucked by Helena Hunting gives a pro-hockey angle with similar banter and steam if you want an older-player setting.
Want a slower emotional payoff rather than a quick heat-up — which book should I try?+
For a slow-burn, emotionally patient athlete hero, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata is the best fit here; its pace and depth of feeling differ from Overtime’s college tempo.
Are there books that swap hockey for another sport but keep the energy?+
Yes. Intercepted by Alexa Martin and The Baller by Vi Keeland move the action to football while keeping the athlete-career focus and flirty or steamy contemporary romance beats.
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