MM childhood friends to lovers 📚

2025/12/21 Edited to

... Read moreThe story of childhood friends reconnecting after years apart is a beloved trope in romance literature, and this MM basketball romance adds a fresh, emotional twist to the genre. When the college basketball star, who can't seem to stay away from his past, meets his childhood best friend again—but now claims he doesn’t remember him—it sets the stage for a complex journey of rediscovery and healing. This narrative explores themes of second chances and hurt comfort, which resonate deeply with readers who appreciate characters overcoming emotional barriers and misunderstandings. The setting in a college environment enriched by the sports angle, particularly basketball, introduces high-energy scenes that complement the intimate moments between the characters, providing a balanced pace and a dynamic backdrop. The phrase "It's always been you" encapsulates the underlying emotional truth in stories of friends-to-lovers, emphasizing unspoken love and the enduring bond formed during childhood. Such stories often highlight the safety and familiarity of childhood friendships, evolving into passionate adult relationships. For fans of MM romance and those who enjoy sports-themed romantic storytelling, this book offers both a compelling plot and relatable characters. It also fits well within the broader category of "less than perfect" love stories, where flaws and past wounds become central to character development and connection. Mark your calendar for the February 23rd release to experience this heartfelt reunion and the rollercoaster of emotions that come with confronting forgotten memories and embracing love anew. Whether you're a longtime fan of the genre or exploring MM romance for the first time, this story promises to deliver warmth, tension, and the timeless joy of rediscovered love.

Related posts

MM ex best friends to lovers 📚
Faultless by Marie Socray #friends to lovers #lemon8bookclub #mmromancebooks #romancebooks #mlmbooks
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

310 likes

A person with braids and glasses, wearing a brown hoodie and gold necklaces, looks at the camera. Text overlay reads "1 FUJO, 10 CHILDHOOD-FRIENDS TO LOVERS BL", indicating a recommendation list.
A hand holds the manga "Nagahama To Be, Or Not To Be" by Scarlet Beriko. The cover features two men's faces, one with a cigarette and the other with a red flower in his mouth.
A hand holds the manga "Play Me Softly" by Kakeru Tsukino. The cover shows two men, one with dark hair embracing a blond man, against a yellow and pink background.
10 childhood friends to lovers bl mangas
I have been really into childhood friends stories they are so cuteeee!!! have you read any of these, going to read any of these? #blmanga #blmanhwa #fujoshi #childhoodfriendstolovers #mangarecommendation
Buff Fujoshi

Buff Fujoshi

11 likes

MM ex best friends to lovers
#college romance #lemon8bookclub #mmromancebooks #mmbookrecs
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

58 likes

Childhood friends to lovers, hockey romance 🤍
Melt the Ice, book one in the Tampa Bay Hawks series, out now on KU and Paperback! Tropes: 🩵It’s always been you 💛Black cat x golden retriever 🩵Hockey meets small-town romance 💛Childhood friends to lovers 🩵Forced proximity 💛Romantic suspense 🩵Dual POV 💛Found family 🩵Fade to black
Author Lindsey Saenz

Author Lindsey Saenz

68 likes

Best Friends to Lovers books!
📖 The Moment Promised • ~Tropes~ 🎀Childhood friends to lovers🎀 🎀Small Town🎀 🎀Banter galore🎀 🎀Found family🎀 🎀One bed🎀 #friendstolovers #BookReview #romancebooks #romancebookrecommendations
Amber Evergreen 📚

Amber Evergreen 📚

252 likes

An open book with the title "Love and Other Words" by Christina Lauren, partially covered by text overlays "IF YOU LOVED:" and "THEN READ...". Other book pages are visible in the background, suggesting a book recommendation.
A hand holds the pink-covered book "The Moment Promised" by Amber Evergreen. Text overlays highlight tropes like "He falls first," "One bed," "Banter galore," "plot twists," and "childhood friends to lovers." It also mentions availability on "KU & amazon."
A text excerpt from "The Moment Promised" is displayed, featuring dialogue about a man named Finn and setting standards for how one should be treated in a relationship. A small image of the book cover is in the top right corner.
Childhood friends to lovers rec🫶
📖 The Moment Promised • ~Tropes~ 🎀Childhood friends to lovers🎀 🎀Small Town🎀 🎀Banter galore🎀 🎀Found family🎀 🎀One bed🎀 • #indieauthor #romancebooks #romancebookrecs #contemporaryromance #cute little romance #childhoodfriendstolovers #friendstolovers
Amber Evergreen 📚

Amber Evergreen 📚

19 likes

A black and white image of a shirtless person, with text overlay: "When his basketball star ex-best friend KISSES him in front of a stadium full of people." The Lemon8 logo and username are at the bottom.
MM ex-best friends to lovers 📚
#friends to lovers #lemon8bookclub #booklemon8 #mmromancebooks #mmbookrecs
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

46 likes

A black and white image of a muscular, shirtless man. Overlay text reads: "The college student who was in love with his best friend as kids." Lemon8 logo and username are visible.
MM childhood friends to lovers rec 🧸
📖Faultless by Marie Socray coming in February! #lemon8bookclub #bookrecs #mmbookrecs #booksoflemon8 #mmromancebooks
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

3 likes

A black and white image shows the silhouette of a person, likely male, from the chest up, with an arm raised. Overlay text describes a college student in love with his childhood best friend. The Lemon8 logo and username are at the bottom.
MM childhood friends to lovers book rec
ARCs are open! Sign up w the link in my TikTok/instagram bio 📖 Faultless by Marie Socray #arcreadersneeded #arcreaderswanted #bookrecs #mmromancebooks #mmbookrecs
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

6 likes

A male basketball player in a black jersey dunks a basketball. An overlay reads, 'When the athlete is finally ready to cash in the wish he's been holding over his best friend's head.' The Lemon8 logo is in the bottom left corner.
MM childhood friends to lovers book rec
ARC signups are open! Link in bio 📖 Faultless by Marie Socray #close proximity #lemon8bookclub #Lemon8Diary #mmbookrecs #bookrecs
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

5 likes

Friends to lovers books 💗
📖 The Moment Promised • ~Tropes~ 🎀Childhood friends to lovers🎀 🎀Small Town🎀 🎀Banter galore🎀 🎀Found family🎀 🎀One bed🎀 • #friendstolovers #romancebooks #binding13 #booksoflemon8
Amber Evergreen 📚

Amber Evergreen 📚

88 likes

A black and white image of a muscular male torso with an arm raised, overlaid with text: "when he's supposed to be focused on the game but all he can think about is his ex-best friend." The Lemon8 logo is in the corner.
MM childhood friends to lovers rec
Imagine how excited he was when he finally spotted him 🤭 📖 Faultless by Marie Socray #lemon8bookclub #childhoodfriendtolovers #mmbookrecs #bookrecsoflemon8 #mmromancebooks
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

4 likes

A person in a two-toned long-sleeve shirt holds a drink, with white earphones around their neck, in a cafe setting. An overlay reads: "When he wears his popular ex-best friends jersey to the basketball game and ppl start to notice 👀".
MM ex best friends to lovers 📚
#best friends to lovers #lemon8bookclub #mmromancebooks #bookrecs #mmbookrecs
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

25 likes

childhood friends to lovers book recommendations
for all the girlies and besties who’ve had childhood crushes on a best friends sibling 💗✨ #lemon8bookchallenge #lemon8bookclub #lemon8bookworm #book #booktok #bookaesthetic #booksoflemon8 #bookrecommendations #bookrecs
Readers.archive

Readers.archive

302 likes

The banter of a childhood friends to lovers🙌🏼
You Light Me Up by Brooke Noel Free on Kindle Unlimited! Also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble! She just lost her mom and is an emotional wreck. He’s her best friends older brother who just wants her to be happy. Her world is full of darkness but he’s a light that cuts through it all
Brooke Noel

Brooke Noel

106 likes

A pink background with rose outlines features a quote in dark pink text: "DON'T LAUGH, BUT I LIKE TO THINK YOU AND I SHARE ONE SOUL. I'M MADE OF HALF, AND THE REST OF ME BELONGS TO YOU." Below it, "THE MOMENT PROMISED" is written, with a Lemon8 watermark at the bottom left.
Childhood friends to lovers book rec
📖 The Moment Promised • ~Tropes~ 🎀Childhood friends to lovers🎀 🎀Small Town🎀 🎀Banter galore🎀 🎀Found family🎀 🎀One bed🎀 • #indieauthor #selfpublishing #bookstagram #romance #romancebooks #romancebookrecs #contemporaryromance #friendstolovers
Amber Evergreen 📚

Amber Evergreen 📚

12 likes

Childhood Best Friends to Lovers BOOK REC!!! 📚💕
#booksummary 📚 Title and Author: Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren 🌟 Genre: Romance 💬 Short Summary: Macy and Elliot are the best of friends since a young age, and there is an obvious attraction between them as they start to get older. One day everything changes for their relationshi
Caitlyn Blunt

Caitlyn Blunt

56 likes

Childhood Friends to Lovers
Honestly, not my favorite trope… but these hit! Sometimes a well-done story can change your mind. Have you read any books like that? Let me know in the comments!” hashtags: #booklover #romancereader #bookworm #bookaddict #bookishvibes
Kris’s Booktok

Kris’s Booktok

12 likes

MM rivals to lovers romance 📚
Cuties 🥰 #romance✨ #cute romance 💘 #lemon8bookclub #mmbookrecs #mmbooks
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

567 likes

A basketball player in a black jersey dunks a ball, with text overlaying the image about a childhood best friend showing up to a game despite rocky terms. The Lemon8 logo and username @socray19 are visible in the bottom left corner.
MM childhood friends to lovers rec
Well who else would he wanna watch? 🧐 #mmbookrecs #booksoflemon8 #lemon8bookclub #bookrecommendations #queerbooks
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

2 likes

A black and white image shows two people embracing, with text overlay describing a 'golden boy' finding his 'stubborn rival' hurt and asking, 'Who did this to you?'
MM rivals to lovers 📚
#rivals to lovers #lemon8bookclub #romancebooks #mmromancebooks #mmbooks
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

132 likes

A bookstore aisle filled with various books, highlighted with a yellow outline. Pink text overlays read "Friends to lovers bookrecs," indicating a collection of recommended books for this trope. The image is from Lemon8 by @brenda.reads.
A hand holds the book "People We Meet on Vacation" by Emily Henry, featuring a cover with two people lounging. Text overlays describe it as having "Alex is THE book bf," "One bed trope," and being "the most perfect summer read."
A hand holds the book "November 9" by Colleen Hoover, with a white and red cover. Text overlays highlight key elements: "plot twist," "meet up every November 9th," "betrayal," and "Time jumps."
Friends to lovers 🍋
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes ever 🤌🏼 especially if it’s childhood friends to lovers. It just hits different. the tension, the angst, the yearning 🤌🏼 What are you favorite friends to lovers romance books? #booksoflemon8 #lemon8bookclub #lemon8bookclubchallenge #friendsto
brenda

brenda

44 likes

MM ex best friends to lovers 📚
👀👀 #friends to lovers #mmromancelovers #books #booksonlemon8 #mmromancebooks
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

69 likes

An illustration depicting a blonde man and a dark-haired woman, with text bubbles highlighting their actions that suggest they are more than 'just friends,' despite the title 'THEY SAY THEY'RE "JUST FRIENDS" BUT...'. The image promotes the book 'MELT THE ICE' and features a character wearing a 'Tampa Bay Hawks' shirt.
A graphic detailing ebook preorder incentives for 'MELT THE ICE,' showing the book cover and various tiers of rewards from 25 to 150, including a sticker pack, ticket bookmark, player card, art print, foam puck, signed copy, and PR box. Preorders close January 12.
A graphic detailing paperback preorder incentives for 'MELT THE ICE,' showing the book cover and various tiers of rewards from 75 to 150, including a player card, bracelet, foam puck, signed copy, and PR box. Additional incentives like a sticker pack, ticket bookmark, and art print are included in every paperback preorder. Preorders close January 12.
Childhood friends to lovers hockey Romance ✨
Add Melt the Ice to your goodreads TBR and pre0rder your ebook or paperback! ❤️ Melt the Ice, book one in the Tampa Bay Hawks series, releases January 13, 2026! Tropes: 🩵It’s always been you 💛Black cat x golden retriever 🩵Hockey meets small-town romance 💛Childhood friends to lovers
Author Lindsey Saenz

Author Lindsey Saenz

58 likes

Ex best friends to lovers 📚
#friends to lovers #lemon8bookclub #mmromancebooks #booktokfyp #mmbookrecs
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

51 likes

A grayscale book cover featuring the title 'MATTEO' in large black letters and 'EVA WINNERS' at the bottom. A skull-like image made of splattered liquid is in the center, giving a grunge aesthetic.
A close-up of a man and woman kissing, with the text 'Him: I won't kiss you again until you beg me for it.' overlaid. The woman has long blonde hair, and the man has a beard.
A woman, seen from behind, raising her middle finger, with the text 'Her:' overlaid. She has long blonde hair, wears a white and red top, and carries a patterned handbag.
Childhood friends to lovers
Coming 31 March 2025 #books #booksoflemon8 #bookshelves #booktok
Eva Winners

Eva Winners

7 likes

Childhood Enemies to Lovers 🖤
📖 Where I Belong by J. Daniels 📖 FREE in KU. 🖤 Best Friend’s Older Brother 🖤 Inexperienced Heroine 🖤 Small Town 🖤 Single Dad 🖤 Standalone
J. Daniels

J. Daniels

139 likes

A black and white photo of a young man looking down, with a tattoo on his forearm. An overlay text describes a POV where his childhood friend invites him to a game, hinting at a romance trope.
Childhood friends to lovers 📚
Can you do that for me? 😮‍💨 #books 📚 #lemon8bookclub #bookrecommendations #mmbookrecs #mmromancebooks
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

6 likes

A person wearing a two-tone t-shirt with a 'The North Face' logo holds a phone and an iced coffee in a cafe. Overlay text reads: 'He messed up with his ex best friend (who he's in love with) AGAIN... now he's groveling'.
MM ex best friends to lovers 📚
#lemon8bookclub #mmromancerecs #bookrecommemdations #bookrecsoflemon8 #mmbookrecs
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

6 likes

Childhood best friends to lovers
Creek Campus Book #1 : Always, From Then Until Now The story of Prim and Myles. Imagine being in love with your best friend since middle school… #👋spicy🌶️book🌶️readers❤️ #creekcampus #friendstolovers #romancebooks
N. A. Cole Author

N. A. Cole Author

7 likes

A basketball hoop with a ball, set against a blurred stadium background. Overlay text describes a POV of a player seeing his childhood friend in the stands after a past event, hinting at a romantic storyline.
Childhood friends to lovers 📚
Only to watch him, you say? 👀 #lemon8bookclub #bookwormsoflemon8 #bookrecs #mmbookrecs #mmromancebooks
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

7 likes

Childhood friends to lovers ✨
Lettie girl knows how to get what she wants. 😉 ARC sign ups are open with @lunaliterary.management until December 22. 🩷 Add Melt the Ice to your goodreads TBR and pre0rder your ebook or paperback! ❤️ Melt the Ice, book one in the Tampa Bay Hawks series, releases January 13, 2026! Tropes
Author Lindsey Saenz

Author Lindsey Saenz

11 likes

childhood friends to lovers romantic suspense
#friendstoloverstrope #smalltownromance #romanticsuspensebooks #possessivebookboyfriends
E.K. Adams | Author

E.K. Adams | Author

8 likes

A graphic titled "Three Books to read if you love the childhood friends to lovers trope." It features two silhouette images of couples, one close-up and one dancing on a beach at sunset, against a light brown background with polka dots.
A graphic featuring the book cover for "The Infinity Between Us" by N.S. Perkins, showing a beach sunset. Text highlights themes like "Beach setting," "Grief," "Forced proximity," and "Second chance romance," with a pink polka dot background.
A graphic featuring the book cover for "Every Summer After" by Carley Fortune, depicting two people jumping into a lake. Text highlights themes like "Lake setting," "Grief & death," "Coming of age," and "Heartbreak & reconciliation," with a light blue polka dot background.
Childhood Friends to Lovers Trope - Books to Read
This is my absolute favorite trope to read! There is just something about two kids innocently falling in love only to realize when they’re older how strong that love truly is. My favorite of the three is definitely The Infinity Between Us, but all three were really good reads. ⭐️ Rating: 4.5 (T
Molly Uden

Molly Uden

16 likes

A moody, close-up image of a person with dark hair and a ring, with text overlay: 'THE MOMENT HE REALIZES HE'S FALLING FOR HIS GUY BEST FRIEND AN ANGSTY MM ROMANCE' for the book 'Ruin My Life'.
A book page excerpt from 'Ruin My Life' by Julia E McColgan, highlighting phrases like 'He's beautiful' and 'How do you tell your new best friend he's completely captivated you?', against a blurred background.
A book cover for 'Ruin My Life' by Julia E. McColgan, featuring character blurbs for Remy and Win, and a list of tropes including 'Dual timelines', 'Second chance', and 'Mental illness rep'.
Friends to Lovers MM Romance?! YES PLEASE
📚: Ruin My Life By Julia E McColgan releases March 2025 📖 BLURB Remy: Six years ago, I made the critical mistake of falling in love with my best friend. Even worse? He fell for me too. But beautiful things are fleeting. The onset of my depression blinded me to the warning signs and when I neede
Julia E. McColgan Author

Julia E. McColgan Author

15 likes

friends to lovers & enemies to lovers recs
🎀The Moment Promised🎀 and 💙Her Pretty Words💙 are available on Kindle Unlimited, Amazon, and you can get a signed copy from my Tiktok shop! #enemiestoloversbookrecommendations #reversegrumpysunshine #SlowBurnRomance #spicyenemiestolovers #friendstolovers #friendstoloversromance
Amber Evergreen 📚

Amber Evergreen 📚

9 likes

MM rivals to lovers romance 📚
🥰 #romance✨ #lemon8bookclub #cute romance 💘 #mmbooks #mmbookrecs
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

60 likes

A text excerpt from a romantic suspense book, showing a humorous argument between characters Bo and the narrator, with Bo's parents commenting on their long-standing feuds, including a past Pokémon card incident.
A continuation of the book excerpt, where Bo and the narrator argue over a card, and Kathy intervenes. A note describes Bo as a military veteran and police chief, and the narrator as his childhood best friend.
The book cover for 'Caught in Iron Sights (Hearts of Ironridge Book 3)' by E.K. Adams, featuring a man and a woman against a mountain backdrop, framed by a sniper scope reticle.
Friends to lovers romantic suspense book series
#friends to lovers #cute romance 💘 #romanticsuspense #romanticsuspensebooks
E.K. Adams | Author

E.K. Adams | Author

121 likes

Childhood friends to lovers 📚
Sparks flying 🎆🎇 #lemon8bookclub #bookrecs #mmbookrecs #mmromancebooks #booksoflemon8
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

3 likes

A black and white image shows two individuals lying close together, one resting their head on the other. An overlay reads, 'POV: it's the middle of the night and he can't sleep so his rival stays tries to stay awake with him so he won't feel alone.'
MM rivals to lovers 📚
My heartttt 🥹 #romance ✨ #lemon8bookclub #mmbookrecs #rivalstolovers #mmromancebooks
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

28 likes

A split image showing an adult couple looking at each other with a quote about being in love, and below, a young boy with a football and a young girl sitting in a field with a quote about childhood love.
A black and white image of two people embracing on a sports field, overlaid with repeated text about being in love 'when we were something' and 'when we were nothing'.
A book cover for 'Facts and Feelings' by Farrah Colson, featuring a couple and a dog, alongside a list of themes like 'Witty Banter,' 'Best Friends,' 'Dual Timelines,' and 'Second Chances,' with 'Available for pre-order!'.
Childhood Best Friends to Strangers to Lovers ❤️‍🩹
I love a dual timeline, and if you do, too, you’ll LOVE the flashbacks in this book starting at age ten. You get to see them come-of-age, become estranged, and reconnect at age 30. It’s a complete second chance love story! Save Facts and Feelings to your TBR today 🫶🏻❤️🥹 #lemon8bookclub #bookwo
Farrah Colson 📚✍️

Farrah Colson 📚✍️

10 likes

A close-up of two people's arms and hands, with text describing a scene where a character follows his rival into a bathroom after the rival's girlfriend throws liquid on him.
A dimly lit, graffiti-covered public bathroom with a sink and mirror, featuring the text: "Rough times?" I tried to joke.
A dimly lit, graffiti-covered public bathroom with a sink and mirror, featuring the text: He didn't laugh.
MM rivals to lovers romance 📚💜
which is saying something bc Eli is really easy to get mad at 😭 📚 Effortless by Marie Socray ❗️Preorder your copy today❗️ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHQC8R5C?ref_=pe_93986420_775043100 Blurb: Elias Richardson needs to be the best. After skipping the second grade and maintaining a 4.
Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

Marie Socray || Author 📚📖

61 likes

CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS ROMANCE REC 😍❤️‍🔥📖
Salt & Sunshine Wording 📖 book: Salt & Sunshine by Mindy Paige Available on KU 💕 (🔗 in b!0): https://mybook.to/SaltandSunshineMP What to expect: 🩵Friends to Lovers 🩷Small-Town romance 🩵Billionaire romance 🩷Second-Chance romance 🩵Innocent FMC 🩷One bed BLURB: Cassandra S
Mindy Paige

Mindy Paige

2 likes

Friends to lovers romances💞📚
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the friends to lovers trope. It’s so cute every time and so here are six recommendations that have this trope! I’m always looking for more recs so let me know if I’m missing any good ones!💞📚 #lemon8partner #lemon8bookclub #friendstolovers #romancebooks
Bethany Taylor

Bethany Taylor

56 likes

See more