Books like 'Dear Diary'

Readers who enjoyed Dear Diary by Allison Cassatta also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  romance  mlm  coming-of-age  lgbtq  high-school  friends-to-lovers  athlete

  • Censored Soul by Anne Malcom

    Censored Soul by Anne Malcom

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I give myself to strangers. When I'm on stage, and when I'm off it. Whether it's throngs of screaming fans or just one man, it's always outsiders. People who don't know me. Not the real me. It's easier, because then it's not so obvious that there is no real me. Just layers of lies. Then I'm peeled back to the nerve. Showing the world my ugly. Everyone sees me for what I am...
  • Messy Ink by Ali Lyda

    Messy Ink by Ali Lyda

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Dane Chris is a great doctor, but he can’t heal me… I learned to look out for myself on the streets and in juvie. I’ve cleaned up my act, but it doesn’t mean that I’m about to start trusting a guy to stick around. Especially not a clean cut doctor like Chris. No wonder I ended things between us the first time around. I’m sure it’s for the best...
  • You Are Not Me by Leta Blake

    You Are Not Me by Leta Blake

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Follow Peter into the summer following his senior year to face new beginnings, new friends, and old baggage. After a tumultuous final year of high school, Peter Mandel needs a break. It's the summer of 1991, and his secret relationship with his ‘best friend’ Adam Algedi is put on hold as Adam goes away to Italy for the summer...
  • Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild by Gregory Ashe

    Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild by Gregory Ashe

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild is a collection of short stories. It includes the following:“First Dates”A prequel to The Lamb and the Lion books, this short story shows Jem and Tean as they are set up on blind dates—with disastrous results.“Cheap Seats”Jem and Tean go to the movies. Jem insists it’s an epic bromance date. Tean insists they’re just casual acquaintances...
  • Pride High : Book 1 - Red by Jay Bell

    Pride High : Book 1 - Red by Jay Bell

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    What’s it like being a teenager in the 90s? Let’s ask the characters of Pride High:Anthony Cullen: My life would be perfect, if I wasn’t in the closet. And in love with my straight best friend. Do you think he’ll ever notice me?Omar Jafari: Dude! I’m flunking out of most of my classes, but you know what really matters? A girl talked to me...
  • The Music of the Spheres by Chase Potter

    The Music of the Spheres by Chase Potter

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    An athlete and introvert from a family touched by loss, Ryan Mattson splits his life between reading and spending time with his dad and precocious younger sister. With the wounds of Ryan’s past almost healed, high school is simple, and so is everything else.But that changes when he’s paired with Adam for a class project...
  • Snow Boys by Simon Doyle

    Snow Boys by Simon Doyle

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Dean O’Donnell is a wallflower with a secret and a voice that could steal the show. Preferring to blend into the background at his high school, his world tilts on its axis when he is chosen for a major solo in the upcoming Christmas choir performance. His quiet life is further disturbed when he receives a Secret Santa gift, and an unexpected friendship forms...
  • The Long Run by James Acker

    The Long Run by James Acker

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Two track and field athletes find an unexpected but powerful love in this unapologetically blunt and unforgettably real YA debut. Sebastian Villeda is over it. Over his rep. Over his bros. Over being "Bash the Flash," fastest sprinter in South Jersey. His dad is gone, his mom is dead, and his stepfather is clueless. Bash has no idea what he wants out of life. Until he meets Sandro...
  • Handmade Holidays by 'Nathan Burgoine

    Handmade Holidays by 'Nathan Burgoine

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    At nineteen, Nick is alone for the holidays and facing reality: this is how it will be from now on. Refusing to give up completely, Nick buys a Christmas tree, and then realizes he has no ornaments. A bare tree and an empty apartment aren’t a great start, but a visit from his friend Haruto is just the ticket to get him through this first, worst, Christmas...
  • Blooming by Sean Ashcroft

    Blooming by Sean Ashcroft

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Instagram crush. Instant fling.The last thing amateur food photographer Milo expects to find in the sleepy town of Otter Bay is the cute boy he’s been crushing on from Instagram. He’s in town to help his pregnant sister, not to look for a fling, but his best friend is right—it’s been so long since he got laid that they’ll be reissuing his v-card any day now...
  • Maddie by Annabella Michaels

    Maddie by Annabella Michaels

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    After witnessing firsthand just how dirty and underhanded a life in politics can be, Maddie Vanderhorne steps off the campaign trail to follow his passion. Starting his own event planning business is the best decision Maddie’s ever made, quickly winning over his clients with his vibrant and outgoing personality...
  • A Little Christmas: Terrence by J.P. Sayle

    A Little Christmas: Terrence by J.P. Sayle

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Terrence only wants one gift for Christmas: Warner. The discovery of Terrence’s secret leaves him vulnerable when his father goes missing in action. Ill-equipped to deal with the fall-out, Terrence’s world comes crashing down on him. Then Warner steps in to help. Warner secretly craves to reveal what he hides beneath the tough exterior to Terrence after stumbling over the secret the boy hides...
  • Loving Lakyn by Charlotte Reagan

    Loving Lakyn by Charlotte Reagan

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Lakyn James is sixteen years old and hating every second of it. He was supposed to be done, he'd tapped out. End of story, unsubscribe here. Suicide "attempt", they said. His intentions had no "attempt" in them. Re-entering normal life after ‘trying’ to take his own is weird. Especially when the world keeps going like it never happened...
  • Trade Deadline by Jodi Oliver

    Trade Deadline by Jodi Oliver

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    BLAINEWhen my name is involved in yet another scandal, I’m told to keep my head down and my stats up. The trade deadline is looming, and I don’t want to leave Chicago.But that night, I meet Alex. The guy with the bluest eyes and the kindest smile.My reputation precedes me, and he’s determined to resist me, but the more time we spend together, the harder it is to deny the chemistry between us...
  • Sheets by Sareyen

    Sheets by Sareyen

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    [BxB] Waking up next to someone after having a little too much to drink was no new, riveting story in this day and age. Waking up next to another boy, when you were also a boy, was a little more interesting, but still nothing to write home about. But waking up in Nico Beckett's sheets?To Wesley, it was a nightmare come to life...
  • Rookie by Eddie Cleveland

    Rookie by Eddie Cleveland

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    * Although part of a series, you will enjoy it as a standalone as well! Rookie is everything you love in an MM first time gay romance. A journey of self-discovery, the undeniable sparks with the man who makes him question everything, the moment of realization, the secret relationship, and coming out...
  • The Long Way by DomLuka

    The Long Way by DomLuka

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Note: Book cover incorrectly titled.After tragedy strikes at home and he loses a special friend, is betrayed by someone he trusts and his father discovers he's gay, Owen Dovan moves in with the brothers he hasn't seen in two years. Even in a loving environment things aren't always easy...
  • 过门 - Guomen by Priest

    过门 - Guomen by Priest

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” -Matthew 7:14Guomen, 過門/过门, meaning marriage in Chinese. If explained literally, it means going past the gates/door-a reference to the Bible(see above).“Through the Strait Gates”: to me, it’s the best way to explain it.The gate’s narrow, the road small for them...
  • Let’s Bi Curious by Romeo Alexander

    Let’s Bi Curious by Romeo Alexander

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Dalton: It was just a kiss! I didn’t mean anything by it. We’ve always been close, but I’ve barely shown an interest in anyone, and Zane’s only ever chased women. We know what’s what and where we belong. Zane was the one who said we should do it again…just to check…and wow! Now everything’s changing, and it’s great…but it’s terrifying...
  • Finding Their Balance by M.Q. Barber

    Finding Their Balance by M.Q. Barber

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Three’s the naughtiest kind of crowd. Getting to the one-year mark is hard enough in a relationship between two lovers. For three, just getting through the day can be half the battle. Between Alice’s headstrong insistence on pushing her sexual limits and Jay’s need to confront an abusive former lover, Henry has his hands full keeping both his partners safe and happy...
  • Love & Other Inconveniences by Catherine Cloud

    Love & Other Inconveniences by Catherine Cloud

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Morgan Boyle wants two things in life: to play hockey and to be left alone. Noah Andersson is loud, outgoing and probably hasn’t stopped talking since he learned how to say words. When Morgan ends up on a team with Noah at the Olympics, they get closer than either of them expected, and even when they’ve returned home Morgan still finds himself drawn to Noah...
    Categorized as:
    athlete  coming-of-age  lgbtq  mlm  abuse  adult  book  contemporary
  • Chasing Fate by Mia Monroe

    Chasing Fate by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Hooking up with your friend is a totally acceptable way to pass the time until your soulmate shows up. Right?I’m on a mission - happily ever after or bust. I just know my handsome, successful, bearded prince is out there waiting for me to find him. I’ve had my cards read a million times. This is my destiny...
  • Fancy Free by Mia Monroe

    Fancy Free by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The last thing I need is a curious straight guy sniffing around me. So why is he so hard to resist?My life is everything I ever wanted - by design. Being one of the nation’s most sought after wedding planners has led to a life of traveling to glamorous locations, bumping elbows with the rich and famous, and sampling every handsome hunk the world has to offer...
  • Operation Makeover by D.J. Jamison

    Operation Makeover by D.J. Jamison

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Will a makeover bring his fantasy to life or lead him to a love he never saw coming? As a professional X-ray tech, Ridley has come a long way from the geeky kid Jace took under his wing in high school. Not that his best friend has noticed. Tired of pining, Ridley decides to show Jace what he’s missing...
  • Away Games by Misha Horne

    Away Games by Misha Horne

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    One step forward… and then what?When you live your whole life just wishing for things to be good enough, suddenly having everything you ever dreamed about is pretty unsettling. Safety, security, love… not the senior year I expected.Coach T calling me into his office, talking about untapped potential, didn’t see that coming either...
  • Stronger In Your Hands by Diane Adams

    Stronger In Your Hands by Diane Adams

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Eighteen and still trapped at prep school, Alex feels he and Jared will never get together, and then a surprise visit from Jared puts all doubt to rest. After Alex graduates everything seems to fall right into place. The heat between them is scorching, but secrets from Jared's past and his need to take care of everyone around him, jeopardizes their fledgling relationship...
  • A Place To Run by Diane Adams

    A Place To Run by Diane Adams

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    School’s out and Alex is home, but things aren’t going as smoothly as he hoped. Jared is hesitant about advancing their relationship and fixated on the fact that Alex’s mother doesn’t know he’s gay. When she discovers the truth, her extreme reaction drives Alex back to school early. Jared is stunned...
  • Exchange of Hearts by N.R. Walker

    Exchange of Hearts by N.R. Walker

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Eighteen-year-old Harrison Haddon has grown up alone. Surrounded by wealth, nannies, and material things, all he craves is the approval of his father. Sent away to the boarding school his father and grandfather attended, it’s assumed he will follow in their footsteps from Sydney’s prestigious Ivy League school straight into medical school.But Harrison doesn’t want to be a doctor...
  • Henry Hamlet's Heart by Rhiannon Wilde

    Henry Hamlet's Heart by Rhiannon Wilde

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    A sparkling queer YA romance set in Brisbane, Henry Hamlet’s Heart follows one guy and his sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking journey to love.Henry Hamlet doesn’t know what he wants after school ends. It’s his last semester of year twelve and all he’s sure of is his uncanny ability to make situations awkward. Luckily, he can always hide behind his enigmatic best friend, Len...
  • My Ride, I Love You by Patrick Rangimant

    My Ride, I Love You by Patrick Rangimant

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    This is a love story of Mork, who is a motorcycle taxi driver in Bangkok, and Tawan, a junior internal medicine resident doctor in the university hospital. Seems like they both have a small chance to meet, let alone the falling in love, but it did happen...
  • Forever Man by A.J. DeWall

    Forever Man by A.J. DeWall

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A bond forged in Catholic school, an unspoken attraction that outlasts years of separation and other relationships. Ren and Cole never acted on that thing that always bubbled beneath the surface of their friendship, not until a chance encounter in a Santa Fe bar and a song that would tip the scales forced them to confront their feelings...
  • The Love Song by Kay Simone

    The Love Song by Kay Simone

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    How can you trust a second chance with the love of your life?Casey has never met anyone like Grant: smart, mysterious, and utterly alone.Grant walks through Casey’s life like a ghost, showing up in the middle of their senior year with no explanation, no history, and no interest in knowing anyone. Casey has plenty of friends, supportive parents to pay for college, and a solid future ahead of him...
  • Changing the Rules by Brigham Vaughn

    Changing the Rules by Brigham Vaughn

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Rule #1: Don’t fall in love with the coach.Gabriel Theriault’s been skating on thin ice for the past two seasons with Toronto but his arrest following an off-ice fight is the final straw.His only shot at redemption is to start over in Evanston and prove that he still has what it takes to be a pro player.No more fights. No more drinking. No more random hookups. Rule #2: The team always comes first...
    Categorized as:
    athlete  lgbtq  mlm  adult  book  contemporary  fiction  sports
  • The Last Summer by Ruthie Luhnow

    The Last Summer by Ruthie Luhnow

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    "It's not even really a first kiss if you're practicing on a friend." Trapped in a conservative prairie town, Alfie Alder has spent his whole life enduring bullying from his classmates and indifference from his teachers. Only one person has ever seen past Alfie's sarcastic, standoffish exterior—his best friend and the love of his life, Wynn...
  • Jericho Candelario's Gay Debut by R. Cooper

    Jericho Candelario's Gay Debut by R. Cooper

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Jerry Candelario, known as Potts to almost everyone, has spent his entire adult life focused on raising his siblings and his niece. But the home he fought hard to make feels empty since everyone has grown up and moved out, and his precious baby niece is now a teen with a life of her own...
  • Breaking the Record by Raleigh Ruebins

    Breaking the Record by Raleigh Ruebins

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    “When will I see him again? And why do I want to so badly?” Ben Lakeland owns a failing record store in small-town Welling, New York, and it's the last place he wants to be. Everything used to be easy: watching football with his frat buddies, drinking beer, and being popular in school. But at 24 years old, everyone else seems to have grown up but Ben...
  • Room for Recovery by D.J. Jamison

    Room for Recovery by D.J. Jamison

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    New Edition found hereBeau James isn't out, but he's not fooling anyone. When he's cornered by two bullies, he's rescued by none other than the broody Wade Ritter, who he's crushed on from afar. Despite their family connection, Wade has resisted all of Beau's attempts at friendship -- until now. His protective streak gives Beau an opportunity to get past Wade's prickly exterior...
  • Omitting You by T. Ashleigh

    Omitting You by T. Ashleigh

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Rhys:I’ve loved him since before I understood what love meant.My best friend, my secret keeper, my defender.The boy with the glasses and quiet temperament.The guy with the sweetest smile, who has the dirtiest mouth.The man who owns me. Mind, body, and soul.I’m ready for the world to know that he’s mine. To love him out loud.The problem? Winston isn’t ready. And I’m not sure he ever will be...
  • Land On Me by Matthew R. Corr

    Land On Me by Matthew R. Corr

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Landon Griffin has everything going for him. He’s a high school senior on the brink of receiving a football scholarship, his dad is running for mayor of Madison, Texas, and his future with his girlfriend looks bright. But his simple life shatters when feelings spark for a guy he’s never met...
  • Coming Out at the Ball Game by Jax Calder

    Coming Out at the Ball Game by Jax Calder

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    For Elijah, a trip to the ball game with his dad and his ex-friend Jaxon is a special kind of torture. He’s always been a disappointment to his dad, and there’s been an awful awkwardness between him and Jaxon since Elijah came out. Elijah hates that he still cares about what Jaxon thinks of him...
  • Theoretically Straight by Alexander C. Eberhart, Amy Bailey

    Theoretically Straight by Alexander C. Eberhart, Amy Bailey

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Theo Briggs is a rule follower. A decent student in his junior year, an appeasing son, and a lifelong Christian, just trying to make it through high school unscathed… and maybe create a viral video in the process.Caleb Raynard is a romantic...
  • Couture Crush by Charlie Novak

    Couture Crush by Charlie Novak

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Beau Barrett is about to become Alt. Bride’s first male cover model, but what about his own fairy-tale ending?When Beau Barrett arrives to shoot for alternative bridal magazine, Alt. Bride, the last person he expects to see is Cash, his long-lost childhood best friend. The spark between them is instant, but with Beau’s calendar splitting at the seams, he’s not convinced a relationship is possible...
  • Pacies and Photographs by Della Cain

    Pacies and Photographs by Della Cain

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Stepping out from behind the camera isn’t as easy as it seems. Dax needs cash, and he needs it now since his roommate has moved away without notice. Dax has a week to either make up the difference or break his lease. Both options are out of his price range...
  • Beautiful Rhythm by Zarah Detand

    Beautiful Rhythm by Zarah Detand

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    When life gives you a sprained wrist and a hot new neighbor, make it the best summer of your life. As a successful concert pianist with three million Spotify listeners to his name, Oliver Taylor has it all figured out. He’s got his piano, his routines, and a small but close group of friends even if he doesn’t see them as much as he’d like. Love? No, thanks—he’s just fine without a girl on his arm...
  • Heartmates by Marcus Herzig

    Heartmates by Marcus Herzig

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    As childhood friends, Lars and Connor were inseparable. Now, in the social gauntlet of high school, neither boy can even muster a single word to the other. When Connor enters a romantic relationship with Jaden-Dominic Choi, the hottest social influencer in school, a barely healed wound is torn wide open again...
  • Fortune's Fool by Mary Pagones

    Fortune's Fool by Mary Pagones

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    "Ma, I just kind of accidentally bought a horse so I’ll need the trailer." No one wanted the rejected gelding. Even Simon's mother told her son he was crazy to buy the horse. But Simon never listened to other people, otherwise he wouldn't have decided to forgo going to college to become a working student at an eventing barn in the first place...
  • King of the Mountain by Aiden Ainslie

    King of the Mountain by Aiden Ainslie

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    American cycling sensation and heartthrob Clifford Du Frey is riding the wave of success. Brand Du Frey is a multi-million-dollar business, and during the Tour de France, Clifford is mobbed by fans wherever he goes. The superstar must focus on winning the Tour de France and maintaining the image of the athletic hetero alpha male at all costs.But Clifford has a secret...
  • Knowing Me, Knowing You by Renae Kaye

    Knowing Me, Knowing You by Renae Kaye

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Can friends turned occasional lovers move beyond past mistakes and wrong assumptions to build something that can last? Quiet bookworm Shane has a big secret—one he’s kept for fifteen years. AFL superstar Ambrose Jakoby grew up next door to Shane. They were close friends, and Shane supported Ambrose through school. One night, everything changed...
  • A Guy for Christmas by K.C. Wells

    A Guy for Christmas by K.C. Wells

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Dear Santa,Please can you send me a guy for Christmas? Someone kind, good-looking, sweet… but who knows what he’s doing? ( If you get my meaning ;-) ) You must know SO MANY people. Surely you can give someone a shove in my direction?I’m serious here!I need your help.I’m eighteen and I’m a virgin...
  • The Tight End: Red's Tavern, Book 6 by Raleigh Ruebins

    The Tight End: Red's Tavern, Book 6 by Raleigh Ruebins

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    He’s an introverted nerd, and I’m the football player everybody wants.But I only want to drag his shy, adorkable, irresistible self into my bed. All I’ve ever been good at is running fast with a football clutched tight to my side. As a star football player for the KMU Wolves, I’ve had any guy I wanted for years, and I'm more muscle than smarts...
Dear Diary by Allison Cassatta
Fantastic book recommendations by book lovers for book lovers.
Find out more about thebooknaut.com.

Looking for more inspiration? Enter another book title to get more suggestions on what to read next.

Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.

romance book finder preview 1
romance book finder preview 2
romance book finder preview 3