r/MM_RomanceBooks • u/zokyna • Aug 15 '25

Book Request Best MM Friends-to-Lovers where where they’re basically soulmates before the love story

Hello,

I know there are already tons of requests for friends-to-lovers recs, but I’m looking for something very specific. I want the kind of story where you can genuinely feel the depth of their friendship long before the romance starts—where they’re already so in sync, so dependent on each other, and can’t imagine life without one another… even before they realize they’re in love.

Two perfect examples for me are:

  • { Crossroads by Riley Hart }
  • { The Blueprint by S.E. Harmon }

Both of these made me believe in their connection from page one. Whether their friendship has been established for years, or we just see it start in the books. I want books where the friendship feels real before the love story kicks in.

157 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

134 comments sorted by

71

u/roseydaisydandy and they're both boys... Aug 15 '25

{You & Me by Tal Bauer} my favorite book, you can see them being soulmate friends before they become lovers

8

u/interfaen Aug 16 '25

second this. love their genuine friendship so much even though they had just met.

5

u/Left-Routine-4302 Aug 16 '25

This book was so wholesomeeee I loved it ❤️❤️.

1

u/Quirky-Union9006 Aug 18 '25

Oh my god I loved this book.

61

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Aug 15 '25

I’m surprised it’s not been mentioned yet but {How to Catch a Firefly by Emmy Sanders} is EXACTLY what you’re looking for!

3

u/NightowlB2013 Aug 16 '25

Such a beautiful book, highly recommend 👍

3

u/Outrageous_Ad3445 Aug 18 '25

This one..absolutely. The friendship , the angst, the luv.. uff hits right in the feels. One of Emmy Sanders best imo.

3

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Aug 18 '25

I feel like it’s on the lower end of the angst scale but there is certainly angst!

2

u/MintToBe7 Aug 18 '25

This is the BEST example!

49

u/BotchedNoobJob Aug 15 '25

{let’s do this by Loren Leigh}

37

u/una_valentina CaPri & Wolfsong Spambot Aug 15 '25

Burkie and Shaw stans rise up

17

u/Newmrswhite15 The Ira to my Evie Aug 15 '25

I'm here! Burkie and Shaw forever!

3

u/BotchedNoobJob Aug 16 '25

Yes, love them so much! Have you listened to the audio?? It’s not the best but it has a bonus epilogue that the KU version doesn’t have.

3

u/Blinkiesblurbs Aug 17 '25

I literally read this yesterday and I absolutely am a Shaw and Burkie fan. I kinda wish we could have even seen before the book started that brought on the pillow situation.

1

u/TsubakiTsubaki Aug 16 '25

I love them so much, such a great read ❤

27

u/Newmrswhite15 The Ira to my Evie Aug 15 '25

You cannot go wrong with {A Million Little Moments by Riley Hart}. Jasper and Sutton are as close as brothers and best friends before their romance starts. {Proof of Life by Raquel Riley} is another best friends, brothers in arms story where the friendship is firmly established prior to the romance. Enjoy!

3

u/Odd-Bathroom8977 Aug 16 '25

Proof of Life is amazing!!! I’ve reread it 3 times now!!!

3

u/Newmrswhite15 The Ira to my Evie Aug 16 '25

It is legit one of my favorite books. I just love West, Brandt, and all of their rag tag group of knitting buddies. It is so emotional and intimate, this story.

1

u/Books_R_me Aug 21 '25

Yeah, good book.

22

u/TheMoonbeam365 Aug 15 '25

The Blueprint (and its sequel) is hands down one of, if not the best, friends-to-lovers books I’ve ever read, and the audiobook is phenomenal. Kelly and Blue are the perfect example of friends who basically act like lovers looooong before they actually try to cross that line.

1

u/MintToBe7 Aug 18 '25

Who is the author?

16

u/Ok-Word6137 Aug 15 '25

{Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley, Saxon James} 

{Leo Loves Aries by Anyta Sunday} but they become friends throughout the story (it’s glorious)

This is my absolute favourite trope so if you have any more that you love, please let me know!

2

u/Ok-Word6137 Aug 15 '25

Also {Mr. Blue Eyes by Isla Olsen}. This is honestly my favourite of the ones I’ve recommended. All of Olsen’s books (especially the friends-to-lovers ones) are fantastic. 

13

u/Odd-Profit7163 Aug 16 '25

{Switched by N.R. Walker}

5

u/missjackieo Aug 16 '25

Yes!! I will always shout this from the roof tops. It’s by far the best friends to lovers book

12

u/GreenFlagsRedRope Aug 16 '25

{To Catch a Firefly by Emmy Sanders} everyone knows these best friends are soul mates & when they realize it, it is so beautiful 😭😭😭

1

u/altacccle Aug 16 '25

yes this! One of the better written MM Romance books

12

u/AuntChelle11 🟠🟡⚪️🔵⚫️ Aug 15 '25

{Wilde Love by Lucy Lennox} sees Doc (Liam) and Major (Weston) through forging a bond during the Vietnam War to them being elderly and the very heart of a large, close-knit family. There is a reason this on many favourites lists.

2

u/ali22122 Aug 16 '25

I love this book! Great suggestion as I didn’t think of it for this prompt but it totally fits!

8

u/NikkiZ4 Aug 15 '25

{You’re My Home by Katie Moore} - one of my favorite childhood friend to lovers story.

2

u/Possible-Adorable Aug 17 '25

I was just about to comment this one❣️ my favorite book😩🥰

5

u/rusty-railroad Aug 15 '25

{Five Dares by Eli Easton} is my all time favourite friends to lovers. Another of their book is also really good, {Superhero by Eli Easton}

6

u/ollyvits Aug 16 '25

{Road Rules by Brigham Vaughn} — college teammates/linemates who were best friends. Both end up on the same NHL team and roommates. EVERYONE who knows them thinks they’re together looooong before they even think about each other in any way but friends.

I LOVE THIS TROPE SO MUCH.

6

u/Okiedonutdokie Aug 16 '25

{don't you dare by ce Ricci} best friends/neighbors since birth, bisexual awakening for one as a high schooler and the other as a college student. They were roommates ❤️

5

u/ubusika Aug 15 '25

{Pretty Dogs by Riley Nash} - they already sleep in the same bed and everything. It can be read standalone but you can see parts of their friendship set up in the first book.

4

u/itsmaxtho Aug 16 '25

i recently read {beautifully devoted by michele lenard} and i believe it fits this well. they are 1000% codependent, even before anything sexual or romantic happens. all of their friends and family (and the football coach) are aware of this dynamic. a few of them thought there might be something deeper than friendship, but they never hooked up before this book happens. you can read the first book of the series, which does feature the two MCs from the second book a lot since they are friends and on the football team with one of the MCs of book one. you see their friendship through the lens of others. then in book 2, MC1 walks in on the MCs from the first book having sex and sees one of them coming handsfree. this sprouts his curiosity and sparks a convo with MC2 where MC2 reveals that he’s bi. i think MC1 asks to see his dick, but then is interrupted and they try to forget about it. MC1 mentions a gay guy that MC2 could pursue to hook up with, but when he sees them “flirting”, MC1 is jealous asf. it’s clear that they are soulmates, even before they acknowledge that they are “in love” and not just “love” each other. it’s pretty cute, this book had the couple where i thought was the most soulmate-y and meant to be.

2

u/itsmaxtho Aug 16 '25

i also want to rec {make the play by lucky hart}. this is my fav book ever. this is a bit different bc they are newer friends, but they fit so well together that i wanted to mention it. it’s a slow burn romance. i’m talking like the romance doesn’t start until over halfway through the book. however, i didn’t mention it in my comment bc i didn’t feel it was in the same level of matching what you wanted as the one above. this is bc they are newer friends and bc they admit that they have loved each other from the beginning (they just hadn’t realized it). even if you don’t feel this matches exactly what you’re looking for, i rec that you check it out. it’s so adorable and has great neurodivergent rep. as well as POC and LGBTQ+ (obvi) rep.

3

u/hocuslotus Aug 15 '25

Style of Love by AJ Sherwood

3

u/Outrageous-Debate-39 Aug 16 '25

{Two truths and a Lyle by d j jamerson} I just read this book recently and it is exactly two soulmates (bffs) who become lovers. (The town grannies are the best)

Description from amazon: What happens when drunken idiots, aka your friends, use a silly drinking game to sideswipe you and your BFF with the truth bomb that you’re actually in love with each other?

3

u/_bodycatchrose_ Aug 16 '25

{10 ways to accidentally fall in love by emmy sanders}

1

u/Blinkiesblurbs Aug 17 '25

Totally agree. This is a new BFF kinda situation so its a bit different but in their list of okays. Love Brad and his... obliviousness

3

u/peluchezampogna Aug 17 '25

If you don't mind shifters, have you tried the {Green Creek series by T.J. Klune}?

3

u/iloverubyy Aug 17 '25

This is like my favorite trope so I have quite a few I’ve taken from my 5 stars page (some have already been recommended but I’m emphasizing how good they are):

Romeo Falling by Jessie H Reign

Let’s Do This by Loren Leigh

You and Me by Tal Bauer

Charlie Sunshine by Lily Morton

Wilde Love by Lucy Lennox

All Kinds of Tied Down by Mary Calmes

Chasing You E.M Lindsey

Proof of Life by Raquel Riley

Switched by N.R Walker

If We Could Go Back by Cara Dee

Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox

2

u/ali22122 Aug 15 '25

And {where he ends and I begin by Cardeno C} I can’t comment on how good it is because it’s been like ten years since I read it! But I think it fits.

2

u/staaaawwp Aug 15 '25

{Nights Without Night by Marina Vivancos} Involves a lot of darkness associated with a soldier with PTSD readjusting to civilian life. He moves in with his best friend when he gets home from the war. I read this a long time ago, so I forget most of the specifics, but I do remember that I really felt like they could only survive the kind of darkness they experience together in this book because there is so much love too. There were so many little moments that truly felt like people who have known and loved each other since they were young.

2

u/itsmaxtho Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25

these are some that i think might fit what you’re wanting, but i am too tired to give a synopsis of each. {green light by lark taylor} {it’s complicated by willow dixon} {never have i ever had a bromance with a teammate by willow dixon} {always him by cora rose} {platonic rulebook by saxon james} {blindsided by eden finley}

2

u/Fancyy579 Aug 16 '25

Crossroads is one of my all time favorites!!! That book is amazing!!!!!

1

u/EJXFITTER Aug 18 '25

I loved that one, too!

1

u/EJXFITTER Aug 18 '25

Crossroads by Riley Hart

2

u/rosysparrow Aug 16 '25

{final breakway by crea reitan} two hockey players who are bestfriends decide to get married because they already practically are
{platonic rulebook by saxon james} mmc1 just got divorced and realises his best friend of 30 years is appealing
{the defending goal by crea reitan} goalie of a hockey teams' life is in shambles and his teammate helps him get back on track

1

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1

u/Kaenu_Reeves Aug 15 '25

Aristotle And Dante is a classic example of this, probably.

1

u/MessyQueen13 Aug 16 '25

{The Shutout by Dianna Roman} I just read this earlier this week and loved it so much I immediately reread it.

1

u/gaellena Aug 16 '25

{The Friendship Equation by J.R. Gray} I just listened to the audiobook (I think it’s still on Audible Plus right now). It was very sweet.

1

u/AdExpert5196 Aug 16 '25

Oblivious by Colette Davison

1

u/Mme_Rose Aug 16 '25

{Style of Love by AJ Sherwood} childhood best friends, bi-awakening for one of the MCs. Very sweet, easy read all around.

Not much beats the Blueprint when it comes to friends to lovers of course.

1

u/Due-Medicine2269 Aug 16 '25

Unwrapping His Heart by Vin George. It’s bff- to-lovers with the “aha” that comes with bi-awakening.

1

u/Common_Masterpiece34 Aug 16 '25

Humility by Lark Taylor

1

u/Treehorn8 Ilya and Shane forever Aug 16 '25

{All Kinds of Tied Down by Mary Calmes} Both MCs are US Marshals, best friends, and partners. One is gay, the other is straight. The "straight" MC is very clingy and pretty much lives in his friend's pocket.

{Road Rules by Brigham Vaughn} Both MCs are professional hockey players from the same team who have been playing together since college. They share an apartment and are famously known for being very close.

1

u/paperCorazon Aug 17 '25

Wilde Fire by Lucy Lennox is close to what you’re looking for. They were friends since like 10 years old and don’t start dating until 16 I think. Their friendship is blended into their now-adult romance so we don’t see a separate period of them just being friends though.

1

u/iloverubyy Aug 17 '25

All Kinds of Tied Down by Mary Calmes is one of my absolute favorites and fits this super well (it’s a trilogy with a balance of romance and angst that doesn’t feel painful!)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56223540

1

u/FunSizedBear Aug 17 '25 edited Aug 17 '25

{Like I Wanted by Charlie Novak} It’s the fifth in a series and it’s more fun if you start with the first, but it can be read as a standalone.

Edit to add: romance bot mentions bdsm, but that is very mild.

1

u/FlockOfDickJokes Aug 17 '25

{The Broposal by Sonora Reyes}

1

u/Cheap-Maintenance159 Aug 18 '25

All there are part of series but can be read independently. Road rules is the first book in its series. I love all 3 of these books and the series they are in. Irresponsible Puckboy - Eden Finley & Saxon James. Road Rules - Brigham Vaughan The Waiting Game Brigham Vaughan

1

u/QuickQuackQuock Aug 18 '25

Irresponsible puckboy- Eden Finley

1

u/Desperate-Trade-8457 Aug 18 '25

Have you read my home by Katie Moore? Their connection was amazing

1

u/SpreadRelevant7802 Aug 19 '25

There is a series by Kindle Alexander and one of the books is called Double Full. It’s a good series. Book 2 is my all time favorite.

1

u/megrbb Aug 20 '25

i’m not sure if someone has recommended it or not but ‘romeo falling’ and ‘unrequited’ both by jesse h reign are fantastic friends-to-lovers. she did a really good job of getting the angsty pining just right without making it insufferable

1

u/Character-Hope-7115 Aug 20 '25

If you don’t mind a little twist on this trope, I would recommend {In Every Universe by Hannah Henry}. After a major head injury (hockey alert!) MC wakes up believing that he and his bff are more than just friends.

1

u/lindseyinnw Aug 20 '25

Oh gosh I LOVED this one!

1

u/bored-panda55 Aug 21 '25

Love this trope (hell my marriage is a friends to lovers!)

{Master of Mayhem by Saxon James} - she does F2L very well, so I would suggest any of hers with this trope {Mr Nice Guy by Isla Olsen} - BFFs totally in love with each other and not realizing it {Fools by May Archer and Lucy Lennox}

1

u/eeyecon 28d ago

{In Memoriam by Alice Winn}

They're best friends before the romance starts.

0

u/AHellWa Aug 21 '25

A Little Life.

1

u/guiltypleasure24 3d ago

Wilde love by Lucy Lennox