With the 2024 Paris Olympics fully underway, even those of us who don't normally follow sports are feeling the olympic spirit! Whether you've discovered a sudden new interest in a niche sport (sharp shooting, for instance . . . ), are obsessively tuning in to see a certain team, or are just enjoying the highlights and reactions on social media, these books are the perfect companions for your Olympic viewing.

Sports romance is an exploding subgenre that's been taking readers by storm recently – as anyone on Booktok has seen. So here are my top picks of the latest sporty romances that are sure to get your heart racing!

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

Read this if . . . you like a little friendly competition

Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women's National Team since she was 16. But when she's side-lined with an injury at just 26, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. Phoebe is everything Grace isn't – a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace has lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become friends-with-benefits with this class clown.

As the World Cup approaches, and Grace works her way back from injury, the women try to find a way they can play together, instead of vying for the same position on the pitch.

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

Read this if . . . you swoon over grumpy/sunshine romances

Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter.

Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money.

As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks start to fly . . .

Love and Other Scores by Abra Pressler

Read this if . . . you love the high stakes of a celebrity romance

Gabriel is a global tennis superstar and heart-throb. As he eyes his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, the pressure is getting to him. Seeking refuge in a bar, he meets Noah.

Oblivious to sports, Noah doesn't recognise Gabriel, but there is an instant connection. The more time they spend together in the blazing heat of a Melbourne summer, the more their feelings and attraction grow.

Both Gabriel and Noah have their reasons for wanting to keep their romance private. With the stakes so high, will they be willing to risk everything for love all?

Cross the Line by Simone Soltani

Read this if . . . your still heart flutters for your childhood crush

Formula 1 driver Dev Anderson’s career is on the line. After a social media disaster leaves him with an angry team and sponsors threatening to jump ship, he needs someone to help save his image. At a party in Monaco, he bumps into the woman who can fix it all. There’s just one problem: she’s his best friend’s little sister. And, okay, maybe there’s another problem—he kissed her last year and hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

Willow and Dev are determined to keep things strictly professional, regardless of old feelings and the blazing chemistry between them. But in the glittering and high-stakes world of Formula 1, some lines are meant to be crossed . . .

The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy

Read this if . . . you love it when the golden girl teams up with the bad boy

Gigi Graham has exactly three goals: qualify for the women's national hockey team, win Olympic gold, and step out of her famous father's shadow. To do that, she needs to improve her game behind the net, and she needs help from Luke Ryder.

Ryder and Gigi aren't exactly friends, but this could be a win-win. The summer coaching spot he's angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero, but if Luke helps Gigi make the national team, she'll put in a good word with her dad.

The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they're trying to ignore.

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Read this if . . . you're a fan of enemies to lovers

Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. She has a drive that few can match and, as she enters her third year on the Maple Hills ice skating team, everything is going according to plan. Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the ice hockey team, Nate Hawkins.

But when Anastasia's skating partner gets injured, Nate looks like her best option to advance in competition.

As they train together, sparks start to fly, but Anastasia isn't worried. After all, she doesn't have time for a relationship . . . right?

Collide by Bal Khabra

Read this if . . . you always feel the need to have the last word

When Summer Preston's professor issues her with an ultimatum, she finds herself on an unexpected collision course with hockey captain, Aiden Crawford.

Summer can't stand his blase approach to life, and Aiden doesn't understand her uptight, scheduled one. They are off to a rocky start, and provoking each other – it turns out – is what they do best. But losing isn't something either of them does well. Is there a way for both of them to win?

Love Match by Clare Fletcher

Read this if . . . you're looking for a cosy story about finding yourself

In a town like South Star, everyone knows Sarah Childs' name, face, entire history . . . and the fact she's just been dumped by Johnno West.

Despite her desire to remain as reclusive as possible, Sarah needs to show community spirit before her parents will let her run their family's rural property. So under small-town surveillance, Sarah starts rekindling neglected friendships and throws herself in the dating deep-end. She joins a new women's rugby team, the Pink Cockatoos, and starts to discover new things about herself she never suspected – her friend's vintage fashion might not be all that comes out of the closet.

Available August 29th.