WATTYS 2023 SHORTLIST | WATTYS 2023 FANS CHOICE AWARDS NOMINEE Initially looking for nothing more than a feelings-free summer fling before college, reckless Harris McCammon and anxious Seb Krause might have stumbled into more than they bargained for. --------------------------------- When a graduation party takes a risky turn, Harrison McCammon finds himself in the passenger seat of Sebastian Krause's truck. When the two virtual strangers agree to begin a friends with benefits kind of situation, neither expect anything more than maybe a fun situationship before they leave for college. But as their casual entanglement turns into something slightly more, the two of them are forced to push down their real thoughts on this non-relationship. Add in sketchy ex-boyfriends, concerned parents, and a small dash of existential dread, there's no such thing as no strings attached. TW: underaged substance abuse; mentions of/attempted SA; (fade to black/non-explicit) sex; homophobic figures/abandonment; hospitalisation ^that sounds like a lot, wow, i'm sorry, it's ... it's mainly fluff ---ONC Ambassadors Round 2 Pick, 2023---

[BxB] Blake Laurier is a 16 year-old closeted boy who attends Wilmore High school in Atlanta. He wasn't popular to say the least, but he wasn't technically a loser either. Liam Lundin, on the other hand, is the Swedish confident and snarky popular football star quarterback that gets all the girls. The king of the school as some might say. Unexpectedly, Liam is hired for a part-time job Blake works for. They are having to spend a lot of time together at the bakery, getting to know each other. As things start to get rocky and take turns for the worse, all they can do is hold onto dear life, each other, and hope for the best. Which, might not actually be such a bad thing after all. And who knows, maybe their missing piece is finally found.

A fluffy story about two boys who undermine their chances of being loved.

When Quinn discovers a boy watching his friend group play basketball, he gets filled with curiosity. A string of events will lead to him meeting Cody, and as he learns more about the small quiet boy, he starts to piece together the fragments of his being. [THE NOVEL]

The Wildcats and Falcons have an irrefutable rivalry that's never been questioned. Alexander "Lex" Hope is the captain of the Falcons basketball team. And Ivan Petrov, the star player of the Wildcats. They're the spearheads of their town's basketball rivalry, causing havoc every time they butt heads. After his homophobic father kicks him out for being gay, closeted Ivan Petrov has no choice but to move in with his biggest rival, Lex Hope. What he first believes to be a temporary arrangement becomes his permanent residence. And the self-obsessed playboy Lex Hope seems... kinder (and harder to resist) than Ivan expects. Despite his local stardom, life isn't easy for Ivan. He has enough to deal with : an alcoholic father, a dying mother, and now: sharing a room with his nemesis. Overwhelmed, all Ivan can now do is live with hope. Quite literally. Suddenly, Ivan not only has to worry about Lex winning the Wildcats-Falcons match, but also Ivan's trust and - most importantly - his heart. Maybe that line between love and hate isn't so thick after all.

Adam is a Neet. He never leaves his apartment unless he absolutely has to. He holes himself up, only giving attention to his comics and cartoons. However, things change when a noisy party animal moves in next door and becomes a pest. Adam is given no other choice but to confront his neighbor. A series of events pushes Adam outside his bubble and forces him to interact with others. And maybe, just maybe, he thought his neighbor, Assad, was a bit good looking. * * * * * TW/CW: The MC of this novel has social anxiety and depression, and although there are no thoughts relating to violence or self-harm, the MC is consistently in a state of mind /internal monologue that can be mentally tasking for people with similar conditions.

An outgoing country boy. A wallflower jock. And a completely off-limits relationship. ** Aspiring artist Kade Turner is the new kid at school, imported into the big city from countryside town Greensboro. With his accent and his dad being the insanely popular coach of the varsity football team, Kade had no hopes of going unnoticed. But, no worries. Although he doesn't blend in easily like the brush strokes on his many canvasses, he had no problems making friends with everyone. Well, everyone except this one guy. For some reason Atticus, the Running Back of the football team and his brand new stepbrother, wants absolutely nothing to do with him. Kade doesn't understand why and is determined to get closer to him for his Dad's sake. But when Kade finally finds out what Atticus' problem is, rather than solving anything it only complicates their 'brothers' status even more.

BOYS' LOVE- second book to Strangely Comforting Jasper and Xander have finally made their relationship official. ...Only to each other. Jasper's best friend, Hayden, remains in the dark about the truth behind it and finds himself developing feelings faster than he had expected. Even more drama erupts and Jasper finds himself caught in the crossfire. What will he do about his relationship with Xander and how will he deal with Hayden?

BOYS' LOVE When Jasper Matthews' childhood friend, Hayden Walker breaks up with his girlfriend, Jasper doesn't feel bad. That's because to him, Hayden is his first love. It's too bad he knows it will never work out. They're both guys. But when a friend of Hayden's starts noticing Jasper more and more, Jasper begins to find it hard to leave the guy alone himself. Xander Peyton, an upperclassman with unique light green eyes, becomes the comfort Jasper needs to get over his painful first love. And Jasper never imagined he would find comfort in someone so obviously different from himself. Of course, he never imagined powerful feelings to arise for the "rude bastard" either. ~•~•~ Do all first loves end in pain, or will Jasper finally get his feelings across for his childhood friend, Hayden?

Four boys. A tangled web of unrequited feelings. Shifting loyalties. Dubious decisions. Love isn't just messy... it's absolute chaos. Brace yourself for drama, questionable choices, and more than a little heat. [Contains lots of smut, some threesomes & foursomes, and touches on mental health and abuse]