2023 WATTY'S SHORTLIST When Finley Bowers decided to study abroad in England, he wasn't expecting to fall in love. But when Harlyn Evans shows up in his life, he brings a whole lot of goodness - and chaos - with him. *** Finley Bowers has always done what everyone expects of him. But the last few years have been rough, and he's decided to make his own decisions instead of what everyone else wants him to do. The first step is to get out of his tiny town and study in England for the semester with his best friend, Max. Little did he know three short months would change his whole life. Harlyn Evans is really good at taking care of everyone else. He's not as good at taking care of himself. And after a long semester of too many work hours, piles of schoolwork, and his family's host student freezing him out, he's wary when the new host student, Max, moves in for the term. But Max and his best friend draw him in in ways he never expected. As Finley and Harlyn get closer and try to figure out their feelings for each other, the end of the semester and Finley's return to the states looms in the distance. What will their future hold? COMPLETED: June 14, 2023 SMALL EDITS MADE: July 6, 2023

Time had turned against him. The days, weeks, and months he lived through felt real, yet none of them were truly his. Everything he remembered was a lie, leaving him to face the truth for the first time. One day, James "Jamie" Carroway is Solid, a hero of the Legion operating in Krasport. The next, his own face stares back at him from a "Missing" poster. With no memory of what happened and a mysterious man claiming to have saved him, Jamie must figure out who he can trust and uncover the truth about the enigmatic organization R.I.S.E. from which he supposedly escaped. . . . This story takes place in the same universe as A Villain's Hero, but it is not a sequel. You do not need to read AVH to enjoy this story.

Goldby City, where evil never sleeps and good never rests. Revenger and Citadel are the local villain and superhero. Everyone knows that wherever one of them is, the other will show up in no time. What no one knows, however, is that the two are lovers in private. No one, not even the hero himself. Rowan and Matteo met by chance, and even after many sleepless nights, the spark between them hasn't faded. They're just fooling around, no strings attached. Except that Matteo's heart always skips a beat when he sees his lover. He fell in love with him a long time ago but hasn't had the courage to confess his feelings. Rowan, on the other hand, has a different secret. He found out a long time ago that the man in his sheets is his worst enemy. Perhaps that's why he always tries to hurt him as little as possible.

《 This is a BoyxBoy story 》 William Caddel wants to live. Between crushing expectations and the strictness that comes with them that seems like such an impossible thing to do. He has so much of the world he wants to see, so much he wants to experience. He's a kid who is expected to act like anything but. With the help of a friend he gets a tiny taste of freedom. He gets a grasp of what life could be like away from his pretentious private school and snobby parents. He gets to experience the life he's dreamed of and gets hooked fast. For Ian Morrison it didn't take long to see through the boy his sister brought along to hangout one day. The awkward, anxious, shy type. The kid grew on him, faster than he could've imagined. After learning about everything Liam has missed out on, Ian wants to help him. Doing things you've never done before with someone else as a guide opens up a whole new life. Liam is already trying many new things and getting opportunities he's never had before, so why not offer up one more?

When Tweek and Craig decided to pretend date, sure it was weird in the beginning, but Tweek loved that he gained a best friend. A friend who help him get over his coffee addiction, freeing him from the monsters and anxiety he suffered from. After 5 years, Tweek realized that he was no longer pretending. When Craig went away for the summer and rumors of him hooking up with a former school mate had spread around school. Tweek found himself unraveling. This story picks up on their first year in high school. Oh shoot! #6 in craigxtweek 🤤

Ever since he could remember, Choi Do-woon thought of himself as nothing more than a human doll. Intelligent, yet emotionless, Do-woon wandered through a cruel world that never embraced him. But on the day his younger siblings were born, he finally learned what it meant to feel... happy. But when an incurable illness ended his life, he awoke in the newborn body of Lysander Blakesty - one of the three leading villains of the novel he last read, Ways of the Mystic, who is doomed to die by the Prince's sword. With knowledge of the novel's events, and the memories of his past life, Do-woon is set to change Lysander's fate, and perhaps discover what it means to be human along the way. But who could've thought that the choices he would make would spark a romance between him... and the Prince?! *This is my own original work. No other work was plagiarized, and if so it is coincidental. *Credit to the original owner of the covert art.

Rudy Sampson hates a lot of things. He especially hates his job and the new guy that works there. Right up until he doesn't. This is the tale of how Rudy and Miles fell in love. (BoyxBoy)

Hockey player extraordinaire Cameron Beckett not only has to deal with the pressures of making it into the NHL and graduating high school, but also figuring out his feelings for the boy next door. ***** Cameron Beckett is the ace and co-captain of his hockey team, but he's failing his math class so badly that his coach threatens to bench him if he doesn't improve his grades. He turns to Sam, his neighbor, only to start developing feelings for him that he's not ready to confront. Cameron pulls away, afraid that his sexuality will cost him any chance of being drafted into the NHL. But when Sam needs him the most, Cameron can't be there for him, making him question whether his fear of coming out is actually holding him back.

Seventeen-year-old Apollo Reyes-Perez is struggling to understand two things: his identity and his best friend's suicide. But when Amory Hartmann, the new boy in town, catches his attention, he discovers that the answers to those questions may be more complicated than he had anticipated. ...... After the passing of his best friend, Apollo is left in an unfamiliar world, or perhaps one he never understood. Swimming, friends, and family. That was Apollo's universe. Until one day it wasn't. His friends expect too much, his parents don't talk enough, and swimming feels wrong. It only took one day for his life to change. Isn't the world supposed to stop when the person closest to you is gone? That's what he believed. But when the realities of growing up as a Mexican-American teenager hurdle towards him, he must accept the simple fact that life goes on. This becomes abundantly clear when Amory Hartmann enters his life, forcing Apollo to face the parts of himself he intended to keep hidden. Pieces of himself he's been too afraid to share with a boy. Will Apollo learn to leave the past behind him and move towards the future, or will his demons keep dragging him back to the darkest point of his life? Featured by @TeenFiction 🥇1st place LGBTQ+: The Novelists Awards 2022-2023 🥉3rd place Romance: The Pride Awards 2023 💜 @YARomance Undiscovered Book of The Month {November 2022}

Seeking an escape from his overbearing mother, Evan McKenna fills his free time with hockey practice and extracurricular activities, counting down the days until he graduates. Hoping to keep a routine, and after being diagnosed with severe anxiety, Peter Delacroix hides behind the front desk of his father's quiet hotel. When his best friend starts an astronomy club to help him socialize, nobody expects Evan McKenna to walk through the door. As Evan struggles with acceptance and his ever-changing plans for the future, Peter slowly forms a bond with his club members and attempts to reconcile with his past. With the astronomy club's preparation for a meteor shower and an eclipse on the horizon, Evan and Peter have two hundred days to make sense of their hectic lives before parting ways forever. Content Warning: Descriptions of abuse, alcoholism, and homophobia as well as discussions of mental health and sexuality. Please use discretion while reading. Cover by @lantea-