Heart Racer: Stem Meets Sports Romance in This Spicy, Slow-Burn, Nerd/Jock, Academic Rivals ROM Com (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781408724804)

Romance readers! You've had chemistry with steminist romance, you've raced through sports romance. Now get ready for the ultimate crossover...

Biochemistry major Keely has the next five years of her life down to a science. But when her grad school loan application is inexplicably rejected, her carefully calculated future spontaneously combusts.

Her college's Pursue Your Passions scholarship could be the answer. The problem? There's one place left, and she's not the only student in the running. Enter Max: a state champion sprinter who sets hearts racing on and off the track - and the one thing standing between Keely and her dreams.

Keely knows the key to winning is keeping her head in the game. But when your opponent is Lycra-clad and... rippling?! Well, it's hard to keep the chemistry to the lab.

Experimenting with her heart could cost Keely everything she's worked for. But staying away from Max might be a race she's destined to lose...

The Love Hypothesis meets Heated Rivalry in this spicy, dual-pov, academic rivals rom com - as nerdy as it is sure to raise your pulse...

Tropes:
Stem x Sports/ Jock x Nerd
Childhood friends to academic rivals to lovers
He falls first
On campus!
Slow burn (some spice)
Only one... scholarship
You know how to ball, I know Aristotle

Real readers loved Max and Keely

'I really enjoyed this one...every exchange sparked with tension and humor...Funny, smart and surprisingly heartfelt' GoodReads reviewer

'So cute, I loved every bit of it. It would be hard not to love these two...I loved the prank wars and watching them fall for each other...I already wish I could read it again for the first time' GoodReads reviewer

'This book is absolutely phenomenal!!! The chemistry between Max and Keely? Sizzling. Their shared love for Biscuit? Adorable. How painfully relatable Keely is? Perfection. I wish I could go back and read this for the first time again. Hello The locker room scene If you're a fan of witty, spicy romance, this is the book for you!' GoodReads reviewer

'A cutie of a romance...told with care and empathy, which adds to the overall depth of the book. Five stars!' GoodReads reviewer

'As someone who has only read ice hockey [sports] romances, this was a pleasant change of scenery for me. Who knew that running could be so sexy?...I really felt for both characters throughout and I was completely cheering them both on to win the scholarship...I really had no idea how it would end, but I was happy with the outcome' GoodReads reviewer

'Really liked this...such a cute and fun read. I would definitely buy this book for a friend' GoodReads reviewer

'Heart Racer is a heartfelt sports romance with strong themes of ambition, family and women in STEM, and two likeable leads with real emotional stakes... Sweet and engaging' GoodReads reviewer

Author: Megan Avery
ISBN-10: 1408724804
ISBN-13: 9781408724804
Publisher: Sphere
Language: English
Published: 08/18/2026
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback