Who Are The Key Characters In Only On Gameday And In Similar Books?

I’ll cut to the chase: the two central characters in 'Only on Gameday' are August Luck (the talented but irresponsible football star) and Penelope Morrow (the quiet, dependable childhood friend who becomes his fake fiancée for PR reasons). Those are the plot’s anchors—the fake-dating setup, the family pressure, and the team environment all revolve around them. When I catalogue similar books, I immediately think in terms of roles rather than exact names: the athlete (quarterback/goalie/defenseman), the heroine who’s either the moral compass or an unexpected match, the best friends/siblings who provide comic relief and complications, and the career-adjacent players (agents, coaches, publicists) who create external stakes. Examples? Kristen Callihan’s other Game On entries like 'The Hook Up' and 'The Hot Shot' reuse those archetypes with different emotional beats, while standalone sports romances such as 'Game Play' give you that athlete/coach or player/teammate tension in a different setting. All of it boils down to chemistry plus a supporting cast that makes the lead couple feel embedded in a real (and messy) world—exactly why these books are so easy to get lost in.

I get a real kick out of calling out the characters who drive 'Only on Gameday'—they're classic sports-romance types but with personality. The two names you absolutely need to know are August Luck, a hotshot rookie quarterback with a bad-boy rep, and Penelope Morrow (Pen), the shy, steady childhood friend who becomes his pretend fiancée for PR reasons. That fake-fiancé setup is the engine of the plot: August wants to clean up his image, Pen needs financial help for her inherited house, and the arrangement forces them to reckon with old feelings and new public scrutiny. Beyond the leads, the story leans on family and team dynamics—the Luck family (lots of lively siblings and family nicknames) and the people who orbit a pro athlete: agents, teammates, and longtime friends who both complicate and cement the central pair’s arc. Reviews and blurbs highlight how those supporting players add warmth and pressure in equal measure, and readers often point to character names and family quirks as part of the series’ charm. If you like similar books, look for titles that put an athlete (quarterback, hockey player, etc.) opposite a more reserved heroine, often with tropes like fake dating, friends-to-lovers, or childhood-friends-to-something-more. Kristen Callihan’s own Game On books—like 'The Hook Up' and 'The Hot Shot'—feature the same mix of public pressure, locker-room camaraderie, and a heroine who keeps the lead honest. Other contemporary sports romances such as 'Game Play' offer comparable setups with coach/player or athlete/coach tension and vivid supporting casts. These books trade heavily on chemistry, slow-burn longing, and the cast of teammates/agents/family that makes the romance feel lived-in. I always end up rooting for the underdog heart in these stories—there’s something delightfully human about athletes learning to be vulnerable, and Pen and August are a textbook example of that slow, satisfying thaw.

Flipping through the cast list for 'Only on Gameday' made me grin: August Luck is the obvious headline—rookie NFL quarterback, pedigree, and a tendency to make the headlines for the wrong reasons—and Penelope Morrow is the gentle counterbalance, an introverted film-history student who’s been part of his life since childhood. Their arrangement—publicly engaged only on game days or for PR optics—forces both to play roles in public while they sort out real feelings in private. That’s called the fake-relationship trope, and it’s front-and-center here. The supporting characters are equally important in shaping the story’s texture: teammates who act like family, an agent or publicist who pushes the PR angle, and Pen’s own network (friends and family) who highlight what she’s risking or gaining. Those extra voices create stakes—career, reputation, and personal history—that go beyond just two lovers falling for each other. You’ll often see the same construction in similar romances: a charismatic athlete, a pragmatic or quietly fierce heroine, and a ring of secondary characters who complicate the path to honesty. For similar reads, I’d point you to the rest of the Game On series—books like 'The Hook Up' or 'The Hot Shot'—which recycle the best bits: locker-room banter, media pressure, and slow-burn intimacy. If you want another flavor, 'Game Play' leans into hockey/athlete dynamics and keeps the sports-detail + romance combo that makes these stories so addictive. In short, expect a leading athlete, a grounded romantic lead, plus the team/agent/family ensemble that amplifies the drama. That mix is my comfort reading on repeat, and I love how each book tweaks the template in small, satisfying ways.