Only on Gameday Summary: Kristen Callihan’s Steamy Romance
TL;DR: The Short Version
A rookie quarterback throws a viral tantrum at a black-tie fundraiser. A twenty-two-year-old film student inherits a historic ranch house she cannot afford to keep. When their paths cross again in the same Massachusetts kitchen, both see a way out.
Only on Gameday by Kristen Callihan follows August Luck and Penelope “Pen” Morrow as they negotiate a fake engagement built to repair a public image and pay off a crushing tax bill. The novel moves between the pressure of an NFL season and the quieter pull of an old Brentwood estate.
Who Will Enjoy This Book? Readers who follow the Game On series and fans of sports romance built around fake relationships, childhood history, and dual points of view.
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- Premise: August Luck, the NFL’s number-one draft pick, asks Pen Morrow to pose as his fiancée after a drunken viral video damages his reputation.
- The deal: He covers her late grandparents’ $110,000 property tax bill; she appears at games and press events wearing his grandmother’s sapphire ring.
- What complicates it: August has loved Pen since childhood, and the arrangement becomes real long before either admits it.
- Setting: A cold modern mansion in Laurel Canyon, a 1940s ranch estate called Merry Place, and NFL stadiums across a full season.
- Structure: Forty sections told in alternating first-person chapters from August’s and Pen’s perspectives.
Characters In This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| August “Pickle” Luck | Twenty-three-year-old rookie starting quarterback and the novel’s male narrator. |
| Penelope “Pen” Morrow | Twenty-two-year-old UCLA film history senior and the novel’s female narrator. |
| March Luck | August’s younger brother, a college tight end and his closest confidant. |
| January “Jan” Luck | August’s eldest brother, a retired three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback. |
| June and May Luck | August’s younger sisters and Pen’s childhood friends. |
| Margo and Neil Luck | August’s mother and his father, a Hall of Fame wide receiver. |
| Anne Morrow | Pen’s mother, a stage actress and Margo’s best friend. |
| Douglas Merriweather | Pen’s estranged father, who left the family when she was ten. |
| Trent “Jelly” Gellis | Veteran tight end teammate of August. |
| Monica Reyes | Oscar-winning actress and Jelly’s girlfriend. |
| Roderick “Rhodes” Rhodes | Super Bowl MVP wide receiver teammate of August. |
| Sarah | Pen’s college roommate, owner of a pet frog named Edward. |
| Professor Jackson | Pen’s film history professor at UCLA. |
| James Perry | August’s sports agent. |
| Nala | The team’s public relations manager. |
| Coach Harper and Bud Lester | Head coach and general manager of August’s team. |
Only on Gameday Summary: What Happens in the Book
Spoiler warning: the following section covers the full plot, including the ending.
August Luck wins his second NFL game and then falls apart.
At a black-tie fundraiser he strips down to tuxedo pants and a purple faux fur coat, climbs onto a table, and dances the Funky Chicken while cameras roll. The clip spreads nationwide and becomes known as “Funky Chicken Gate.”
His coach, agent, and team management demand a fix. Meanwhile, Pen Morrow drives through rain to the Luck family home in Massachusetts to visit her mother’s best friend, Margo.
Pen has just lost her grandparents, Pegs and Pops, and inherited their Brentwood estate, Merry Place, along with an annual property tax bill of $110,000.
August opens the door and blurts that she has nice teeth.
At dinner, March pushes a game of ranking who is most attractive in the room, and Pen names August. August answers that he thinks Pen is the most attractive person there.
Later that night, Pen falls asleep on the couch. August wakes her and makes sandwiches, and she admits she cannot afford to keep her grandparents’ house. On the flight back to Los Angeles he upgrades her to first class and asks her to marry him.
He explains the plan on the drive from LAX. A wholesome story about reconnected childhood sweethearts will repair his image. In exchange, he will cover her tax payments. He drives her to Merry Place and makes the offer there. Pen agrees, on the condition that public affection happens only on game days and at required appearances.
August presents Nanna’s Kashmir sapphire ring at a diner breakfast.
He then tells his agent, coach, and PR manager Nala, who schedules the announcement for a postgame press conference. Pen watches from her bed as August tells national cameras that Penelope is the love of his life.
Life changes quickly. Teammates throw August a joke “bride” party on the team charter. At UCLA, classmates photograph Pen and Professor Jackson scolds her for the disruption. August brings Jelly and Rhodes to move her out of her apartment, and Pen hosts a barbecue at Merry Place so August can bond with his teammates.
Pen attends her first home game in the stadium suite and meets Monica Reyes. In the pregame corridor she gives August a pep talk borrowed from her grandfather: games are decided by a soul-deep belief in winning. They share their first deliberate kiss, and August wins.
Monica becomes a close friend and pushes Pen toward interior design. Then the team loses by one point, and Jelly plays badly. Commentators blame Monica’s presence.
Days later, a stranger throws a rock-filled sandwich at Pen’s back on campus and spray-paints “Luck Sucks!” on her motorcycle.
August finds the bruise and is consumed by guilt and fury. Pen finishes her final semester remotely, and August has her motorcycle restored and gives her an armored riding jacket.
At Thanksgiving, the family gathers at January’s Texas lake house. A national broadcast shows Pen’s father, Douglas Merriweather, accusing her of being a gold digger. Pen retreats to her room, where August confesses that the team never demanded a fake engagement at all. He invented the entire scheme because he had loved her his whole life.
Pen tells him she loves him too. In the epilogue, August becomes the first rookie quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
He comes home to Merry Place, where Pen is painting bookshelves raspberry red. She shows him a folder titled “AugustGames” and a shoebox of ticket stubs from every game he ever played.
August proposes for real. She says yes.
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Summary by Chapter
Spoiler warning: this section summarizes all forty sections of the book.
Prologue: After his second NFL win, August suffers an anxiety meltdown at a fundraiser and dances the Funky Chicken in a purple fur coat. Onlookers film him, and the video goes viral. He realizes management will punish him.
Chapter 1: Pen drives through rain to the Luck home in Massachusetts while on the phone with her mother, Anne. Anne mentions August’s scandal, and Pen avoids the subject. She hangs up to focus on the road.
Chapter 2: Pen runs to the front portico and August opens the door. He blurts that she has nice teeth, then retreats. Margo welcomes Pen inside, and Pen joins June and May in the living room.
Chapter 3: August cringes over the greeting while March teases him. He admits he is stressed about the upcoming meeting with PR and his coaches. Margo calls everyone to dinner.
Chapter 4: The family eats roast chicken in the kitchen nook. March turns the conversation to attractiveness, and Pen picks August. August says he finds Pen the most attractive person in the room.
Chapter 5: May scolds August in the kitchen for the comment. Pen falls asleep during a movie in the den. August wakes her and makes sandwiches, and she reveals her $110,000 property tax problem.
Chapter 6: Pen and August meet at the airport. He upgrades her ticket so they sit together in first class. As the plane lands, he asks her to marry him.
Chapter 7: At LAX, Pen demands an explanation. August describes the PR problem and his fake engagement idea. He drives her to Merry Place instead of his own house.
Chapter 8: They walk through the empty rooms of her grandparents’ ranch home. August offers to pay her property taxes in exchange for playing his fiancée. Pen resists the charity but agrees to consider it.
Chapter 9: August returns to his Laurel Canyon mansion and calls March. He finds Jelly sunbathing by the pool. Jelly warns him the team needs focus, and August promises to deliver.
Chapter 10: Pen wakes to bossa nova and her roommate Sarah carrying a giant pet frog named Edward. August arrives and reacts with terror to the frog. He pulls Pen outside for a walk.
Chapter 11: They eat burgers on the Santa Monica bike path. Pen agrees to the engagement and sets the terms, including a quiet end to the arrangement after the season. They plan to meet Wednesday.
Chapter 12: Over breakfast, August gives Pen a Kashmir sapphire ring that fits perfectly. He then meets his coach, GM, agent, and Nala. Nala approves the childhood sweethearts narrative and sets the announcement for Sunday.
Chapter 13: August calls March, who warns him he will struggle to keep his hands off Pen. Pen watches the televised press conference from her bed. Afterward they text and talk on the phone.
Chapter 14: Teammates throw August a joke bride party on the team charter. On campus, Pen faces staring, photos, and invasive questions. Professor Jackson scolds her about the disruption.
Chapter 15: Pen moves out of her apartment and into Merry Place. August invites her to his Laurel Canyon house. She rides her motorcycle over, and he shows her the home he calls lonely.
Chapter 16: August makes smoothies on the patio and they hold hands on the lounge. He suggests practicing kissing for game days. Pen panics at her reaction and declines.
Chapter 17: June and May storm into Pen’s apartment, angry they learned about the engagement from the news. They spot the family sapphire ring. August arrives and defends Pen, and they admit the arrangement is fake.
Chapter 18: January confronts August about the engagement and asks whether he wants it to be real. On moving day, August brings Jelly and Rhodes to haul boxes. Sarah is stunned, and Edward receives a tiny autographed cap.
Chapter 19: August invites his teammates to Merry Place for a barbecue. The players grill in the kitchen and watch John Wick in the den. Jelly tells August he is clearly in love with Pen.
Chapter 20: January drives Pen and the twins to the stadium early. In the pregame corridor, Pen shares her grandfather’s theory about belief deciding games. They share a long kiss before January interrupts.
Chapter 21: Pen meets Monica Reyes in the luxury suite. The two connect over family and hospitality. August internalizes Pen’s words and takes control of the game.
Chapter 22: Anne makes passive-aggressive remarks about Pen’s compatibility with August. May and June give Pen a makeover. Pen waits on the hood of August’s truck and they kiss in front of cameras.
Chapter 23: Monica visits Merry Place with cocktail supplies and encourages Pen to study interior design. August calls Pen from an away hotel and they discuss Ingrid Bergman films.
Chapter 24: August tells March he can no longer pretend. Pen invites him to Merry Place for dinner and texts the siblings about her anxiety. March advises August to speak honestly.
Chapter 25: August arrives while Pen makes carbonara. She asks directly if he wants to touch her, and they share an intense kiss on the veranda. Pen reveals she is a virgin and that the pregame kiss was her first.
Chapter 26: August carries Pen to her bedroom and they make love for the first time. Both realize afterward that the relationship has moved past any arrangement.
Chapter 27: Pen swims laps at August’s Laurel Canyon pool. He pulls her against the pool wall and they make love in the water. They relax together on the deck.
Chapter 28: The Luck siblings trade chaotic group texts about SpongeBob. August visits Merry Place, where Pen is harvesting tomatoes, and they make love on the kitchen counter. Pen explains a small scar from a fastball March threw as a child.
Chapter 29: Monica helps Pen build a rental website for the guesthouse. They watch a one-point loss in which Jelly plays badly and commentators blame Monica. Jelly later tells August his high school mentor is dying.
Chapter 30: A hostile stranger throws a rock-filled sandwich at Pen’s back on campus and she falls. Her motorcycle is spray-painted with “Luck Sucks!” She returns home bruised.
Chapter 31: August finds Pen scrubbing her stained shirt and presses her for answers. He discovers the bruise and learns of the attack. They argue briefly, then make love.
Chapter 32: Pen switches to remote learning for her final semester. August surprises her with her restored motorcycle and an armored riding jacket. The family plans Thanksgiving in Texas.
Chapter 33: August, Pen, May, and June fly to January’s stone lake house. January greets Pen warmly. Pen accidentally announces that she and August are having a phenomenal amount of sex.
Chapter 34: Pen and August stay in the kitchen to make dessert and start a whipped cream fight. Anne, Margo, and Neil arrive unexpectedly. Anne dryly notes Pen’s unbuttoned blouse.
Chapter 35: The Luck men gather at the firepit, where January announces his permanent retirement and move to LA. March tells Pen that August has been devoted to her his whole life.
Chapter 36: A national broadcast shows Douglas Merriweather calling Pen a gold digger. Humiliated, Pen asks for space and retreats to her room.
Chapter 37: August and March take a bass boat onto the cold lake, where August admits the fake engagement was entirely his own idea. Pen builds a comfort fort, then makes tortellini with Margo and Anne. She signals August to join her.
Chapter 38: August confesses that the team never required the engagement and that he invented it because he loved her. Pen declares her love in return. He explains that the sapphire ring was always meant for a real marriage.
Epilogue: Months later, August has become the first rookie quarterback to win a Super Bowl. He finds Pen painting bookshelves at Merry Place. She shows him a folder and shoebox of keepsakes from every game he ever played, and he proposes for real.
Books Like Only on Gameday
- The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan — The first Game On novel pairs college quarterback Drew Baylor with quiet co-ed Anna Jones, sharing the series’ emotional walls and slow-burn chemistry.
- The Game Plan by Kristen Callihan — Book three in the same series follows NFL player Ethan Dexter and Fiona Mac Maguire, with the same witty banter and high-heat dynamic.
- The Deal by Elle Kennedy — A New Adult sports romance built on a fake-dating agreement between a star athlete and a quiet senior that turns real.
- Mile High by Liz Tomforde — Features an elite professional athlete, image management, and themes of protection and vulnerability.
- The Right Move by Liz Tomforde — An NBA romance with forced proximity, a protective hero who falls first, and heavy family involvement.
Quotes from Only on Gameday
“For what it’s worth, Penelope, I think you’re the most attractive person here as well.”
“Penelope is the love of my life… It’s a difficult thing trying to live without the person who completes you.”
“What truly decides the game is a soul-deep belief in the player that they’re going to win.”
“You say you’re a side character in everyone else’s story. In my story, Pen, you are the main character. You always will be.”
“I loved you before football. And one day, when I can no longer play the game, I’ll love you still.”
“I’ve watched every game you ever played… Every game. Ever.”
Book Details at a Glance
- Genre & Subgenre: Contemporary Romance / Sports Romance, New Adult
- Core Narrative Tropes: Fake engagement, childhood acquaintances to lovers, secret pining, athlete and quiet heroine, saving the family estate
- Tone & Atmosphere: Warm, witty, emotionally candid, banter-heavy and sensual
- Primary Conflict: August’s anxiety under public scrutiny and Pen’s struggle to keep her grandparents’ estate
- Pacing Style: Fast-paced linear narrative spanning one NFL season from preseason to the Super Bowl
- ISBN: 978-1335661289 (ISBN-10: 133566128X)
- Pages: 416
- Book Structure: 40 sections — Prologue, Chapters 1–38, Epilogue — in alternating first-person perspectives
