Book picks similar to
Pretending by Shanna Clayton


new-adult
romance
contemporary
college

Safe with You


Kirsten DeMuzio - 2013
    But that might change when she accepts a cup of coffee from a sexy mysterious stranger.Wyatt Hunter has experienced a loss that has him living each day just going through the motions. His world is in dull shades of gray - until the day he meets Taryn. She brings vibrant brilliant color back into his life, and he can’t stand the thought of going on without her.But Wyatt is holding a secret that could send Taryn running when she finds out.**This book contains adult situations and explicit content. Recommended for readers ages 18 and older.**

Forever Altered


D.J. Pierson - 2013
    The two of them were best friends for as long as she could remember. He had always been her rock and now he was the cause of her pain. They were supposed to finish college, get married, and live happily ever after. Her hopes and dreams were destroyed, along with her faith in the opposite sex. That is until Rocco Matthews walks into her life. Rocco is devastatingly handsome, smart, charming as hell, a play-the-field kind of guy. Unfortunately, he has his own issues that need to be dealt with. When Alyssa attempts to keep her distance from him, he tries even harder to get closer to her. What happens after that will leave them both…Forever Altered.

Falling to Pieces


Amber Garza - 2013
    Asher was close to learning the truth about me, and I couldn’t let that happen.But now everyone hates me. Well, everyone except for Asher. He believes in me even after what I’ve done.And when I’m with him I feel like I’m falling.I just hope if I do, he’s there to catch me.

Inhale, Exhale


Sarah M. Ross - 2013
    When her mom insists she needs a summer job, and her boyfriend spends more time with his band than with her, Jillian’s plans go down the drain. Grant had a plan: finish his Masters, get a great job at Google, and get the hell out of Georgia. He might be giving up some of the fun of his youth, but he knows his all work and no play method would be worth it when his dreams came true. But things never go according to plan. When temptation brings them together and tragedy tears them apart, Jillian and Grant will be forced to choose: fight for their dreams, or fight for each other.

Summer Girl


Sophie Hill - 2013
    Every summer the tiny beachside town of Hidden Cove, North Carolina is flooded with wealthy tourists, with their money and their arrogance and their promise of casual flings. And to Slade, bouncer, brawler, heartbreaker, they’re the perfect way to drown his pain and quiet the demons roaring in his head. But Heather Tremaine is different. Quietly beautiful, deeply hurt, she’s a mystery that Slade finds himself desperately needing to solve. When he realizes that she’s on a quest for the truth about her past, a quest that will take her into dangerous territory, he’s determined to protect her at all costs. But Heather not the only one with secrets…and the last time Slade tried to protect someone he loved, it cost him everything. Will he fight for his love, or will his Summer Girl fade like the seasons? By the end of the summer, Heather will find out that the truth is more shocking than anything she’d ever anticipated…and she’ll make a choice that will change all of their lives forever.

Hard Knox


Nicole Williams - 2014
    The name inspires resent in every male at Sinclair University, want in every female, and contempt in Charlie Chase.Charlie can be summed up in three words: independent, independent, and independent. To Charlie, Knox epitomizes everything that’s wrong with college males: prolific one-night stands, drunken senseless fights, and a body that hints at prioritizing gym time over study time.As an up-and-coming writer for Sinclair University’s newspaper, Charlie’s tasked with getting to the bottom of who’s been dropping little white pills into girls’ drinks at parties. In an ocean of All-American boys sporting polo shirts and innocent smiles, Knox is the obvious suspect. As evidence piles up against the bad boy of Sinclair, Charlie becomes more and more certain it isn’t Knox. But when her drink is dosed at a party and she wakes up on Knox’s couch the next morning, Charlie’s left with more questions than answers when it comes to Knox Jagger.How can Charlie ever hope to uncover the truth behind a guy so closed off he’s become . . .Hard Knox.

Beware of Bad Boy


April Brookshire - 2013
    Now that I had her in my life I understood what it really meant to feel alive.THE GIRLUntil I met Caleb, I wasn’t sure beauty existed on my inside. With him in my life, I not only saw that beauty to my core, but also in my world around me.Gianna has everything going for her, beauty, popularity and the jock boyfriend to match. Too bad it all makes her miserable. Living her life based on other peoples’ expectations isn’t making her happy. She has only one escape and she guards that secret life fiercely. Caleb has everything he wants, the freedom to do as he likes and plenty of opportunities to do it. With a revolving door of girls in and out of his life, he has no interest in getting tied down. Kicked out of another school, his mom sends him to live with his dad. Gianna hates her new stepbrother on sight. Caleb thinks she’s a hollow beauty. Then he finds out her secret and uses it to get to know the real her. Changing who he is forever.Mature YA contemporary romance

All of You


Christina Lee - 2013
    He's irresistible. Tattooed. And a virgin.Nursing student Avery Michaels wants nothing to do with dating—she's perfectly happy single. Privy to too many of her mother's bad decisions and even worse taste in boyfriends, all Avery can handle is a string of uncomplicated hookups whenever the mood strikes.When she meets smoking hot tattoo artist Bennett, she wants him—for just one night. But he won't accept a no-strings-attached arrangement. He lives by a straight-laced code of values based on his own troubled upbringing.Bennett sees something special in Avery and he wants more from her. Way more. As Avery wrestles with her emotions for Bennett, danger and tragedy force them to open up to each other. And Avery must face the terrifying realization that she wants more from him, too.So she needs to make a choice—let Bennett go or finally let him in.

Isn't She Lovely


Lauren Layne - 2013
    Lauren Layne puts a New Adult spin on Pygmalion, also the inspiration for Pretty Woman, and gives the classic love story its edgiest twist yet."Who knew that pretending you're not falling for someone would be so much more difficult than pretending that you are?"Stephanie Kendrick gave up her whole summer to ace her NYU film school screenwriting course, so she's pissed to be stuck with a preppy, spoiled frat boy as her writing partner. Then again, with her piercings, black-rimmed eyes, and Goth wardrobe, Stephanie isn't exactly Ethan Price's type, either. He's probably got his eye on some leggy blonde with a trust fund... or does he?As the summer scene kicks off in the Hamptons, Ethan is desperate to make his snobbish mother forget the pedigreed girl who broke his heart. While Stephanie's a stretch as a decoy, the right makeover and a pastel cardigan just might do the trick. She may not love the idea of playing Ethan's brainless Barbie girlfriend, but the free rent and luxurious digs make a tempting offer. So does the promise of a ready-made screenplay idea inspired by their charade.But when Stephanie steps into Ethan's privileged world, the "acting" begins to feel all too real. The kissing and touching that were intended to fool the Hamptons crowd wind up manipulating "them." And Stephanie faces a question she's too afraid to ask: Is Ethan falling for the real her or for the dolled-up princess he wants to see?

A Toast to the Good Times


Steph Campbell - 2012
    When Landry’s present and near past collide, it only further complicates things.Landry thought he was leaving all of his problems behind when he left his family in New Jersey. But he comes home to find out that problems, like family, never go away. And sometimes facing the past with the help of someone who’s fearless about the future is the only way to move on.Cheers?

Sanctuary of Mine


Shelly Pratt - 2013
    RECOMMENDED FOR 17+ YEARS DUE TO SEXUAL CONTENT AND SOCIAL SITUATIONSWhen you see someone who looks like they need saving, you save them right?Mackenzie Deeks is struggling. Outwardly she plays the tough guy and acts like being a young adult with an eating disorder is no big deal. Inside, she's crumbling. Ever since her parents’ divorce, the only way she has been able to feel in control of her life is by purging the despair that has its grips on her and won't let go. Tyler Redding knows when someone needs help - he's seen it before. This time, though, he's not going to take no for an answer. From the moment he first sets his sights on Mackenzie, he's unable to think of anyone else. But how can he focus on a football career when all he wants to do is date the most unassuming person he's ever met?As their lives become intricately entwined, it becomes more than wishful thinking when Mackenzie and Tyler find each other again as adults. With successful careers, a beachside lifestyle and each other’s love to contend with, life should be pretty damn good. But just when they think they’ve found their wonderful kind of normal, their perfect world comes crashing down. It’s going to take a lot to keep Mackenzie from succumbing to old habits, but Tyler thinks he might just be the one to save her for good.

How We Lived


Erin Butler - 2014
    She just wanted to wear jeans and a T-shirt—the clothes Kyle would’ve wanted her in—not wrap herself up in death. So she watched the funeral from afar, like an outsider. Which is just how she feels.Chase came, though, just like she knew he would. Until a few months ago, the three of them had been best friends, and then Chase made a mistake that shattered both families. But when Kelsey looks at him, she doesn’t see her brother’s killer. She sees the boy next door who’s always taken care of her. She sees home. When Chase tells her his feelings run deeper than friendship, she can’t help but get lost in him. In Chase, she finally has the closure she’s been unable to find anywhere else. But the boy she’s falling in love with is still hiding secrets about the night Kyle died. Secrets that could destroy everything they have…again.standalone

My Skylar


Penelope Ward - 2014
    One thing after another kept us apart, and I’ve spent the last decade in fear of losing her forever. First, it was the cancer, but she survived only to face the unthinkable at my hands. Because of me, she left town. For years, I thought I’d never see her again.But now she’s back…and living with him. I don’t deserve her after everything I’ve put her through, but I can’t live without her. This is my last chance, because she’s about to make the biggest mistake of her life. I can see it her eyes: she doesn’t love him. She still loves me...which is why I have to stop her before it’s too late. My Skylar is a STANDALONE novel and a companion to Jake Undone.**Contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. It is only appropriate for adult readers age 18+

My Favorite Mistake


Chelsea M. Cameron - 2012
    One bet. Who will break first?Taylor Caldwell can't decide if she wants to kiss her new college roommate or punch him.On the one hand, Hunter Zaccadelli is a handsome blue-eyed bundle of charm. On the other, he's a tattooed, guitar-playing bad boy. Maybe that's why Taylor's afraid of falling in love with him, or anyone else. She doesn't want to get burned, so she needs him gone before it's too late.Hunter himself has been burned before, but Taylor's sexy laugh and refusal to let him get away with anything make her irresistible. Determined not to be kicked out of her life without a fight, Hunter proposes a bet: if she can convince him she either truly loves or hates him, he'll leave the apartment;and leave her alone.But when the man behind Taylor's fear of giving up her heart resurfaces, she has to decide: trust Hunter with her greatest secret, or do everything in her power to win that bet and drive him away forever.

Third Degree


Julie Cross - 2014
    But now I’m not sure what I am. I just failed the most important exam of my life—the emotional readiness test required to get into a medical residency program—and it turns out my parents can’t stand each other. Now I’m trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces of my life, and that means re-enrolling as a college freshman, but this time I’m shutting the books and majoring in being eighteen. But so far, my roommate hates me and I’m not into the party scene. The only good thing about school has been getting to know my insanely hot RA. Marshall Collins makes me wonder about everything I missed while I was growing up too fast. Pretty soon we’re hanging out constantly, but for the first time, I find myself wanting more than a no-strings-attached physical relationship. And the lesson I really need is one Marsh definitely can’t teach me: love. Because I’m going to be alone forever if I don’t learn fast.