Book picks similar to
Letting Go by Jessica Ruddick
new-adult
romance
college
arc
Sweet Keeper (Sweet Talkers, #1)
Thalia Sanchez - 2020
until I met Stanley McKinley.From the moment that I met him, I knew that I was going to hate his guts, that he was everything that I'm not, everything I despise.One mistake.That's all it took for our paths to collide and merge into one,and I can't find a way to get rid of the magnetic pull he has over me.I want to push him away, to do everything in my power to keep him as a friend—at most.But friends aren't supposed to flirt and look at each other the way we do.I shouldn't want him... but I do.And there's nothing I can do to change before I mess him up too.STANLEYShe thinks that I'm a golden boy, that I'm the perfect guy.Rich and spoiled asshole that can have everything he wants in life.I'm neither of those things.From the moment I met her, Bree Pierce got under my skin and I can't get her out of my system, no matter how hard I try to. I was an inconvenience for her, someone she only spoke to because we made a mistake, not even worthy of being her friend. But I don't want her friendship.I want her.And I'm willing to do whatever it takes for her to choose me, to keep me as much as I want to keep her.Even if it ruins everything that we have.
You'd Be Mine
Erin Hahn - 2019
Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things. But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen. Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels inducing tenor, isn’t worth the risk.
Maybe Never
Sadie Allen - 2017
Judd Jackson had it all—star football player with a college scholarship, perfect family, tons of friends, and a beautiful girlfriend. He was the most popular guy in town … until a family secret burned it all to the ground. Now, he’s the object of scorn and ridicule, and the only thing he has left is his scholarship and counting down the days until he can leave town. One goal-oriented girl... Sunny Blackfox was alone in the world, but she had big plans and big dreams to keep her occupied. She didn’t have time for anyone in her life. That was, until she came to the rescue of the boy she always had a thing for. They have everything going against them, but maybe, if they are lucky, they will make it out of town after graduation together ... or maybe never.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W5QVRKB/...
Fighting for Foster
Bex Dane - 2020
She's forbidden. Unattainable. Out of my league.All these years, I've struggled to deny the relentless desire to make her mine.But not anymore.Her dysfunctional crime family is destroying her and breaking her soul.I can't let that happen.So I'm infiltrating her secret world to save her.But can I earn her trust and convince her to leave before we both get killed?If you like possessive alpha-males and edge-of-your-seat action, you'll love Fighting for Foster.
First Comes Love
Katie Kacvinsky - 2012
Dylan, a girl who is seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving, and besides, opposites attract. What starts as friendship turns into admiration, respect, and caring, until finally these two lone souls find that they are truly in love with each other. But staying in love is never as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they're going to have to work at it . . .
Harp's Song
Cassie Shine - 2013
She will be free from the mother that never wanted her, the house that never felt like home, and the disappointment of the last seventeen years. What she doesn’t know is that her mother has been holding onto a secret that has the potential to derail her dreams and destroy her already faulty sense of self.A self-proclaimed recluse, Harp spends most of her time practicing the cello, in the hopes of earning a full scholarship that will grant her freedom, but will also send her away from her best friend Connor Williams, who is becoming more than just a friend.As revelations are made, will Harp still feel the same way about leaving everyone that cares about her behind? Or will she continue to pursue the life she’s been dreaming of, for as long as she can remember?
The Lovely Reckless
Kami Garcia - 2016
Haunted by the memory of her boyfriend’s death, she lives her life by one dangerous rule: Nothing matters. At least, that’s what Frankie tells herself after a reckless mistake forces her to leave her privileged life in the Heights to move in with her dad—an undercover cop. She transfers to a public high school in the Downs, where fistfights don’t faze anyone and illegal street racing is more popular than football.Marco Leone is the fastest street racer in the Downs. Tough, sexy, and hypnotic, he makes it impossible for Frankie to ignore him—and how he makes her feel. But the risks Marco takes for his family could have devastating consequences for them both. When Frankie discovers his secret, she has to make a choice. Will she let the pain of the past determine her future? Or will she risk what little she has left to follow her heart?
Nice Try, Jane Sinner
Lianne Oelke - 2018
After a personal crisis and her subsequent expulsion from high school, she’s going nowhere fast. Jane’s well-meaning parents push her to attend a high school completion program at the nearby Elbow River Community College, and she agrees, on one condition: she gets to move out. Jane tackles her housing problem by signing up for House of Orange, a student-run reality show that is basically Big Brother, but for Elbow River Students. Living away from home, the chance to win a car (used, but whatever), and a campus full of people who don't know what she did in high school… what more could she want? Okay, maybe a family that understands why she’d rather turn to Freud than Jesus to make sense of her life, but she'll settle for fifteen minutes in the proverbial spotlight. As House of Orange grows from a low-budget web series to a local TV show with fans and shoddy T-shirts, Jane finally has the chance to let her cynical, competitive nature thrive. She'll use her growing fan base, and whatever Intro to Psychology can teach her, to prove to the world—or at least viewers of substandard TV—that she has what it takes to win.
Detour
A. Marie - 2020
Angela Head down, eyes peeled for any opportunity to get off the dead-end course my mother carelessly paved for me years ago.My plan takes a sharp turn landing me directly across the hall from Creekwood’s resident bad boys. The three streetbike riding misfits are as stubborn as they are sexy. And they. Are. Sexy. Especially the one with the mocha swirl eyes watching my every move.But even the six-foot hallway separating us can’t keep the overbearing trio from constantly getting in my way.When my past threatens to catch up with me, I quickly learn not every detour promises an easier route, no matter how tempting my new neighbors might make it look. Coty Head up, eyes locked on anything threatening to throw me off the carefully constructed path I have mapped out.I live my life the same way I ride my bike, never once regretting the roads I’ve chosen.Lately though, after years of the same scenery, everything’s starting to blur together. It’s only when our elusive neighbor girl comes out of nowhere that I realize what’s been missing.And now that I have, I don’t think I can let her pass by so quickly. At least not without proving the lengths I’ll go for her first.
Dragonfly
Leigh Talbert Moore - 2013
Pulling Anna into their extravagant lifestyle on the Gulf Coast, Lucy pushed her outside her comfort zone and Jack showed her feelings she's never experienced... Until he mysteriously withdrew.Anna turned to her internship at the city paper and to her old attraction for Julian, a handsome local artist and rising star, for distraction. But both led to her discovery of a decades-old secret closely guarded by the twins' distant, single father.It's a secret that could cost her the boy she loves and permanently change all their lives.
Letting Go This Christmas
Natasha Queen - 2019
She’s stuck in a dead-end job and struggling to make ends meet when a fateful ice cream disaster results in her meeting Charlie Evans, a well-off photographer with the cutest little daughter she’s ever seen.Charlie Evans was thrust unexpectedly into fatherhood. With his roots in Pecan Grove, but an itch to get back on the road, he’s shocked when he meets the flame-haired widow. Sparks and tempers fly at their first meeting, but as time goes on, he realizes Cleo is getting under his skin. When he tries to pursue her, though, he realizes her heart is buried under layers of icy protection.Can Charlie chaw Cleo’s frozen heart in time for Christmas? Or will Cleo continue to hide her true feelings away in order to protect herself from tragedy again? Find out in this sweet Christmas romance!
Brief Encounters
Scarlett Hopper - 2018
With the painful life she left behind and the unorthodox job she currently has, lying is a must. But when Eleanor meets Jess Parker, Breslin University’s hockey player both on and off the ice, everything she has worked for threatens to come crumbling down. Jess Parker is the epitome of everything Eleanor wants to avoid. He’s popular, cocky, and has more girls’ numbers than a phonebook. Yet, when they are paired together for a school project, their connection is undeniable. As their friendship develops, Jess’s ability to truly see Eleanor shakes the very foundation she’s built her new life on. When Eleanor begins to question the two rules she has always followed, she finds herself wondering if honesty might actually be the best policy. But, when all is said and done, will the truth be too much for Jess to handle?
[Never] Again
Theresa Paolo - 2013
And he’s everywhere Liz looks—infiltrating her friend group, buddy-buddy with her brother. It’s enough to ruin college altogether. But what choice does she have but to put on a happy face and pretend he didn't leave her vulnerable and alone in a pile of emotional wreckage?Pretending works, until tragedy strikes and the only person available for comfort is the one person she wants to stay away from. When Zach turns out not to be the jerk she convinced herself he was, but the boy she used to love, Liz needs to decide whether to open her heart again to the boy who tore it out.
The Only Exception
Magan Vernon - 2013
But escape becomes almost impossible when she attracts the attention of her new and undeniably sexy neighbor: Trey Chapman, the governor’s son.Despite his vivid green eyes, adorable freckles, and athletic body, Trey is everything that Monica despises - haughty, conservative, bossy. And able to get under her skin in a way no other man ever could. A class project forces the unlikely pair together, their chemistry building with each heated debate. But when the ghosts of Monica’s past come back to haunt her, both their beliefs will be tested, and both will be forced to see the world in a new light. Their differences threaten to tear them apart, unless they can make one another their only exception.Due to sexual content and heavy subject matter, this book is recommended for ages 16+.
Say You'll Remember Me
Katie McGarry - 2018
But opportunity came with the new Second Chance Program, the governor's newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor's daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn't may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle's parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix's messy life.But sometimes love can breach all barriers.Fighting against a society that can't imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves -- Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence -- and each other to finally get what they deserve.