Book picks similar to
Easy Connections by Liz Berry


young-adult
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romance
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Oy, Joy!


Lucy Frank - 1999
    She can't seem to find a date who resembles a human being. Ever since her great-uncle Max moved into her family's tiny apartment, Joy has had to share a room with her little brother and she never has a moment to herself. Now, Uncle Max has decided to play matchmaker and set her up with every boy he can find. Will Joy ever get her life back on the right track?

Laimes monitorings (Happiness by the Mile)


Laura Dreiže - 2011
    Viņus aizrauj savdabīga sacensība, mēģinot notvert noslēpumainu autobusiņu, kurš spēj kliedēt cilvēku negatīvās emocijas. Taču sacensība ir tikai iegansts, kas ceļ gaismā gan pastāvošās iekārtas netaisnību, gan jauniešu sarežģītās attiecības – konkurenci, brāļu naidu, pirmo mīlestību...Sākas aizraujoši piedzīvojumi, kurus vada neapslāpējama cerība izmainīt pastāvošo...-------------------------------------------------------------------------Year 2101. After the devastating economic crisis of 2009, countries throughout the world have merged sprawling metropolises to avoid bankruptcy. Amidst them is Liberty, also known as Dust City. For almost 50 years it has been governed by a multi-corporation Genom X, which protects its citizens and exterminates the illegal inhabitants.For as long as everyone can remember, a blue-green van has been patrolling the streets of Dust City. Its purpose, destination and the identity of the driver are unknown. Wherever it appears, people feel happier. Some of the illegals have formed car racing teams to see who can get the closest to the van.Avery Cross is part of such a team. She thinks nothing of it. Because of the van's powers, nobody intends to harm it. The race is just a way to kill time... Or at least it was, until Avery's brother Brandon decides to catch the van – this time for real. Furious, Avery leaves her friends and joins the losing team with the purpose to help them win and make Brandon listen to reason. But what started as a harmless car race reveals a completely new and ugly face of the metropolis, and Avery may have a more significant role to play than she could ever imagine.

House of Stairs


William Sleator - 1974
    It is not a prison, not a hospital; it has no walls, no ceiling, no floor. Nothing but endless flights of stairs leading nowhere, except back to a strange red machine. The five must learn to love the machine and let it rule their lives. But will they let it kill their souls?

Christy Miller Collection, Vol. 2


Robin Jones Gunn - 2006
    It all starts the summer Christy vacations on a California beach and meets two friends who change her life forever. But after moving across the country with her family, Christy must begin her sophomore year of high school uncertain where she'll fit in. A red-headed new best friend, a try at cheerleading, a job at a pet store, and expectations for the prom fill Christy's high school years with a string of laughter-and-tears moments. Fireball Katie keeps everyone guessing what she'll do next, and surfer Todd keeps showing up while popular Rick has determined to get her full attention! As these memorable years unfold, Christy and her God-loving friends find out what it means to be a "peculiar treasure." Follow Christy Miller as she stays true to her identity in Christ, drawing closer to God for help in realizing her dreams and dealing with her disappointments.Whether you're meeting her for the first time or have known her for years-- Christy Is a Forever FriendSurprise Endings Cheerleading tryouts are coming up, and Christy Miller is giving it all she's got. The competition is tough and some of the girls are just rude, but Christy thinks she has a good chance to make the squad. Meanwhile prom is just around the corner, and Christy hopes her parents will make an exception to their "no dating until sixteen" rule. She'd love to go with Todd to his prom! But nothing turns out as Christy had planned. As the surprises keep coming, can Christy respond with grace...and maybe even spring a surprise of her own?Island Dreamer Christy Miller is spending her sixteenth birthday on Maui with her family, Todd, and Paula, her best friend from Wisconsin! What could be better? But Christy soon finds that she and Paula don't have as much in common anymore. Paula's obsessed with having a boyfriend...even if it means stealing Todd from Christy! Will he choose Paula over her? Or will the islands send Christy dreaming in new directions?A Heart Full of Hope Christy Miller is sixteen, and that means she can finally date! Rick has waited months for this, and he has a whole list of dates planned. He's not happy about her early curfews and weekend job, but Christy knows her parents aren't about to negotiate on those points. Really, she's dazzled to be pursued by such a thoughtful guy. So why does she feel overwhelmed? Where does Todd fit into her life now? And can any guy really fulfill all her hopes?Story Behind the Book"The Christy Miller series was actually born when a group of thirteen-year-olds challenged me to write a novel. I'd been questioning the content of their favorite books when they said, 'Why don't you write a book for us?' I told them no, I only wrote picture books. But they persisted: 'How hard could it be? We'll even tell you what to write! We want a love story with teenagers at the beach.' And there you go. Summer Promise first released seventeen years ago and is now translated into five languages. I continue to hear from readers all over the world, many girls saying that they gave their life to Christ after reading Summer Promise. I love that!"--Robin Jones Gunn

Unraveling


Micalea Smeltzer - 2013
    Since then, she's closed herself off. She's a shell of the person she used to be. The only person she trusts is her best friend Rollo, but even he can't keep the nightmares away. Then she meets Jared. He's the first man she's been around since the event that she's not afraid of. He makes her heart race, not in fear, but in a fluttering that could become something meaningful.Jared can tell that Katy is broken. He sees something in her eyes that he’s often seen reflected in his own. Pain.Fear. Self-loathing.Jared is determined to get to know her. He wants to solve the mystery of Katy Spencer. He will… unravel her.

Midnight


Erin Hunter - 2005
     The wild cats of the forest have lived in peace and harmony for many moons but a doom that will change everything is coming. Strange messages from their warrior ancestors speak of terrifying new prophecies, danger, and a mysterious destiny. All the signs point to young warrior Brambleclaw as the cat with the fate of the forest in his paws. But why would the son of wicked cat Tigerstar be chosen to be a hero? And who are the other cats mentioned in the prophecy? All Brambleclaw knows for sure is that the strength and courage of the greatest warriors will be needed now, as the quest to save the Clans begins. ...and shake the forest to its roots.

Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes?


Holly Bourne - 2018
    A place offering a shot at “normality” for Olive, a girl on the edge, and for the new friends she never expected to make – who each have their own reasons for being there. Luckily Olive has a plan to solve all their problems. But how do you fix the world when you can’t fix yourself?

The Seer and the Sword


Victoria Hanley - 2000
    But there is a curse on anyone who lifts the sword for conquest. King Kareed of Archeld goes after this sword anyway, winning it from the King of Bellandra. When he returns home from battle, he brings his daughter, Princess Torina, two special gifts. One is a unique crystal, in which she can view visions of the future. The other gift is the defeated king’s son Landen, who is to be her slave. Torina immediately releases Landen, who becomes a member of the King’s army and her close friend.But trouble is lurking in the kingdom of Archeld and people are accusing Landen of plotting against the King. Torina refuses to believe he would hurt her family. Then Torina begins seeing deadly visions in her crystal. Can she save her father’s life and the future of her kingdom?

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.

Red Rising


Pierce Brown - 2014
    "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.""I live for you," I say sadly.Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

The Wide-Awake Princess


E.D. Baker - 2010
    When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie-blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic-can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake.But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn't possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father's guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own.

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend


Kody Keplinger - 2010
    She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "the Duff," she throws her Coke in his face. But things aren't so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman


Louise Plummer - 1995
    What do you do if you've lived a real romance with a great guy and he loves you as much as you love him? Simple, I wrote a romance novel with help from THE ROMANCE WRITER'S PHRASE BOOK. Nothing is made up. I want truth and conflict even in romance. I'm betting you'll want the same.

Stupid Girl


Cindy Miles - 2014
    She sets out for Winston University, promising herself that she will remain focused on her first and only love – astronomy. But all it takes is cocky sophomore Brax Jenkins and an accidental collision with a football, to throw her entire year off course. A quick-tempered Southie who escaped the inner city streets of Boston to pitch for Winston, Brax is known to play way more fields than just the baseball diamond. So, when his name is drawn to take part in his fraternity’s hazing dare, Brax eagerly accepts the mission to take Olivia’s virginity. But he doesn’t plan on falling hard for the sweet and sassy Texas girl who sees right through his bad-boy persona. As Olivia and Brax battle their feelings for each other, echoes of the past year begin to surface. A boy who once turned Olivia’s whole world upside down reappears, and “harmless” pranks wreak havoc. Pretty soon the aspiring astronomer is on the verge of revealing her most difficult, heartbreaking secret. All the while, Brax must wrestle with the irrevocable dare, and Olivia struggles against all logic as she does the one thing only a stupid girl would do: fall in love.

Exodus


Julie Bertagna - 2002
    But one night, in the ruined virtual world of the Weave, Mara meets the mysterious Fox, a fiery-eyed boy who tells her of sky cities that rise from the sea.Mara sets sail on a daring journey to find a new life for herself and her friends - instead she discovers a love that threatens to tear her apart ...