Book picks similar to
When I'm Gone by Jessica Grace


love-triangle
standalone
college-young-adult
ku

Libby Lane


C.E. Johnson - 2019
    I’ve lived here my entire life. So I couldn’t have been more excited when we bought the fixer upper on Libby Lane. That was until “we” became “I”. After I cried out every ounce of my heartbreak with a hammer in my hand, I learned how to be happy alone. Now, all I need is a porch swing, the warm country breeze and a glass of sweet tea. But when I run into Wyatt, the new cop that just moved into town, my time in solitude begins to fade. I just hope trusting him won’t be one of the biggest mistakes I make.This is not the type of place I would have pictured myself living. Jasper Creek is a far cry from the city streets I grew up on. But this town does have one advantage. Cora. Every minute I spend with her on that porch swing, breaks down a little piece of the wall I built inside of me. So when someone targets her and my instincts point to things getting dangerous, you may as well have taken a sledgehammer to that wall. Now my fear of leaving someone behind is replaced by an even greater fear. Losing her.

Bad Habit


Charleigh Rose - 2017
    Even bruised and bloodied, he was the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen. We couldn't ever be together. I was too young, and he was too untouchable. He was too troubled, and I was too naive. But the heart is rebellious, and mine decided it didn’t care about any of those things. As I got older, harmless flirting turned to stolen moments in dark corners. Until one day, he was gone without a trace. Now, three years later, he’s back. Callous and cruel. He’s my brother’s best friend. My parents’ worst nightmare. I should hate him. But like a Bad Habit, I can’t quit him. ASHER I was drawn to Briar Vale from the first time she looked up at me with stars in her big, blue eyes. She was just a kid, nothing but elbows and knees, but she was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. We could never be together. I was too old and she was too off limits. She was too good and I was too fucked up. Eventually, the temptation became too much to resist. I risked everything for a kiss and she betrayed me. Three years have passed and I’m forced to see her again, but now she's all grown up. She’s my best friend’s baby sister. My downfall. I hate her for what she did. But she's always been my drug of choice

A Game Like Ours


Marissa J. Gramoll - 2021
    To the outside world, Bobby Anderson is an attractive, charismatic baseball star. But inside, Bobby holds secrets—including his closeted sexuality—and each secret alone has the power to destroy his carefully-constructed life.When his best friend Cody dies, Bobby is thrown into the unwitting role of supporter for Cody’s grieving fiancée, Lexie. The issue? Bobby has long-harbored feelings for her that he never allowed to surface. Torn between his growing attraction for Lexie and devotion to his deceased friend, Bobby is forced to re-examine his life and concern about divulging his sexual identity. Another secret spoken by Cody during his final moments eats away at Bobby’s conscience, driving the wedge of Cody’s death deeper. Once these secrets come to light, will Lexie ever be able to forgive them? Can she accept Bobby for who he is? Will she ever want anything to do with him again?

The Sky Between Us


Mia Kun - 2021
    Some mistakes leave a mark on us and we have to carry their consequences forever.”HazelSix years ago, my life fell apart and ever since I was living within those broken pieces.Until I met him.The moment I walked into the Starbucks on my first day of work and laid eyes on him, everything changed.He saw me.For the first time in three years, I wasn’t invisible. I’ve grown used to staying on the sidelines and living in the shadows until I met him.Aiden Hitchings was my father’s favorite player. Our university’s soccer star. The one who lived in the spotlight.I knew I shouldn’t have tempted fate, but falling for him wasn’t a choice. History was about to repeat itself, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.AidenLast year of college was going to be epic. Juggling our NCAA Championship, coursework and my part-time job at Starbucks wasn’t easy, but it was all going to pay off once I signed my professional contract. That was before she walked in.The hazel-eyed girl with a sharp tongue, the one who always blended into the background, was staring right back at me. The Coach’s daughter, one I should have avoided at any cost but kept being drawn to. She shattered my carefully built-up world and inked herself deep into my soul.But she carried a secret with her that stood between us, slowly breaking us.And for the first time in my life, I lost control and I felt helpless.

Breakaway


Heather M. Orgeron - 2017
    Sounds like a cheesy line from a country song, right? Too bad it's the story of my life. I thought that I’d moved on, swore he was the one. But that facade began to fade in the flash of a half-carat diamond ring. Now years later, here I am, running back to the boy who broke my adolescent heart, hoping that just maybe, he’ll be the one to piece it back together. .... I fell in love with my best friend while she fell in love with him. Ironically, it was my own damn fault. I practically served her up on a silver platter. So I turned to my second love, basketball, moving across the country to escape. For years, I’ve been sitting on the sidelines watching, waiting. Now it's time to make my move. No more fouling out. This time, I'm going to score.

Riot House


Callie Hart - 2020
    As far as the boys who run America’s most exclusive international academy are concerned, I’m an unwelcome interloper, an inconvenience, and they’re determined to make my life a living hell. When Wren Jacobi sets eyes on Wolf Hall Academy’s newest inductee, all he sees is an easy mark. A reserved little girl with a target painted on her back. He knows nothing of my troubled past, though. Nothing of my mother’s suspicious death, or the horrific treatment I’ve had to endure at the hands of my psychotic father. And he has no idea of the lengths that I, unassuming little Elodie Stillwater, will go to in order to break the savage beast who dreams of breaking me first. There’s a wolf stalking the forests that surround my new school. Little does he know…There are far scarier predators lurking out there in the dark.

Cruel Prince


Ashley Jade - 2019
    But four years later, here I am...back to finish my senior year at Royal Hearts Academy.And forced to face Jace Covington. My first friend. First crush. First kiss. The one I left behind.Only—he isn't the same boy I gave my heart to.This new Jace is as cruel as he is gorgeous.And he's determined to make my life a living hell. Along with the rest of his glorified family and crew of tyrants.They expect me to worship the ground they walk on like everyone else, but I'd rather eat dirt.If Jace Covington wants me gone...he'll have to try harder. Because I've never been the kind of girl to play by the rules.WARNING: Royal Hearts Academy is a New Adult/High School series of standalones filled with drama, a touch of angst, and boys who are bad to the bone. And when I say bad, I mean they are assholes with a capital A. If you're looking for a safe, sweet romance, this series is NOT for you. At all! Please don't say you weren't warned.WARNING: Royal Hearts Academy is a New Adult/High School series of standalones filled with drama, a touch of angst, and boys who are bad to the bone.This series is recommended for mature readers due to graphic language and sexual content.

Gravity


Sara Cate - 2020
    The last person I expected to show up on my doorstep was his father, Alistair Wilde. Yet, he came with an offer I’d be an idiot to pass up: be his son’s girlfriend for three months, live with the two of them in a remote house, and the one million dollars is mine.The challenge turns out to be harder than I expected. Nash is not just wild, he’s dangerous. And Alistair is far more broken than he lets the world believe. The three of us are bound by grief. It’s up to me to feed Nash’s hunger and heal Alistair’s pain.Lines are crossed.Rules are broken.On the island, there’s no one to tell us this is wrong.I know I have to choose before I tear this family apart.But I belong to both of them—One of them has my body.The other has my heart.

Filthy Little Pretties


Trilina Pucci - 2020
    Liam Brooks is a charmer with puppy dog eyes you can’t say “no” to.They’re the kind of guys that make time stand still when they walk by. And when their childhood best friend, Donovan Kennedy, comes back to New York, friendships get tested. Choices are made they can’t take back. And one boy gets a taste of what it’s like to want someone so bad that you’d burn down the city to have her. “Trilina delivers an addictive high school romance high on angst and drama and a book that is total sexy perfection. Prepare to be twisted into delicious knots! I loved it!”--Siobhan Davis, USA Today bestselling authorDonovan Kennedy is the girl dreams are made of. Five years ago, she was our best friend. Our moral compass. The girl that held our hands everywhere we went. We were young. Innocent. Nothing could touch us — not even heartache. That was then. Now she’s back. All grown up. With red lips and long legs — a challenge waiting to be accepted. A prize that’ll turn our world upside down. Brothers turned to enemies. Friendships decimated. Lies told.Hearts torn apart. Prep school’s never been so scandalous.USA Today Bestselling author, Trilina Pucci, brings you an addictive, sexy friends-to-lovers high school romance packed with off-the-chart chemistry, competition, and raw emotional angst.

My Boss’s Daughter (Bossed by the Billionaire #1)


Kelli Walker - 2020
    No Cliffhangers and a HEA!

A Vow Of Hate


Lylah James - 2021
    We were poison together and there was no antidote.Our story began like any other fairy tale ended.With a beautiful wedding.One kiss.Two rings.Three vows.Killian Spencer became my lawfully wedded husband and I, his dutiful wife.But he was no Prince Charming. He didn’t come to save me… and he vowed there would be no happily ever after.And me?Just like the legends I'd read as a little girl, I always thought I’d be the princess in my fairy tale.Well, I was the villain of our love story.“Till death do us part…”

Without You


Jennifer Van Wyk - 2020
    Without her, I was better off.I knew it the second she walked away and realized how much happier I was.Knew it the day I interrupted her wedding reception to show her what she was missing and locked eyes with someone I hadn’t seen in years.Those eyes.Her smile.Everything about her turned something around inside me that had been quiet for years. But I’m not the only one who noticed.How do I, a grease monkey, compare to what a Nashville star has to offer?Easy.Because without her, none of what I’ve taken years to build matters.Now I get to prove it to her. Without You is a complete standalone small town romance filled with friendship, love, and second chances.

The Wrong Game


Kandi Steiner - 2018
    One genius idea. Zero interest in a relationship. The plan is simple: a brand new, hot, preferably funny, definitely single male will fill one of those seats for every Bears game at Soldier Field. And I’ll fill the other. I can’t think of a better way to use the season passes I’d bought for my ex-husband. I am a woman of plans, and this one’s foolproof. Until Zach Bowen offers to be my practice round. He’s infuriating. Presumptuous and overbearing. And absolutely, undeniably gorgeous. Any woman with a heartbeat would be attracted to him, and mine picks up speed every time he speaks. But as I said, I’m a woman of plans — and I’m not backing down on this one. One night. One game. And then, his time’s up. He can try to change the rules, but here’s the truth: he can’t win if he’s playing the wrong game. The Wrong Game is a stand-alone, angsty, enemies-to-lovers sports romance.

Hustle


Ashley Claudy - 2015
    College was supposed to be Brook's chance to escape the rumors and the harassment that plagued her at home, but she hadn't planned on meeting Andrew Fayden. Now, she's finding it hard to think of anything else or anyone else. She's determined to wipe him from her mind though because he is the definition of unavailable. He's got an on and off again girlfriend always on the sidelines and a flood of girls willing to take over that position.And his popularity makes it hard to keep a low profile, something she needs to do if she doesn't want to be pulled back into the drama of her past.Despite all the warnings, she's finding it hard to resist—and he's making it hard to say no.

More than Friends


Tarrah Anders - 2016
    Dane Crawford is head over heels in love with his best friend. Dare.A kiss. Sterling Cranefield is in lust with her boyfriend, until he abruptly breaks her heart.When Sterling tries to withdraw from her friends following the breakup, Dane won’t allow it. Now is his chance and he isn’t going to let it, or her, slip through his fingers.A simple game of Truth or Dare, changes everything.Dane and Sterling’s lives take a different direction than either of them thought possibleWill they cross the lines of the just friend zone?And if they do, can they find the kind of relationship that lasts forever?