Book picks similar to
It Was You by Ashley Beale


contemporary-romance
new-adult
favorites
romance

When It Rains


Lisa De Jong - 2013
    He was my first crush before everything came crashing down, and now he wants more, but it's more than I can give him. Things are different now. I wish I could tell him why, but I can't. I haven’t told anyone.I never knew how much I really needed him until the day he left for college, and I was completely alone.Then one day, Asher Hunt rides into town with his dark, captivating eyes and cocky grin. He doesn't care who I used to be, he's simply breathing life into what’s left. People warn me to stay away from him, but he helps me forget the pain that has held me hostage for so long; something I thought was impossible before he walked into my life.I’ve been hurt. I’ve been saved. And I’ve found hope. I thought my story was written that night, but now I know it was only a new beginning. Until one secret turns my world upside down…Again.

Eleanor & Park


Rainbow Rowell - 2012
    “Bono met his wife in high school,” Park says.“So did Jerry Lee Lewis,” Eleanor answers.“I’m not kidding,” he says.“You should be,” she says, “we’re 16.”“What about Romeo and Juliet?”“Shallow, confused, then dead.”“I love you,” Park says.“Wherefore art thou,” Eleanor answers.“I’m not kidding,” he says.“You should be.”Set over one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Forever and Always Collection


E.L. Todd - 2014
    L. Todd, comes the limited edition Forever and Always Collection, books 1-3. Sean and Scarlet aren’t exactly an ideal relationship. Stupidity and selfishness on Sean’s part lead him to hurt Scarlet over and over again. Scarlet’s naivety and ignorance doesn’t help matters. But in the midst of all the angst is one of the greatest love stories of all time, full of laughter and love, and tears that will make your eyes glisten. Only For You: When Scarlet realized Penelope was dumping Sean, her best friend, she was devastated. Penelope was the love of his life, the woman of his dreams. Scarlet knew how far her best friend was going to fall and she had to catch him. Scarlet became Sean’s rock and helped him through a very painful breakup, but her own hidden desires bubbled to the surface in the process. When they finally gave in and slept together, she thought it was the start of their new relationship. Unfortunately, Sean didn’t feel the same. Humiliated and heartbroken, Scarlet moved across the country and found what she least expected. She rekindled her damaged relationship with her brother, who she hadn’t spoken to in a year, and her brother’s best friend was attractive and interesting. Their relationship was natural and unforced, and she was immediately drawn to him. Would she be able to get over Sean, forget about him, by sleeping with Cortland, or would that just be another repeated mistake? Forever and Always: Now that Sean and Scarlet are together, Scarlet couldn't be happier. They were meant for each other and would make any sacrifice to be together. With her greatest friend as her new lover, their relationship was perfect. But when Sean asks her to move back to New York, she hesitates. She doesn't want to leave her brother after finally reconnecting with him so they agree to make the coast-to-coast trip every weekend. Scarlet wants Sean to move to Seattle but she knows he can't leave his job for her. Scarlet fears that Sean still loves Penelope even though she never questions him about it. When Penelope shows up at Sean's apartment pregnant and penniless, Sean has to decide what he really wants. Will a baby interfere with the happiness that Scarlet has recently found? Edge of Love: Sean and Scarlet are finally blissfully happy together. Their past is behind them forever. But after Sean and Scarlet travel to Connecticut to reveal their engagement, tensions escalate, family secrets are revealed, and an unexpected visitor ruins the weekend. When they return to Seattle, Scarlet refuses to get married at his family estate, which infuriates Sean. Their arguments escalate until another secret is revealed. Scarlet is full of regret when she realizes she hurt Sean and broke his trust. For the first time, Scarlet is responsible for the pain and the hurt of their relationship. Is Sean’s love just as unconditional as he claims? Will he able to forgive Scarlet for her betrayal just like she forgave him?

Breathe into Me


Amanda Stone - 2013
    Kane's reputation is far from perfect, but is there more to him than what everyone else sees?Kelsey soon learns that you can’t run from your past, no matter how hard you try. When her nightmares find her once again, Kelsey must find the courage to face the demons that have been haunting her and save the people she loves most.

Finding Home


Becca Taylor - 2016
    With her grandmother’s words in her mind, she begins seeking out new experiences by creating a list of adventures she’d like to complete. First on the list, a night out with friends. Which leads to the second item on her list, a one night stand. That single night with Caleb is one she can’t get out of her head. However, just when she thinks her life is moving forward, her past comes back. Making her doubt herself, her adventure list and her dreams of finding home. Caleb Caleb isn’t the settling down type. His life is exactly what he wants, an uncomplicated routine. He has his boys, his business, his bass and his bike. Caleb’s life motto is work hard, ride his motorcycle harder and play music the hardest. Until the night he met Katerina. Suddenly, everything he thought he wanted wasn't enough. For the first time in his life, he was thinking about his future. His future with her.

Higher Octave


Ann Marie Frohoff - 2015
    Jake Masters has fallen from musical grace. His inner demons didn’t care about the awards, the multi-platinum records, the legions of fans around the world, nor his undying love for Alyssa. When Jake comes through fray, blurry about his future, he meets an unlikely inspiration, reigniting his passion and reason for living.

A Graceful Mess


Nacole Stayton - 2013
    I have felt like a stranger in my own skin, trying to claw my way out for far too long, allowing very few people to see past my façade…until my eyes met with his. I felt a sudden rush of energy all the way to my core. It jolted me in ways I never thought possible.Never in a million years would I have expected to be in the mess I am today. It all leads back to the night Parker Porter turned my world upside down. The night his hazel eyes undressed me, peeling away the layers of the woman I tried so hard to be. He awoke desires that burned deep within me and changed me in one quick glance, leaving me vulnerable and exposed, picking up the shattered pieces of my carefully constructed life…a life I should not be living…a life I was not born into, but placed into by the state of Maine.Parker opened a door that I am far from closing until I have answers and am able to face the life I was destined to live. I just have to decide if his love is worth the mess.“They say be careful of the quiet ones.” –GraceWarning: This book is intended for readers 18+ due to explicit language and sexual encounters.

We Were Us


Heather Diemer - 2014
    She is perfectly content waiting out the summer alone until she can return to college in the fall. What she doesn’t expect was to rekindle her relationship with Josh.Josh doesn't judge her like everyone else does and never did. He gets her. When he shows up at her door every night just to see her, Jenna opens up to him like she’d never been able to before. And the more time she spends with him, the more she realizes she is falling for him. When someone in town spots the two of them together, rumors fly and her already uncomfortable existence in the town takes a turn for the worse. Jenna realizes she'll never belong here and decides to leave and never look back. Josh convinces her to stay because there is something that she doesn't know--something that could change everything.

Every Which Way


Calia Read - 2012
    We were going to enjoy ourselves and this new adventure. She didn’t keep her side of the pact, but I was determined to. Then I met Macsen Sloan. He was quiet and kept to himself. He was nothing like his cocky, basketball star brother, Thayer. MacsenSeverine Blake was like every beautiful girl — she crooked her finger, expecting every guy within a mile to come crawling. Not only that, but she was sarcastic, opinionated and sometimes a complete bitch. We were polar opposites. I knew that, she knew that. But what gave me a second glance at her was that my brother was watching from afar. He wanted this girl. Yet she wanted me first. Thayer I saw her first. She was at a party, dancing with some guy, completely oblivious that I was staring. I knew nothing about her, yet I wanted to because I could see that her snark was just a front. She was hiding her true self. I just never anticipated her falling for my brother.New Adult

Tempting Tatum


Kaylee Ryan - 2014
    Her life is perfect; with a loving boyfriend, loving parents and a soon to be college graduate how can life get better? Life is good until it isn't. When tragedy strikes Tatum runs to Josh only to find him in a compromising position with someone else. Turning away from the only life she knew, Tatum is forced to alter her life plan. Blaise Richards is a tattoo artist who moonlights as a volunteer fire fighter. Lies and deception leave his broken heart closed until the beautiful green eyed girl casts her spell over him. She’s making him feel things he’s never felt. Making him want things he thought he would never want. Tatum wants Mr. just for tonight. Blaise wants Tatum to be his forever.Can Mr. Just for tonight convince Tatum that she’s the one? How long can Tatum resist Blaise’s determination to make her his?

Lock and Key


Sarah Dessen - 2008
    For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return. That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future; it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give? Best-selling author Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again.

Whiskey Prince


Toni Aleo - 2014
    Having been caretaker to her for most of her teenage years, Amberlyn is inexperienced in many aspects of life. She hasn’t had time to live, have fun, or enjoy even the little things. It’s only when a letter from her mother, asking her to fulfill three things, sends her off to Ireland to live a life she never thought possible that she begins to heal.Declan O’Callaghan was born and raised in Ireland and has his family’s legendary whiskey in his veins. He’s shy and not a fan of the pressure and spotlight that comes with his family name, or the title he was given at birth—the Whiskey Prince. Declan knows just what he wants and that is to take over the family dynasty, but when his father gives him an ultimatum, everything he’s worked for could come undone in the blink of an eye.With six months to get married, the reclusive Declan spots Amberlyn across a lake and instantly feels the need to know her. Soon, the two find themselves traveling down a path neither expected. However, like any road, there are bumps and side streets to derail them. Can Declan help find the pieces that will make Amberlyn whole again? And will Amberlyn stay or run when she learns of Declan’s deadline of marriage?

Edge of Disaster


A.M. Hargrove - 2012
    A life of partying, alcohol, drugs and men has brought her near the edge of disaster. That is until one night while at work as a waitress in an upscale restaurant, she falls under the spell of one of her customers, Pearce Middleton. Once she gazes into his smoky gray eyes, her life takes on new meaning. But can she put her past behind her and allow herself to fall for the exciting and gorgeous Pearce, or will her lewd behavior come back to haunt her and ruin her chances of happiness forever?

Paint Me Beautiful


C.M. Stunich - 2013
    You've heard it before. I'm just a girl who doesn't eat as much as she should. See, I have goals, big ones, and nobody is going to stop me, not even a boy named Emmett. He has good intentions and he's hot as hell, but he doesn't understand what it's like to want something so bad that you'll do anything for it. I'm going to become a model, even if it kills me. Dream big or go home, that's what they always say, right?Paint Me Beautiful, a New Adult/Contemporary Romance Novel Recommended for Ages 18 and Up.From the Bestselling Author of the Never say Never Trilogy (Tasting Never, Finding Never, & Keeping Never)

Slumber


Samantha Young - 2011
    Now Haydyn, her best friend and the one person she does trust, is dying and only Rogan can save her.Setting off on a journey to retrieve the plant that will cure Haydyn and subsequently the ills that will befall them all if she dies, Rogan is stuck in close quarters with a protector she distrusts above all others.Wolfe Stovia.The son of the man who destroyed Rogan’s family.At a constant battle of wills with the handsome Captain of the Guard, Rogan just knows this adventure together will be fraught with tension. She never imagined, however, that the quest would be so dangerous… not least of all when she finds herself falling for a man she could have sworn was her no.1 enemy…