Book picks similar to
This Is Me by Nikki Mathis Thompson


novella
book-club
new-adult
love-at-first-sight

The Last Time I Was Me


Cathy Lamb - 2008
    When Jeanne Stewart stops at The Opera Man's Cafe in Weltana, Oregon, to eat pancakes for the first time in twelve years, she has no idea she's also about to order up a whole new future. It's been barely a week since she succumbed to a spectacularly public nervous breakdown in front of hundreds of the nation's most important advertising and PR people. Jeanne certainly had her reasons--her mother's recent death, the discovery that her boyfriend had been sleeping with a dozen other women, and the assault charges that resulted when Jeanne retaliated in a creative way against him, involving condoms and peanut oil. Now, en route to her brother's house in Portland, Jeanne impulsively decides to spend some time in picturesque Weltana. Staying at a B&B run by the eccentric, endearing Rosvita, she meets a circle of quirky new friends at her court-ordered Anger Management classes. Like Jeanne, all of them are trying to become better, braver versions of themselves. Yet the most surprising discoveries are still to come--a good man who steadily makes his way into her heart and a dilapidated house that with love and care might be transformed into something wholly her own, just like the new life she is slowly building, piece by piece. As heartfelt as it is hilarious, The Last Time I Was Me is a warm, wise novel about breaking down, opening up, and finally letting go of everything we thought we should be, in order to claim the life that has been waiting all along.

All The Wrong Reasons


J.L. Paul - 2011
    That first night with him was a mistake.So was the second, the third...And what about Dustin?

Mirror in the Sky


Aditi Khorana - 2016
    Her junior year begins in the wake of a startling discovery: A message from an alternate Earth, light years away, is intercepted by NASA. This means that on another planet, there is another version of Tara, a Tara who could be living better, burning brighter, because of tiny differences in her choices. As the world lights up with the knowledge of Terra Nova, the mirror planet, Tara’s life on Earth begins to change. At first, small shifts happen, like attention from Nick Osterman, the most popular guy at Brierly, and her mother playing hooky from work to watch the news all day. But eventually those small shifts swell, the discovery of Terra Nova like a black hole, bending all the light around it. As a new era of scientific history dawns and Tara's life at Brierly continues its orbit, only one thing is clear: Nothing on Earth--and for Tara--will ever be the same again.

Captured


Ella Goode - 2019
    From the clown school fiasco to the near torching of her sister’s restaurant, Luna’s work history has been a string of bad luck. She’s back on her feet with a new private investigator job which only requires her to look up credit reports and take the occasional photo. What could possibly go wrong? Answer: Falling for the man you’re hired to investigate. Maddox Castile knows he’s being stalked but after he gets a good look at the spy, he’s thrilled. He opens his curtains, takes long strolls for lunch, and makes sure that his new friend doesn’t get arrested for following him around. The real problem is that she’s not making any moves. What will it take? Answer: Doing a little stalking of his own. Luna may have thought she was the hunter, but in the end, she’s the one captured.

Not Alone


Amber Nation - 2013
    Everything was perfect until circumstances change and devastating blows occur.Fast forward five years, Emmalynne thinks she is broken, not only emotionally but physically as well, so her confidence was severely lacking. Being a single mother to her son, Tucker, as well as an owner of a small town Bookstore, she does everything she can to keep men at arms-length, not thinking she is worthy anymore with her plus-sized body and scars.Taking it upon themselves, Emmalynne's best friends, Toby and Tessa make it their mission to bring her out of her tight-knitted comfort zone. That is when she locks eyes on the male perfection that is Grady.Grady Finnegan was the gorgeous new guy in town. Recently injured and discharged from the Army, Grady comes to his Uncle’s aid in helping manage the family bar. Not being anywhere near innocent when it comes to women, Grady meets Emmalynne and he knows one thing, that he wants her.Sparks fly and passion ignites, but will that be enough? Not ready to lay her heart on the line, Emmalynne guards it as best she can and ultimately fails. When chaos erupts and Grady's past comes back to haunt him, it leaves Emmalynne's already broken heart, shattered. Will past circumstances prevent Emmalynne from having the future she deserves? Or can Grady help her follow her heart and show her that she is Not Alone.

Lost in You


Heidi McLaughlin - 2013
    He doesn’t have fancy clothes. He doesn’t carry around the latest smartphone and he definitely doesn’t have an MP3 player. Instead, he goes to school, does his chores and dreams of a new life away from Brookfield where he’s expected to follow in his blue collar family’s footsteps. Hadley Carter is America’s Pop Princess. A successful recording artist living her dream with a sold-out tour and a handful of Grammy’s there isn’t much that she wants for, except love. But finding love on the road is near impossible when all she longs for are romantic dinners, a nighttime stroll on the beach and holding hands with someone who isn’t going to exploit her. When a chance encounter introduces Ryan to Hadley, will he be like her adoring fans looking for a way in, or will it be Hadley who pursues Ryan even though it might cost her the only career she's known.Lost in You is a story about following your dreams, taking risks and getting lost in love.

Sweet Torment


Georgia Cates - 2017
    but wanting Claudia is wrong.She's been like a little sister to me since the day she was born. Now, everything between us is changing--including the special bond we've always shared. It's stronger than ever... and becoming something so different. Something so hot. Something so forbidden.My little dove is growing up.Doesn't matter how wrong it is, I can't stop wanting her. I will have her.CLAUDIA—Bram Windsor. I have loved him my entire life.For years, I was nothing more than one of the boys to him. Owen's little sister. The pest who tagged along everywhere the boys went. But now, everything has changed.I've grown up and it's time Bram sees me for what I am. A woman. A sexual being who wants him. A virgin more than ready to give herself to him.I don't care what our friends or family say. I love him and everything about being together feels right. I will have him.***Note from Georgia--Sweet Torment is a 33k+ word standalone novella. It is a rewrite of a 12k word short story previously published as Cherry Popper under the pen name Jade Sinner and is no longer available for purchase. HEA. No cheating. No cliffhanger.

Tame Me


J. Kenner - 2014
    From herself. From her wild child ways. From the screwed up life that she left behind in Los Angeles. And, most of all, from Ryan Hunter—the first man who has the potential to break through her defenses to see the dark fears and secrets she hides. Stark International Security Chief Ryan Hunter knows only one thing for sure—he wants Jamie. Wants to hold her, make love to her, possess her, and claim her. Wants to do whatever it takes to make her his. But after one night of bliss, Jamie bolts. And now it’s up to Ryan to not only bring her back, but to convince her that she’s running away from the best thing that ever happened to her--him.

Misbehaving


Tiffany Reisz - 2014
    So being on deadline the week of her sister’s wedding isn’t as rough as it sounds. There’s just one hitch: Bea’s assignment is to write a review of a sex position manual, but she doesn’t have a plus one to play with.The good news: Ben, the one who got away back in college, is also attending stag--and he's as temptingly gorgeous as ever.The bad news: Ben turned down Bea’s offer of graduation night sex five years ago.The best news: He’s not planning on making the same mistake twice. *A red-hot retelling of Much Ado About Nothing for people who love Shakespeare but thought his plays could use a few more sex scenes. A Cosmo Red-Hot Read