Book picks similar to
Stand Alone by P.D. Workman
young-adult
as
unshelved
tbr-if-time
The Returners
Gemma Malley - 2010
His mother is dead, his father's political leanings have grown radical, and his friends barely talk to him. To top it off, he's having nightmares about things like concentration camps. Then Will notices he's being followed by a group of people who claim to know him from another time in history. It turns out they are Returners, reincarnated people who carry with them the memory of atrocities they have witnessed in the past. Will realizes that he, too, is a Returner. But something about his memories is different, and with dawning horror, Will suspects that he wasn't just a witness to the events, he was instrumental in making them happen. Set in the near future, with the world on the verge of a new wave of ethnic cleansing, Will must choose to confront the cruelty he's known in his past lives, or be doomed to repeat it...
The Rules of Survival
Nancy Werlin - 2006
A heart-wrenching portrait of family crisis, this is perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why. For Matt and his sisters, life with their cruel, physically abusive mother is a day-to-day struggle for survival. But then Matt witnesses a man named Murdoch coming to a child’s rescue in a convenience store; and for the first time, he feels a glimmer of hope. Then, amazingly, Murdoch begins dating Matt’s mother. Life is suddenly almost good. But the relief lasts only a short time. When Murdoch inevitable breaks up with their mother, Matt knows that he’ll need to take some action. Can he call upon Murdoch to be his hero? Or will Matt have to take measures into his own hands?National Book Award Finalist LA Times Book Prize Finalist ALA Best Books of the Year ALA Quick Pick
Feather
Abra Ebner - 2008
Estella's magical life as an orphan was never easy, and at eighteen, she is finally free. In her desperate attempt to leave the city behind and unravel her strange talents, she flees to a secluded college nestled deep in the forests of the North Cascades. It is here that she hopes to escape her painful life, and forgotten past. As classes begin, Elle struggles to find her place, until she meets Professor Edgar. Young, handsome, yet terrifying, Elle is suddenly intrigued. Despite her fear of him, she finds the strange attraction mesmerizing, dangerous, and somehow familiar. As their acquaintance grows, she is suddenly drawn further into a life she never knew she lived, in a place that finally feels like home. As her happiness returns, so do the demons of her forgotten past. It is here that she finds herself faced with the sacrifice of her life, and the beginning of a journey deeply rooted in our existence. Feather takes us into the darkest regions of our soul, into a world where we only dream to exist. Book one of the series introduces us to this new world, a place closely rooted in our dreams, and a place we ve all been. Begin the journey your soul craves, in a world where warrior's spring from the earth and magic is all around us.
Schooled in Revenge
Jesse Lasky - 2012
She is also in love with the perfect guy at least that's what she thinks until he helps take everything that was once hers. With no place left to turn, Ava finds herself on Rebun Island, Japan, the site of Takeda's revenge school, where she trains to be mentally and physically strong enough to take revenge. On the island, Ava meets Emily Thorne, who has recently returned to training with Takeda. Emily shares her wisdom with Ava about revenge and the importance of looking for justice in a world where enemies thrive. Four others are on the island preparing for their own personal vengeance—a handsome but guarded man, a feisty young woman and the guy who will do anything to protect her, and a girl who has no memory or idea of who she is or why she's on Rebun. Conflicts arise, bonds are formed, and romance even blooms. The trainees learn that their missions are intertwined. All roads lead back to Ava's home in Napa and Starling Vineyards' annual gala, and if the group attends, each will gain the chance to exact revenge. But to get there on time, they must leave Japan and Takeda before their training is complete. Are they ready? Will they succeed? Will they even survive?
Velvet Undercover
Teri Brown - 2015
In the midst of World War I, seventeen-year-old Sam follows in their footsteps, serving her country from the homefront as a Girl Guide and messenger for the intelligence organization MI5. After her father disappears on a diplomatic mission, she continues their studies of languages, high-level mathematics, and complex puzzles and codes, hoping to make him proud.When Sam is asked to join the famed women’s spy group La Dame Blanche she’s torn—this could be the adventure she’s dreamed of, but how can she abandon her mother, who has already lost a husband to the war? But when her handlers reveal shocking news, Sam realizes there’s no way she can refuse the exciting and dangerous opportunity.Her acceptance leads her straight into the heart of enemy territory on a mission to extract the most valuable British spy embedded in Germany, known to the members of LDB only as Velvet. Deep undercover within the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Samantha must navigate the labyrinthine palace and its many glamorous—and secretive—residents to complete her assignment. To make matters worse she finds herself forming a forbidden attraction to the enemy-a dangerously handsome German guard. In a place where personal politics are treacherously entangled in wartime policy, can Samantha discover the truth and find Velvet before it’s too late…for them both?From author Teri Brown comes the thrilling story of one girl’s journey into a deadly world of spycraft and betrayal—with unforgettable consequences.
Scarlette: A Gothic Folktale
Davonna Juroe - 2012
Starting in 1764, an unidentified wolf-like animal ferociously mauled dozens of peasants in the Gévaudan region of France. Whispered rumors of unnatural creatures blended with age-old superstition to cause mass hysteria. Alarmed, King Louis XV sent his best huntsmen to rid the province of the beastly scourge, but this legendary massacre had only just begun. Scarlette, a 19-year-old seamstress who is laboring to make ends meet, lives under this dark threat. Although fearful of the nightmarish monster lurking in the surrounding forest, she remains naive and skeptical of the supernatural gossip. Until her grandmother is attacked.Scarlette learns her grandmother has been infected by the animal's bite. Desperate to save her, Scarlette begins to uncover the dark secrets of her village and finds there are those who wish to keep their pasts hidden. As time grows short, Scarlette is befriended by a local nobleman and a woodcutter who both share an eerie history with the wolf. Scarlette must unravel the men's connection and solve a long-forgotten crime before her grandmother's infection spreads. Based on both the traditional Grimm fairy-tale and older known French versions of "Little Red Riding Hood", this Gothic novel is set against the historic 18th century Beast of Gévaudan attacks in a modern, accessible prose style. Unique to the genre, the novel revives the fable of the girl-in-the-red-cloak with a new historical angle.
Harmonic Feedback
Tara Kelly - 2010
She has, as she's often reminded, issues. Drea's mom and a rotating band of psychiatrists have settled on "a touch of Asperger's."Having just moved to the latest in a string of new towns, Drea meets two other outsiders. And Naomi and Justin seem to actually like Drea. The three of them form a band after an impromptu, Portishead-comparison-worthy jam after school. Justin swiftly challenges not only Drea's preference for Poe over Black Lab but also her perceived inability to connect with another person. Justin, against all odds, may even like like Drea. It's obvious that Drea can't hide behind her sound equipment anymore. But just when she's found not one but two true friends, can she stand to lose one of them?
Lingering Echoes
Erica Kiefer - 2013
In reality, there was no altering her cousin’s death or the role she played. Then she meets Damien Michaels, a dark-haired stranger on a dirt bike, who seems to watch Allie and know more about her than he should. Veiling his own secrets, including a mysterious scar and unexplained tattoo, Allie knows she shouldn’t trust him—especially as she digs up a past Damien desperately wants to forget. She also doesn’t believe in summer romances, yet she finds her attraction to him growing beyond his striking grey eyes. Unfortunately, Allie discovers too late that he is hiding a dark past which is far from over, endangering her life and those she loves.
Overprotected
Jennifer Laurens - 2011
He thought I'd never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever.Charles: obsessed with keeping her safe, keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.Daddy was wrong.
Merciless
Jacqueline Pawl - 2021
She'll teach them to regret it. After being taken by the illustrious Assassins' Guild when she was one week old, Mercy has endured seventeen years of grueling training in the art of killing. She is covered in more scars than she can count—gifts from her cruel tutors and the human apprentices who do not tolerate being bested by an elf—and she's more than ready to prove her worth to the head of the Guild. In the capital city of Sandori, elf-human violence runs rampant and a king mad with grief rules with an iron fist. All that stands between Mercy and the completion of her contract is the cold, brooding Prince Tamriel. If she succeeds in killing him before the cutthroat courtiers discover her true identity, she'll earn her place as the greatest Assassin the Guild has ever trained. If not, it'll be more than her pride on the chopping block.
The Butterfly Code
Sue Wyshynski - 2015
I am a genetically modified human. PAINFUL SECRETS. STARTLING TRUTHS.UNDENIABLE LOVE.All it took was a chance meeting--one tingling glance across a darkened street to change my life.I'd been searching for my two best friends in the crowded Zenith Club, which was a really bad idea because I'm totally claustrophobic. I burst outside, and that's when I came face-to-face with the incredibly gorgeous Hunter Cayman. Dark-haired, tall, and leaning against an insane sports car, my pulse went haywire. Maybe things weren't so bad after all. The young doctor had his long muscular arms crossed over his leather jacket clad chest, and all his six-foot something would make any girl's knees turn weak. But then, if what Ella said was true, Hunter was the kind of guy who left behind a trail of broken hearts. And heartache was the last thing I needed right now.Yet there's something strange, something almost superhuman about Hunter. It's more than that infuriatingly knowing grin. I'm trying to stop thinking about him, and I get the feeling he's avoiding me, too. Yet Deep Cove is a tiny town and every time we run into each other the tension literally crackles, sparking around us. It just figures that when suddenly I'm in danger, he's there to save me.In truth, I should be dead. By all the logic in this world, I should be shattered to pieces. How fast was I going on that ATV when I smashed into those iron gates? Ninety? A hundred? And the men who were chasing me, where did they go?Somehow I'm whole.Maybe better than whole. There's no one I can talk to, not even my best friend, Gage. Gage hates Hunter. He wants Hunter's laboratory to be shut down. He thinks Hunter's a monster. And yet, if that's true, if Hunter's a monster...than what am I? I'm not sure what terrifies me more, the metamorphosis taking place inside me, or the intensely powerful connection with a guy whose heart and soul has become linked with mine.
Rouge
Leigh Talbert Moore - 2012
Hale Ferrer is the rising star of the hottest cabaret in New Orleans. And her one goal is escape. Escape from the lies, from the crime, and from her growing fear that one day she'll have to earn her living in the secret back rooms, where the dancers do more than dance. But she won't leave behind Teeny, the orphan-girl she promised to protect. Freddie Lovel is rich, handsome, and in love with Hale, and he's ready to sweep her away with him to Paris. But her heart is captured by Beau, the poor stagehand with eyes as blue as Louisiana iris flowers. Denying her fears, Hale is ready to choose love and a life with Beau, until a predator hidden in the wings launches a chain of events that could cost her everything--Teeny, their one hope of escape, and possibly even her life.
All the Little Lights
Jamie McGuire - 2018
Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.
Hurricane Kiss
Deborah Blumenthal - 2016
The guy who was headed to glory until suddenly he disappeared to a West Texas juvenile detention center. Once cocky and flirtatious, he's now silent and angry. When their evacuation route is gridlocked, River is the first to recognize the danger they're in. Together he and Jillian set out to seek shelter in their abandoned high school. As they wait out the storm, they confront the past and realize survival is about more than just staying alive--it's about fighting for yourself.
Becoming a Butterfly
Mia Castile - 2012
All she wanted was to fit in, until one night when everything changed. Jade and Tasha, her two best friends, helped her create an online personality that was everything she wanted to be– and it was only the beginning. In doing so, she attracted the attention of Henry, her lifelong crush and next door neighbor. Unfortunately, it was Farrah, her online personality and not herself, he was interested in. She also attracted Chase, the brooding, quiet, anti-social new kid of Brownsburg High School, who easily figured out her secret and blackmailed her. They forged a friendship that was both unique and complicated. Lacey must decide if revealing herself to Henry and her entire school as the cool, charming, and funny Farrah is worth possibly losing him forever. She finds herself needing to make an even harder decision than she ever thought possible. When did the lines between truth and lies get so blurred?Becoming a Butterfly is a story about coming of age and finding yourself when you never knew you were lost.**This is a MATURE YA FICTION SERIES.**