Book picks similar to
Vanishing Summer by Lora Richardson
young-adult
contemporary
ya
romance
Chasing Spring
R.S. Grey - 2016
I didn't belong in the small town, but my dad wouldn't listen. He dragged me back home in his beat-up truck and dropped a bomb along the way: Chase Matthews was moving in with us. He was the golden boy of my high school, my former best friend, and the last person I wanted sleeping across the hall. His presence was too great a reminder of the ghosts I was trying to forget.I didn't ask for a hero. I don't want to be saved.To me, Lilah Calloway meant late nights sneakin'; out, moonlit hair, and sparklers in July. She was my best friend until the day she left and I'd assumed Blackwater had seen the last of her. Then, like a tempest, she rolled back into town for the final half of senior year. The chopped hair and dark devil-may-care attitude warned most people away, but I knew if I fought hard enough, I could find the lost girl.I didn't want to be her hero. Some girls don't need to be saved.
Famous by Default
M.K. Harkins - 2017
Stalked by rabid fans and the paparazzi, he wants things to go back to normal. But those days are long gone. No one can stay under the radar if you're from the Jaynes family.Sivan doesn't have a family. As a part of the foster care system, all she wants is to finish doing her time and move out and on.Jax and Sivan collide when they both end up at a small-town farm in Iowa. They take an immediate dislike of one another, trying at every opportunity to trip each other up. They don't want to acknowledge they might be more similar than they first thought.Will they stay stuck in their past, hanging onto their lack of trust and love? Or can they change before it's too late?
Four Days of You and Me
Miranda Kenneally - 2020
Every May 7, the students at Coffee County High School take a class trip. And every year, Lulu’s relationship with Alex Rouvelis gets a little more complicated. Freshman year, they went from sworn enemies to more than friends after a close encounter in an escape room. It’s been hard for Lulu to quit Alex ever since.Through breakups, make ups, and dating other people, each year’s class trip brings the pair back together and forces them to confront their undeniable connection. From the science museum to an amusement park, from New York City to London, Lulu learns one thing is for sure: love is the biggest trip of all.
Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials
Rosalind Wiseman - 2010
Charlie Healey thinks Harmony Falls is the beginning of a whole new life. Middle school was brutal. But high school is Charlie's big chance to start over and stay out of drama, except that on her first day she runs into Will, her ex-best friend, who had moved away. Now a varsity athlete and hotter than Charlie remembered, Will hangs with the crowd running the school. But Charlie doesn't understand their power until an innocent delivery guy falls victim to a near-deadly hazing prank. Torn between doing what's right and her secret feelings for Will, Charlie must decide whether to turn in her very best friend or live with the guilt of knowing what he did. Rosalind Wiseman's first novel for young adults is a fresh, funny, and juicy read about friendship, betrayal, and how far some will go to be accepted.
The Laws of Music
Carly Morgan - 2017
Max Legend breaks them all. Katie Green has big dreams. She's had them since she can remember and she has the lists to prove it. They include:
Go to college.
Graduate.
Go to law school.
Graduate.
Don't date musicians! Become a lawyer. Marry.
Stay married.
Become partner at a law firm.
Have three children.
Buy a home.
Raise children.
Stay married.
Be a good mom. She's accomplished the first four goals on her list and has no doubt the rest will be accomplished soon. Max Legend is the lead singer of a popular Christian rock band. He's kind, talented, and beyond gorgeous. He’s also sure of his destiny, which includes sharing the good news of God’s love through music. Someday he hopes to find an amazing woman willing to love him for who he is and what he does. Katie and Max meet one fateful night at The Attic, a club where Max's band is performing. After a surprising and amazing kiss, they go their separate ways. But their meeting was obviously divine intervention. They are continuously running into each other. Rather quickly they get to know one another, but Katie won't accept that there is anything more than friendship between her and Max. Can Katie break her dating rules and follow her heart or are she and Max destined to be nothing more than a one hit wonder? The Love is a Destination series doesn’t have to be read in order. Each couple gets their happily ever after before THE END. But reading in order does make the experience more fun. ___________ LOVE IS A DESTINATION SERIES The Laws of Music The Laws of Attraction Love's Christmas Miracle My Valentine's Day Fiancé Dating by Design (March 2018)
Bunheads
Sophie Flack - 2011
Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?
I Still Do
Rosa Lee Jude - 2016
When tragedy tore apart the life he planned with Emily James, Harry went on with his life but never forgot. Sixty years later, he makes an impulsive journey to honor Emily, his first love. A touch of serendipity intervenes when he meets a young woman who will help him learn his and Emily’s love could withstand the test of time with a miraculous outcome.
Heartwarming Contemporary Romance with a twist of Suspense (standalone)
I STILL DO
UNTIL INFINITY
NEVER GOODBYE
Other books by Rosa Lee Jude
Read all the books in the Legends of Graham Mansion series:
REDEMPTION
AMBITION
DECEPTION
SALVATION
REVELATION
BLOOMSPOONS ADVENTURES – new time travel series
The Legend of Amburgey Gibboney
Haunted by the Fire (Coming Winter 2019)
Murder at the Boyd Hotel (Coming Summer 2019)
THE ENCHANTED JOURNEY – Urban Fantasy – Magical
Tremble
Jasmine
Neverwrong
Don't Read the Comments
Eric Smith - 2020
Or she is when she’s playing Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest online game. Divya—better known as popular streaming gamer D1V—regularly leads her #AngstArmada on quests through the game’s vast and gorgeous virtual universe. But for Divya, this is more than just a game. Out in the real world, she’s trading her rising-star status for sponsorships to help her struggling single mom pay the rent.Gaming is basically Aaron Jericho’s entire life. Much to his mother’s frustration, Aaron has zero interest in becoming a doctor like her, and spends his free time writing games for a local developer. At least he can escape into Reclaim the Sun—and with a trillion worlds to explore, disappearing should be easy. But to his surprise, he somehow ends up on the same remote planet as celebrity gamer D1V.At home, Divya and Aaron grapple with their problems alone, but in the game, they have each other to face infinite new worlds…and the growing legion of trolls populating them. Soon the virtual harassment seeps into reality when a group called the Vox Populi begin launching real-world doxxing campaigns, threatening Aaron’s dreams and Divya’s actual life. The online trolls think they can drive her out of the game, but everything and everyone Divya cares about is on the line…And she isn’t going down without a fight.
Other Words for Love
Lorraine Zago Rosenthal - 2011
Her hair is too flat, her style too preppy, and her personality too quiet. And outside school, Ari feels outshined by her beautiful, confident best friend, Summer. Their friendship is as complex and confusing as Ari’s relationship with her troubled older sister, Evelyn, a former teenage mom whose handsome firefighter husband fills Ari’s head with guilty fantasies.When an unexpected inheritance enables Ari to transfer to an elite Manhattan prep school, she makes a wealthy new friend, Leigh. Leigh introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York—and to her gorgeous cousin, Blake. Ari doesn't think she stands a chance, but amazingly, Blake asks her out. As their romance heats up, they find themselves involved in an intense, consuming relationship. Ari's family worries that she is losing touch with the important things in life, like family, hard work, and planning for the future. When misfortune befalls Blake's family, he pulls away, and Ari's world drains of color. As she struggles to get over the breakup, Ari must finally ask herself: were their feelings true love . . . or something else?
Savannah Run
Michelle Donn - 2021
She's just discovered her boss is in business with some of New York's most brutal criminals. Going to the FBI throws her even deeper into the dark waters of money laundering and human trafficking. A former client is the only one she can turn to.Eric Robb is a man of many talents.He's a professional fixer whose clients pay him handsomely to make their problems disappear. But now he's got a problem of his own--protecting an idealistic beauty he's never been able to get out of his head. When a ghost from Eric's past joins the hunt they escape to the southern city of Savannah looking for a reprieve only to stumble deeper into the criminal's web.Eric is only one man, with danger lurking around every corner will his skills be enough to keep Leia alive?*****Savannah Run is the action-packed first book in the Protecting Love series of standalone HEA romantic suspense novels. Expect tangled sheets, car chases, and perilous rescues. A protective hero and a bold heroine flee cross country from a hired killer.
Lost It
Kristen Tracy - 2007
Tess Whistle's junior year of high school is off to a fairly bizarre start. One might even say her life is spiraling out of control. But with her sense of humor firmly intact and her first real boyfriend on her arm, Tess is dealing with the ridiculous twists quite well, thankyouverymuch. Just wait until her shoes explode.
Roomies
Sara Zarr - 2013
That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer—and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.
Breaking Beautiful
Jennifer Shaw Wolf - 2012
As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship. When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.
A Very Large Expanse of Sea
Tahereh Mafi - 2018
It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments - even the physical violence - she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her - they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds - and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.
Eternal Curse
Kara Leigh Miller - 2020
Her new hometown in the Adirondack Mountains is barely more than a pinpoint on the map, but it’s shrouded in deadly secrets and strange family legends. Chloe is determined to keep her head down, finish high school, and get the heck out of there. Until she meets the enigmatic Trent Halstead. Something intriguing hides beneath his quiet self-assurance and hero hair. Maybe there’s something—or someone—worth sticking around for after all.But when a rash of unsolved murders leaves two of Chloe’s classmates dead, she begins to suffer from disturbing hallucinations that build to the horrifying image of Trent as a murderous vampire. With nowhere else to go, she’s stuck in a town she hates, surrounded by people she can’t trust, and she’s pretty sure she’s going to be lunch. If all that isn’t bad enough, Trent is hiding a lethal secret, besides the whole immortal bloodsucker thing. He’s the not-so-proud owner of an ancient, family curse—no Halstead will ever know true love—and he’s desperate to find a way to break the curse. Could Chloe be the key to his happiness or just another secret Trent wished he never unlocked?ETERNAL CURSE is the first book in a six-book YA paranormal romance series.