Book picks similar to
Not Famous by Matthew Hanover


lad-lit
life-experiences
mr-jones
moving-on-for-now

Girlfriend, Interrupted: From carefree twenty-something to instant mother-of-two...


Patricia Caliskan - 2018
     Enjoys walking barefoot across shards of broken home. Likes loaded silences, resentment and insomnia. Dislikes romantic weekends, lie-ins and any chance of future happiness. Former GSOH. Developing PTSD. Ella Shawe was undomesticated, unattached and uninhibited. Until she met Dan. Sexy, charming and funny, Dan ticked all the right boxes and Ella threw herself head-first into the whirlwind romance. But now she’s moved into his family home, complete with two demanding children and a hyperactive dog. Throw in Dan’s impossibly perfect ex-wife, Ella’s interfering sex therapist mother and the snooty and dismissive mother-in-law from Hell, and Ella is almost ready to throw in the towel. But, ready or not, Ella is part of the family now, and getting it right for Dan’s kids means getting it right for everyone. She just needs to figure out how to include herself in the mix… Girlfriend, Interrupted will have you laughing-out-loud, gasping in embarrassment and rooting for Ella all the way. This British romantic comedy is packed full of humour and has a delightful contemporary heroine at its heart.

Random Acts of Crazy


Julia Kent - 2013
    A guitar. Really. I don't collect guys like that (don't ask what kind of guys I do collect), but when you spot a blonde, tanned, sculpted man with a gorgeous smile and his thumb poking up and practically begging you to stop – you stop.And I definitely never thought I'd be staring into the bright blue eyes of Trevor Connor, the lead singer for Random Acts of Crazy, an indie rock star I followed like the slobbering fileshare fangirl I am. How he came to be nude and lost six hundred miles from home is quite the tale, but how we fell in love is even more unreal.Because someone like Trevor Connor, headed to Harvard Law next year, isn't supposed to want someone like me, a rural Ohio chick majoring in Boredom at Convenience Store University who is all curves and frizzy blonde hair and manners so unpolished they have sharp edges that make you bleed.But he did.When his best friend, Joe Ross, the bass player for Random Acts of Crazy and a man who makes Calvin Klein models look like Shrek, drove eleven hours through the night to rescue him, though, it got real complicated. It's one thing to like two different guys and be torn.What do you do, though, when maybe – just maybe – you don't have to choose?As my Aunt Josie says sometimes, "It's always complicated."* * * * * *Random Acts of Crazy is a standalone, full-length novel (300+ pages, 85,000 words) featuring Darla Jo(sephine) Jennings, the 22-year-old niece of Josie Mendham from the Her Two Billionaires series. It has, like many New Adult novels, an exploration of sexuality for the three main characters, doesn't shy away from mature content, and Darla has a sailor's mouth.

Just Friends


Tiffany Pitcock - 2017
    But after they rescue a doomed assignment with one clever lie, the whole school is suddenly convinced that Little-Miss-Really-Likes-Having-A’s and the most scandalous heartbreaker in school have been best friends forever. It’s amazing how quickly a lie can grow―especially when you really, really want it to be the truth.With Jenny, Chance can live the normal life he’s always kind of wanted. And with Chance, Jenny can have the exciting teen experiences that TV shows and movies have always promised. Through it all, they hold on to the fact that they are “just friends.” But that might be the biggest lie of all.Debut author Tiffany Pitcock delivers a spot-on depiction of first love and the high school rumor mill in Just Friends, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads.

How to Build a Girl


Caitlin Moran - 2014
    Johanna Morrigan, fourteen, has shamed herself so badly on local TV that she decides that there’s no point in being Johanna anymore and reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde—fast-talking, hard-drinking Gothic hero and full-time Lady Sex Adventurer. She will save her poverty-stricken Bohemian family by becoming a writer—like Jo in Little Women, or the Bröntes—but without the dying young bit.By sixteen, she’s smoking cigarettes, getting drunk and working for a music paper. She’s writing pornographic letters to rock-stars, having all the kinds of sex with all kinds of men, and eviscerating bands in reviews of 600 words or less.But what happens when Johanna realizes she’s built Dolly with a fatal flaw? Is a box full of records, a wall full of posters, and a head full of paperbacks, enough to build a girl after all?Imagine The Bell Jar written by Rizzo from Grease. How to Build a Girl is a funny, poignant, and heartbreakingly evocative story of self-discovery and invention, as only Caitlin Moran could tell it.

This Song Will Save Your Life


Leila Sales - 2013
    All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, This Song Will Save Your Life is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

Sweet Romance


Erika EverestMeredith Deichler - 2020
    Love, laughter, and occasional tears - no need to turn on the Hallmark Channel this winter. Snuggle up with this feel-good anthology instead!Warning: reading this anthology may cause cravings for cider sugar donuts, French toast, pimento cheese, cherry cola, and maple syrup ice-cream, as well as happy ever afters

Don't Breathe a Word


Holly Cupala - 2012
    She can take his cruel words, his tender words . . . until the night they go too far.To escape, Joy sacrifices her suburban life to find the one who offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. He introduces her to a world of fierce loyalty, to its rules of survival, and to love—a world she won’t easily let go.Set against the backdrop of the streets of Seattle, Holly Cupala’s power­ful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the secrets we keep, and the ways to redemption. But above all, it is an unflinching story about the extraordinary lengths one girl will go to discover her own strength.

The Night We Said Yes


Lauren Gibaldi - 2015
    Get over her ex-boyfriend and graduate high school—simple as that. But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player—was never part of that plan. And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying "yes" to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.But then Matt leaves town, breaking Ella's heart. And when he shows up a year later—wanting to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn't sure whether Matt's worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

The Haters


Jesse Andrews - 2016
     For Wes and his best friend, Corey, jazz camp turns out to be lame. It’s pretty much all dudes talking in Jazz Voice. But then they jam with Ash, a charismatic girl with an unusual sound, and the three just click. It’s three and a half hours of pure musical magic, and Ash makes a decision: They need to hit the road. Because the road, not summer camp, is where bands get good. Before Wes and Corey know it, they’re in Ash’s SUV heading south, and The Haters Summer of Hate Tour has begun. In his second novel, Andrews again brings his brilliant and distinctive voice to YA, in the perfect book for music lovers, fans of The Commitments and High Fidelity, or anyone who has ever loved—and hated—a song or a band. This witty, funny coming-of-age novel is contemporary fiction at its best.

Tully


Paullina Simons - 1994
    But if Tully gives friendship and loyalty, she gives them for good, and she forms an enduring bond with Jennifer and Julie, school friends from very different backgrounds. As they grow into the world of the seventies and eighties, the lives of the three best friends are changed forever by two young men, Robin and Jack, and a tragedy which engulfs them all. Against the odds, Tully emerges into young womanhood, marriage and a career. At last Tully Makker has life under control. And then life strikes back in the most unexpected way of all...

Hot and Bothered: A Novel


Annie Downey - 2006
    He’s a rat, anyway, and currently attends Sex Addicts Anonymous. He still comes by the house, though, as do her hippie, macrobiotic mother; her feisty, alcoholic best friend; her God-fearing grandmother; and that Perfect Guy, the one with the beatific son who plays with her daughter, the one who happens to have a winning smile, wild black hair, a professorship at Harvard—and (drats!) a gorgeous doctor girlfriend. Told in short takes that perfectly mimic the frantic nature of our busy lives, Hot and Bothered follows its heroine through the streets of Cambridge, where she spends far too much time staring into space and sipping mocha lattes with extra whipped cream; to church, where she prays for a little salvation; to Alaska, where she believes a rugged outdoorsman might just be that salvation; and to Cape Cod, where, in a little house by the sea, she might finally see the light. Annie Downey has written an updated Cinderella story for all single moms.

His Candy Cane: A Two-Book Collection


Summer Brooks - 2018
    Second thought? I hate him. I want to ruin his Christmas. My narcissistic billionaire ex was back in town. Just in time for the holidays. But his presence brought me anything but cheer. My heart thumped hard when I saw him at the airport. He was my first love and I used to trust him with my life. I sure as hell was not about to make that same mistake twice. Especially not as a cautious single mom. I didn't care if his perfectly chiseled body made me drool. Or if his strong hands knew exactly how to hold me in place. But then his grasp around my waist tightened. And his piercing eyes told me that he wanted a second chance. I couldn't let myself give in. Not now. Not ever. Believe in the magic of Christmas! This collection includes naughty novellas about two brothers. Book One: Sylvester Lane Book Two: Gordon Lane

The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp


Poppy Dolan - 2012
    . . Sam’s average relationship lasts seven weeks. And that’s when he really tries. So Molly decides to give Sam the woman’s point of view in the complicated game of dating. And when a freshly made-over Sam quickly meets – and keeps − the love of life, his desperately single friends are soon lining up to experience Molly’s Bad Boyfriends’ Bootcamp. For Molly, whose dot com business combusted into a dot bomb disaster, it presents a whole new profit-making opportunity. She’s providing a valuable service to these witless blokes, after all. Together with best friend and local fashionista Rachael and the gorgeous but deadly gym instructor Josie, Molly is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to reforming bad boyfriends. Fixing other people's problems also provides Molly with a handy distraction from her own. Namely, an over-achieving mother, a sparse love life and a very sorry-looking overdraft. Add into the mix Sam’s best friend Patrick, who seems oddly immune to Molly’s makeover techniques but determined to hang around nonetheless, and it soon becomes one problem too many . . .

Velva Jean Learns to Drive


Jennifer Niven - 2009
    Set in Appalachia in the years before World War II, Velva Jean Learns to Drive is a poignant story of a spirited young girl growing up in the gold-mining and moonshining South. Before she dies, Velva Jean's mother urges her to "live out there in the great wide world". Velva Jean dreams of becoming a big-time singer in Nashville until she falls in love with Harley Bright, a handsome juvenile delinquent turned revival preacher. As their tumultuous love story unfolds, Velva Jean must choose between keeping her hard-won home and pursuing her dream of singing in the Grand Ole Opry.

Accidentally On Purpose


Piper Sullivan - 2019
     This complete small town series features four sassy ladies and their hot alpha males willing to do anything for love. Accidentally Hitched: A Curvy Girl, Single Dad Romance I’ve always had a thing for curvy VivianaShe was feisty, she was sassy. She had a body I wanted to feel against mine.I need to taste her skin, to hear her moan my name.But she was also totally off limits.As a single dad I can’t afford to risk my daughter’s heart on another woman.Especially since she was our neighbor.And my friend.But one night changed everything.Vivi and I are now accidentally married.And I’m desperately trying to figure out how to make this accident... permanent. Accidentally Wed: A Single Mom, Second Chance Romance Maddie Trenton had too many curves to be alone.She also had too much sense to take a chance on a guy like me, but she did.One ill-timed encounter, and small town gossip blew it all up.But the stars aligned giving me a second chance.I just had to figure out how to be the kind of man who deserved the love of this single mom.I just don’t know if Maddie will ever forgive me. Accidentally Bound: A Bad Boy, Enemies to Lovers Romance I stayed away from tall, hot and tattooed.And Mason was all three.The jerk took every opportunity to get under my skin since he moved in next door.With the insolent way he looks me over.And always calling me “Cupcake”, like it was an insult.It really was too bad I couldn’t stop kissing him.And falling into bed with him.Or accidentally marrying him… Accidentally Wifed: A Second Chance, Firefighter Romance I’m definitely not in the market for a boyfriend. For anything serious. For Permanent.Because frankly, I’m tough enough to not need anyone.But when the man I up and married in a moment of insanity ends up being my roommate, I found myself knee deep in serious and permanent.Davis is trouble with a capital T...Tall, with wavy blond hair, big blue eyes and a firefighter’s build.He ticked all of my boxes, and he was already my husband, so why fight the temptation.Right?