Book picks similar to
Secret Lies by Amy Dunne


young-adult
lesbian
netgalley
lgbt

Everything Leads to You


Nina LaCour - 2014
      A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.   Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

A Question of Ghosts


Cate Culpepper - 2012
    Joanne Call, an expert in Electronic Voice Phenomenon—ghost voices—to unravel the mystery of this decades-old tragedy. Joanne can coax messages out of the silence of the grave, but coping with this feisty, emotional Healy person might be completely beyond her. Together, Becca and Jo must tackle childhood grief, a serial killer, Xena withdrawal, and a growing attraction between the two most mismatched women in Seattle.

The Art of Us


K.L. Hughes - 2017
    She never imagined an art student with a penchant for cheesy pick-up lines and stealing parking spaces would crack her rigid exterior and claim her heart.For four years, theirs was an enviable love—evergreen and growing. Unbreakable…Until it broke.Now, after five years on the opposite side of the country, Alex’s work brings her back to Boston. When, by chance, they meet again, Charlee and Alex are swept up in a whirlwind of heart-rending history, tossed between past and present, and lovers old and new. Will their lingering connection be enough to convince them that some loves are meant to last? Or should the past remain in the past?79,500 words

And Playing the Role of Herself


K.E. Lane - 2007
    Her sometimes-costar Robyn Ward is magnetic, glamorous, and devastatingly beautiful, the quintessential A-List celebrity on the fast-track to super-stardom. When the two meet on the set of 9th Precinct, Caid is instantly infatuated but settles for friendship, positive that Robyn is both unavailable and uninterested. Soon Caid sees that all is not as it appears, but can she take a chance and risk her heart when the outcome is so uncertain?

Relic


Anne Hagan - 2014
    These days, she spends life on the road, moving from one case to another until one day when runs run right into the path of Sheriff Mel Crane. The feisty, sexy butch cop is as determined to uncover a counterfeiting ring in her county as Agent Rossi becomes to stop a stalker obsessed with Mel and hot for her company. Dana is under the added pressure of conducting an undercover investigation of her own with a tight deadline: finding and then stopping a ring of smugglers bringing high end designer knock-offs into the states.Could their cases be related? When repeated vicious attacks on Mel and on her home accelerate the danger for her and also their attraction to each other, they become desperate to find the truth and solve the two mysteries. Can they find a way to work together to resolve both cases while coming to terms with their growing feelings for one another? Can Dana move beyond her jilted lover past and find true happiness with a small town Sheriff?

Hopes and Dreams


P.J. Trebelhorn - 2020
    There aren't many prospects for true love, but she keeps hoping she'll find it somehow. She dreams of owning the small movie theater she manages, but that takes money, which is hard to get when you live paycheck to paycheck.Victoria Thayer has fallen for a woman more interested in her money than her heart for the last time. When she runs into Riley, the first girl she ever had a crush on, at their high school reunion, she's hoping there might just be a chance for the kind of relationship she's always wanted. But Victoria can't help wondering if Riley too is only after her money, and Riley can't seem to forgive the fact that Victoria was part of a group of kids who used to bully her.When hopes and dreams are on the line, will true love find a way?

Say Yes to the Cheerleader


Abby Crofton - 2016
    Especially if it turns out that she likes you back. High school senior Haley Suarez is relieved to be out of the closet. After worrying about what her family and friends would say when they found out she was a lesbian, their unconditional support means the world to her. Best of all for Haley the gossip around her at school came and went quickly. But when just a couple of weeks from graduation beautiful cheerleader Kate Monroe starts to talk to her, and maybe even flirt with her, she isn’t sure what to do. Kate has been her crush for years, but is way out of Haley’s league. What could perfect Kate see in average in every way Haley? Plus, wasn’t Kate straight? As Kate turns up around Haley more and more, with flimsy excuses and sly jokes, Haley gets to know the less than perfect side of Kate that makes her see the person and not the cheerleader. Haley can’t keep denying what everyone in her life (including her worst enemy) has been telling her: Kate may actually like her. But as Haley is figuring out, being out doesn't mean she's entirely comfortable with it. If she wants Kate then she's going to have to stop worrying about what other people might say or think. But that’s easier said than done. Haley has to decide if being with Kate is worth the attention it will bring. Or will her insecurities about being a lesbian prevent her from taking a chance on Kate, and ultimately, on herself?

Ghost in the Closet: A Nancy Clue and Hardly Boys Mystery


Mabel Maney - 1995
    In A Ghost in the Closet, dark-haired, muscular Frank and his lovable kid brother Joe return from a gay trip to Europe to find that their parents -- world-famous detective Fennel P. Hardly and his wife, Mrs. Hardly -- have been kidnapped! Even worse, so have six poodles from the Lake Merrimen Dog Show! Pals Nancy Clue, Cherry Aimless, R.N., and Police Detective Jackie Jones help the Hardly boys track down the criminals -- and in the meantime, pick up useful tips on fingerprinting, evidence retrieval, and the laundering of sporty twill slacks. Like her beloved camp classics, The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse and The Case of the Good-For-Nothing Girlfriend, Mabel Maney's A Ghost in the Closet brilliantly parodies 1950s boys and girls adventure series. Pull on a casual rayon shirt and join the queer caper!

Pegasi and Prefects


Eleanor Beresford - 2015
    Her peace is short-lived, however, when she's burdened with the unwelcome responsibilities of Game Captainship and finds herself caught up in a deadly rivalry with a new girl...a girl with a devastatingly charming Gift.A secret rule-breaking scheme, an unforeseen second magical talent, and a budding romance only add to the turmoil. Charley soon discovers that a quiet last year is the last thing she's going to get.Set in an alternative mid twentieth century England full of fabled beasts and humans with magical abilities, Pegasi and Prefects is the first in a series of traditional school stories spiced with a dash of magic and a sweet dollop of romance.

37 Things I Love (in No Particular Order)


Kekla Magoon - 2012
    But even with vacation just within reach, Ellis isn’t exactly relaxed. Her father has been in a coma for years, the result of a construction accident, and her already-fragile relationship with her mother is strained over whether or not to remove him from life support. Her best friend fails even to notice that anything is wrong and Ellis feels like her world is falling apart. But when all seems bleak, Ellis finds comfort in the most unexpected places. Life goes on, but in those four fleeting days friends are lost and found, promises are made, and Ellis realizes that nothing will ever quite be the same.

Just Girls


Rachel Gold - 2014
    So Tucker says it’s her, even though it’s not, to stop the finger pointing. She was an out lesbian in high school, and she figures she can stare down whatever gets thrown her way in college. It can’t be that bad.Ella Ramsey is making new friends at Freytag University, playing with on-campus gamers and enjoying her first year, but she’s rocked by the sight of a slur painted on someone else’s door. A slur clearly meant for her, if they’d only known.New rules, old prejudices, personal courage, private fear. In this stunning follow-up to the groundbreaking Being Emily, Rachel Gold explores the brave, changing landscape where young women try to be Just Girls.

South of Sunshine


Dana Elmendorf - 2016
    For Kaycee Jean McCoy, life in Sunshine means dating guys she has no interest in, saying only “yes, ma’am” when the local bigots gossip at her mom’s cosmetics salon, and avoiding certain girls at all costs. Girls like Bren Dawson.Unlike Kaycee, Bren doesn’t really conceal who she is. But as the cool, worldly new girl, nobody at school seems to give her any trouble. Maybe there’s no harm if Kaycee gets closer to her too, as long as she can keep that part of her life a secret, especially from her family and her best friend. But the more serious things get with Bren, the harder it is to hide from everyone else. Kaycee knows Sunshine has a darker side for people like her, and she’s risking everything for the chance to truly be herself.

We Were Promised Spotlights


Lindsay Sproul - 2020
    Taylor Garland's good looks have earned her the admiration of everyone in her small town. She's homecoming queen, the life of every party, and she's on every boy's most-wanted list.People think Taylor is living the dream, and assume she'll stay in town and have kids with the homecoming king--maybe even be a dental hygienist if she's super ambitious. But Taylor is actually desperate to leave home, and she hates the smell of dentists' offices. Also? She's completely in love with her best friend, Susan.Senior year is almost over, and everything seems perfect. Now Taylor just has to figure out how to throw it all away. Lindsay Sproul's debut is full of compelling introspection and painfully honest commentary on what it's like to be harnessed to a destiny you never wanted.

Love & Other Carnivorous Plants


Florence Gonsalves - 2018
    She's failing pre-med and drifting apart from her best friend. One by one, Danny is losing all the underpinnings of her identity. When she finds herself attracted to an older, edgy girl who she met in rehab for an eating disorder, she finally feels like she might be finding a new sense of self. But when tragedy strikes, her self-destructive tendencies come back to haunt her as she struggles to discover who that self really is.

Night Life


S.J. Hartsfield - 2020
    She knows the lines, the moves, and she definitely knows better than to fall for a client. But when she’s hired for a night with the gorgeous, mysterious Diana Silver, her professionalism can’t hold a candle to the heat between them.Diana Silver is already overworked and undervalued by her wealthy parents, and now they’re pressuring her to date a “suitable” colleague. Hiring an escort would never have occurred to her, but when her best friend treats her to a relaxing night with Ronnie, sparks fly.Diana hires Ronnie again. And again. Soon, the women don’t have an arrangement so much as a full-blown affair. But money can’t buy everything, and Ronnie can’t risk blurring the lines between personal and professional, no matter the reward. It’ll take more than a healthy paycheck to turn their steamy nights into a life together—and if they try, it could cost them everything.