Book picks similar to
Poison Ivy by Kathryn White


australia
contemporary-teen-drama
good-rainy-day-reads
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A Series of Small Maneuvers


Eliot Treichel - 2015
    Uncomfortable at home and in school, Emma is growing up, and feels isolated from her friends and family. Things go from bad to unfathomably worse when Emma inadvertently causes an accident that kills her increasingly distant father on a spring break canoe trip meant to bring them closer together.Suddenly, Emma's efforts to reconcile with her father as a parent and a person have to happen without him, and she must confront her guilt and her grief to begin moving forward. With the help of river rats, ranch hands, and her horse, Magic, Emma finds strength in herself as she and her family navigate their reentry into “normal” life."Treichel’s realistic and compelling characterization of Emma highlights a maturity into adulthood that offers no easy solutions to the difficulties of grief, but celebrates the best of her family." -Publisher's Weekly, starred review."This story about fathers and daughters and grief takes you on an unexpected trip through a girl's sudden coming-of-age, and the deep canyons of who she might be long after the last page."-Carrie Mesrobian, Morris Award finalist for Sex & Violence"With insight, passion and sneaky humor, Treichel probes deeply in life's pool of what's trivial and what's not."-Robin Cody, author of Ricochet River"Treichel handles tragedy, love, and human frailty with clear-eyed compassion. He captures the voice of a young girl with absolute authenticity, weaving a tale that is both unique and universal, and reminding us, once again, that the gift of a great writer is the ability to see through the eyes of another."-Karelia Stetz­-Waters, Lambda Award finalist for Forgive Me If I've Told You This Before

A Tempest Soul


Oliver Phipps - 2014
    Her father passed away while she was young. Her un-affectionate mother eventually leaves her to care for herself when she is only thirteen. Though her epic journey begins in 1920 by an almost deadly mistake, Gina will find many of her hearts desires in the most unlikely of places. The loss of everything is the catalyst that brings her to an unimagined level of accomplishment in her life. Yet Gina soon realizes it is the same events that brought her success that may also bring everything crashing down around her. The new life she has built soon beckons for something she left behind. Now the new woman must find a way to dance through a life she could have never dreamed of.

Last Alive: An Apocalyptic Thriller (Last Days Book 1)


M.C. Magill - 2016
    Without warning, life as we knew it ended.Husband and father Will Carter is an ordinary man plunged into an unthinkable situation. An attack has devastated America and everything changed in an instant. Now the Carters must stay alive and together in the face of an unknown enemy.The Carters embark on a rescue mission in a landscape that is no longer the safe haven they once knew. If they want to survive they'll have to rely on their determination, instincts and their strength as a family. Last Alive book 1 of the Last Days apocalyptic thriller series.

Salt Rain


Sarah Armstrong - 2004
    Set within Australia's lush rain forest at the height of the rainy season, Salt Rain is an absorbing debut about sifting through the complicated stories that shape us, and ultimately reclaiming them as our own.

Into the Garden


Joelle Charbonneau - 2017
    Now that her parents have passed, there is nothing waiting for her at home but her lecherous uncle and his sinister plans. So when a stoic young guard, assigned by her uncle to deliver her back home without incident, reveals a secret about his own dark past, Betrice seizes the opportunity to harness their combined power into a plan to leave Eden forever.But for once, Betrice’s uncle is not the only man lying in wait on the road home—King Adham and his son Prince Ulron are her uncle’s guests, and when Betrice’s escape plot backfires, she may just find herself in a position she never could have foreseen.

It Will End with Us


Sam Savage - 2014
    Henry Prize for "Cigarettes"“Sam Savage manages to be both artful and literal-minded in this faux autobiographical tale of childhood and a mother afflicted and finally driven mad by her wish for artistic success. Savage writes knowingly about the uncertainties of childhood memory, but creates a convincing world of sibling combat and adult pretension. A wonderful, absorbing novel.”—C. Michael Curtis, Fiction Editor, The Atlantic Monthly“If the world—all its hysteric noise—was muted for just one minute, Sam Savage is what you might be fortunate enough to hear. His elegant laconism, his leaps across the self-evident, his soft aplomb, and the rarified air he bestows upon the mundane make him the only American writer worthy of the label the true eccentric."—Valeria LuiselliIt Will End With Us is Sam Savage’s latest deep dive into the mind and voice of a character, and his most personal work yet. Brick by textual brick, his narrator, Eve, builds a memorial to the mother who raised her, emotionally abandoned her, and shaped her in her own image. Eve’s memories summon a childhood in rural South Carolina, a decaying house on impoverished soil, and an insular society succumbing to the influences of a wider world. It Will End With Us is a portrait of a place full of hummingbirds and wild irises, but also of frustration and grief. It is the story of a family tragedy, provoked by a mother’s stifled ambitions, and seized by the wide-open gaze of a child. Rarely has a novel so brief taken on so much, so powerfully.Sam Savage is the best-selling author of Firmin: Adventures of a MetropolitanLowlife, The Cry of the Sloth, Glass, and The Way of the Dog, all from CoffeeHouse Press. A finalist for the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New WritersAward, Savage holds a PhD in philosophy from Yale University and resides inMadison, Wisconsin.

Kings & Queens


Courtney Vail - 2011
    And she mostly wishes to retract the hateful words she said to her dad right before slamming the door in his face, only to never see him again. All her desires get sidelined, though, when she overhears two fellow students planning a church massacre. She doubts cops will follow up on her tip since they’re sick of her coming around with notions of possible crimes-in-the-works. And it’s not like she cries wolf. Not really. They’d be freaked too, but they’re not the ones suffering from bloody dreams that hint at disaster like some crazy, street guy forecasting the Apocalypse. So, she does what any habitual winner with zero cred would do…try to I.D. the nutjobs before they act. But, when their agenda turns out to be far bigger than she ever assumed, and even friends start looking suspect, the truth and her actions threaten to haunt her forever, especially since she’s left with blood on her hands, the blood of someone she loves.

Fire in the Sea


Myke Bartlett - 2012
    It’s summer, and lazing on the beach in the stifling heat with her cousins and Tom is a drag. Then something comes out of the sea.Dark menacing forms attack an old man, leaving him for dead and Sadie wracking her brains to understand what she saw. Then there’s a mysterious inheritance, a strange young man called Jake and a horned beast trampling the back yard.Sadie finds herself caught in the middle of an ancient conflict that is nearing its final battle, a showdown that threatens to engulf Perth and all those she loves in a furious tsunami.Fire in the Sea is a fast-paced thrilling adventure with a feisty heroine who is not afraid to fight for what she knows is right.

The Girl Who Cried Wolf


Bella James - 2016
    Anna Winters is beautiful, reckless and entirely self-absorbed. She spends more time thinking up reasons to call in sick to school than she does studying for her A levels. She shies away from her family, from responsibility – from anything in fact that doesn’t involve peach cider and endless parties with her friend Jules.Anna assumes that her headaches are an inconvenient symptom of her wild lifestyle, until a doctor tells her that she has cancer…As a terrifying black cloud descends upon her, Anna finds solace in Michael, another patient in the oncology ward. Michael shows Anna a chink of light in the darkness and sees beauty behind her illness and loves her sassy wit. He makes Anna forget she is ill.Michael recovers; but Anna’s prospects worsen. And in emergency surgery, as she hovers between life and death, she is given a stark glimpse of why her life is so broken, and as she realises the simple fulfillment of being truly content, fears it may now be too late…

The Complete Whisper Series


Lynette Noni - 2020
    In that time, she hasn't spoken a single word.As Jane's resolve begins to crack under the influence of her new and unexpectedly kind evaluator, she uncovers the truth about Lengard's mysterious program, discovering that her own secret is at the heart of a sinister plot.Desperate to save her friends—and the rest of the world—from the looming danger, Jane must first question everything she has ever believed, especially when long-lost memories begin to surface and the mysteries of her past continue to grow. Allies become enemies and enemies become allies, leaving her certain about only one thing:One wrong move, one wrong word, could change the world.The Complete Whisper Series is an epic duology of Young Adult dystopian fiction consisting of Whisper and Weapon.

When We Get There


Shauna Seliy - 2007
    Lucas, an only child whose father died several years earlier in a coa-mine blast, lives with the legacy of loss. Despite his heavy inheritance, Lucas is still just a thirteen-year-old boy puzzling out the world around him. He shuttles between the homes of his family elders whose old-world ways he can't quite understand. When Zoli, his mother's embittered admirer, takes it upon himself to find his lost love, violence and retribution escalate until no one, especially Lucas, is safe. As he struggles to find his place in this unsettling landscape, Lucas's extended family and close-knit ethnic community circle around him. Set against the collapse of the industry that has sustained the family and the town for generations, When We Get There is a startling tale of one family's long winter—and the spring that eventually comes hard on winter's heels.

Ganglands


Maureen McCarthy - 2000
    She's a scholarship girl, her dad drinks too much and her mum lives in another city. Her house isn't renovated like those of her friends. But Kelly has one thing her friends are envious of – Phil. Rich, devoted, handsome Phil. And it looks like their future together is all mapped out. Then, on a hot afternoon in a dingy little pizza shop, Kelly meets Con. He's unlike anyone she's ever known before. It's a dramatic meeting, a chance encounter that changes everything . . .A passionate and uncompromising story of love, conflict and choices, from the author of Chain of Hearts and the highly acclaimed Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude Get a Life.

Second Hand Stops


Katie St. Claire - 2015
    A coming of age series that is one girl’s journey into the puzzling realm of first loves, ethical dilemmas, and life that is stranger than fiction.If you downloaded this book on a free promotion before 2016, please enable updates on Amazon.

Downright Delinquents.


L. Jackson
    She is a model, has amazing friends, and has a perfect life. All of this is until her father is brutally murdered. Her perfect life spins out of control and she still hasn't picked up the pieces, which is why she is sent to Downright High, the school for delinquents. Here, Hayley finds herself in a mixture of trouble, ranging from enemies, fights, riots to even falling in love. Will Hayley end up getting her life back on track or will this school end her, once and for all?

Torn Souls


Crystal Cattabriga - 2012
     The unspeakable acts of bullying can destroy a life. So many children are affected in the world and together we can make a difference. Let’s be the change we want to see in the world. Julia Stone’s life has been turned upside down ever since her parents decided to move out of the country and into the city. The life she knew was gone and starting over was something she wasn’t prepared for. The thought of a new school, new teachers and even new friends was terrifying, but after a few weeks things didn’t seem all that bad. Julia had met a boy and his name was Alex. He wasn’t a jock, he wasn’t even the smartest kid in school, but he was nice and he made her laugh. Alex and Julia hung out all the time, eventually becoming best friends. They even made a pact never to keep secrets from each other, but for Julia it was harder than she thought. She had a secret that was destroying the very cord of her soul. Her life as a teenager was being ripped apart by the kids in her school. Julia was being bullied mentally and physically. The thought of going through the next three years in high school being bullied continuously wasn’t something she was prepared to do. The choice was simple, and she wasn’t about to do it alone.