Book picks similar to
Imaginary Grace by Anne Holster
new-adult
romance
music
college
Don't Let Go
Michelle Lynn - 2013
She only wants to finish her final year of college, obtain her degree, and get out from the hold of her affluent parents. Then she meets Brady Carsen, the lead singer of The Invisibles, a popular local band in the college town. She tries to stay away but quickly realizes that, although he might not be what she’s used to, he’s exactly what she needs and more importantly, everything she could possibly want. Unfortunately, Sadie’s troubled past left her with insecurities that make her question Brady’s true intentions. And while Brady is convinced that Sadie is the one for him, he has his own secrets that he fears will be their undoing. If they want to be together, they will have to stand united and fight the outside influences that are threatening to tear them apart. Can they put their pasts behind them for good in order to secure their future?
Wanted by You
Steph Nuss - 2014
Carter was captivated by Ellyson Evans the moment he laid eyes on her, but she was the one girl who didn't beg for his attention.He wanted her.Ellyson vowed to never fall in love, because love can destroy you, but then she met Carter Jennings.She wanted him.Unwilling to risk their comfortable friendship, neither confessed their desires.Losing touch after college, a chance meeting reconnects them.They want each other.But love in the city is never quite that easy.
The Secret of Ella and Micha
Jessica Sorensen - 2012
But one tragic night shatters their friendship and their lives forever.Ella used to be a rule-breaker with fiery attitude who wore her heart on her sleeve. But she left everything behind when she went to college and transformed into someone that follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. But now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home. Ella fears everything she worked so hard to bury might resurface, especially with Micha living right next door. If Micha tries to tempt the old her back, she knows that it will be hard to resist.Micha is sexy, smart, confident, and can get under Ella’s skin like no one else can. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. And he’s determined to bring his best friend, and the girl he loves back, no matter what it takes. (New Adult Contemporary)*Mature Content** Recommended for ages 17+ due to sexual situations and language.
Fever
Melissa Pearl - 2014
Ella Simmons does not want to move across the country. But she is, because her boyfriend has persuaded her to join him at UChicago to finish out her college education. Never able to tell him no, she hops on a plane and makes the trek from LA expecting to adjust to life like she's often forced to, but things are not that simple when she hears a luscious voice singing over her shower wall. His deep, sexy tenor makes her weak in the knees, spreading fire through her limbs and making her question everything about her life and relationship. Can one voice really have that much of an impact? Cole Reynolds is on his way out. In his final year at UChicago, the only thing he wants to do is finish school and get on with his life. But the sweet voice that interrupts his morning shower turns his world upside down. Compelled to find his shower songbird, he begins a search across campus. The only thing to distract him from this goal is his roommate's gorgeous girlfriend who's just arrived from LA - Ella Simmons. Relationships are put to the ultimate test as future dreams are questioned and friendships are thrown on the line for love. ALL THE SONGBIRD NOVELS CAN BE READ AS STAND ALONE BOOKS.
The Perfect First
Maya Hughes - 2019
Math genius. Lover of blazers. The only girl I know who can make Heidi braids look sexy as hell. And she’s on a mission. Lose her virginity by the end of the semester. I walked in on her interview session for potential candidates (who even does that?) and saw straight through her brave front. She’s got a list of Firsts to accomplish like she’s only got months to live. I’ve decided to be her guide for all her firsts except one. Someone’s got to keep her out of trouble. I have one rule, no sex. We even shook on it.I’ll help her find the right guy for the job. Someone like her doesn’t need someone like me and my massive...baggage for her first time. Drinking at a bar. Check. Partying all night. Double check. Skinny dipping. Triple check. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. The walls I’d put up around my heart are slowly crumbling with each touch that sets fire to my soul. I’m the first to bend the rules. One electrifying kiss changes everything and suddenly I don’t want to be her first, I want to be her only. But her plan was written before I came onto the scene and now I’m determined to get her to re-write her future with me.
Smart Tass
Mimi Jean Pamfiloff - 2017
She’s the smart girl he loves to pick on.And now that they’re all grown up, things are about to get geekin’ ugly…My name is Tass. I’m smart, I’m driven, and I am determined not to let prankster Hunter Johnson continue raining on my parade. When we were little, he’d pull my hair and call me names. When we were teenagers, he’d throw food and tease me for being a flat-chested virgin. But now that we’ve ended up at the same college, he’s out of his hot head if he thinks he can keep messing with my life. It’s like he’s fixated on me or something. Well, guess what, Mr. Amazefootball? I’m not that geeky little girl anymore and you do not screw with a smart woman. So what’s my plan? It’s definitely wild, and he’s about to find out…
The Pledge
Laura Ward - 2015
She’s decided the best way to put the high school bullies behind her is to pledge a Taylor-Swift-lip-syncing, beer-guzzling, sorority. Sisterhood helps Taren find the acceptance she’s always craved, but not the love she needs.Alec wants freedom. To escape his father’s iron fist and unrealistic expectations, he pledges a campus acrobatics club where he finds that drugs and alcohol aren't the only ways to get high. His addiction to danger helps him gain his independence, but it comes at a heavy price.When the two cross paths, Alec fears his undeniable attraction to the party girl just might threaten everything he's worked so hard to earn. Taren hasn’t forgotten that Alec humiliated her back in high school, but she also can't deny the chemistry they share.Alec and Taren have nothing in common, but fate is bound and determined to bring them together. They know falling in love is a risk, and yet it’s too hard to ignore. When their worlds clash and they both end up suffering, will they fight to stay together? Or are some pledges too hard to keep?
Ignite
Kate Benson - 2015
Over the last decade, they’d seen each other through every obstacle adolescence had thrown their way. When Zeke returned home for the summer after his first year away at college, their time apart forced them to see each other in a new light. Once temptation became too much to resist, lines were crossed and the relationship they fought so hard to protect paid the ultimate price. When fate brought them back together two years later, would it mean a second chance? Or would the summer that irrevocably changed them be the one thing their friendship couldn’t survive?
Faster
Deana Birch - 2018
The junior producer knows she's dodged a bullet. Because, despite his melt-your-heart chocolate eyes and rising fame, Jake Riley is not boyfriend material. And those messages he sends in the middle of the night get filed under, "drunk text, best to ignore," without delay.Twelve grueling years of paying dues has finally resulted in a hit song for Jake. But, knowing the new zeroes in his bank account come with as many ways to blow it, he craves stability. So, stocked with an arsenal of charm and a reminder of what happened against her front door, he persuades Louana to see him again the next time he's in town. Now, certain he's found the calm to his storm, he asks her for the previously unthinkable-monogamy.
Flow
Kennedy Ryan - 2017
Bristol Gray will be his tough, no-nonsense manager. But when they first meet, she’s a college student finding her way in the world, and he’s an artist determined to make his way in it. From completely different worlds, all the things that should separate them only draw them closer. It’s a beautiful beginning, but where will the story end? FLOW is the prequel chronicling the week of magical days and nights that will haunt Grip & Bristol for years to come. GRIP is the full-length conclusion of their story.
No Turning Back
Casey Peeler - 2013
Her best friend, Cash Montgomery is the only one who truly knows what happened that night and is a constant source of strength. After a summer of questioning who she wants to be, Charley decides to put the past behind and leave the small town of Grassy Pond to stand on her own two feet again. While Charley is living her life to the fullest at college she meets Joe Olsen and falls head over heels. But one letter is about to change everything and this time Cash isn’t there to help her. Will she be able to escape her past and on her own? Will she run home to Cash? Or will she find comfort in the arms of Joe?
Walk With Me, One Hundred Days of Crazy
Ernesto H. Lee - 2019
As a successful commodities trader with one of the leading London trading houses, he was happy, healthy and, engaged to be married to the woman he loved. Then came the devastating news that would change his life forever. Less than two years later, his health is in tatters, his fiancée is gone, and his life is reduced to nothing more than a series of difficult choices and harsh realities. In search of answers and, in search of a drink, he walks an unfamiliar part of London. He doesn’t find the answers he is looking for, but he does find Karen. With Karen, he finds hope. With Karen, he finds love. With Karen, nothing is ever going to be the same again.Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite- 5 StarsWalk With Me: One Hundred Days of Crazy is a romantic and bitter sweet work of fiction penned by author Ernesto H Lee. Written for mature audiences, but not overly graphic in its romantic content, this tale focuses on love later in life. Our central hero Mark Rennie is a man who once thought he had a perfect life all figured out, but then his life and health fall apart aged forty-one. In a world of difficult choices, Mark chooses to drift the streets of London in search of some kind of answer. When he finds Karen, however, he gets a lot more than he was looking for.This is an emotional and unusual love story in the realm of tragic romances, but it has so many beautiful and uplifting qualities in spite of the situation that Mark finds himself in. The back drop of London is well drawn to bring out the atmosphere of each moment in Mark and Karen's relationship, and author Ernesto H Lee has a cinematic sense of how to construct scenes and move the plot along without any unnecessary details derailing it. The narration is personal, close to the characters, and sensitive in matters of health, the future and the notion of hope. What results is an emotionally intelligent and realistic romance that will grip its readers from start to finish. Overall, Walk With Me: One Hundred Days of Crazy is a rollercoaster ride with stylish narration, compelling dialogue and a plot you'll cry over again and again.Reviewed By Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite- 5 StarsWalk With Me: One Hundred Days of Crazy by Ernesto H Lee is a novel about love, acceptance, and learning to live in the moment. We are all guilty of it and we all take our present for granted while we push for the future. This is something that happened to Mark Rennie in this novel. He kept looking forward and worked hard, only to have his life slip away from him. His story is heartbreaking as well as encouraging.The author did a great job of creating an atmosphere that is sensitive yet hopeful. There were emotional ups and downs in the story, but the author kept the momentum going and ensured that the reader enjoyed the journey with Mark and Karen. While the topic of cancer is very bleak,the author added as much hope and happiness to the story as possible. To say that I got emotional reading this novel would be an understatement. I was so involved and invested in Mark and Karen that I just didn't want their story to end. Absolutely beautiful! “Walk With Me, One Hundred Days of Crazy is a novel with a powerful tale of romance and one that explores the deep longings of the human heart.” Ruffina Oserio for Readers Favorite. “Walk With Me, One Hundred Days of Crazy by Ernesto H Lee is a fascinating book packed with craziness, emotions, family, and love (lots of love).” Ankita Shukla for Readers Favorite.
The Beats in Rift
Ker Dukey - 2014
When circumstance forced me and the Jacob twins to spend two weeks of the summer together, the bond we formed would impact us all, altering our lives. Fate, entwining us forever. They became my best friends, my family, my first love. With their love came their father’s hate! Love is powerful but also painful and destructive when it’s torn between three people. When my mother’s reputation and their father’s vile actions damage that love, that friendship, it changes the dynamics of our trio setting me on a path of love, loss and impossible decisions. Jared the beautiful rogue, who pushed her limits, opened her eyes and owned her heart. Their love was powerful, everlasting… until he abandoned her. Justin, loyal and true, picked her up when she was left fragmented. He made a place for himself in her heart and would fight to keep it. When both twins come in and out of Meadows life, leaving damage and hurt in their wake, will she ever choose one or the other, or leave them both without the beats in their heart?
Falling for Autumn
Heather Topham Wood - 2014
Everyone thought they knew what happened the spring night Autumn’s world fell apart. Vicious rumors about the incident circulated, and she had to be homeschooled the last year of high school to escape her tormentors. All she wants now is to get away from it all and start over at Cook University. She leaves everything but the memory behind—something she swore she’d never forget—and sets off to rebuild what was broken.Blake Preston is precisely the type of guy Autumn wants to avoid. He’s gorgeous, arrogant and the college’s beloved football star. As much as she believes he’s someone she should steer clear of, avoiding him proves to be impossible. He shows up everywhere around campus, offering her a no-strings attached friendship. Autumn can’t deny Blake stirs up emotions she thought fled years ago. But things he’s been hiding begin to emerge and collide with her past, leaving her heart ravaged in their wake.Standalone New Adult Romance-Ages 17+ Due to Strong Language and Sexual Situations
Make it Count
Megan Erickson - 2014
The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend, Alec…who just so happens to be her brand new math tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends—both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It’s safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm’s reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She’s adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He’d never stab his best friend in the back…But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can’t be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.