Book picks similar to
XOXO, Piper by Ginger Li


romance
ya
young-adult
contemporary

Throw Like a Girl


Sarah Henning - 2020
    With no other options, Liv is forced to transfer to the nearest public school, Northland, where she'll have to convince their coach she deserves a spot on the softball team, all while facing both her ex and the teammates of the girl she punched... Every. Single. Day. Enter Grey, the injured star quarterback with amazing hair and a foolproof plan: if Liv joins the football team as his temporary replacement, he'll make sure she gets a spot on the softball team in the Spring. But it will take more than the perfect spiral for Liv to find acceptance in Northland's halls, and behind that charming smile, Grey may not be so perfect after all.With well-drawn characters and a charming quarterback love interest who's got brains as well as brawn, Throw Like a Girl will have readers swooning from the very first page.

The Problem with Planning Love


Claire Cain - 2020
    Divorcé. Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army.All titles I’ve come to terms with, even if I didn’t see those first two coming.I never imagined making a military move to Germany as a single parent. What else I never imagined? Having an insane spark like I’ve never felt with my son’s kindergarten teacher.Livie’s a singular force of light and beauty, and I’ve never wanted someone so much. But after what happened last time, I can’t escape the dread of dragging a new wife into this life and failing again.Besides, our lives are too different. Our plans don’t match. We definitely shouldn’t date and absolutely can’t afford to catch feelings.Everything changed the day I walked into that classroom. And now the only thing that scares me more than trying for another chance at love is living with regret if I don’t.The Problem with Planning Love is a dual point of view romance told in first person that will give you all the sizzle and heat but keep it sweet.

Call It What You Want


Brigid Kemmerer - 2019
    Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care. Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship...This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?This is a previously published edition of ISBN 9781681198095. An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Last to Know


Micalea Smeltzer - 2015
    For the drummer, Maddox Wade, this summer was meant for writing music and playing gigs.Falling in love was not part of the plan.One look at Emma Burke and those plans cease to matter.Emma is quiet and guarded. She’s still hurt from her father walking out two years ago. She doesn’t want to trust Maddox, but with his dark hair, smoldering good looks, and infectious smile he’s impossible to resist.Together Maddox and Emma embark on an unforgettable summer of adventures and first love.Everything is perfect…or so Emma thinks.There are things she doesn’t know, and when she finds out the truth it might shatter everything she’s built with Maddox.No one said love was easy, and for Maddox and Emma it just might be impossible.This is a Young Adult book. The following books in the series will be New Adult

The Hoodie Girl


Yuen Wright - 2021
    Invisible.Wren Martin isn’t what you would call a popular girl. She is remarkably average, gets good grades, and aspires to get a scholarship to her dream college and leave her hometown, as it’s filled with impossible memories.Asher Reed―star athlete and heartthrob of Eastview High―is everything wrong with high school in one frustratingly good-looking body. But when an on-field accident leaves him sidelined for the season, he takes an interest in Wren.With an undeniable connection, Wren and Asher form a friendship that quickly turns into something more. Yuen Wright’s heartwarming debut is a reminder that when someone really sees you, the last thing you want is to be invisible.

Girl Against the Universe


Paula Stokes - 2016
    comes a fresh, contemporary story about a girl coping with PTSD and the boy who wants to help her move on from the past.Sixteen-year-old Maguire knows the universe is against her. No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when she's around. Like that time the roller coaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or the time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash--and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch. Despite what her therapist tells her, Maguire thinks it's best to hide out in her room, far away from anyone she might accidentally hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star who wants to help her break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for him is to stay away, but it turns out staying away might be harder than she thought.

Keep Holding On


Susane Colasanti - 2012
    Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself--and for the love that keeps her holding on.

Right Text Wrong Number


Natalie Decker - 2017
    She thinks he’s the biggest jerk in school and he thinks she's too high on her horse to even be worth a second glance. When the two of them are near one another, sparks fly in all the wrong directions. They can hardly endure speaking, let alone dating. But when Layla unknowingly sends Tyler a smack-down text meant for the girl sending naked photos to her then-boyfriend, Adam, Tyler has no idea it’s Layla and decides to play along. After all, Tyler cannot resist messing with the pissed off girl firing off texts about junk pictures, cheating, and girl code. As the fallout from Adam’s scandalous texts plays out in front of the entire school, Tyler and Layla secretly continue to text each other using fake names. But as days and weeks pass, things take a turn for the serious between them, and suddenly, their texts mean more. Maybe it's time to come clean about who they are and risk taking the relationship from texts to dates, then kissing, and maybe more. They say there's a thin line between love and hate. Can reality live up to the fantasy, or will Layla and Tyler be forever offsides?

The Problem with Forever


Jennifer L. Armentrout - 2016
    Growing up, Mallory Dodge learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it's been four years since her nightmare ended, she's beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime. Now, after years of homeschooling, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at a public high school. But she never imagined she'd run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn't seen since childhood, on her very first day. It doesn't take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet soon it becomes apparent that she's not the only one grappling with lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider's life spiral out of control, Mallory must make a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants and the truths that need to be heard.

Saint Anything


Sarah Dessen - 2015
    She's grown accustomed to her brother, Peyton, being the focus of the family’s attention and, lately, concern. Peyton is handsome and charismatic, but seems bent on self-destruction. Now, after a drunk-driving accident that crippled a boy, Peyton’s serving some serious jail time, and Sydney is on her own, questioning her place in the family and the world.Then she meets the Chatham family. Drawn into their warm, chaotic circle, Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance for the first time. There’s effervescent Layla, who constantly falls for the wrong guy, Rosie, who’s had her own fall from grace, and Mrs. Chatham, who even though ailing is the heart of the family. But it’s with older brother Mac—quiet, watchful, and protective—that Sydney finally feels seen, really seen, at last.Saint Anything is Sarah Dessen’s deepest and most psychologically probing novel yet, telling an engrossing story of a girl discovering friendship, love, and herself.

First Comes Love


Katie Kacvinsky - 2012
    Dylan, a girl who is seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving, and besides, opposites attract. What starts as friendship turns into admiration, respect, and caring, until finally these two lone souls find that they are truly in love with each other. But staying in love is never as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they're going to have to work at it . . .

The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily


Laura Creedle - 2017
    It doesn't hurt that he’s brilliant and beautiful.When Abelard posts a quote from The Letters of Abelard and Heloise online, their mutual affinity for ancient love letters connects them. The two fall for each other. Hard. But is it enough to bridge their differences in person?This hilarious, heartbreaking story of human connection between two neurodivergent teens creates characters that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

Devil May Care


Angel Lawson - 2020
    They wanted me to leave, too, but I refused. I’m sticking around to make sure they follow through on the deal the snobby, elite crew of jocks made with the administration.The arrangement is simple. No one ever speaks about what happened to Skylar again, and no one gets punished.But that's not exactly true, is it? I still get punished, each and every day that I walk down the halls. No one speaks to me. No one looks at me. No one even admits I exist.It doesn’t matter. I know what they did. And I know who’s in charge; Hamilton Bates.Handsome, smart, and ridiculously privileged.He’s the lead Devil, and my hatred for him is all in the details.All it takes is one slip, one heated argument, one mistake, and everything gets even more complicated.We get complicated.Is this love or has the Devil found a new plaything?Devil May Care is the gripping, angsty, enemies to lovers, bully romance, by USA Today Best Selling Author, Angel Lawson, you’ve been waiting for!

Love and Other Unknown Variables


Shannon Lee Alexander - 2014
    A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he’ll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover solutions to the universe’s greatest unanswered questions. He’s that smart. But Charlie’s future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the tattoo on a beautiful girl’s neck. The future has never seemed very kind to Charlotte Finch, so she’s counting on the present. She’s not impressed by the strange boy at the donut shop—until she learns he’s a student at Brighton where her sister has just taken a job as the English teacher. With her encouragement, Charlie orchestrates the most effective prank campaign in Brighton history. But, in doing so, he puts his own future in jeopardy. By the time he learns she's ill—and that the pranks were a way to distract Ms. Finch from Charlotte’s illness—Charlotte’s gravitational pull is too great to overcome. Soon he must choose between the familiar formulas he’s always relied on or the girl he’s falling for (at far more than 32 feet per second squared).

Gone Country


Katrina Marie - 2021
    And, it’s not as easy as I thought it would be.My car? Ends up in a ditch.A hot shower? Interrupted by a snake.Not to mention the quiet. How do people fall asleep without background noise?The only good thing about Asheville is the mechanic that comes to my rescue and offers to fix my car. He’s playful, kind, and promises he’s not looking for a relationship, which is great since I won’t be here long. He can show me everything this town has to offer, including “other activities”…with no strings attached.But how can I keep my eye on the prize when he’s looking at me like I’m his?