Book picks similar to
Riptides by Steph Campbell


new-adult
romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary

Avoiding Intimacy


K.A. Linde - 2013
    Linde...Growing up, Chyna was handed everything on a silver platter. She never wanted for anything, except love.When a man rescued her after she was drugged in a night club, she never expected to start a relationship with him. But Adam stole her heart that night.Still her fear of turning into her parents only makes her relationship rocky. Without even meaning to, she finds herself self-sabotaging at every turn.Adam is what she wants. Then she’s offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to model for the hottest new fashion designer. Will their love survive her career?

The Next Forever


Lisa Burstein - 2013
    So when he invites her to go to the library, she heads off on her own instead. How she ended up at a house party with the mysterious bad-boy Trevor is another story…Joe so isn’t going to the library. He needs space from Amy, too, so he’s decided to rush a fraternity, to get back the swagger he had in high school. But it doesn’t take long for the brothers to invite him to the real rush here the beer is flowing and one particular girl has set her eyes on Joe.Over the course of one wild night, both Amy and Joe will have to decide if their futures belong with two new people, or whether the next forever will have their first loves in it.

Falling Stars


Charles Sheehan-Miles - 2013
    But after Crank’s huge mistake during the summer, on the road with Crank’s rock band Morbid Obesity, they aren’t getting along. Sean Wilson and Carrie Thompson are the seventeen year old younger siblings of Julia and Crank. Carrie is on her way to New York to start college at Columbia University and Sean is on his way home to Boston. For the next five days, they’re stuck in a car. Along the way, they’ll contend with screaming matches, giant spiders and a 240-pound pissed off Marine.And the whole way, Crank will be faced with one question. After he screwed up so badly, is there any way he can win Julia back?

Tristan: Finding Hope


Jessica Sorensen - 2014
    After a painful loss, he became all but invisible to his grieving family. So he dove headfirst into a dangerous life, sinking deeper until he felt he could disappear-and almost did. Though Tristan survived, staying on track is a 24/7 battle he’s not sure he wants to fight.Then Tristan meets Avery, the girl with purple streaks in her hair and tattoos like secrets, waiting to be uncovered. Her smile is warm and inviting, but her sad, hazel eyes tell a different story. And the strangest part is-she can really see him. A girl like that might just keep Tristan out of the darkness . . . or pull him right back in.

Blackbird


Cheryl McIntyre - 2013
    I love you, Hope. And I'm not the only one. I know you care about me. I see it in your eyes. I feel it. Everybody needs love. Everybody. And some people need it more than others. You're a liar if you say you don't. I'll do that for you. I'll love you. All you have to do is let me." –Sometimes Never What happened in the years between the final chapter and epilogue of Sometimes Never? Blackbird is an 18,000+ word novella that continues Mason and Hope's story as they finish high school, start separate colleges, and confront their demons. Though Blackbird can be read on its own, it is better enjoyed after reading Sometimes Never. Recommended for 17+ due to harsh language and some sexual situations.

Stealing Harper


Molly McAdams - 2013
    But then he stumbles into a gray-eyed girl whose innocence pours off her, and everything changes. From the minute Harper opens her mouth to let him know just how much he disgusts her, he's hooked.But a princess deserves a Prince Charming who can make her dreams come true. Not a guy who can turn her life into a nightmare.All good intentions go out the window when Harper starts to fall for the guy Chase has come to view as a brother. He wanted to protect her by keeping her away, but he can't stand to see her with anyone else, and he'll do anything to make her his. But when it comes down to Harper choosing between the two, will Chase have the strength to step back from the girl who has become his whole world if it means she's happy?Lines will be crossed. Friendships will be put to the test. And hearts will be shattered.CAUTION: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ TAKING CHANCES

Promising Forever


Ashley Wilcox - 2013
    It is recommended that you read Planning on Forever and Waiting on Forever prior to this novella. **After an emotional break-up with his high school sweetheart, Collin doubted he would ever find love again. Until he met Summer.What started out as just a friendship, blossomed into something so much more. Love.Just when plans were slowly starting to take shape in their relationship, Summer’s father became terminally ill, forcing Collin to make a life altering decision. His answer was to marry her before it was too late and give Summer a dream wedding with her father by her side.Follow the reunion of friends, the planning, and everything in between, leading up to the day.The wedding of Collin and Summer.

A Season for Hope


Sarra Cannon - 2013
    And her greatest blessing…Bailey Houston has spent so many years thinking Preston Wright was “The One” that when he says it’s over, it’s like he flipped her entire world upside down and shook her up like a snowglobe.The last thing she expects is for a guy like Judd Kohler to come crashing into her life. Literally. He was coming out. She was going in. Her face got in the way. You get the picture. It was an accident.Running into him twice in one day, though? That was starting to feel like fate.“My mother always says Christmas is a magical time of year. A season for hope. All I know is that just when I thought I’d lost mine, hope somehow found its way back to me.Just in time for Christmas.”Each book in the Fairhope series can stand-alone, but you'll see updates on your favorite characters throughout each book, so read them in order to get the most enjoyment out of the series!

Unbreakable Hearts


Amanda Bennett - 2013
    With a new career for Gray, and Bennett finally starting to feel safe again, everything seems to be in its rightful place.But life has a weird way of knowing when things are going just a little too perfect. Insert Hannah and Theo's drama along with their own, and you have more than enough to deal with. Complications, lies, cheating and acceptance is what will lead these four best friends to a life they have always wanted, but getting there is half the battle.Sometimes you have to be broken to find out you are unbreakable.*Warning this book contains mature content and language

Smash Into You


Shelly Crane - 2013
    From what, he wasn't quite sure. His mother tried to keep him safe; a low profile, a constant move on the horizon, a week's pay always stashed away. She tried to instill in him that he was special somehow, though would never elaborate. He never felt different. He was so completely normal and vanilla that he wondered if it had all been in her head. But then she was murdered and all he saw was a running silhouette of a man as his mother said three final words to him. Three words that changed his whole being. Never stop running…Now he's semi-settled into a big town. The college is huge and easy to blend into. It's been three months since he had to move because 'Biloxi', as he calls the man who killed his mother, found him once more. Then Marley, an eighteen year old girl who is as infuriating as she is blissfully ignorant of her gorgeousness, smashes into his car with hers. Then smashes into his life as he realizes that whatever it is he has that Biloxi wants, she has it, too. And now, they're after them both.

Before You Go


Clare James - 2013
    But she soon realizes the changes are not enough. Tabby must take action to help her heal and move on from the past. And though it sounds crazy, she believes a one-night stand is the best way to take back what’s hers. If she can choose where, when, and most importantly, who … maybe she can regain control.First, she needs a willing participant. She finds more than that when she meets Noah Adler. Unfortunately, she can’t go through with it. And when she tries to forget about the plan—and the guy—it becomes impossible. Noah quickly weaves his way into her new life and her heart. But as he comes dangerously close to discovering her secret, Tabby’s at risk of losing it all.

Before Lucky


J.S. Cooper - 2013
    He wasn’t sure if it was her smile, or her chocolate brown eyes that captured his heart, but he knew that he would do anything to make sure he got to know her better.We all know the story of how Lucky fell in love with Zane, now it’s time to see how Zane fell for Lucky. Before Lucky tells the story of how one handsome, but broken man found love for the first time.**New Adult Contemporary Romance**

Holding On


Emma Hart - 2013
    He just didn’t know how much. With Lexy’s friends and admirer to contend with, he has to show there’s more to the country surfer boy than his ability to ride the waves. With his own shameless admirers, he has to keep Lexy’s trust – and despite her love for him, that’s no easy task.Beneath her tough girl exterior, all Jennifer Mason has ever wanted to do is paint. London’s School of Art can give her that, and she couldn’t be happier she’s finally breaking free from Lilac Bay. What she’s not happy about is having to leave Carl behind – or his reluctance to visit her while she’s studying.Their relationship is put to the test as living on her own for the first time and university take their toll on Jen. After all, three hundred miles is a long way to be away from your boyfriend when you’re eighteen years old.And it’s even harder when you can’t keep your eyes off your best friend’s older brother.

Secret for a Song


S.K. Falls - 2013
    Literally.She ate her first needle when she was seven. Now, at nineteen, she’s been kicked out of college for poisoning herself with laxatives. The shrinks call it Munchausen Syndrome. All Saylor knows is that when she’s ill, her normally distant mother pays attention and the doctors and nurses make her feel special.Then she meets Drew Dean, the leader of a local support group for those with terminal diseases. When he mistakes her for a new member, Saylor knows she should correct him. But she can’t bring herself to, not after she’s welcomed into a new circle of friends. Friends who, like Drew, all have illnesses ready to claim their independence or their lives. For the first time, Saylor finds out what it feels like to be in love, to have friends who genuinely care about her. But secrets have a way of revealing themselves. What will happen when Saylor’s is out?

Until We Burn


Courtney Cole - 2013
    As a 24-year old actor with the world on a string, not many women tell Dominic no. In a life where no doesn’t exist, he stretches the boundaries between what is right, what is wrong and what is downright depraved. Dark and damaged, Dom wants no commitments. He wants no attachments. He only wants to disappear into the taboo, into a place where he feels something. Anything. But when the aching need to disappear into the darkness is the only thing he has left, Dominic flounders. In a world that is hollow and sexual, without a guiding light or a reason to breathe, Dominic is lost and broken. He knows he’ll never be fixed. So he makes a decision. If he’s going to hell, he might as well make it worth it. ******** UNTIL WE BURN is a novella (book 2.5 in the Beautifully Broken series) intended to introduce Dominic Kinkaide, to enhance the reading experience of BEFORE WE FALL (Book 3). Please note that because Dom's lifestyle is wild, this novella contains graphic content and adult material.