Book picks similar to
Your Exception by Bria Starr


new-adult
romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance

Brush Strokes


Janelle Stalder - 2014
    Now back in the small town she grew up in, she's forced to spend her senior year at her old school where she's known as the 'freak', all because she'd rather focus on her painting than the trivial drama of high school. But things aren't the same as they were when she left. And the one thing that is turning her life upside down the most just happens to be the resident bad boy, Colt Morgan. Her senior year was supposed to fly by so she could pack up and leave again, but what happens when there's suddenly a reason to want to stay? *This book contains strong language and some sexual content. For mature audiences.

I Like You, I Love Her


J.R. Rogue - 2018
    Before he kissed me in front of the entire school. As he danced with her the night of our senior prom.After his younger brother, Ben, made me smile through my tears.“It’ll never work with him. He will never leave her…”It’s been more than ten years since I let myself fall for the boy whose heart wasn’t mine. And the Prom King’s lips are finally mine to kiss.“When I came back here I wasn’t expecting to see you, and when I did, I felt this tumble…”But he’s still keeping me in the shadows.As his younger brother breaks me open in the day.BenYou shouldn’t covet whom your brother desires.Our pastor father would say he taught me better than that.But I knew over ten years ago my brother didn’t deserve her.And nothing’s changed since she came back into both our lives.“You think what you felt for my brother back then was love, but what I felt can’t be the same?”I’m still the one who makes her laugh—the one who challenges her.And he’s still the one treating her like a dirty little secret.“You really are a watercolor, Severin Thompson. I can read you…”You shouldn’t covet whom your brother desires.This summer, I’ll remind him of that.

Down the Shore


Kelly Mooney - 2011
    One final summer with her best friend, Makenna down on the Jersey Shore is supposed to be her last hurrah before college. Her new job on the boardwalk, and their summer rental is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened in her follow the rules boring life. A fairytale believer of true love, and not the one night stand, Abby vows to keep her virginity until she meets the one. That is easier said than done when she has two boys competing for her time and affection. Never being inclined to be a notch on someone's bed post, the thought didn't bother her...much. She has no idea that Colin Murphy, a boy from Ireland had every intention of changing that from the moment he laid eyes on her. Knowing that he can break her heart, she tries to stay away from his Irish charms knowing it can’t last. Can their love survive the obstacles of one summer down the shore?

On the Rocks


Kandi Steiner - 2019
    It's what the town said when his father died and the Becker brothers went wild. And it's on repeat in my mind the day I walk into the whiskey distillery where he works to buy a wedding gift for my fiancé.He's trouble. Dirty, sweaty, rude trouble. No matter how many times I repeat it, I can't escape Noah in our small Tennessee town. And the more I run into him, the more he infuriates me. Because he sees what no one else does.He sees me—the real me. The me I'm not sure I'm allowed to be.I'm Ruby Grace Barnett, the mayor's daughter. Soon to be a politician's wife, just like Mama and Daddy always wanted. Soon to fulfill my family's legacy, just like I always knew I would.Until the boy everyone warned me about makes me question everything, like whether the wedding I'm planning is one I even want. Everyone says Noah Becker is nothing but trouble.If only I had listened.

Firsts


Laurie Elizabeth Flynn - 2016
    Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time- the kind Mercedes never had herself.Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, FIRSTS is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.

Running from Destiny


Christa Lynn - 2013
    She’s guarded and damaged, sweet, curvy and self deprecating. She doesn’t date much and likes that just fine, cause she doesn’t deserve love. When arrogant media mogul, Jackson Bentley comes roaring in to her life, normal and quiet no longer exist, and those curves are what draws him to her. But Jackson has secrets and relentlessly pursues Ally, determined to make her his. When danger flashes in to Ally’s life, will she be able to get past the lies and anxiety, or will she run? This novel includes sexual situations and sensitive subject matter. This novel also includes a hero and heroine who will make you laugh, cry and want to smack them both.

In Moonlight and Memories: Volume One


Julie Ann Walker - 2019
    THIS LOVE STORY HAS MANY. From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker comes an epic story about sacrifice, friendship, and the awe-inspiring power of love. Maggie: Ten years ago, Cash Armstrong stole my heart. Then he promptly joined the army—dragging my best friend with him—and left me crying on the front porch in a red sequined prom dress. Now he's back. They're both back. Cash, the one who still has my heart. And Luc, the one who saved my life. Cash: How do you know if you’re at the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end? That's what I've been trying to figure out since a traumatic brain injury made me "unfit to serve." I'm back in New Orleans, and picking up the shattered pieces of my past means I must confront where my life's journey began... and where it all might end. Luc: Long ago, Maggie May was mine. Not mine in the way you might think. She was mine because she was my only friend. Then Cash came along and we became brothers by something stronger than blood. We became brothers by choice. When tragedy struck, I was forced to make a decision that changed all our lives. I thought, after ten years, it was safe to come back home. I was wrong...

So Many Reasons Why


Missy Johnson - 2013
    Now, with the impending release of her attacker from prison, Emma knows it’s more important than ever for her to regain control of her life. From her unrelenting nightmares, to her strained relationships, to her crippling agoraphobia, Emma feels as though her life is spiraling out of control.When her professor, Simon Anderson enters her life, Emma must deal with feelings she has never experienced before. Though both she and Simon know their relationship is bordering on inappropriate, neither of them are able to ignore the intense chemistry that is quickly developing between them.What was supposed to keep her mind off the attack has left her more confused than ever. When there are so many reasons why you shouldn’t be together, is simply being in love really enough?This is book one in a two book series.

Numb


Lynn Rider - 2014
    Her parents wanted her to be a doctor. She decided to risk everything to follow her dreams…Starting over in the city of her dreams, her hard work and dedication had paid off, landing Meagan a coveted seat on one of the country’s top orchestras. She was doing what she loved. And everything was perfect. Until she met Ashton Harris. Lead guitarist and backup vocalist to the chart-topping Silver Knight, Ashton was unlike anyone she’d ever met. With one glance of his crooked grin, she knew he could be her undoing, but determined to succeed, she refused to let anyone step in her way … Not even him. Because falling for someone like Ashton Harris could ruin everything.

Stealing Parker


Miranda Kenneally - 2012
    She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.Now Parker wants a new life.So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

Cake


Nicole Reed - 2013
    Trent, the smart and kind-hearted humanitarian has had her heart from the moment they met, but someone else always has his. Dray is an arrogant professional football player who happens to be Trent’s best friend and Kylie’s nemesis “with benefits.”Five years after graduation, Kylie is commanding the world with a new image and a successful business; however, she lacks the one thing she wants and the one thing she can never have. That is, until one fateful night when Kylie decides to go after all of her forbidden fantasies and risk everything. Two men, completely different and poles apart, but together they are her idea of perfection. One can only offer her tonight and the other forever, but can Kylie settle for just one man, or can she have her cake and eat it too?

The Forbidden


Jodi Ellen Malpas - 2017
    Annie has never experienced the 'spark' with a guy-the kind of instant chemistry that steals your breath and blindsides you completely. Until a night out with friends brings her face to face with the wickedly sexy and mysterious Jack. It's not just a spark that ignites between them. It's an explosion. Jack promises to consume Annie, and he fully delivers on that promise.Overwhelmed by the intensity of their one night together, Annie slips out of their hotel room. She is certain that a man who's had such a powerful impact on her and who could bend her to his will so easily, must be dangerous. But she's already in too deep. And Jack isn't only dangerous. He is forbidden.

I Now Pronounce You Someone Else


Erin McCahan - 2010
    That's the only way to explain her image-obsessed mother; a kind but distant stepfather; and a brother with a small personality complex. Bronwen knows she must have been switched at birth, and she can't wait to get away from her "family" for good.Then she meets Jared Sondervan. He's sweet, funny, everything she wants — and he has the family Bronwen has always wanted too. She falls head over heels in love, and when he proposes marriage, she joyfully accepts. But is Jared truly what she needs? And if he's not, she has to ask: What would Phoebe Lilywhite do?

Number Seven


Lori L. Otto - 2013
    Brothers Jacks and Matty want nothing but the best for their little brother, but they sense he might need a distraction provided by a new friend. Setting aside his desire for some permanence in his life, he ventures out for a night of temporary entertainment. What he finds is the beginning of something he won’t soon forget. Number Seven is the prequel to Steven War & Peace.

Just Stay


Michelle Abbott - 2014
    She's anticipating two weeks of mind-numbing boredom. Then she meets Trey, a local boy. He's absolutely gorgeous. The trouble is — he knows it. He's arrogant and egotistical, and Pia intends to avoid him at all costs. But Trey is not the kind of guy who gives up easily. When he sets his sights on Pia, her resistance is futile. It's just a holiday romance, some light-hearted fun, right? But one of them is about to discover that still waters do, indeed, run deep. When what lurks beneath the surface finally erupts, the consequences may prove to be catastrophic. For age 17+ due to sexual content and strong language.