Book picks similar to
A Beautiful Soul by Rollen Joy Buhian
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The Boy I Hate
Taylor Sullivan - 2017
They’ve shared laughs, secrets, and a mutual hatred for one person: Tristan Montgomery, Renee's older brother. He was the guy every girl wanted, and every guy wanted to be, and it wasn't uncommon they'd befriend his little sister just to get closer to him. Which was exactly how Samantha became Renee’s saving grace. She was the only girl Renee could trust not to fall in love with her older brother. Until the one night Samantha spent with him alone, leaving her questioning everything she’d ever known about the blond headed heart-throb. Years later, Renee asks Samantha to be her maid of honor. With no other option, Samantha is forced to drive cross-country with the focus of their teenage ire. He was her first kiss.Her only secret. Can Samantha survive the trip cross-country with the reckless Tristan Montgomery? The guy who did what he wanted, whenever he wanted, without worry for tomorrow? Or will she discover a different side of him. One that’s sweet, funny, and maybe a little bit vulnerable. And fall completely and helplessly in love for the first time in her adult life with the one man who could cause her to lose her best friend forever?
Tessa and Weston: The Best Christmas Ever
Abbie Emmons - 2021
But when her estranged mother shows up with a suitcase and plans to stay for two weeks, Tessa’s hopes are shattered. Bitter from the past and still holding a grudge, Tessa is in no mood to give her mother a second chance. The holiday season may be a time of reconciliation with family, but Tessa believes her mother will never change. Why get close when she’s just going to leave again? Tessa realizes there is only one way to save this Christmas: avoid her mother as much as possible. With the best intentions in mind, Tessa chooses to not tell her mother about Weston’s disability. But when they meet face-to-face, Tessa is mortified and ashamed by her mother’s insensitive remarks. Weston begins to think he is the real cause of Tessa’s shame. His old demons resurrect to haunt him with doubts: What if, one day, Tessa stops loving him because of his disability? Determined to prove his love for her, Weston makes it his mission to be the best boyfriend ever and works to reunite Tessa with her mother. Meanwhile, Tessa plots elaborate ways to avoid “mother-daughter time” at all costs. One scheme leads to another, until Tessa finds herself tangled in a web of deceit — and, worst of all, lying to Weston. When the secrets between them force Tessa and Weston to face their greatest fears, they must confront the inescapable question: Is true love worth the risk of heartbreak? Is it ever too late to forgive and start over? The Best Christmas Ever is a heartwarming holiday follow-up to 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons. You’ll love this touching story of forgiveness, family, and first love.
The Fortunate Ones
R.S. Grey - 2017
Most days, I’m poolside in a pleated skirt, dishing out margaritas to tycoons and titans. It’s not exactly my dream job, but it does come with one perk…James Ashwood.He’s my silver lining in a custom black suit.Besides being a legacy member at the club, he’s a tech mogul and Austin’s most eligible bachelor. Oh, and those dimples? Yeah, they make my stomach dip too.On good days, I catch his sleek Porsche winding down the tree-lined drive. On better days, I steal a glimpse of his handsome profile as we pass in the hall. And on the absolute best day, I find him alone at the bar, looking for company.“Come have a seat.”Those four little words set me down a path I never could have imagined. Private planes, penthouse suites, and temptations around every corner make it impossible to keep my distance. His world feels decadent and wild—but overindulgence comes with a cost. Every kiss comes with strings. Every erotic encounter is a promise I’m not ready to keep.When I pump the brakes, he hits the gas. James doesn’t want to go slow—he wants a commitment. And the thing about the fortunate ones?They’re used to getting what they want.
Ryan's Bed
Tijan - 2018
I barely knew him. I thought it was his sister’s bed—her room. It took seconds to realize my error, and I should've left... I didn’t.I didn’t jump out.I didn’t get embarrassed.I relaxed.And that night, in that moment, it was the only thing I craved. I asked to stay. He let me, and I slept. The truth? I never wanted to leave his bed. If I could've stayed forever, I would have.He became my sanctuary. Because—four hours earlier—my twin sister killed herself.
Precious Things
Stephanie Parent - 2013
She isn’t supposed to be a freshman at Hartford Community College, she isn't supposed to be living at home and working at her dad’s failing bakery, and she definitely isn’t supposed to be taking Intro to Electronic Music Production, a class that will get her nowhere toward her goal of an English Lit Ph.D. by age twenty-five. But when her dad’s latest business fiasco eats up her college fund, Hartford Community College is exactly where Isabelle finds herself—and thanks to her late enrollment, she doesn’t even get to choose her classes. Stuck with Electronic Music and way-too-easy English courses, Isabelle is determined to wallow in all the misery she feels entitled to.But community college brings some unexpected benefits…like the fact that a certain overworked, over-scheduled Electronic Music professor hands over most of his duties to his teaching assistant. His tall, green-eyed, absolutely gorgeous teaching assistant. When TA Evan Strauss discovers Isabelle’s apathy toward electronic music—and, well, all music—he makes it his mission to convert her. The music Evan composes stirs something inside Isabelle, but she can’t get involved—after all, she’ll be transferring out as soon as possible. Still, no matter how tightly Isabelle holds on to her misery, she finds it slipping away in the wake of all Hartford Community offers: new friendships, a surprisingly cool poetry professor, and most of all, Evan. But Evan’s dream of owning his own music studio is as impractical as Isabelle’s dad’s bakery, and when Evan makes a terrible decision, everything Isabelle has gained threatens to unravel. Soon Isabelle discovers that some of the most important lessons take place outside the classroom…and that in life, as in Evan’s favorite Depeche Mode song, the most precious things can be the hardest to hold on to.
Wilder Love
Emery Rose - 2019
He was my strength. Until I destroyed him.I was infatuated with Shane Wilder since the first time I saw him surfing. But we couldn’t be together. Not yet, anyway. I was too young and screwed up. He was too focused on chasing his dream.So we became friends. We met on the rooftop for late-night confessions under the stars. Cruised along the Pacific Coast Highway with the wind in our hair and the sun on our faces.I took photos of all the beautiful and ugly and interesting things, while he traveled the world in search of the perfect waves.I told him I would wait for him. I never meant to lie.I never meant to ruin his life.I. Destroyed. Him. As his star faded, mine burned bright. But as everyone knows, all that glitters is not gold. Now I’m back after seven long years, hoping for a chance to right my wrongs and fix what I’ve broken. This time I can only hope that loving Shane Wilder will be enough to save him.
Secret Heir
M.J. Prince - 2018
But all the stories are wrong.Running parallel alongside Earth, but never touching, there exists not just a garden, but an entire world of vivid colours and breathtaking beauty where the Seraph reside.Jazmine has lived in ten different foster homes, in ten different towns and all her life she has felt like she doesn’t belong – not in the trailer park which happens to be foster home number ten, not anywhere on Earth. After a universe shattering revelation, she discovers why. Far from being the nothing and no one, with no past and no future, that Jazmine had always believed herself to be, she discovers that she is in fact an heir to one of the seven remaining Seraph Dynasties. She is Jazmine Evenstar, the last heir to the sovereign Evenstar Dynasty.Thrust into the world of wealth and privilege in which the impossibly beautiful and equally cruel Dynasty heirs reside, Jazmine is forced to manoeuvre the tangled web that holds the Dynasties together.Against the backdrop of breathtaking star filled nights, sweeping coastlines, grand marble halls and decadent palaces, Jazmine tries to find her place in this beautiful new world whilst fighting not to lose herself in the process.But the fairy tale quickly unravels. Half human and the illegitimate daughter of the late suicide King of Eden, the other Dynasty heirs make it clear that Jazmine does not belong in their world. Raphael St. Tristan, heir to the rival sovereign St. Tristan Dynasty and next in line to the throne of Eden, the guy with the face of an angel but who is as wicked as the devil himself, promises to break her. Jazmine quickly learns that the beauty of Eden is nothing but a deception as she uncovers the secrets festering at the heart of it. But can she disentangle herself from the web of deception and intrigue that the Dynasty heirs have spun? Can she stop herself from falling into Raphael St. Tristan’s trap before he can fulfil his promise to shatter her completely? Or are those stories about Eden true after all and will she be foolish enough to taste the forbidden fruit that is Eden itself?
Love Unexpected
Q.B. Tyler - 2020
One kiss, under the dark of night, in a city where no one knew us. One kiss fueled by my hormones and alcohol and the blinding grief over losing my mother. One kiss from the man I told myself was untouchable. But, it didn’t stop at one kiss. And now we are running full speed down a road with no intention of stopping. His touch disarms me. His kiss revives me. But, our love, could destroy me. *This is a taboo novel and is intended for mature audiences only.
Modern Monsters
Kelley York - 2015
He’s the Invisible Guy at school, a special kind of hell for quiet, nice guys. But because his best friend is as popular as Vic is ignored, he went…And wished he hadn’t.Because something happened to a girl that night. Something terrible, unimaginable, and Callie Wheeler’s life will never be the same. Plus, now Callie has told the police that Vic is responsible. Suddenly, Invisible Vic is painfully visible, on trial both literally, with the police, and figuratively, with the angry kids at school. As the whispers and violence escalate, he becomes determined to clear his name, even if it means an uneasy alliance with Callie's best friend, the beautiful but aloof Autumn Dixon.But as Autumn and Vic slowly peel back the layers of what happened at the party, they realize that while the truth can set Vic free, it can also shatter everything he thought he knew about his life…
Lucas
Jay McLean - 2016
He also has an older sister, five younger brothers and a father who relies on him to make sure those brothers don’t kill each other. His saving grace? Lois “Laney” Sanders, a girl he started to fall in like with when he was just eleven. A girl who became his best friend, his confidant, his courage. It took only sixteen clicks and eight seconds for Lucas to realize that his like for Laney had turned into love. Eight life-changing seconds. It’s also the exact length of time it took to lose her.
In Your Arms
Becky Andrews - 2013
Unfortunately, he also happens to be going out with Tracy, the girl every guy wants to be with. Pretty, popular, and bitchy, she is everything Samantha is not.When the two spend an hour together in detention, Phillip strikes up a conversation with Samantha. They were friends once before, many years ago, before Phillip got popular and ditched her. Why is he suddenly talking to her again now, after so many years?As her relationship with Phillip starts to take an exciting new turn, she witnesses a school shooting and her life is threatened. Can she trust Phillip enough to tell him the truth before she becomes the next target?
Dear Love, I Hate You
Eliah Greenwood - 2021
And he definitely wasn’t supposed to answer it. We end up talking through letters and sticky notes in a book. One sticky note. Two sticky notes. Ten sticky notes. All baring our darkest, deepest secrets. It’s all fun and games until I find out who my pen pal is... Xavier Emery. King of my basketball-obsessed town, my childhood bully, and the guy I am in grave danger of falling in love with. But the rules were clear: we can never know who we’re talking to, and the confessions can never, ever get out. Seriously. It would destroy lives. Fine by me. Even if Mr. Popular does find out his confidant is little old me, it’s not like he’d ever love me back…Right?
Until Harry
L.A. Casey - 2016
Hard because Harry, her beloved uncle, has died suddenly, but also because of him. Kale.Kale Hunt has been her best friend since childhood. But it was never that simple. He was Lane’s reason for leaving home and moving to New York. Seeing him with someone else, in love with someone else, shouldn’t have hurt. But it did. It really, really did. So she upped sticks and left, started a new life and cut herself off from her past.But now she’s back, and all the feelings are right there. As if she had never left.Emotions are running high for everyone, and tragedy has a funny way of bringing people together. But is Lane reading the signs right? Are they still just friends, or is there something more?
Falling in Maths
Melissa Bender - 2014
Everyone loved him. Why wouldn't they, he was perfection. Athletic, tanned, funny, it also helped that he was like a Greek god. Swimming was always the best time of year, seeing him flexing his chiselled abs as he dove into the cool water of the pool or when he played football on Saturdays, the fitted v neck jersey tank showing off his muscled biceps, those long legs leading up to that perfect butt in those black little shorts. He looked up again and his eyes landed on mine, I knew I was finally caught out ogling him “Mia, can you stay after class please?” “Yes sir,” I smiled, putting my head back down to my notebook covered in hearts that I had been drawing for most the lesson. I walked to the front of the class when everyone had left, feeling so nervous about being alone with him like I always got. “Mia,” he spoke clearly as he closed the classroom door, my head tilting to the side to check out that toned and cute ass of his before he could catch me, my eyes went back to his face as he turned around. I knew it, he caught me by the smirk coming across his face, “Mr Wade,” I spoke a little nervously as he walked towards me, his white shirt clinging in all the right places. “You know now that we're alone you can call me Noah,” He grinned, wrapping his arms around my waist, sending Goosebumps up and down my spine. “I'm sorry, it's getting some used to,” I blushed slightly, trying to hide it as my hands slowly went to the front of his chest, the hardness of his chest firm under my palms. His hand reaching out and placing a finger underneath my chin, tilting my head up slowly. “I love your blush, are you still coming over tonight?” I nodded, unable to form words to speak. I was always so shy, so careful of what to say, I didn't want to make an idiot out of myself in front of him. “Yes,” I finally breathed out softly. “Good,” his smile went wider as he lent in closer towards me, capturing my lips with his own for a simple but meaningful kiss. I pulled back but his hands only managed to pull me more into him more. “Well I should go before someone comes in,” I glanced over at the door then back into those caring green eyes of his. “Ok, I love you,” he pulled me in for another kiss and then let me go. “I love you too,” I responded, as it was the most natural thing in the world. That it was ok to fall in love with the man who taught in my grade twelve class. How did I end up here? Well let me take you back to the beginning, to where I met the man who had me falling in maths...