Book picks similar to
Falling Apart by Katrina Kahler


ya
julia-jones
contemporary
realistic-fiction

Unspeakable


Michelle K. Pickett - 2015
    No one will break me. I’m strong. Breathe. Just breathe.”On the outside, Willow appears to have it all. She’s beautiful, smart, from an influential family, and she dates the most popular guy in school—Jaden. But she would walk away from it all in a second. Willow is tormented by lies and suffocating guilt, not the hearts and flowers people believe her life is full of. She carries a dark secret. Plagued by nightmares and pain, the secret dominates her life. If she hadn’t walked away. If she had just…but she didn’t. And now she has to live with her choice. But when someone uncovers her family’s past, they use it against her, crushing her spirit little by little. She tells herself she just has to make it to graduation. Then she can leave Middleton, and her secret, far behind.When Brody transfers to Cassidy High, he turns Willow’s life upside down. He shows her what it feels like to live again, really live. And suddenly, she isn’t satisfied with just surviving until graduation. She wants a normal life—with Brody—and he wants her. But the closer they become, the more it threatens to unravel the secret she’s worked so hard to hide.Willow finds true love with Brody. Will she let his love save her, or walk away from him to keep her secret safe?

Exposing Kitty Langley


DeAnna Kinney - 2013
    That is until she witnesses their relentless attack on her former childhood friend. Making a drastic decision, she takes a stand against the dreaded B’s and thus becomes their new enemy and number one target. Now an outcast, not only of the B’s but of the entire school, she will have to pull from her inner strength as she prepares for the persecution she will face in the name of revenge.Reed Reynolds is not looking for trouble. He just wants to get through his senior year and work on his music in peace. But when he mistakenly kisses Kitty Langley at their annual Masquerade Dance, he is both appalled and intrigued, never having experienced a kiss so powerful. Reed soon finds himself drawn in by this new Kitty and her tolerance for her so called ‘deserved punishment’. But will he endanger himself to defend her against the B’s and the entire school in the name of honor—or more importantly, in the name of love?

The Kiss Off


Sarah Billington - 2012
    A local band picks up her song from Youtube and soon she’s along for the ride with her own fanbase as they blow up on the local club scene and hit the international charts. Though it turns out leaving Cam behind isn’t as easy as she had hoped. Tangled in a web of unfinished homework, ill-considered sexting and a new lead-singer boyfriend, Poppy has a choice to make between the ex that inspired it all and the rock God whose poster lines the inside of half the lockers at school. But as she struggles to keep her emotional dirty laundry private, she learns that the truth can be hard to find when your life is in the headlines.

Rules of Summer


Joanna Philbin - 2013
    She’s signed on to be a summer errand girl for the Rules—a wealthy family with an enormous beachfront mansion. Upon arrival, she’s warned by other staff members to avoid socializing with the family, but Rory soon learns that may be easier said than done.Stifled by her friends and her family’s country club scene, seventeen-year-old Isabel Rule, the youngest of the family, embarks on a breathless romance with a guy whom her parents would never approve of. It’s the summer for taking chances, and Isabel is bringing Rory along for the ride.But will Rory’s own summer romance jeopardize her friendship with Isabel? And, after long-hidden family secrets surface, will the Rules’ picture-perfect world ever be the same?

Hidden Wings


Cameo Renae - 2013
    But these are only outward marks; inside, her heart is broken and the pieces scattered.Whisked away to Alaska, to an aunt she’s never met, Emma starts over. Secrets unveil themselves and now…she doesn't even know who or what she is.A centuries old prophecy places Emma in the heart of danger. Creatures of horrifying and evil proportions are after her, and it will take Emma, her aunt, and six, gorgeously captivating Guardians to keep her safe. But, if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday... things will change.

In the Path of Falling Objects


Andrew Smith - 2009
    They set out to find what’s left of their family, carrying between them ten dollars, a backpack full of dirty clothes, a notebook, and a stack of letters from their brother, who is serving a tour in Vietnam. And soon into their journey, they have a ride. With a man and a beautiful girl who may be in love with Jonah. Or Simon. Or both of them. The man is crazy. The girl is desperate. This violent ride is only just beginning. And it will leave the brothers taking cover from hard truths about loyalty, love, and survival that crash into their lives. One more thing: The brothers have a gun. They’re going to need it.

The Chronicles of Fire and Ice


L.L. Hunter - 2012
    *Is love stronger than race?The world is changing as we know it, the human race is dwindling, but so are the angels. In order to preserve their bloodlines they have bred with humans, creating a new race called Nephilim. But there is one race that is more endangered than humans or Seraphim, Archangels.As most people believe the Archangels have become extinct, rumours surface of a Legend; that a baby was born out of flame, the offspring of an archangel.Dyston Blackbell is tasked to find and protect this child. He sends her strange dreams in hope that she will find him. When he discovers that she has enrolled at his family’s angel academy in Melbourne, he will do anything to protect Scarlett. But when he finds himself falling for her the Heavenly realm rejects him thus turning his wings black.But 21-year-old Scarlett Porter realises that being half Archangel has some advantages. She has developed a unique trait, one that marks her as an Archangel. Will she keep it to herself or use it to fight back?When an old enemy resurfaces, The Lucifites, Scarlett discovers that Dyston’s older brother Lakyn is at the helm of their sinister plans; to destroy the Nephilim race or use Scarlett for their own selfish purposes when they find out who she really is.And when Lakyn discovers that Scarlett had only seduced him to rescue Dyston from his prison in the Realm of Light, it sends him on a journey of self-discovery and destruction. One that sees him venturing farther off course than his father would like. Will he choose a new life of love or his old life of darkness?

Carmen's New York Romance Trilogy


Nikki Sex - 2013
    In spite of being complete strangers, intense sexual chemistry overwhelms them, turning their lives upside down.Unfortunately for Kurt, Carmen runs again.Carmen would love to be with Kurt – but he is way out of her league. She has too many secrets - terrible secrets that she is convinced will make him despise her. How could she possibly reveal them to him?Now Kurt is turning the city upside down to find her.But Kurt's not the only one searching for Carmen. Two Federal Agents and her violent, obsessive ex boyfriend also want to get their hands on her.Carmen comes with serious baggage and a host of personal demons.Will Kurt find Carmen before the feds and her ex do? And can Kurt teach her how to love and trust again?~~~This boxed set includes: Carmen's New York Climax, Carmen's New York Escape, and Carmen's New York Love.

I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend


Cora Harrison - 2010
    At fifteen, Jane is already a sharp observer of the customs of courtship. So when Jenny falls utterly in love with Captain Thomas Williams, who better than Jane to help her win the heart of this dashing man? But is that even possible? After all, Jenny’s been harboring a most desperate secret. Should it become known, it would bring scandal not only to her, but also to the wonderful Austen family. What’s a poor orphan girl to do? In this delicious dance between truth and fiction, Cora Harrison has crafted Jenny’s secret diary by reading everything Jane Austen wrote as a child and an adult, and by researching biographies, critical studies, and family letters. Jenny’s diary makes the past spring vividly to life and provides insight into the entire Austen family—especially the beloved Jane.

The Southern Billionaire Romance Series Collection


Michelle Pennington - 2018
    These are complete stories, not samples. The Trouble with Billionaires Charlotte has just moved to the perfect small town to build a new life with her son, Taylor. She wants him to grow up to be a better man than his father, whose rich lifestyle brought her nothing but pain during their marriage. When Taylor's handsome new t-ball coach, Nate Haverton, turns out to be a billionaire, she knows she has to keep him at a distance. But Nate is determined to change her mind. The Truth about Billionaires Jill is determined to prove she deserves her position at her father’s consulting firm, so the last thing she has time for is dating. Since her only experience with love ended in heartbreak, she isn’t tempted to break her own rule—until she meets Blake McDaniel. When she’s asked to take a job working with Blake, it’s a great step in her career, but the more time she spends around the attractive, determined billionaire, the harder it is to remember why she wants to stay single. The Trust of a Billionaire Hannah is determined to keep her beachfront property, even though she can’t afford to. But it’s her childhood home and she can’t bear to see it plowed down by Carter Ellis, the billionaire investor who keeps raising his offer to buy it. When Carter hires her to be his daughter’s nanny—providing her the income she needs to reject his offer—the irony is not lost on her. However, seeing him as a loving, worried father makes it difficult to enjoy her secret revenge—and even more impossible not to fall for him. A Tree for the Billionaire Getting hired as the personal assistant to the intelligent and attractive billionaire Christopher Warren seemed like a fairytale come true for Kate Ryan, but two years later, she hands in her two-weeks notice just before Christmas. How can she keep working for him day after day when she's in love with him? Not even the most beautiful and fascinating women in the world hold his interest, so there’s clearly no chance for her. Unfortunately, Mr. Warren seems determined to change her mind.

An Abundance of Katherines


John Green - 2006
    And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

And Then Things Fall Apart


Arlaina Tibensky - 2011
    To top it all off, Keek’s got the plague. (Well, the chicken pox.) Now she’s holed up at her grandmother’s technologically barren house until further notice. Not quite the summer vacation Keek had in mind.With only an old typewriter and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar for solace and guidance, Keek’s alone with her swirling thoughts. But one thing’s clear through her feverish haze—she’s got to figure out why things went wrong so she can make them right.

Just One Day


Gayle Forman - 2013
    After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Frostbitten


Heather Beck - 2014
     Seventeen-year-old Anastasia Lockhart has never led an easy life, but when she starts getting into serious trouble, she’s sent to live with her grandparents in Cedar Falls. The small, picturesque town hasn’t changed since she visited four years ago, with one exception – the presence of a handsome, mysterious boy named Frost. Despite warnings from her grandparents and friends to stay away from Frost, Anastasia can’t deny their attraction, and the more time they spend together, the deeper in love they fall. Unfortunately, Frost has a secret that is beyond Anastasia’s wildest imagination, and she soon finds herself in the midst of a supernatural legend that has haunted Cedar Falls for years. Can Anastasia and Frost’s love really overcome anything, or are their fates much darker?

Love Notes


Heather Gunter - 2013
    And when you are left to face your demons alone, will you learn that only you have the power to overcome them?Charlie has never had it easy. Between the constant moving and the incessant fat comments and jokes from her father, her self-worth is nonexistent. Her reflection in the mirror shows her nothing but a plain Jane. Music is the only thing that keeps her sanity in check.Charlie catches the eye of the town star quarterback, Maverick. With her curves, her brunette hair, and the voice of an angel, Maverick has never met anyone like her. Everything that is different about Charlie just makes Maverick like her more. Unfortunately, Charlie doesn’t see it herself.Proving it to her may deem harder than he thinks, especially when tragedy strikes and tears them apart.Now standing on her own two feet she may finally learn exactly who she is, what’s she’s capable of and how very un plain Jane she really is.