Book picks similar to
The Bucket List by Scarlett Haven
young-adult
contemporary-romance
ya-romance
road-trip-vacation
No More Maybes
Elizabeth Stevens - 2019
Maybe life had other plans. Maybe I shouldn’t be drawn to Cole; the new guy who gets into fights and smokes. Maybe I should want to date Jaime; the nice, steady guy who’s always been there. Maybe you can’t help who you fall for, whether they’re good for you or not. Maybe it shouldn’t matter as long as you’re happy. Maybe each new bruise on Cole’s face is a reason to walk away. Maybe there’s more to the secrets he hides and that’s a reason to be there for him. Maybe a lifetime of pain can’t be washed away by anyone else but you. Maybe finally proving that someone else isn’t going to walk away is enough. Or, maybe it’s time I got out of my own head and stopped wondering. Maybe it’s time I just live by my own rules and find out the answers to all those maybes. It’s time for no more maybes. A sweet YA romance about first love and learning to understand different experiences, this is Cole’s story from Aurora’s point of view. The companion novel, Gray’s Blade, is from Cole’s point of view; much like the characters themselves, Cole’s version is darker, dirtier, and rougher. Read through to the end of No More Maybes for a sneak peek at chapter one of Cole’s side. Please be aware that this story is set in Australia and therefore uses Australian English spelling and syntax.
In This Moment
Autumn Doughton - 2013
A year ago her world imploded and Aimee has been running ever since. She doesn't want to feel. She doesn't want to remember. To bury the ghosts that haunt her, she is living a life that has become unrecognizable.Cole Everly is a golden boy with a cocky smile and an attitude to match. He's grown accustomed to girls throwing themselves at his feet, but when Aimee trips and literally lands in his lap one afternoon, she's not at all what he expects. Difficult, damaged, closed-off. If Cole needed to make a list of qualities to avoid in a girl, Aimee would probably match up with every single one of them. He knows that he should stay away but he's drawn to her in a way that he can't exactly explain.In this honest and absorbing story, Aimee and Cole struggle to sort out the thin spaces between loss and love. Ultimately, they will need to learn how to navigate through the pieces of the past if they want to hold on to the future and each other.
Nothing Left to Lose
Kirsty Moseley - 2013
Three years after the tragic events of Anna’s sixteenth birthday which saw her boyfriend killed and her kidnapped by his sadistic murderer, she’s no longer the happy-go-lucky girl that everyone used to know and love; she’s now cold, hard and suffers from night terrors. Carter is currently serving time for the murder of Jack–a conviction that Anna helped secure–but his retrial is coming up because some key evidence appears to have been tampered with. Needing to ensure his daughter’s safety, presidential candidate, Senator Spencer, tasks in Ashton Taylor, a newly qualified SWAT agent, to guard the broken girl and keep her safe until the end of the trial. For three years Anna has refused to feel emotion or pain. Can Ashton help her rebuild her life and finally deal with the grief of losing her childhood sweetheart? Will he be the one to make her see that life is, in fact, worth living and that not all men will hurt her?
Author's note: This edition contains Part 1 (Guarding the Broken) and Part 2 (Blurring the Lines) and combines them into one novel of epic proportion!
Librarian's note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN: B00GGMQLFO.
Come Back to Me
Mila Gray - 2014
Jessa's finally following her dreams and Kit's discovered there's someone he'd sacrifice everything for.Jessa's prepared to wait for Kit no matter what. But when something more than distance and time rips them apart they're forced to decide whether what they have is really worth fighting for.
Say Anything
Madeleine Labitan - 2019
"I heart Lincoln Evans." Riley Ellison has been writing those words in her journal for months, pouring her teenage daydreams within its pages. Because the cutest boy in school isn't aware of her feelings for him and it's going to stay that way. She wouldn't be able to live it down if he ever finds out and rejects her. That would be downright mortifying. So when Noah Pritchett—Lincoln's best friend and Riley's next-door neighbor—finds out the truth, Riley's world turns upside down. What will she do? Will he say anything? But instead of outing her, Noah is suddenly offering to help her get Lincoln. It seems to be working...until Noah starts acting like he doesn't want to play cupid anymore. Did he lose interest or is there something more going on?
Wild Reckless
Ginger Scott - 2015
It involved her best friends, her posh private school in downtown Chicago and time alone with her piano until her audition was perfected, a guaranteed ticket into the best music programs in the world.Instead, a nightmare took over.It didn’t happen all at once, but her life unraveled quickly—a tiny thread that evil somehow kept pulling until everything precious was taken from her. She was suddenly living miles away from her old life, trapped in an existence she didn’t choose—one determined to destroy her from the inside, leaving only hate and anger behind. It didn’t help that her neighbor, the one whose eyes held danger, was enjoying every second of her fall.Owen Harper was trouble, his heart wild and his past the kind that’s spoken about in whispers. And somehow, his path was always intertwined with Kensington’s, every interaction crushing her, ruining her hope for any future better than her now. Sometimes, though, what everyone warns is trouble, is exactly what the heart needs. Owen Harper was consumed with darkness, and it held onto his soul for years. When Kensington looked at him, she saw a boy who’d gotten good at taking others down when they threatened his carefully balanced life. But the more she looked, the more she saw other things too—good things…things to admire.Things…to love. Things that made her want to be reckless.And those things…they were the scariest of all.** This book is a standalone with no cliffhanger. A second, full-length companion novel about a related character, Andrew Harper, is out now. Wicked Restless also available on Amazon. **
Red at Night
Katie McGarry - 2014
She's the girl with purple hair from the wrong part of town. He's a high school senior who hangs with the cool crowd. Until a car accident leaves him haunted by guilt, and Jonah starts spending time at Stella's favorite refuge…the local cemetery.Stella knows she should keep her distance—after all, she spent her girlhood being bullied by Jonah's friends. Once he's sorted out his tangled emotions, Jonah won't have time for her anymore. Too bad she's already fallen for him.
Christmas Virgin
Claire Adams - 2017
As a millionaire real-estate developer, I’ve achieved spectacular success and now am about to open my third resort in Hawaii. Women, money, influence, fame. I have it all. There’s no reason I should feel dissatisfied. Except for one little reason: Molly. She’s the younger sister of my best friend. I’ve wanted her for a long time, but I set her in the “off-limits” pile, even after I let my feelings get the better of me and I kissed her. A man can’t just break the Bro Code, you know? But Molly’s in a tough spot. She just got laid off, and she’s not feeling great. I know I hurt her in the past, but a free trip to a Hawaii resort over Christmas should be just the pick-me-up she needs. Yeah, I still want her badly, but I can control myself. This is about paying her back, not going after a woman I know I can’t have. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
Art & Soul
Brittainy C. Cherry - 2015
Passed by. Glossed over. Unnoticed. Now I was Aria Watson… that girl.After one bad decision, and being labeled a slut, I was no longer unseen. I was the whore. The ignoramus. The tramp.I would never be invisible again.Particularly to Levi Myers. He was the odd boy with the beautiful soul who accepted and understood the broken girl inside me.Falling in love wasn’t the plan. But how could I resist his promises of hope? Of forgiveness? Of a future I had stopped dreaming of?We were shattered. We were scarred. We were something strange and beautiful.We were two lost souls holding on to the only thing that could keep us together. Each other.
Drops of Rain
Kathryn Andrews - 2014
I now live in a new town, go to a new school, and I’m supposed to be moving on with my new life. Only, I no longer know who I am. Dancing is all I have left and every day I feel completely alone. Silence has become the theme song to my life. She said to find some joy and light, but I don’t know how. Mostly, I feel surrounded in darkness…that is until I meet him.Drew HaleI have only one goal, in 298 days I’m going to drive away from this small beach town and never return. People are always watching me closely, too close, and I’m tired of wearing a mask. I need to be free. Swimming is my ticket out of here and I remind myself daily to fly under the radar, stick to my routine, and under no circumstances let anything distract me. I’m not as perfect as they think, most days I am drowning in guilt. I’m not sure I will ever be able to escape the feelings of shame, worthlessness, and just being unwanted…that is until I meet her.
Into the Light
L.B. Simmons - 2014
Trust me when I say, it's a breathtaking sight to see. You burn as bright as the sun."When Aubrey Miller begins her education at Titan University, she is no longer the beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl of her youth. In fact, she's no longer even Aubrey Miller. Overcome with guilt and unable to cope with the loss of her beloved family, she has long since buried eight-year old Aubrey along with them and transformed herself into Raven Miller. Now with jet-black hair, multiple sets of eccentric contact lenses, and several facial piercings, she's veiled herself in complete darkness as a form of protection for herself, as well as others. As she enters her first year of college, her goal is simple: Earn a degree with the least amount of social interaction as possible. What she never anticipates is the formation of very unlikely relationships with two people who will change her life in ways she never believed possible: Quinn Matthews, the overtly cheerful pageant queen, and Kaeleb McMadden, a childhood friend who never really let her go. Over the years, as their connections intertwine and strengthen, a seemingly indestructible bond is formed between the three. And eventually, the ties of friendship and discovery of first love begin to coax her from her darkened path as they slowly bring Aubrey back to life. But when faced with the possibility of yet another death, one from which she may never recover, Aubrey finds herself lost again, burying herself deeper than ever before beneath the familiar abyss of her fears. Spanning the course of four years, this is the story of a young woman's plight to finally reemerge, finding strength within unbreakable bonds as she delivers herself from her own manufactured darkness and safely back . . . Into the Light. ****WARNING - Due to the graphic nature of some scenes, this book is not recommended for those who are particularly sensitive to the death of a child and/or suicide and is intended for mature audiences only. Contains adult language and themes.****
Secret Bay High Bully
Blair Young - 2019
Now it’s payback time… My name is Sutton and my parents just died. Now, as I struggle to deal with my grief, I’ve been sent to live with a one of my parents’ oldest friends, a woman named Susan. Susan and I have never met before, she’s a total stranger. But my parents must have trusted her… it was their last wish that she take care of me in case anything happened. But when I get to Susan’s house, surprise surprise…Susan doesn’t live alone. Guess who else is there? My middle school crush, a total jerk named Damon. Damon used to be the class bully, and he made my life a living hell. He’s taller now. And Check out those muscles… Plus he has a a sleeve of tattoos, which is kind of my thing. No two ways about it… He’s hot. Like, scorching. But hot or not, there’s no way I’ll ever to forget what he did to me. And if it takes a little innocent flirting to make Damon squirm… Game on. Dive into a Young Adult / New Adult Romance filled with snarky humor, youthful passion, and teen angst. For Sutton and Damon, romance is the sweetest revenge of all…
My Life Next Door
Huntley Fitzpatrick - 2012
All the time.”The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.
Hawthorne & Heathcliff
R.K. Ryals - 2015
Two shoes that did. Intense and introspective, seventeen-year-old Hawthorne Macy knows all about being abandoned. She's felt the stark pain of being left behind by the people who are supposed to love her the most; her parents. Raised by her caring uncle on an old plantation, Hawthorne lives her life on the fringes of her small Southern town. Until she meets his shoe. Senior year, last period English class, and a pair of silent tennis shoes resting next to hers in the back of the room throws Hawthorne into a world she'd learned to stay outside of. His name is Max Vincent, but in her mind, he’s Heathcliff. The handsome eighteen-year-old boy behind the shoes will pull Hawthorne into a passionate and unforgettable adventure of self-discovery during a time when love seems impossible. Shoes can tell a lot about a person. The journey they take you on can tell a lot about how they'll hold up.
More Than This
Jay McLean - 2013
So when betrayal and tragedy come in quick succession, Mikayla is completely destroyed. Suddenly, everything she loved and everyone she relied on are tragically, irrevocably gone.Jake, a handsome boy she just met, happens to witness her loss. With no one to turn to, Mikayla is forced to depend on this near stranger and his family, and he in turn is determined to take care of her. But Mikayla—thrust into adulthood with no one to guide her—is desperate to contain her grief and hide what she considers to be her weakness. Mikayla and Jake both want more, but despite their growing closeness and intense chemistry, she tries to keep her distance and protect her heart. As he does everything in his power to win her trust, Mikayla must choose between remaining alone and safe or letting love in.