Book picks similar to
The Mural by Lauryn Brooks


lgbtq
ya
first-time-with-woman
contemporary

The Last Beginning


Charlie Nottingham - 2021
    Jeremy's a rogue supernatural hunter with a dark past.When they meet, sparks don't just fly but catch aflame. Her sunshine merges with his dark sky, and it's as though the rest of the world disappears.But he can't rope a human girl into his dangerous life. No matter how much he wants her, no matter how much she wants him, he can't risk her life.Except... Maybe she isn't the defenseless little flower he thought she was.This book is a prequel to the Eluding Destiny Series. There are nine books after this, as well as spin offs and several continuation series. This is not a standalone novel.Intended only for mature readers.

Thanks a Lot, Universe


Chad Lucas - 2021
    His dad tries to get him to stand up for himself and his mom helps as much as she can, but after he and his brother are placed in foster care, Brian starts having panic attacks. And he doesn’t know if things will ever be “normal” again . . . Ezra’s always been popular. He’s friends with most of the kids on his basketball team—even Brian, who usually keeps to himself. But now, some of his friends have been acting differently, and Brian seems to be pulling away. Ezra wants to help, but he worries if he’s too nice to Brian, his friends will realize that he has a crush on him . . .But when Brian and his brother run away, Ezra has no choice but to take the leap and reach out. Both boys have to decide if they’re willing to risk sharing parts of themselves they’d rather hide. But if they can be brave, they might just find the best in themselves—and each other.

Niya: Rainbow Dreams (The Dreamers #1)


Fabiola Joseph - 2013
    Although everyone around her seems to know the secret she is trying to hide, she is still battling the fact that she likes girls. Filled with dreams of becoming a rap star, she must first learn to accept who she really is before taking over the music industry.Jamilla is drowning in the reality of her home life. Forced to face a real life monster on a daily basis, the shame of her past is slowly killing everything beautiful about her. Just when she thinks life isn't worth living, she befriends Niya. Armed with a pen, journal, and true friendship, this writer will find the courage to overcome her past.With Jamilla’s self-imposed restraints and label of being straight, feelings will emerge, but will also be stifled. Both of these women will be confused by an extremely close unconventional friendship and high sexual tension. Afraid of disrupting their budding friendship, Niya fights to keep her true feelings for Jamilla under wraps. How long can this game of friendship last when love is the stronger opponent? How will these ladies triumph over pain, murder, and so much anger? The secret lies within the pages of Niya… Rainbow Dreams. The story of forbidden love, friendship, music, and destruction.

Beautiful Game


Kate Christie - 2011
    In Southern California it’s almost—but not quite—safe to say lesbian outloud. For Camille Wallace, a sophomore attending San Diego University on a soccer scholarship, life is sweet. She has gay friends, the sport she loves and a future full of possibilities.Her possible futures don’t include a woman like Jess Maxwell. Potential all-American, star-caliber tennis player and in every way the perfect co-ed, Jess isn’t likely to notice Cam’s admiring glances. And if she did, chances are she’ll never think of Cam as more than a fan.The brilliant sunshine might be why Cam sees a Jess that no one else has realized is there. But it will take more than training and tenacity to find out if Jess wants to be the woman Cam believes lurks within. It may take more than Cam can possibly risk.Kate Christie looks at love and the pursuit of happiness for two vibrant, gifted college athletes in the early Gay 90s.

Lost Soul, Be at Peace


Maggie Thrash - 2018
    She's trapped in a dark depression and flunking the 11th grade, befuddling her patrician mother while going unnoticed by her father, a workaholic federal judge. The only thing Maggie really cares about is her cat, Tommi...who then disappears somewhere in the walls of her cavernous house. So her search begins… but Maggie’s not exactly sure what she’s lost, and she has no idea what she’ll find. In her critically acclaimed memoir, Honor Girl, Maggie Thrash brilliantly, beautifully portrayed the before and after of first love. Lost Soul, Be At Peace is the ingenious continuation of Maggie’s story, bringing her devastating honesty and humor to the before and after of depression. It marks the return of a truly heartbreaking, visionary voice in graphic novels, and pushes her storytelling to astounding new heights. This is how it feels to search for something that’s been lost forever.

The Deepest Breath


Meg Grehan - 2019
    She lives with her mum, and she's been best friends with Andrew since forever. Stevie's mum teases her that someday they'll get married, but Stevie knows that won't ever happen. There's a girl at school that she likes more. A lot more. Actually, she's a bit confused about how much she likes her. It's nothing like the way she likes Andrew. It makes her fizz inside. That's a new feeling, one she doesn't understand. Stevie needs to find out if girls can like girls - love them, even - but it's hard to get any information, and she's too shy to ask out loud about it. But maybe she can find an answer in a book. With the help of a librarian, Stevie finds stories of girls loving girls, and builds up her courage to share the truth with her mum. Written in accessible verse `chapters' and in a warm and reassuring style, The Deepest Breath will be of special relevance to young girls who are starting to realise that they are attracted to other girls, but it is also a story for any young reader with an open mind who wants to understand how people's emotions affect their lives.

My Beautiful Failure


Janet Ruth Young - 2012
    Billy, struggling with the deteriorating relationship with his depressed father, is the only one who understands. Through her pain, he sees hope. Through her tears, he feels her heart. And through her despair, he finds love. But is that enough?     Acclaimed author Janet Ruth Young has written a stunning and powerful story with no easy answers; it is about pain and heartbreak, reality and illusion, and finding redemption and the strength to forgive in the darkest of times.

Christmas in Peakview Box Set


Jill Haymaker - 2019
    If you love small town western romances you'll love these stories of hope and second chances. COLORADO COWBOY CHRISTMAS Cynthia Welch has made a name for herself as one of Chicago’s top divorce attorneys at the expense of her personal life. Burnt out, she heads to Peaktop Guest Ranch for a couple of months of solitude over the holidays. AJ Coulter, a cowboy from Wyoming, has been a loner and a drifter ever since his divorce and his teenage daughters leaving for college. He finds a temporary job at Peaktop Ranch as the head wrangler. When their paths cross, Cynthia begins to question her life in Chicago, and AJ struggles to find a way to keep her in Colorado. Can the spirit of Christmas bring these two people from very different worlds together and help them find their way to true love? COLORADO GOLDEN SUNRISE Forty-three year old, Kelly Charm, feels her life slipping away in Prairie, Nebraska. A single mom, she longs for a better life for herself and her teenage son, Ethan. Having scoured online job ads for months, she finally finds an ad for a hardware store manager in picturesque Peakview, Colorado and decides to take a chance. Forty-six year old, Jake Midnight, is Peakview County’s most beloved EMT. He’s the best at what he does—professionally, that is. After a failed marriage, which ended over twenty years ago, he’s put his personal life on hold. He’s content to live alone. That is if you don’t count his three horses, two dogs, five cats, and two pigmy goats. When the unfamiliar high altitude of the Colorado Rockies causes Ethan to have an asthma attack, Jake is quick to jump to the conclusion that Kelly is an irresponsible parent. Kelly is furious at the arrogance of this man who know nothing about her or her son. Sparks fly, but there’s no denying the underlying attraction that sizzles between them. The warmth of the holiday season has been known to melt hearts, even one’s which have been closed for years. A PEAKVIEW CHRISTMAS Only five days until Christmas, and FAITH OWENS has had enough. Not willing to spend one more holiday with her abusive, alcoholic husband, she loads her two young daughters, Gracie and Hope, in her car and leaves her life in Scorpion, New Mexico behind. Newly divorced, ZANE WILDER, faces his first Christmas without his son, Ace. He can’t wait for the holiday to be over. To escape sitting home sulking, he travels from Montana to Colorado to spend the week training his young horse, Storm Cloud. When their paths collide at Hearts Haven Bed and Breakfast near scenic Peakview, Colorado, they find more than a place to rest. Two lonely, cautious hearts are brought together by the magic of Christmas, with a little help from Violet Crandall or maybe Santa himself. Will their budding romance continue when the holiday ends? Can two broken families find the missing pieces that lead to happiness? This Christmas, come home to Peakview, Colorado where everyone has a chance at love.

The Player and the Bet


Liv Reid - 2021
    (Doesn’t it always?)The star quarterback. The school loser. You know the rest… But our story is anything but typical.Mace Law is the bad boy football player all the girls want—except me.I’ve hated him since the day we met, all those years ago.Now, we are both at Winterford University, and the school is forcing me to keep him out of trouble if I don’t want to get expelled.It’s an almost impossible task, and I’m about to learn he has secrets darker than I could have ever imagined.But I’m not going to let some obnoxious, hard-partying player destroy everything I’ve worked so hard for. I’m not going to let him bully me.Sorry—not sorry—Mace, this is one game you aren’t going to win.The Player and the Bet is an enemies-to-lovers college sports romance. It’s a standalone story with a HEA. It’s filled with smoking-hot bad boys, sarcastic heroines, twists, and banter for days. It contains scenes that may be offensive or triggering for some readers.

Strength Check


Katherine McIntyre - 2021
    Instead, she’s picking out shards from her last relationship and handling her perpetually drunk mother, both of which strain her finances and fuel the need for a roommate.Melody Roberts finally got the promotion she’d been aiming for—across the country in San Francisco. The perfect escape from her stagnant life and the toxic relationship with her now ex-boyfriend.The moment Mel answers Roxie’s ad for a roommate, the connection between them is explosive, warm, and real—everything they’ve both been longing for. Between horror movie marathons, board game nights, and deep talks, Mel and Roxie are falling for each other hard. Except the only problem with romance is they both seem to fail every single time, and when the grenade of exes, family drama, and their own insecurities drop, neither will escape unscathed.

Interference


Zoe Reed - 2014
    Taylor doesn’t talk – to anyone. When Jordan’s curiosity about the athlete overpowers her predisposition to being guarded, the two strike up an unlikely romance. In the midst of desolation left by being disowned and forbidden from seeing her little brother, Jordan finds that sometimes the biggest risks reap the greatest rewards.

Miles Away from You


A.B. Rutledge - 2018
    Eighteen months since a suicide attempt left Vivian on life support. Now Miles isn't sure who he is without her, but knows it’s time to figure out how to say goodbye.He books a solo trip to Iceland but then has a hard time leaving the refuge of his hotel room. After a little push from Oskar, a local who is equal parts endearing and aloof, Miles decides to honor Vivian's life by photographing her treasured Doc Martens standing empty against the surreal landscapes. With each step he takes, Miles finds his heart healing--even as he must accept that Vivian, still in a coma, will never recover.Told through a series of instant messages to Vivian, this quirky and completely fresh novel explores love, loss, and the drastic distances we sometimes have to travel in order to move on.

How It Feels to Float


Helena Fox - 2019
    She has her people, her posse, her mom and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, who loves her so hard, and who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn't tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was six. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface—normal okay regular fine.But after what happens on the beach—first in the ocean, and then in the sand--the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. Dad disappears, and with him, all comfort. It might be easier, better, sweeter to float all the way away? Or maybe stay a little longer, find her father, bring him back to her. Or maybe—maybe maybe maybe—there's a third way Biz just can't see yet.

Falling


Jade Winters - 2020
    Though there's an obvious attraction between the two women, Amelia questions whether it's real or all in her head. A fantasy that can never become a reality. After all, Vogue is rich, talented and beautiful, and can have any woman she wants.Unknown to Amelia, Vogue is hiding behind a façade. Bereft after her best friend betrays her, Vogue is torn between the life she thought she knew and the reality she now faces, as the threat of losing her business looms over her.Both women have to decide whether to put their hearts on the line and risk opening themselves up to the unknown. If they don't, they risk losing so much more.

Starworld


Audrey Coulthurst - 2019
    Loner Sam flies under the radar at school and walks on eggshells at home to manage her mom’s obsessive-compulsive disorder, wondering how she can ever leave to pursue her dream of studying aerospace engineering. Popular, people-pleasing Zoe puts up walls so no one can see her true self: the girl who was abandoned as an infant, whose adoptive mother has cancer, and whose disabled brother is being sent away to live in a facility. When an unexpected encounter results in the girls’ exchanging phone numbers, they forge a connection through text messages that expands into a private universe they call Starworld. In Starworld, they find hilarious adventures, kindness and understanding, and the magic of being seen for who they really are. But when Sam’s feelings for Zoe turn into something more, will the universe they’ve built survive the inevitable explosion?