Book picks similar to
Safer Outside by Kristina Renee
romance
young-adult
abuse
ya
Taking the Reins
Katrina Abbott - 2014
Rosewood, a boarding school for children of the rich and famous and known for its celebutantes, is missing just one element important to any junior’s education: boys. But luckily for Brooklyn, and the rest of the Rosewood girls, there’s a boys’ boarding school, The Westwood Academy, just a few miles away. On her very first day, Brooklyn meets Will, a gorgeous and flirty boy on campus to help with move in. But is he who she thinks he is? And what about Brady, the cute stable boy? Or Jared, the former child actor with his grown-up good looks who can always make her laugh? As Brooklyn settles in at Rosewood, she’s faced with new friends, new challenges and new opportunities to make herself into the girl she always wanted to be. Whoever that might be.Taking The Reins is the first installment of The Rosewoods, an exciting new Young Adult series for readers who love fun, flirty love stories.
A Hurt So Sweet
Isabella Starling - 2019
She died years ago. This town broke her. I’ll burn it to the ground before I let that happen to me.In Eden Falls, I’m forced to attend a school for the elite. The Firstborns own this place and they think they own me, too. It’s not long before Dexter, Caspian, Lai, and Julian become the bane of my existence. There are only two people I’m afraid of – my strict father, and my malevolent fiancé. Unfortunately for me, my husband-to-be is one of the Firstborns ruining my life.Dexter Booth and I will marry on my birthday to secure our families’ bond. Every woman in this damn town wants to be Dexter’s toy. Except me.Dex and his Eden Falls Prep cronies have forced me to give up my body. I know my betrothed wants my mind next.I play along… But soon, I’ll leave the beautiful jerk behind without the thing he wants most from me.His heir.
The Fated Duet
Charisse Spiers - 2019
Presley Dunagin has always been my girl in ways. I held her when she was born. I played with her when we were kids. I protected her. She snuck in my bed on nights she stayed over when she was afraid. We were virtually inseparable in ever way. She was my best friend just like she was my sister’s, but her and me—we were closer. Then we got older. A kid goes through a lot of changes in middle school, especially for a boy. Our bodies start changing, we notice girls in a different light, and we mentally advance in many ways. The way I looked at her changed. The way I felt about her was stronger. She wasn’t just my friend anymore. It got to where I wanted to see her in the stands with my parents on days of my football games instead of expecting it. Things between us were changing. I could see it in her too. At least, I thought. They say a single moment can alter your entire life. That moment for me was the day I lost her to someone else, so I gave my heart away. If only I could go back and erase it, because now, years later, her and me aren’t so easy anymore. Something more still lies beneath the surface, but I’m broken, she’s bruised, and we have too much history to pick up where everything went wrong. What I didn’t realize—we would hurt each other far worse before we’d finally get it right. Note from the author: This is a compilation of Fated for You and Fated for Me, as well as chapter one of Fate by Forgiveness.
All in Pieces
Suzanne Young - 2016
That’s why they sent her to Brooks Academy—an alternative high school that’s used as a temporary detention center.The days at Brooks are miserable, but at home, life is far more bleak. Savvy’s struggling to take care of her brother since her mom left years ago, and her alcoholic dad can’t be bothered. Life with Evan is a constant challenge, but he’s also the most important person in the world to Savvy.Then there’s Cameron, a new student at Brooks with issues of his own, a guy from a perfect family that Savvy thought only existed on TV. Cameron seems determined to break through every one of the walls Savvy’s built around herself—except if she lets herself trust him, it could make everything she’s worked so hard for fall apart in an instant.And with her aunt seeking custody of her brother and her ex-boyfriend seeking revenge, Savvy’s fighting to hold all the pieces together. But she’s not sure how much tighter she can be pulled before she breaks completely.
Remember When
T. Torrest - 2012
Although, come to think of it, I am from New Jersey, which may serve as explanation enough. We were teenagers then, way back in a time before anyone could even dream he’d turn into the Hollywood commodity that he is today.In case you live under a rock and don't know who Trip Wiley is, just know that these days, he’s the actor found at the top of every casting director’s wish list. He’s incredibly talented and insanely gorgeous, the combination of which has made him very rich, very famous and very desirable.And not just to casting directors, either.I can’t confirm any of the gossip from his early years out in Tinseltown, but based on what I knew of his life before he was famous, I can tell you that the idea of Girls-Throwing-Themselves-At-Trip is not a new concept.I should know. I was one of them.And my life hasn’t been the same since.**Remember When is the first book in an NA romantic comedy trilogy, but there is NO CLIFFHANGER. It is intended for mature teen readers and immature adult ones due to some high school sex scenes, underage drinking, questionable language and 1980s flashbacks.**
Belles
Jen Calonita - 2012
But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she's ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well. Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls' lives forever.
The Lonesome Young
Lucy Connors - 2014
. .And now a meth lab explosion in rural Whitfield County is set to reignite the feud more viciously than ever before. Especially when the toxic fire that results throws together two unlikely spectators—proper good girl Victoria Whitfield, exiled from boarding school after her father’s real estate business melts down in disgrace, and town motorcycle rebel Mickey Rhodale, too late as always to thwart his older brothers’ dangerous drug deals.Victoria and Mickey are about to find out the most passionate romances are the forbidden ones.. . . ON A POWDER KEG FULL OF PENT-UP DESIRE, risk-taking daredevilry, and the desperate actions that erupt when a generation of teens inherits nothing but hate.
Love Always, Peyton
Ashlee Rose - 2021
Is there?That’s when Knight Pierce crashed into my life. A bad boy with a wicked mouth.Hate turned to friendship.Friendship turned to... more.They say there is a very thin line between hate and love, and that line started to blur.But how could I feel something for Knight when I was destined to be with my pen pal.The myth couldn't be real, could it?Love Always, Peyton is Book One in the Way Back When duet.
Even When You Lie to Me
Jessica Alcott - 2015
Another year of living in the shadow of her best friend, Lila. Another year of hiding behind the covers of her favorite novels. Another year of navigating her tense relationship with her perfectionist mom.But everything changes when she meets her new English teacher. Mr. Drummond is smart. Irreverent. Funny. Hot. Everyone loves him. And Charlie thinks he's the only one who gets her.She also thinks she might not be the only one with a crush.In this stunning debut, Jessica Alcott explores relationships-and their boundaries-in a way that is both searingly honest and sympathetic.
Dragonfly
Leigh Talbert Moore - 2013
Pulling Anna into their extravagant lifestyle on the Gulf Coast, Lucy pushed her outside her comfort zone and Jack showed her feelings she's never experienced... Until he mysteriously withdrew.Anna turned to her internship at the city paper and to her old attraction for Julian, a handsome local artist and rising star, for distraction. But both led to her discovery of a decades-old secret closely guarded by the twins' distant, single father.It's a secret that could cost her the boy she loves and permanently change all their lives.
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.
Revival of a King
G.N. Wright - 2020
I was taken from my home, my family, my friends. I came back to Black Hallows for one reason and one reason only, Revenge.I just have to remember that everytime I lock eyes with Marcus Riviera. My name is Elle King and it's time the Elite of this town paid for their crimes and make no mistake they will pay in blood.MarcusThree years ago I lost everything, my home, my father, my best friend.I went from a North Side Prince to a South Side King.I changed my world to get revenge for my father but then the girl I hate walks back into this town like she never left.Elle King is the reason my father is dead. But there's a fine line between hate and love and I don’t remember which side I fall on anymore.We can’t be the Elle and Marcus we once were, everythings changed.The town of Black Hallows is painted in blood and tainted in secrets.The North Side and South Side are about to be at war and it’s time to pick a side.
Keep You from Harm
Debra Doxer - 2013
I’ve kept a secret all my life. It’s my mother’s secret, too. I inherited it from her along with a unique ability that only we possess. She’s gone now, another victim of addiction. If her death isn’t enough to bring me to my knees, her betrayal flays me to the bone. Because the secret my mother and I have been keeping is just one of many she’d kept. She never told me I have an older brother. And now he’s here, eager to be my guardian.There is no one else. So I move across the country to live with this stranger, my brother. But experience has taught me that most situations are temporary and forming attachments only leads to hurt in the end. That’s why I’m determined to keep to myself in this new place, struggling to seem aloof while I’m quietly breaking apart. Then I meet Lucas…His magnetism is hard to resist, and most girls at school aren’t resisting. I don’t fall so easily though, especially not for guys who use their good looks as a weapon. From the start, our interactions are tense and volatile. I know it’s because I’m denying the unwelcome desire that grips me when he’s near. I think he feels it, too. He looks at me with an intensity that threatens to unhinge my resolve. Soon he’s trying to break through the walls that past hurts have built. But I’m not what I appear to be, and it wouldn’t be fair to get involved with him. At least that’s what I tell myself. Until a terrible act of violence reveals that Lucas has a secret, too. It’s a secret that links us together and ties us to an evil history I could never have imagined.
Leftover Girl
C.C. Bolick - 2016
At fifteen, she has adjusted to moving without notice and never fitting in, but everything changes with her adopted mom's hometown. There Jes falls for her mom's nephew, a love she hides when his betrayal leaves her isolated and driven to unravel the past.After Jes befriends a strange new student, she discovers an amazing secret: he's from another planet and searching for a missing girl who might be her. As Jes will learn, truth comes at a cost, but will she give up love to find out?
Honeysuckle Love
S. Walden - 2012
She’s just sixteen. She should be focused on school, hanging out with friends, falling in love. Instead, she’s working to pay off the mound of bills her mother left behind when she vanished at the start of the school year. Left alone with her ten-year-old sister, Beatrice, Clara discovers that she is now the parent, the provider, and the responsibilities grow to be more than she can handle.Complicating matters is senior Evan Morningstar who starts pursuing Clara at the beginning of her junior year. She’s confused by this. Evan is a popular, likeable guy. She describes herself as a nobody—a quiet, intensely shy girl who suffers from social anxiety. She wants love like any teenage girl, but she’s terrified to let Evan get close, to discover her secrets. His gentle persistence wins out, however, and she has no option but to open her heart to him. When Clara’s responsibilities prove too great, she begins a slow descent into depression, making dangerous choices that threaten her relationships. She can stay trapped in her despair or discover redemption—how to forgive the past and love again. (This is a Mature YA novel that contains explicit language and sexual situations.)