Books like 'Speak'
Readers who enjoyed Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary young adult dark romance suspense mystery strong heroine tortured heroine high-school angst m-f
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Mafiosa by Catherine Doyle
A blood war rages on the streets of Chicago. Protected by an infamous mafia family, Sophie is living a dangerous lie, pretending to lead a normal life. But the deceit can’t last for ever. Her heart belongs to a killer and Sophie’s the prime target of a rival clan... -
![Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken]()
Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken
Cursed, numb, rejected, scorned, wicked, sinister, dark, twisted. .. my name is Tex Campisi and this is my legacy. I killed my father in cold blood and lost my soul right along with him. I crave war more than peace, and I'm about to take my place in history as the youngest Capo dei Capi in the Cosa Nostra. .. that is until someone stops me, saves me from myself... -
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![You'd Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow]()
You'd Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a breathtaking story about a town, its tragedies, and the quiet beauty of everyday life. For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one--the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister...Categorized as:
mystery high-school young adult contemporary mental illness substance abuse dark death -
![Malum: Part 2 by Amo Jones]()
Malum: Part 2 by Amo Jones
Some girls don’t like pretty things. Some girls like things that are destructive, and toxic. Things that fuel our bodies with adrenaline and bring our demons to their knees. They say magic isn’t real, but it’s it the closest way to describe love? It doesn’t exist physically. It merely exists around us, within us, possessing our souls and making us do stupid shit... -
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![Real Girl by Sheridan Anne]()
Real Girl by Sheridan Anne
Lucien Valentine must die. It’s the thought that’s kept me going for four long years. I’ve imagined it, dreamed about it, relished in it. I want it so bad, but the question is, do I have what it takes to make it happen? Taking a life isn’t for the faint-hearted. Just ask Lucien, he knows. He’s taken me back to where it all started and I know exactly how it’s going to go... -
![Always Crew by Tijan]()
Always Crew by Tijan
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsFor the longest time, I was Bren Monroe. I lived in Roussou, California. I had no parents, no brother, but I had a crew. Then things started to change. I never planned for any of it. I didn’t think I’d fall in love. I didn’t think I’d have a relationship with my brother again. I didn’t think that he’d come back. Now I’m in Cain. My crew is in college... -
![Foxes by Suki Fleet]()
Foxes by Suki Fleet
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen Dashiel's body is found dumped on an East London wasteland, his best friend Danny sets out to find the killer. But Danny finds interaction difficult and must keep his world small in order to survive... -
![Reckless Dynasty by Tracy Lorraine]()
Reckless Dynasty by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world. My life has been full of half-truths tangled in lies—I’d been to hell and back more times than I could count... -
![Out of the Dark by Danah Logan]()
Out of the Dark by Danah Logan
Lilly. My name is the only truth they didn’t take from me. Betrayed by my family, my desperate need for answers put me back on his radar. The one person who was never supposed to find me. Again. I was unprepared for the world I got thrust into—the connection we shared. The deeper I dug, the more unstable my future became. With Rhys as my anchor, I will fight to bring my past out of the dark. Rhys... -
![Be My Brayshaw by Meagan Brandy]()
Be My Brayshaw by Meagan Brandy
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes an enemies-to-lovers, standalone romance about love, lies, and finding the strength to forgive. "Cross one, cross all. ". That's the Brayshaw way. She should have realized this before sliding into our world with secrets too big to bury. She didn't and now the target is on her back... -
![Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan]()
Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 61 ratingsEmma leaves Weslyn and everyone in it behind to attend Stanford University, just as she always intended. A shell of her former self, she is not the same girl. She is broken, and the only way that she’ll be whole again is through forgiveness. Emma must find a way to forgive herself and recognize her own worth before she can receive the love she deserves... -
![Ride or Die by Sheridan Anne]()
Ride or Die by Sheridan Anne
Gang life isn't for everyone, but a b*tch in colors always looks good. The West Side Wolves claim to be a brotherhood, but what do they do when a sister walks in demanding their attention? To everyone else, stepping into the Wolf Den was an epic mistake, filled with consequential betrayals... -
![The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis]()
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 60 ratingsA contemporary YA novel that examines rape culture through alternating perspectives. Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people... -
![The Not-Outcast by Tijan]()
The Not-Outcast by Tijan
Cutler Ryder was everything I wasn't. He was the hockey star. I was an outcast. He was best friends with my stepbrother, that same stepbrother who hated me. His two parents loved him. My mom was a junkie. My dad barely knew me. Years passed. I got my life together. Cut went onto NHL stardom. Then there was a text. I was drinking. There was a party. Cut was there. .Categorized as:
angst strong heroine tortured heroine sweet-hero m-f neurodivergent contemporary sports -
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![The Resolution of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen]()
The Resolution of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsThings are well for Callie and Kayden. They’re still dealing with their past and the pain connected to it, but for the most part they’ve moved on. The biggest decision they have at the moment is what they want to do with their lives in the future. Eventually, though, the past catches up with them and they’re left facing tough choices... -
![Wild Girl by Sheridan Anne]()
Wild Girl by Sheridan Anne
Have you ever known what it feels like to die? It’s not great. Trust me, I don’t recommend it. I’ve always said that my life is about surviving, but I didn’t realize how true that was until the devil sent me soaring off a bridge with the love of my life and lodged a bullet through my thigh. It’s not my time to die... -
![Kess by Tijan]()
Kess by Tijan
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsShe's one of two females in Roussou's Crew system. He was sent to protect her. She never knew. Until now. .. A short standalone based in the Crew/Roussou world. -
![Where All Paths Meet by Gregory Ashe]()
Where All Paths Meet by Gregory Ashe
Holmeses. Moriartys. Adlers. What’s a Watson to do? When Jack Moreno receives an anonymous invitation to the Zodiac anniversary gala, he’s inclined to ignore it. His best friend (and more), Holloway Holmes, vanished from his life five months ago, and Jack has no desire to bump into Holloway’s terrifying father, Blackfriar... -
![Game by Barry Lyga]()
Game by Barry Lyga
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsBilly grinned. “Oh, New York,” he whispered. “We’re gonna have so much fun. ”. I Hunt Killers introduced the world to Jazz, the son of history’s most infamous serial killer, Billy Dent. In an effort to prove murder didn’t run in the family, Jazz teamed with the police in the small town of Lobo’s Nod to solve a deadly case... -
![The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis]()
The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAnna and Abel couldn’t be more different. They are both seventeen and in their last year of school, but while Anna lives in a nice old town house and comes from a well-to-do family, Abel, the school drug dealer, lives in a big, prisonlike tower block at the edge of town. Anna is afraid of him until she realizes that he is caring for his six-year-old sister on his own... -
![Now Is Everything by Amy Giles]()
Now Is Everything by Amy Giles
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThis is a previously published edition of ISBN 0062495739. The McCauleys look perfect on the outside. But nothing is ever as it seems, and this family is hiding a dark secret. Hadley McCauley will do anything to keep her sister safe from their father... -
![Break Me by Meagan Brandy]()
Break Me by Meagan Brandy
I had a plan, and it was solid. Track down what was hidden away and take pleasure in toying with it. Toying with her. It worked like a charm. Until it didn’t. Turned out, the feisty little thing I found was far from what I hoped for. She was different from all I knew and more than I expected. She was light, and I’m the bastard who led her into darkness. But this girl. .. she followed with a smile...Categorized as:
angst suspense tortured heroine strong heroine slow burn high-school m-f contemporary -
![Requiem by Callie Hart]()
Requiem by Callie Hart
SORRELL. He’s going to pay for what he’s done…. Theo Merchant was born into a kind of privilege I’ve never known. He has everything I don’t: Money. A private school education. Popularity. A bright and shiny future, full of success to look forward to. He took the only thing I had going for me—my best friend, Rachel. Now that she’s gone, I have nothing left to lose. I will infiltrate his world... -
![Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan]()
Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 84 ratingsEmma’s struggle with an abusive home life came to a heart pounding conclusion in the final chapters of "Reason to Breathe". Now everyone in Weslyn knows Emma’s secret, but Carol can’t hurt Emma anymore. Some are still haunted by the horror of that night, and some must face the repercussions of their choices...Categorized as:
suspense tortured heroine angst high-school m-f contemporary young adult tearjerkers -
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![Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas, Lessa Lamb]()
Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas, Lessa Lamb
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsWest Golden—Fierce protector. The one. The cocky jock I once wanted to kill with my bare hands is now the only one I trust with my heart. In a city full of corruption and dark secrets, knowing who’s on your side gets harder to determine every day. Especially now that Vin’s on the warpath, passing out threats he fully intends to see through to the end... -
![Broken Hate by Thandiwe Mpofu]()
Broken Hate by Thandiwe Mpofu
What’s wrong Baby Blue? Did you mistake his forced sincerity for love? Every kiss will fade in time. Every memory will fade in time. Every smile, every teardrop, every wound—it’ll all dry up—in time. But every lie? That shit only gets bigger and more devastating with time. In time. . -
![Shame by Rachel Van Dyken]()
Shame by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsEverything done in darkness, will eventually be brought into the light. I ran, but all it did was keep me one step ahead of my past. I tried to start over; new name, new identity. But you can't change your soul. A fresh start at college was just what I needed. For a while, it worked. I was the party girl, the one that seemed confident, but it was a lie. When guys kissed me--I felt only pain... -
![Finding Eden by Mia Sheridan]()
Finding Eden by Mia Sheridan
The second book in the Acadia Duology, a forbidden friends-to-lovers romance, from the New York Times bestselling author of Archer's Voice . When the world as you know it has ended, when all that you love has been washed away, where do you find strength? Calder and Eden are free from the stifling grasp of Acadia, but the new world they've stepped into is just as isolating... -
![Collateral Damage: A Second Chance Mafia Romance by Amy McKinley]()
Collateral Damage: A Second Chance Mafia Romance by Amy McKinley
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe spark is real, but the timing’s wrong. When Mafia surgeon, Trey La Rosa, met the one woman who could bring him to his knees, grief from his girlfriend’s recent death loomed between them. He forced himself to walk away. Months later, she’s been kidnapped—and he’ll do anything to save her... -
![The Girl in the Hoodie by SarcasticallyWitty]()
The Girl in the Hoodie by SarcasticallyWitty
A girl moved to California two years ago. No one knows what she looks like. All they know is that she wears a hoodie.Categorized as:
mystery high-school angst contemporary young adult friends to lovers dark found-family -
![Barbie B*tch by Sheridan Anne]()
Barbie B*tch by Sheridan Anne
Cold-blooded murder. Do I have it in me? I’ve watched the people I love commit the worst kinds of crimes and within the blink of an eye, I could be just like them. I feel the jagged glass beneath my fingers, but do I have the strength to follow this through? How much of my soul am I willing to sacrifice to make this right? Nic was supposed to be my rock... -
![Perfectly Flawed by Nessa Morgan]()
Perfectly Flawed by Nessa Morgan
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsI thought I was okay. I mean, I went through my days just fine, pushing toward a goal I could easily achieve. I had friends that loved me, an aunt who adored me, and everything was just okay. But what I thought was okay and fine, all of that changed... -
![Fall With Me by Lucy Smoke]()
Fall With Me by Lucy Smoke
Isaac Icari: The God of Hazelwood University. My stepbrother. My lover. My enemy. It was dangerous to let myself be swept up by him but he’s a drug that I crave. I should have walked away the second I realized what he was involved with, when he revealed who his father truly was. Now it’s too late. We should have known better. Get too close to the sun and you get burned... -
![The Fight In Us by Becca Steele]()
The Fight In Us by Becca Steele
Lust. Mystery. Betrayal. Weston Cavendish. My brother's best friend. I'd perfected the art of pretending that I didn't want him, that he didn't affect me every time he was near. Or so I thought. When his world comes crashing down, I'm the one he turns to, and I can't deny my feelings any longer. I know there's something between us. Until he finds out that I've been hiding things from him, too...Categorized as:
suspense mystery strong heroine m-f new adult contemporary college friends to lovers -
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![Black Tangled Heart by Samantha Young]()
Black Tangled Heart by Samantha Young
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe New York Times Bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series and As Dust Dances brings readers an addictive and passionate new standalone romance about love, revenge, and surviving both. To the McKenna sisters, Jane was a friend. A pseudo-sister, the girl they grew up with. To Jamie McKenna, she was everything. Their youthful passion consumed them...Categorized as:
angst suspense high-school strong heroine m-f contemporary new adult friends to lovers -
![Persuasion by T.K. Leigh]()
Persuasion by T.K. Leigh
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI came to Hawaii to get answers about my sister’s death. But that all changes when I meet her. Beautiful. Charming. Haunted. And the last thing I need in my life. But that doesn’t mean I can stay away from her, a powerful force pulling me toward her when all rationale tells me to keep my distance. So we make an agreement. One week. No names. No falling in love. It’s the perfect plan... -
![Echoes by Dylan Page]()
Echoes by Dylan Page
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsBlurb & cover to come! ! Release date is a placeholder. -
![Like Gravity by Julie Johnson]()
Like Gravity by Julie Johnson
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsTwenty year-old Brooklyn “Bee” Turner is no stranger to grief. After witnessing her mother’s brutal murder at age six, Brooklyn is guarded, damaged, and – by all accounts – a bitch. And that’s just the way she likes it, if it means keeping everyone at arm’s length...Categorized as:
mystery suspense strong heroine tortured heroine m-f young adult contemporary tattoos -
![Web of Lies by Aly Beck]()
Web of Lies by Aly Beck
My enemy is invisible. Nameless. Faceless. Controlled. Puppets on strings. Sheep in the masses. And I’ve turned into their number one plaything. When I transferred to East Point Prep, I had one mission in mind: find the people responsible for murdering Magnolia. Someone within these entitled walls killed my only friend and threw her overboard like she was human trash. Now, they’ll pay... -
![Savage Kind of Love by Nicole Snow]()
Savage Kind of Love by Nicole Snow
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSAVAGE LOVE: FIERCE, SEDUCTIVE, AND LIMITLESS. .. Shelly “Saffron” Reagan's life is in shambles, and it's about to get worse. Keeping up a broken home and a brother in the vicious Grizzlies MC is more than any woman can handle. Remembering the tough talking biker who nursed her after a savage attack is all she has, a bad boy who's impossibly out of reach. Or so it seems... -
![Never His Girl by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne]()
Never His Girl by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsWest Golden--Football star. Playboy. Dead to me. Nothing puts the final bullet in a girl’s rep like a leaked sex tape. Especially one starring her and the cocky quarterback who’s had it out for her since day one. Yep, you guessed it. That girl is me. At Cypress Prep, West is king, but all I see when I look at him is the wicked prick who gets off on trying to break me. His plaything. Go ahead... -
![These Dark Hearts by L.A. Cotton]()
These Dark Hearts by L.A. Cotton
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsHarleigh Wren Maguire has loved Phoenix Wilder for as long as she can remember. He's everything she isn't. Brave. Reckless. One-hundred percent unapologetic. But it's Halloween. .. the perfect excuse to dress up and be someone you're not. To step out of your comfort zone and do things you wouldn't usually do. And Harleigh is determined to make her best friend notice her for once... -
![Wicked Promises by S. Massery]()
Wicked Promises by S. Massery
I made a promise to Caleb, and I intended to keep it. I just didn’t anticipate the aftermath. One betrayal. One lie. One devastating cover up. It’s all out in the open now, and this time, I’m not running away. The secrets I hold are enough to destroy us. The truth is supposed to set us free—but we aren’t destined for freedom. This is a dark high school bully romance with mature content and themes... -
![Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, Abby McDonald]()
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, Abby McDonald
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsIt's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations... -
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![Nova and Quinton: No Regrets by Jessica Sorensen]()
Nova and Quinton: No Regrets by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsToday is the first day of Quinton Carter's new life. The toxic guilt of his past left him in pieces-but one girl unexpectedly put him back together. Thanks to Nova Reed, Quinton can finally see the world with clear eyes. She's the reason his heart is still kicking behind the jagged scar on his chest. And he would love to have her in his arms every minute of the day . . . but he's not ready yet... -
![Heresy by Lily White]()
Heresy by Lily White
Sixth Circle. Heresy. Also Known as Shane Carter. There are no rules with this man. No courtesies. No acceptable behaviors he’ll conform to in order to be accepted. He marches to his own beat. Gives the finger to expectations. And does whatever pleases him because nobody can control him. Arrogant. Aggravating. Absolute Chaos. Shane is the last person you want walking into your world... -
![Brutal Precious by Sara Wolf]()
Brutal Precious by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsLife meets death. The end meets the beginning. Eighteen-year-old Isis Blake hasn’t fallen in love in three years, forty-three weeks, and two days. Or so she thinks. The boy she maybe-sort-of-definitely loved has dropped off the face of the planet after his girlfriend's death, leaving a Jack-shaped hole...Categorized as:
mystery strong heroine tortured heroine angst suspense contemporary humor young adult -
![Hometown Girl Memories by Kirsten Fullmer]()
Hometown Girl Memories by Kirsten Fullmer
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"I was crying one minute and laughing the next. A definite must read! ". Winnie is content in her role as the reining matriarch of Smithville, but when a letter arrives from a long-lost friend, the door to her past is reopened. Memories come flooding in, drawing her back to 1968, her college days; a time filled with people and events she hasn’t allowed herself to recall... -
![Shattered Legacy by Caitlyn Dare]()
Shattered Legacy by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsMia Thompson wants only one thing: to survive Gravestone University, graduate, and get far far away from her hometown and its archaic traditions. But she’s about to become a pawn in a game she doesn’t understand. Bexley Danforth wants only one thing: to keep his head down, survive four years at college, and get far far away from his past and the mistakes that haunt him... -
![We the Pretty Stars by Eden O'Neill]()
We the Pretty Stars by Eden O'Neill
He's a supernova. .. wild and untamed but I refuse to let his light die. If need be, I'll be that light for him. We'll end this together. The body count is rising in Maywood Heights and Royal seems determined to add to that number. He wants to take out those who hurt Paige. Though I want justice too, I'm not sure how far his need for revenge will take him...
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