Books like 'Under the Influence'
Readers who enjoyed Under the Influence by L.B. Simmons also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance young adult bad boys friends to lovers second chances new adult sassy heroine
-
Ember by Rachel Van Dyken
Everybody Loves A Bit of Darkness..Until It Consumes Them... I am a Killer. A Rapist. A Monster. I know only pain and survival. That is until the Cappo's sister walked into my life. And changed everything... -
Made by J.M. Darhower
Corrado Moretti. The world knows the notorious Kevlar Killer, but few have ever seen what lies beneath his armor. The abused child. The neglected teenager. The broken man. He always did whatever he had to do in order to survive. It's kill or be killed. Throughout his life, he has been there in the shadows, a witness to everything from beginning to end...Categorized as:
friends to lovers bad boys new adult contemporary suspense forbidden love virgin hero alpha male -
The Last Piece of His Heart by Emma Scott
At Santa Cruz Central High School, they called them the misfits, the outcasts, the weirdos. But most of us knew them as the Lost Boys... Ronan Wentz has been to hell and back, and he carries the scars to prove it. Worse, the blood of a monster runs through his veins. After ten years in foster care, eighteen-year-old Ronan is finally reunited with family...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers bad boys multicultural christian young adult contemporary dark -
Logan Kade by Tijan
People think that just because they know my name, my reputation, and my family that they know me. They don't.They say I’m a manwhore, but who wouldn’t be with my face and body? They say I’m a partier, and that's not going to change. They say I'm a fighter, and hell yes I am. F*ck with mine, and I’ll f*ck you back ten times worse.So, yes. Maybe what they say is true, but that’s not all of me... -
-
Still Jaded by Tijan
Sheldon, Bryce, and Corrigan ruled their school until a killer wanted to rule them. Three years later, Bryce’s back home from Europe the local celebrity jock. Corrigan’s busy running his fraternity and Sheldon's about to be pulled back into the social world of drama...Categorized as:
friends to lovers bad boys sassy heroine athletes young adult contemporary dark alpha male -
Speed by B.B. Easton
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsWith Netflix adapting BB's 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN into a new series, you're going to want the full story behind her outrageous adventures. Because BB Easton had so much fun writing her bestselling, award-winning memoir, she decided to give each of her four men his own steamy standalone... -
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.They’re growing, going through their own things... -
More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer
Rev Fletcher is battling the demons of his past. But with loving adoptive parents by his side, he’s managed to keep them at bay...until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.Emma Blue spends her time perfecting the computer game she built from scratch, rather than facing her parents’ crumbling marriage...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult young adult contemporary abuse high-school mystery mental illness -
Foxes by Suki Fleet
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 17 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... -
Heart of Marley by T.K. Leigh
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTo the moon and back… From the stars to the ocean… That was Marley and Cameron Bowen’s secret code. Twins born just five minutes apart, they have the perfect life… Until tragedy strikes just weeks after their eighth birthday and their father is killed by a drunk driver... -
The Moth and the Flame by B.B. Reid
They're the best of friends or the worst of friends. Neither one is letting go.THE FLAMEHere lies Louchana Valentine. She was a homeless, orphaned virgin.I never cared what my gravestone would say until I landed in deep with a powerful gangster. Lucky for me, my best friend happens to be ruthless too. I should feel guilty that he's forced to turn on the man who's been a father to him... -
Drowning in Stars by Debra Anastasia
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 32 ratings… he walked a tightrope five stories up just to hold my hand.Gaze: I moved into the building next to Pixie when I was eleven. She blew bubbles through my window. I shot my Nerf gun through hers. We both had secrets, but one of us was fated to get hurt. I wanted it to be me.Pixie: When I was afraid of the dark, he would shine a light in my window... -
The Retaliation You Deliver by Tracy Lorraine
When something seems too good to be true. It’s usually because it is.A lesson I learned the hard way.Every single fear I had about falling for Leon, has just come true in the most brutal way.The sweet guy act he’s been putting on the past few weeks is over.The cold, hard truth is... he never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation.And like a fool, I played right into his wicked scheme...Categorized as:
new adult second chances contemporary from hate to love cruel hero college sports young adult -
Enforce by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThere’s two sides to every story… And ours? Isn’t pretty… Then again, what’s pretty about the mafia? Trace Rooks, that’s what. But she only wants one of us, and I’ll kill him before I let him have her. The only problem ? We’re cousins . And she may just be our long lost enemy. Whoever said college was hard, clearly didn’t attend Eagle Elite University... -
-
Light in the Shadows by A. Meredith Walters
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsHow do you keep going when you feel like your life is over? Maggie never thought she’d see Clay again. So, she attempts to put her life back together after her heart has been shattered to pieces. Moving on and moving forward, just as Clay wanted her to. Clay never stopped thinking of Maggie...Categorized as:
second chances bad boys sassy heroine new adult young adult contemporary tortured hero abuse -
Ignite by R.J. Lewis
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsThey grew up together as the closest of friends... and then more. When Sara Nolan and Jaxon Barlow decided to be together, their relationship as a young couple was consumed by a love that was both passionate and beautiful. Sara had it all when it came to a boyfriend: romance, trust, and a protector of all things bad. Jaxon had given her his bleeding heart for the keeping...Categorized as:
bad boys friends to lovers young adult contemporary suspense alpha male dark love triangle -
Ghostgirl by J.B. Salsbury
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsShe was brainwashed into believing she could save mankind.Now, she’s the one who needs saving. Abandoned with his two younger brothers, Milo Vega was placed in foster care. Now a twenty-year-old high-school senior covered in gang tattoos and working as the school’s janitor, he is living a life vastly different from the one he was destined for...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers bad boys young adult contemporary dark abuse forbidden love -
The Next Flame by Penelope Douglas
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsNew York Times bestseller Penelope Douglas introduces the next generation in her Fall Away series in Next to Never, together for the first time with her bestselling novella, Aflame...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers contemporary young adult from hate to love dark found-family cruel hero -
Like Gravity by Julie Johnson
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 39 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:
bad boys friends to lovers second chances young adult contemporary tattoos alpha male musicians -
River Knight by K. Webster
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLife was nearly stolen from me. In the blink of an eye, everything changed. I'm no longer the charismatic, hot playboy Hornet. I'm irrevocably altered. Damaged both inside and out. I can't think. I can't function. I can't live. Not with all this darkness and pain dragging me into unknown depths. Some days, I wish I never woke up. But then life takes an unusual turn... -
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... -
Tame by Coralee June, Raven Kennedy
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI’ve got a secret I’ve got bruises no one can see and the devil’s blood running through my veins. If I want to end my father’s reign, I’ve got to help Rocco Nomar with his daughter. She’s broken, jaded. A sad, pretty little thing with a big heart and eyes that make me feel like I’m drowning. She’s not swayed by the social politics of Savannah, but she has my heart doing double takes... -
Pine River by Tijan
Pine River was supposed to be a new start for me.And it was, especially attending school with my three overprotective cousins, who were the triplets at the top of the social hierarchy.Except they weren't alone there, and the first day when I came to school, I saw him. Scout Raiden.Tall. Lean. Tattooed. Mesmerizing.He was a golden god with dark and piercing eyes-looking like he wanted to eat me up...Categorized as:
new adult bad boys sassy heroine friends to lovers from hate to love high-school contemporary angst -
VICIOUS by A.E. Murphy
Imogen Hardy hit the dirt hard and often when in the presence of Kane Jessop, not because she was so besotted with him and clumsy that she fell at his feet, but because he put her there. Usually with a hard shove or a swift swipe of her ankles.He was a vicious and unruly child; then a boy, now a man. He is in every bad memory Immy has ever had... -
-
Reckless Lies by Nikki J. Summers
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThey say when you die, your whole life plays over in your mind like a Hallmark movie. A rose-tinted reflection to remind you what a great life you’ve led.But for me, that wasn’t the case.There was no romantic, nostalgic ending for me.All I had was pain, darkness, and despair on the day I died, dragged by fire into the depths of hell. That’s where I live now. A shadow of the man I used to be...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers suspense contemporary young adult fated-mates angst grumpy sunshine -
Unraveling You by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsLyric Scott has always had a good life. Outgoing, spunky, and musically talented, she’s constantly surrounded by family and friends, yet she still feels there’s something missing. Then she meets her new next-door neighbor Ayden Gregory. Mysterious, sweet, and sad, Ayden is the exact opposite of Lyric and exactly what she needs to fill the void in her life...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult contemporary young adult musicians virgin heroine mystery dark -
Touched By The Devil by Angel Lawson, Samantha Rue
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsFights, sex, and fast cars. Those are what Sebastian Wilcox is all about.On the outside he’s easy smiles and a quick temper, but on the inside, a war rages on. He told the Devils his biggest secret; during a vicious fight, he accidentally hurt someone who didn't deserve it. For months now, he's been cursed by the memory of her screams. But that’s not his only hidden truth...Categorized as:
new adult bad boys contemporary high-school dark abuse young adult from hate to love -
Brutal Precious by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 39 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... -
The Probability of Violet & Luke by Jessica Sorensen
Luke Price and Violet Hayes haven’t seen each other in a couple of months, not since they discovered Luke’s mother’s connection to Violet’s parent’s murders. But when Luke gets into some gambling trouble with the wrong people, destiny decides to throw the two of them together and they head out to Vegas to try and settle Luke’s debt...Categorized as:
bad boys sassy heroine new adult young adult contemporary dark abuse tortured heroine -
The End Game by Kate McCarthy
“Professional athletes are pillars of their respective communities. They are heroes in the eyes of boys and girls and are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that positively represents their community.” The public loves a good scandal. Seeing someone fall from the pinnacle of success makes a great headline. No one knows that better than I do... -
Foxes by Suki Fleet
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 13 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...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult m-m disabilities and marks suspense angst dark young adult -
The Devastation You Reap by Tracy Lorraine
He never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation. But I’m not the monster he thinks I am... -
Revenge by J.L. Weil
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWelcome back to Elmwood Academy. The conclusion begins. And the drama continues. The Elite of Elmwood Academy have twisted up my world, but they are mine now. My family. My vengeance. My only way out of hell. Four guys who have become more than just a pain in my ass. And they all want the same thing as me. Revenge... -
The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout
It's Ella's senior year of high school and she and her best friend Linds plan to make it the best year ever. At Brock Cochran's end of summer pool party, the girls vow to have as much fun as possible before they head off to different colleges next fall. But when Ella is mysteriously attacked on her way home from the party, everything changes... -
-
Finders Keepers by Nicole Williams
There’s tortured. And there’s Garth Black. His life has been a constant carousel of tragedy and disappointment, including his love life. Of course, applying the term “love” to Garth’s conquests is a gross misuse of the word. Some people were made to give and accept love, and others weren’t. Garth Black redefines the “others” category...Categorized as:
second chances friends to lovers bad boys young adult contemporary dark tearjerkers virgin heroine -
Wreck Me by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhen Avery Hensley met Conner Wellings, she thought she’d found the guy she was going to spend the rest of her life with. She got married young and had the most beautiful son in the world. Life seemed perfect. But not everything is what it seems. Turned out Conner had another side to him, a darker side that Avery didn’t see coming... -
The Deceit of a Devil by Holly Renee
Sinless. Stunning. Damaged. Tempting. Allie Taylor had been the girl I hated for as long as I could remember. And now she loathed me just as much. It didn’t matter that I betrayed her to save her. Completely devastated and infuriated by my dishonesty, she had no intentions of ever trusting me again. Her trust was shattered, her hate raging on with each second...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers bad boys contemporary sports cruel hero high-school from hate to love -
A Deal with the Devil by Angel Lawson, Samantha Rue
Sometimes The Devil Hides in Plain Sight...One fateful night. Two lives forever changed.Sometimes the bonds of tragedy are stronger than blood.When Vandy Hall got into a stolen car with Reynolds McAllister-her brother's best friend, her childhood crush-she had no idea the lifetime of pain it would cause her...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers bad boys high-school dark sports contemporary from hate to love -
Unlit Star by Lindy Zart
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsWe are not guaranteed anything, not even this life. Rivers Young is the popular guy untouchable by reality. He is like a star—bright, consuming, otherworldly. The thing about stars, though, is that they eventually fall, and he is no different. He falls far and he falls hard. Delilah Bana is the outcast enshrouded in all of life's ironies...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult contemporary young adult tearjerkers dark tortured heroine college -
Law of Attraction by Raeesah Ambarker
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsNyx just can't seem to escape her eternal night, the very darkness she was named after. Angry at the world, her hatred is ravenous for none other than Beckham Hunt, captain of the ice hockey team. Beckham loathes Nyx Taylor, that much he is certain of...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers contemporary sports young adult from hate to love dark abuse -
Unchained: The Dorms by J.L. Weil
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAinsleyGrayson Edwards is my best friend’s brother and so off-limits. There are a hundred reasons why we don’t make sense.Not my type.Moody AF.Popular.He’s bad.During the day, it all seems so clear, but at night…my dreams paint a different picture.He’s so damn serious, and I don’t care about anything except getting out of Elmwood until I get an unsettling text... -
Echoes by Dylan Page
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsBlurb & cover to come!!Release date is a placeholder...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers bad boys dark young adult high-school strong heroine contemporary -
The Vengeance You Crave by Tracy Lorraine
It’s been almost six years since she ruined what we had. Her lies shattered years of friendship and ripped apart the future we planned. After I called her a liar and revoked my trust, she left town and never looked back. In a cruel twist of fate, she’s returned. But I’m not the wounded boy she left behind. I’m a man now. A man full of anger, resentment and loss... -
Five Things by Violet Paine
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAfter two years of living in the shadows, I force myself to leave my protective bubble and move to college. When I get there though, and come face to face with the casualty of the greatest mistake of my life, I have to wonder whether I’ve made the right decision. But then, as time moves on, I learn how to breathe again and that’s not something I’m willing to give up on... -
-
A Whole New Crowd by Tijan
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsTaryn grew up in a different world. Her boyfriend was a criminal. His older brother was part of a gang. They weren’t great people, but they were her family. Then everything changes when she’s adopted by a family in the neighboring town. New family. New friends. A new world. She’s elated...Categorized as:
bad boys friends to lovers new adult contemporary young adult mystery strong heroine suspense -
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.There's only one problem...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult high-school sports contemporary dark young adult mystery -
Wicked Promises by S. Massery
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsI 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...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers bad boys high-school cruel hero from hate to love dark contemporary -
Better When He's Brave by Jay Crownover
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsIn New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover’s third novel in her sexy, thrilling Welcome to the Point series, a woman’s search for repentance leads her to the one man from her past she can’t forget as they join forces to save their city—and the explosive love neither can live without. Titus King has always seen his world in black and white...Categorized as:
bad boys new adult young adult suspense tortured heroine alpha male contemporary dark -
Damaged and the Outlaw by Bijou Hunter
After turning against his former MC, Vaughn Majors found refuge in Ellsberg. Years later, he remains a dead man walking, avoiding commitments and hiding his loneliness. Raven Hancock refuses to fall in love again. Men are her poison and Vaughn is all kinds of bad news. He’s also the hottest, funniest, sweetest bastard she’s ever met... -
Hidden Gem by Skye Warren
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOf all the girls in Paris... he picked me.I was studying the Mona Lisa, and he was studying me. Not my sister. Me. He turned me upside-down. I hardly recognized myself through his eyes.Beautiful. Interesting. But it was all a lie...
Find out more about romance.io.
Get recommendations by genres & tropes
Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.

