Books like 'Birthday Girl'
Readers who enjoyed Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary young adult dark romance age difference forbidden love slow burn friends to lovers single-father angst new adult
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Saving 6 by Chloe Walsh
Fresh out of rehab for an addiction that almost cost him everything, Joey Lynch knows that it's time to put his life back together. Still reeling from the events that decimated his family and haunted by his past, he struggles to keep a handle on his fragile sobriety. Thrown into a brand-new home and school life, he's well and truly shaken up...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers tortured hero angst sassy heroine bad boys slow burn grumpy sunshine -
One Last Rainy Day by Kate Stewart
“My rainy days are yours, Dominic. If you want them.”Once upon a time…There lived a man with a vengeance-filled heart that held too many secrets.And a woman, pure of soul, intent on uncovering them.What they failed to realize is that through the storm their love would create…a legacy would be born...Categorized as:
new adult age difference forbidden love m-f small town grumpy sunshine bad boys alpha male -
Long Way Down by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie
With a seven-year age difference, Ryke & Daisy have faced an uphill battle in the eyes of the world and their families. Known as the most adventurous, fast-paced couple — their next step has always been elusive to the rabid media. Behind the scenes, heartbreaking troubles continue to test Ryke & Daisy’s resilience and shape their future together. They promise: To never slow down... -
The Finish Line by Kate Stewart
Secrets and Lies...I’ve lived the entirety of my life wrapped up in subterfuge for one purpose—revenge.Through the years, I lived more as an enigma than a man.For so long, I denied I had a beating heart of my own. Until her. Until she unearthed the starving vessel inside, forced me to acknowledge it, forced me to understand that I’m capable of bleeding the same as any other.For that, we paid...Categorized as:
age difference angst alpha male tortured hero new adult second chances bad boys tortured heroine -
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Inferno by Catherine Doyle
Romeo and Juliet meets The Godfather in the second installment of Catherine Doyle's Blood for Blood series. Sophie's life has been turned upside-down, and she's determined to set things right. But Nic, the Falcone brother who represents everything she's trying to forget, won't give up on their love - and it's Luca's knife she clutches for comfort...Categorized as:
love triangle alpha male bad boys forbidden love new adult other-man-woman m-f contemporary -
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 forbidden love bad boys alpha male new adult betrayal m-f contemporary -
The Gravity of Us by Brittainy C. Cherry
Graham Russell and I weren’t made for one another. I was driven by emotion; he was apathetic. I dreamed while he lived in nightmares. I cried when he had no tears to shed. Despite his frozen heart and my readiness to run, we sometimes shared seconds. Seconds when our eyes locked and we saw each other’s secrets. Seconds when his lips tasted my fears, and I breathed in his pains... -
Still Jaded by Tijan
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsSheldon, 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 alpha male bad boys love triangle sassy heroine cheating other-man-woman athletes -
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... -
The Choice by A. Jade, Ellie McLove
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ashley Jade comes a gritty, off-limits standalone romance about mistakes, choices, and love conquering all.The world thought I belonged to another man...they were wrong.He was the mysterious dark knight always swooping in to save me when I needed it most.I was the troubled girl with scars and a bleeding heart... -
Falling Away by Penelope Douglas
Jaxon is the guy she’s supposed to avoid. K.C. is the girl he won’t let get away.... K. C. Carter has always followed the rules—until this year, when a mistake leaves her the talk of her college campus and her carefully arranged life comes crashing to a halt...Categorized as:
bad boys new adult alpha male tortured hero tortured heroine friends to lovers angst second chances -
Speed by B.B. Easton
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 26 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... -
Rafe by Jo Raven
His name is Rafaele Vestri, Rafe to his friends. He’s tall, strong, handsome. Distant. He often comes to the café where I work, but we don’t talk much. He looks at me, though. Stares at me, his gaze heated, and I can’t help but stare back. I want him, I won’t deny it. I’ve never seen anyone that beautiful, anyone that powerful, in my life. But he’s growing more withdrawn by the day...Categorized as:
alpha male angst bad boys new adult insta-love tortured hero working class heroine sweet heroine -
Therapy by Kathryn Perez
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsSometimes you have to get lost in order to be found... I’m needy. I’m broken. Cutting breaks through my numbness, but only opens more wounds. Depression, self-harm, bullying....that's my reality. Sex and guys....that's my escape. The space between the truth and lies is blurred leaving me torn, lost and confused... -
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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.. -
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...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers alpha male bad boys angst forbidden love strong heroine age difference -
Hothouse Flower by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie
Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway ... she’s all grown up. Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole . But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption... -
Tempting Little Thief by Meagan Brandy
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes a steamy forbidden romance featuring a possessive hero … who falls first and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Bastian Bishop. That’s his name. He’s rough, rugged, and utterly unpredictable. He’s not cautious or contemplative. He’s a volcano. Silent and steady one second, and a nightmare in the next... -
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...Categorized as:
bad boys alpha male love triangle new adult other-man-woman m-f young adult suspense -
Dusty by YellowBella, TeamBella23
Now published as InnocentsShe loves him. He loves her crazy. She's a hopeless romantic. He's just hopeless. She's afraid to let go. He won't let her. A story about a silly girl in love with a foolish boy. Here, forever is a lie...Categorized as:
new adult angst bad boys cheating forbidden love tortured hero alpha male other-man-woman -
Release by Aly Martinez
From USA Today Bestselling Author Aly Martinez comes an all new standalone. Growing up, Ramsey Stewart branded my soul in ways time could never heal. At twelve, he asked me to be his girlfriend. At thirteen, he gave me my first kiss. By sixteen, we’d fallen in love, planned a future together, and had our eyes set on the horizon. Love never fails, right? But for Ramsey, it did...Categorized as:
angst friends to lovers tortured hero new adult second chances alpha male strong heroine cold hero -
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... -
Lilah by Ashlyn Montgomery
He’s never met anyone like her. Loud, unpredictable, full of strange sayings and wild energy. It drives him crazy. And yet, he keeps coming back for more. He hates how drawn he is to her, how easily she messes with his carefully built walls.She’s never dealt with someone so rude, gruff, and permanently scowling. But something about him pulls her in... -
The Saint by Kelsey Clayton
DELANEYCruel.Heartless.A mistake waiting to happen.Knox Vaughn is the epitome of a bad boy.He's trouble in a sexy-as-sin package. I know it.They know it.Even he knows it. But, it's like a moth to the flame.I can't stay away—even though I'm going to get burned.You know what they say,The sinners are much more fun. And this saint is changing the game.KNOXSweet.Innocent.Valedictorian... -
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The Fire Between High & Lo by Brittainy C. Cherry
There once was a boy, and I loved him. Logan Francis Silverstone and I were complete opposites. I danced, and he stood still. He was quiet, while I ran my mouth. He struggled to find a smile, and I refused to frown. The night I saw the darkness that truly lived inside of him, I couldn't look away. We were broken together, yet somehow whole. We were wrong together, but always right... -
Savage Royals by Callie Rose
A long time ago, I was one of them. Now I’m back, and they hate me for it. Plucked out of the harsh life I was living and thrust into a world of unimaginable wealth, power, and privilege, all I want to do is keep my head down and survive until graduation. But they have other plans—Mason, Finn, Elias, and Cole...Categorized as:
new adult angst slow burn strong heroine tortured heroine alpha male bad boys possessive hero -
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...Categorized as:
second chances angst new adult bad boys small town sassy heroine tortured heroine cold hero -
Connected by A.E. Murphy
Stuck between what feels wrong but should be right and what is definitely wrong but feels so right, Gwen has to deal with her new life and being a single mother to her baby, Dillan. Whilst trying to move on and fill the gaping hole that Caleb left behind, she struggles with the knowledge of what happened to Nathan... -
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... -
A Whole New Crowd by Tijan
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 40 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:
strong heroine alpha male bad boys slow burn friends to lovers angst new adult poor heroine -
Unlit Star by Lindy Zart
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 31 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:
tortured heroine angst friends to lovers new adult m-f contemporary young adult tearjerkers -
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... -
Glass Heart Hero by Lindsey Iler
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLoyalty. Corruption. Family.A gauntlet rooted in love and jealousy may be the destruction of the students at Glass Heart Academy.DelaneyParts of me were stolen in the confines of a dark room. No matter how hard I fought, I got nowhere. The damage has already been done.Now I find myself in the arms of an unexpected boy...Categorized as:
new adult tortured heroine tortured hero love triangle other-man-woman high-school dark cruel hero -
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Echoes by Dylan Page
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBlurb & cover to come!!Release date is a placeholder...Categorized as:
strong heroine new adult possessive hero angst friends to lovers tortured hero bad boys dark -
Unbeknownst To You by Kyeate
Lennon Grant’s life shifted in ways she couldn’t explain the moment her mother remarried. Her new stepbrother, Honor Royale, seemed protective at first, until his gaze lingered too long, his presence felt too close, and his concern became something far more sinister.As the years passed, Lennon moved on crafting a life of her own. But the unsettling feeling of being watched never faded...Categorized as:
new adult angst m-f grumpy sunshine height-difference forbidden love forced proximity insta-love -
Love Like Poison by Charmaine Pauls
Every year on my birthday, my tormentor returns to claim one of my firsts.A DARK MAFIA / ARRANGED MARRIAGE ROMANCEOn my sixteenth birthday, a stranger from Corsica shows up at my party. Angelo Russo looks like an angel, but more the kind who decapitates dragons than the kind with soft white wings. He’s dark like the ocean and breathless like water... -
Roses and Skulls by L.M. Terry
Billie RoseGrowing up in a notorious motorcycle club sounds like fun, yeah?It was for a time. I was the Rebel Skull’s cherished and protected little MC princess. My childhood was storybook perfect. In my world, nothing bad existed. My days were spent on the back of my dad’s bike or playing in the woods with my grandfather. Together we battled bad guys and slayed dragons. And then tragedy struck... -
Lovely Vicious by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 52 ratings1.Don't talk about love. 2.Don't think about love. 3.Thinking and talking about love leads to Love, which is the enemy... For 17-year-old Isis Blake, the list has one goal: to ensure she never falls in love again. Ever. As Isis and her mom settle into their new home in Buttcrack-of-Nowhere, Ohio, Isis is rockin' the purple hair and a beat up old car..Categorized as:
love triangle alpha male strong heroine bad boys tortured heroine angst new adult other-man-woman -
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... -
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... -
Etched On My Heart by Samantha Young
To my siblings, Jane was a friend. A pseudo-sister, the girl we grew up with.To me? She was everything.Our passion consumed us.When our world fell apart, I thought our love would be the thing that held us together.She was the love of my life. But she abandoned me when I needed her most.And I'll never forgive her... -
Say the Word by Julie Johnson
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 32 ratings"The heart isn’t like the liver. It doesn’t regenerate, no matter how much time passes. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. I’d left mine with Sebastian when I walked away that day, and I hadn’t seen it in the seven years since." — Lux Kincaid At eighteen, Lux is forced to make a choice. One that nearly destroys her. She breaks a boy’s heart. She breaks her own, too... -
Flock by Kate Stewart
Can you keep a secret? I grew up sick. Let me clarify. I grew up believing that real love stories include a martyr or demand great sacrifice to be worthy. Because of that, I believed it, because I made myself believe it, and I bred the most masochistic of romantic hearts, which resulted in my illness...Categorized as:
angst bad boys new adult friends to lovers forbidden love grumpy sunshine alpha male age difference -
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Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker
Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie... -
Ruthless Princess by Rachel Van Dyken
A mafia romance about best friends turned enemies by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series.The enemy of my enemy is my friend…I never thought my father would ask this of me, to become the second generation at Eagle Elite University, to rule with an iron fist, and to take care of anyone who gets in our way.But ever since the incident...Categorized as:
new adult forbidden love strong heroine bad boys tortured hero alpha male angst friends to lovers -
Innocents by Mary Elizabeth, Sarah Elizabeth
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThe girl with an innocent heart knows all about bad choices, but has yet to make them for herself. Searching for freedom, she finds it in the delinquent down the hall. The troublemaker with summer-sky blue eyes knows he should stay away, but can’t resist the blissful wonder who makes his house a home. She’s a hopeless romantic. He’s just hopeless...Categorized as:
alpha male love triangle friends to lovers bad boys cheating forbidden love angst new adult -
Life of the Party by C. Erin Anderson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Mackenzie Taylor can't wait to be free from high school, to leave behind her disapproving parents and finally escape the shadow of her perfect older sister. The rebellious party girl has a perfect accomplice in best friend Riley, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks who scores them drugs, booze, and underage entry into the best club in town...Categorized as:
new adult love triangle bad boys friends to lovers angst tortured hero other-man-woman m-f -
Freak by Candace Wondrak
Things are a lot messier at Hillcrest than I believed. I can’t trust anyone, not even myself, and especially not the handsome students around me.HU was supposed to help me move on, be a fresh start, but then I walked into a feud between Sawyer and Declan. The hatred between them is palpable, and yet I find myself in the middle, somehow. And Travis? Don’t get me started on that one... -
Heartbreak Prince by C.R. Jane
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSoulmates. I believe in them. I was lucky enough to have two of them at one point.The only problem. My soulmates happened to be twin brothers.Caiden was the light to Jackson's dark. And after all that I had been through, the light was what I thought I needed.When I chose Caiden, I lost Jackson...
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