Books like 'Make Me Stay'
Readers who enjoyed Make Me Stay by Anna Cove also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary lesbian romance queer angst grumpy sunshine caretaking second chances found-family betrayal neurodivergent
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Above all Things by Roslyn Sinclair
The Carlisle saga continues…Aspiring writer Jules Moretti and iconic fashion editor Vivian Carlisle have been through the wringer.As Vivian’s personal assistant, Jules was there for her ice queen boss’s whims, commands, and the shocking discovery of her pregnancy. Just as shocking was Jules’s realization that she was falling hard for Vivian…and that the feeling was mutual...Categorized as:
caretaking competent heroine strong heroine poor heroine queer career professional f-f contemporary -
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
A long time ago, Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale used to be friends. They spent their childhood summers running through the woods, rebelling against their conservative small town, and dreaming of escaping. But then an incident the summer before high school turned them into bitter rivals. After graduation, they went ten years without speaking... -
These Thin Lines by Milena McKay
Some lines should never be crossed...In the heart of Paris, Chiara Conti is a Queen trapped in an Ivory Tower of haute couture, fortune and lovelessness. Lonely and dejected, she’s longing for inspiration, for direction, for understanding.When Vi Courtenay falls at her feet, losing her shoe like a veritable Cinderella, events are set in motion that will unravel their carefully fashioned lives... -
Unstoppable You by Chelsea M. Cameron
I’m over men. Officially. I gave Connor St. Clair EVERYTHING (you know what I mean) and he ended up “accidentally” in bed with a girl he picked up at the local bar. Now I’m single and ready to burn the world down, starting with his beloved truck. That’s when James St. Clair (Connor’s sister and my former middle school nemesis that I haven’t seen in years) appears in my Pilates class... -
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A Quick Stop in Paradise by Lily Seabrooke
Her boyfriend tried to cheat with the bartender. Now she wants her too.Ryan Bell is already anxious about her family vacation. Between family drama and arguments over her career change, the last thing she needs is her boyfriend trying to cheat on her with the resort bartender... -
Then & Now by Monica McCallan
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsLily Connor has focused all her energy into becoming a successful wedding planner, and after five years, she’s on the precipice of taking on more responsibility at Southerland Wedding Company. When the chance finally presents itself, it comes with a complication she couldn’t have dreamt up in her worst nightmares... -
Damaged Goods by Eliza Lentzski
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsNew from Eliza Lentzski: Damaged Goods – the sequel to Don’t Call Me Hero. The past few years had been difficult for former Marine, Cassidy Miller. She’d left the military, joined the Minneapolis city police, only to voluntarily remove herself from active duty... -
Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton
Two old friends, one hot summer, a whole load of confusion. Poppy Jenkins makes everyone smile. She’s the heart of Wells, a beautiful village in mid-Wales, leaving light and laughter in her wake. She has a doting family, an errant dog and a little sister with a nose for mischief...Categorized as:
second chances angst small town queer competent heroine f-f contemporary friends to lovers -
If the Shoe Fits by E.J. Noyes
Jana Fleischer loves her life—wonderful family, best sister in the world, awesome soon to be sister-in-law, fabulous job, and a never-ending stream of men to chew through and spit out...Categorized as:
caretaking competent heroine career professional queer f-f forced proximity contemporary bisexual -
Like First Love, Again: a sapphic romance by J.J. Arias
When the one who got away comes back...Real estate broker Tori Cruz has spent years building a life of structure and control — keeping her heart, and her past, carefully locked away. But when Mia Falcon, her childhood best friend and secret first love, crashes back into her life after fourteen years apart, everything Tori thought she buried comes rushing back.Mia didn’t mean to find Tori again... -
The Forever and The Now by K.J .
Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBron McIntyre, forty-two, has it all together. Terrific job. Loving family. No desperate need for a girlfriend but would be interested if one came along. Bron McIntyre is Teflon.Kate Agostino, forty-eight, is not Teflon. Yes, she has a terrific job. But a loving family? Not really. And her personal life is rapidly disintegrating and turning into dust... -
Cigar Club by J.A. Armstrong
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsFallon Foster is Whiskey Springs' self-proclaimed token lesbian. She isn't a token any longer. After her year-long affair with best friend, Andi Maguire ends, Fallon hopes to earn the trust and win the heart of the town's newest resident, Riley Main. Ghosts from the past still haunt Fallon and Riley. Informed by loss and betrayal, the pair endeavors to find their way to each other... -
Impulse Buy by Jae
Prickly emergency physician Regina has never liked romantic gestures, but when her girlfriend, ER nurse Ellie, surprises her with a gift right after Valentine’s Day, rejecting it is not an option.Little does she know the impulse buy will have unexpected consequences.“Impulse Buy” is a short story sequel to Jae’s lesbian romance Bachelorette Number Twelve... -
Patty's Potent Potion by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Shawna Haydel was sixteen years old, she dropped Ashton Guidry’s name into a potion that would supposedly make Ashton fall in love with her. She knew it was silly, but she clung to one irrational thread of hope their friend Patty’s concoction would grant her heart’s desire... -
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Dearly Unbeloved by Sophie Snow
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe needs a wife to secure a promotion. Her roommate needs a wife to claim her inheritance. A marriage of convenience is the perfect solution—if only they didn’t hate each other.Rose Cannon might not be thriving, but she’s doing her best. Her relationship with her family is rocky, she’s not great with people, and sometimes she can’t make herself get out of bed...Categorized as:
queer found-family marriage of convenience f-f bdsm from hate to love contemporary length-medium -
Separate Like Stars by Diana Kane
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsOn paper, Jordan Cohen has it all. With numerous bestsellers under her belt, a number of blockbuster movie adaptations to her credit, and a high profile relationship with one of Hollywood’s most prominent stars, what more could she possibly ask for? Maybe for Olivia Bradley, the only woman to ever break her heart, to exit her life as quickly as she’d re-entered it...Categorized as:
second chances angst queer f-f friends to lovers from hate to love contemporary audiobook -
Spindrift by Anna Burke
Can a hot summer fling mend the hearts of two broken women?Morgan Donovan had everything she ever wanted: a dream job as a large animal veterinarian, awesome friends, and a loving and supportive fiancée. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancée dumps her after realizing that Morgan’s job will always come first...Categorized as:
queer small town found-family strong heroine competent heroine career professional poor heroine f-f -
A Very Miller-Cooper Wedding by Erica Lee
Charlie Miller and Reagan Cooper have been through a lot in the three years since they started dating. What started as a fake dating scheme between Reagan and Charlie’s brother, Jamie, turned into an everlasting love affair between Charlie and Reagan instead.Now the two are engaged and finally ready to plan their dream wedding. The countdown is on - one year until their big day… finally...Categorized as:
queer found-family small town competent heroine f-f contemporary christmas length-short -
When We're Meant to Be by Skye Von Triessen
When Dr. Alexandra Edison’s world was ripped apart, the last thing she expected was to end up in a casual affair with Blake Westmore. Soon after she was forced to choose between her past and her present, when her strong sense of obligation forced her to leave the woman whom she shared one of the most unforgettable experiences with, and head back to L.A. to help the woman who broke her heart... -
Sprinkled in the Stars by Violet Morley
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAJ Beckett is just trying to get Parker, her seven-year-old autistic daughter, through life in one piece. As a paramedic, AJ puts others’ needs above her own; in her personal life, she keeps everyone an arm’s length away. That distance disappears when a chance run-in with actor Melanie Cooper leaves her sticky, angry, and fed up.Melanie Cooper has just signed her last movie...Categorized as:
neurodivergent queer f-f dual-pov contemporary single-mother age difference audiobook -
Something New by Jacqueline Ramsden
The “something new” at your sister’s wedding is supposed to be your sexuality, right?Thea Cooper is heading to her sister’s wedding in Montana for Christmas. The problem is that her ex is going to be there, and her mother is hoping they’ll rekindle their romance. All Thea wants is to enjoy the lodge, the holiday, and celebrate her sister...Categorized as:
queer found-family small town career professional competent heroine strong heroine christmas f-f -
Ordinary Love by Marie Rutkoski
A page-turning, irresistible novel of class, ambition, and bisexuality, this is the breathtaking story of a woman risking everything for a second chance at her first love.Emily has, by all appearances, a beautiful a townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, two healthy children, and a husband who showers her with attention... -
Thrust by Rachel Spangler
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsFencing prodigy Jess Kidman has always been ahead of her peers. At the age of thirteen she made the varsity team, won a state championship, came out, and fell head over heels in love with her team captain, Lauren Standish...Categorized as:
queer second chances small town competent heroine strong heroine contemporary sports f-f -
At Seventeen by Gerri Hill
Madison Lansford and Shannon Fletcher met when they were ten years old. Madison—daughter of wealthy parents and Shannon, daughter of their live-in maid and cook—became fast friends, yet both knew their place in life.There was never a doubt that they would become lovers . . . there was also never a doubt that Madison would marry and maintain her social standing in the community...Categorized as:
second chances angst queer contemporary f-f friends to lovers length-medium explicit-open-door -
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Loved and Lost by Stephanie Kusiak
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBlake Fortnier and Rachel Kaplan are the perfect couple. Fifteen years into a marriage that will seemingly last forever, a tragic accident tears them apart. After reaching the end of her rope, Blake is blessed with the chance to relive her life. She can right her wrongs, live life to the fullest and change the course of fate, or so she hopes... -
Call of Love by Lee Haven
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeparated by fear. Reunited by fate. Will they get a second chance at life and love?Parker Snow left home at nineteen after being abandoned by her family for loving her foster sister, Kate Cain. She joined the Marine Corps and has had little contact with her parents since. But when she’s transferred back to Washington D.C... -
Don't Quit Your Daydream by Adrian J. Smith
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWhat happens in the elevator doesn’t stay in the elevator. When Laura Finch’s business partner hires Skylar to bring their company to the next generation, Laura sees red. An obnoxious millennial isn’t someone she wants to work with—they’re known for failing their side hustles... -
Heal their Hearts by Claire Highton-Stevenson
Georgia Samuels lives her life with no commitments other than the love of her job, and the flashy little apartment overlooking the Thames. That is until tragedy strikes and her sister, Aston, and Aston's husband Ben are both killed when the plane they're returning home on crashes, leaving the family rocked, and three kids orphaned... -
Intersection: 10th Anniversary Edition by Nancy Ann Healy
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen FBI agent Alexis Toles was dispatched to New York to investigate threats sent to Congressman Christopher O’Brien, the last thing she expected to find was romance. But during her investigation, Alex finds herself in a love affair with the congressman’s ex-wife, all while discovering the convoluted conspiracy behind the threats... -
The Awkward Truth by Lee Winter
This funny opposites-attract lesbian romance digs up the awkward truth about what really matters in life.Ambitious ice queen and corporate lawyer Felicity Simmons has spent her life focused on one thing: scuttling up the career ladder. She’s achingly close to taking charge of a media empire for her boss when she’s sent to investigate a South Bronx charity that helps homeless people’s pets... -
Is It Casual Now? by Eada Friesian
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo ice queens meet for one steamy night. Will it all end when their night is no longer anonymous?Jamie Kettlehouse is known by many pen names, so when she picks up a mysterious woman at the bar, it’s just another fun night. Always career minded, Jamie publishes an article that goes viral, yet instead of pushing her career forward she’s on the verge of being fired...Categorized as:
strong heroine queer from hate to love age difference dual-pov contemporary f-f length-medium -
The Wrong Date Deal by Jacqueline Ramsden
Can the wrong date lead you to the right woman?Piper Sutton is looking for love and it’s not going well. After a string of dates, all she’s left with are odd stories to tell her friends, family, and strangers at the doctor’s office. But, when an unfortunately timed message leads her to August Carmicheal, she wonders if her luck is changing...Categorized as:
queer caretaking found-family small town career professional friends to lovers f-f length-medium -
Next Time by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsPayton Foret agrees to play wingwoman for her best friend. She never dreamed that when she walked into the bar that night that she’d meet her soul mate. Though their only physical contact was a simple handshake, Payton begins to believe in love at first sight. There’s only one problem—the woman of her dreams is already in a relationship with someone else... -
Lucky in Love by Cara Malone
Sometimes luck means landing exactly where you need to be.Jules Wakefield’s family has rescued rabbits for decades, but with her parents gone and her veterinary practice demanding all her time, Jules desperately needs a successor. She decides to run an essay contest – the winner must love bunnies...Categorized as:
queer found-family small town poor heroine competent heroine career professional f-f length-short -
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A Dare to Remember by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
Fifteen years ago, a game of Truth or Dare ended in a kiss that would forever change two women’s lives. Can they open up their hearts after years of hurt?After years away, Clara Chandler finds herself back in her Vermont hometown, nursing wounds from a shattered life in New York City...Categorized as:
queer grumpy sunshine second chances small town career professional f-f humor length-medium -
One Last Run by Bryce Oakley
Danica Wendell seems to have it all figured out. She’s a respected neonatologist at one of the finest hospitals in the nation, engaged to the man of her dreams, and living a life that most only dream about. Well, one of those things is true. The other? Well, that's her secret to keep for now.Petra “Pete” Pancott isn’t settling for an average life... -
The Secret of St. Claire by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsLighthearted romance, sweet and funny.Idyllic, quaint, and straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting is St. Claire, Louisiana—at least on the outside. Beneath the veneer, it’s anything but. That’s the secret of St. Claire. Born and raised in St. Claire, Lindsay Juneau’s life was seemingly full raising a six-year-old daughter and caring for her widowed mother... -
Heart Block by Melissa Brayden
Happily ever after is easier said than done…Sarah Matamoros can’t complain. After immigrating from Mexico when she was nine years old, she’s content with the life she’s made for herself in sunny San Diego. She works hard at her mother’s housecleaning service by day and spends the evenings with her quirky eight-year-old daughter, Grace... -
Passionate Rivals by Radclyffe
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOnetime lovers, unexpected rivals...Emmett McCabe never expected to see Sydney Stevens—a woman with whom she'd shared a brief, incendiary connection before it all went up in flames—again. Luckily, ascending the cutthroat ladder of a high-pressure surgery residency to reach the top spot makes it easy to ignore what's missing in her life. Then Sydney reappears after nearly five years... -
A Shot at Gold by Nicole Pyland
Elodie Booker was a phenomenon. No one had ever taken the sport of archery by storm the way she had. Trophies and accolades piled up around her even in her first years in the sport. Then, something terrible happened. She lost the only father figure she had ever known after losing person after person in her life... -
Before You Go by Melissa Tereze
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRyann Harris has everything she needs. A thriving tattoo studio and the woman she loves by her side.But Ryann’s world is turned upside down when she discovers lies and deceit.With the belief that she has no comeback, Ryann makes a drastic decision. She heads towards the river.And then she meets Lydia Nelson.Both are at the river railings for different reasons... -
Take Two by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThey were the perfect couple until pride got in the way…Gina needs Sophia Rossi, a popular actor, to be the grand marshal of the local Pride parade. Sophia needs to convince her meddling mother she has a steady girlfriend in order to survive a month of filming in her hometown... -
Lightning Strikes Twice by Erik Schubach
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsReturning home to Seattle from a twenty year absence in London...Victoria discovers that time has not erased her feelings for an unrequited love. It soon becomes obvious that with true love, lightning can sometimes strike twice.This is set in the same world as Music of the Soul but is a standalone book... -
Capture the Moment by KC Luck
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsSometimes all it takes to find love is a little courage.After being fired from her job and faced with a dwindling bank account, Jennifer Harris finds herself at a crossroads, uncertain of her next move. When her best friend suggests that she stay at a cabin on the edge of her family’s property for a few weeks, Jennifer reluctantly agrees... -
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The Summer You Were There Vol. 4 by Yuama, ゆあま
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAt the start of summer, Kaori suggested to her writer classmate Shizuku that they should pretend to date to give Shizuku material to write about. Together, they've not only gone on dates and grown closer, Kaori has also helped Shizuku face her past. But now, as Kaori sits in a hospital bed thanks to her chronic illness, she tells Shizuku that they should break-up. Shizuku is shocked... -
A Game Of Two Hearts by Iona Kane
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsTess Kennedy isn’t where she thought she’d be at forty-six. She’s focusing on keeping things together as a single parent as she returns to a town that holds mixed memories. As she tries to build a new life for her family, she’s relieved that she’s finally in control of her own destiny. The last thing she’s looking for is a relationship.Rowan Russell is living her regular, predictable life... -
The Christmas Inheritance by Addison Clarke
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCharlie Monroe loves everything about Baxter Tree Farm. From the smell of the pine trees to the shimmer of Christmas lights, Charlie is at home on the farm. Having managed the farm since graduating high school, Charlie considers herself an expert on all things Christmas trees. Her dream is to continue to grow the place she loves so much and make it a must visit place in Maine... -
Amanda's Dragonfly by Alexi Venice
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom Amazon Bestselling Author Alexi VeniceAlexi Venice’s bestselling SAN FRANCISCO MYSTERY SERIES is a crime drama that tests the bonds of love and loyalty among Dr. Jen Dawson, Detective Tommy Vietti, and District Attorney Amanda Hawthorne. Amanda Hawthorne is a powerful District Attorney in San Francisco, defined by her beauty and own brand of justice... -
Making It: A Novel by Laura Kay
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the author of Wild Things comes a heartwarming and relatable queer rom-com about an isolated young woman whose artistic celebration of her pet chinchilla suddenly launches her into the professional art world, reality TV fame, and first love.Isobel's life is just her, her mum, and her pet chinchilla, Abigail, in their council flat on the Kentish coast... -
Against Doctor's Orders by Radclyffe
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsThere’d been a Rivers at the helm of Argyle Community Hospital for six generations, and Harper Rivers was set to take her father’s place whenever he decided to hang up his shingle. Unfortunately, the board of directors had other ideas—they accepted a buyout offer from a health care conglomerate with plans to close the hospital’s doors to the community that depended on it...Categorized as:
competent heroine strong heroine career professional queer f-f contemporary doctors boss & employee
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