Despite years of abuse by a close family member, Maya is starting to learn the meaning of trust and love with the help of her new family. She's made friends, loves her adopted brothers, and is even growing closer to a boy at school despite the alarms ringing in her head. But as Maya knows, just when things start to feel right is usually when they begin to go wrong. When she finds out that someone is following her and wants to see her fairytale ending go up in flames, will she rely on those around her or handle it herself as she has had to do her whole life? Maya struggles to navigate high school, older brothers, and PTSD/anxiety that tell her she doesn't deserve happiness. She knows now that she is not just a victim, but with the world and people from her past seemingly out to get her, who will she become? Reviews from readers: "This is such an amazing book I enjoyed every word. WHEN IS BOOK THREE OUT OMG?" (it's out now) "It's one of the best series of books I have ever read." "I need more!! You have done such a good job on this story. The emotions and characters are all down to point."

After the tragic death of her mother, Skylar is forced to move in with her 5 older brother, who she has never met before. With the new wealth, loss of her mother, and separation from her best friend, Skylar is lost and doesn't understand her place in the world. With her dark past how will she ever recover and truly belong into this new family?

Fifteen-year-old Ainsley Myers doesn't look like someone who's afraid. She's loud, sharp, and sarcastic. The kind of girl who fills silence with humor and defiance, who keeps people laughing just far enough away that they never get too close. Where her twin sister Athena learned to move gently through the world, Ainsley learned to hit it first, using noise, wit, and distance as armor. Athena was protected. Ainsley was not. Athena grew up kind, soft-spoken, and trusting, never fully knowing the depth of what her sister endured, only sensing that something was wrong. Ainsley never told her. Not because she didn't love her, but because she didn't know how to explain it. Because the worst parts didn't feel explainable. Because silence felt safer than truth. When their current foster dad is arrested, everything they believe about their lives collapses. They weren't abandoned. They were stolen. Waiting for them is a family that never stopped searching: a father who left space at the table, brothers raised on stories and hope, and a home built on patience instead of punishment. For Athena, the return feels like a chance to finally breathe. For Ainsley, it feels like danger. Because sarcasm doesn't survive gentleness. Armor doesn't work in a house built on patience. And distance becomes impossible in a family that refuses to give up on you. As Athena begins to settle into safety, Ainsley resists closeness with jokes, walls, and emotional deflection. But the longer this family stays, the harder it becomes to pretend she doesn't care. The harder it becomes to keep fighting a world that no longer looks like a threat. Surrounded by people who don't demand, don't push, and don't leave, Ainsley must face the one truth she's spent her life outrunning: That maybe she doesn't have to be loud to be safe. That maybe she doesn't have to be sharp to survive. And that love doesn't have to hurt to be real.

Erika Kingsley fits the stereotype: blonde hair, blue eyes, rich dad. In definition: the spoiled blonde brat. But she isn't. The real her wants to be accepted, but can she in a very judgemental, ignorant world? Her family is portrayed as perfect in the media, but behind the camera, Erika is a completely different story. She's grown up in the facade of perfection and happiness. She may seem happy, but she yearns for something to save her from the battle she has with herself in her own mind. Lucas Perry fits the other stereotype: invisible, loner, smart, middle-class. In definition: the dejected loser of the social ladder. However, there is more to this new kid and why he puts on a 'I'm smarter than all of you' façade. As they say, a lack of confidence and happiness can manifest itself into arrogance and some serious irritation. As the stereotype goes, two worlds collide. But soon after, they find the other to be the same. Two people who need someone; someone to pull them away from the inner demons that hold them hostage. They both needed to be saved from their most challenging force: themselves. *TRIGGER WARNING:READ AT YOUR OWN RISK* This book contains serious topics such as anxiety, panic attacks, disability, addictive substances, depression, mental illness, self-harm, and suicide.

[DISCONTINUED] Isabel Scott returns home from boarding school for her senior year of high school after being sent away because she got caught selling marijuana. She knew coming back to Whitewood High would be hard, but she never imagined it to be this hard. She is forced to face her family, her ex-boyfriend, her old best friends, her worst enemies, and a reputation that seems to follow her wherever she goes. But when Isabel and her old family friend, Nick Parker, start to connect again, she begins to find herself trusting him more than she would like to.

Kate Blanchard rarely goes outside of her comfort zone - especially when it comes to boys. Between her younger sister who's desperately trying to find herself and her mother who can't get out of bed, boys are the last thing Kate needs to think about. But when she finds herself staring into the captivating eyes of JD Whitmore, he becomes the only thing she CAN think about. When she's with him, every worry in her life begins to fall away and it seems as though JD is the only thing keeping her together. But the more she gets to know him, the more Kate begins to struggle to stay afloat. And maybe, just maybe, JD is drowning her in more than just love. ~ ~ ~ PREVIEW: His eyes narrowed at my upward turned lips, and I quickly tried to mask it with a frown. It was too late though. His clasp on my chin tightened, so hard I almost jerked away. "Do you find this funny, Katie?" I tried to say "no," but my lungs were so deflated and his grip on my chin was so tight that I think all that came out was a moan or mumble. His eyes, positioned right in front of me, were like two mesmerizing whirlpools, sucking me in. In a resolute, velvety voice, he said, "Good." Then, he snapped my entire head to the side with just a flick of his wrist so he had easier access to press his lips against my ear. Tightening his grip even more firmly around my chin, his other hand came up to wrap around my clavicle, his long, strong fingers creating cavities near the nape of my neck. "Because the next time you refer to yourself as boring or plain or average," he growled. "I won't be so forgiving." ~ ~ ~ ***TRIGGER WARNING*** This book contains overall themes and specific scenes of abuse and assault. Please read at your own risk. If you are currently in an abusive relationship, or find yourself relating to the abusive aspects of this story in any way, please know that you are NOT ALONE and there is help available. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 Lots of love to you all.

Everyone thought Ellura was just quiet... Until the day she called Noah-her voice shaking, barely a whisper. He ran to find her, but what he found in that cafeteria? Blood. Bruises. Silence. And a truth she still can't speak.

Seventeen-year-old Aria has a good life - a loving mom, a stepdad she adores, and a group of friends who make every day feel alive. Between school chaos, laughter, and late-night talks, Berlin feels like home. But everything changes the day two new boys transfer to her school. Their stares linger too long. Their questions feel too personal. And when one of them calls her by a name she doesn't recognize - a name she hasn't heard before - her world begins to fracture. What Aria doesn't know is that she isn't who she thinks she is. She was taken when she was two years old - torn from a family bound by loyalty, danger, and blood. Now her past has finally found her. As secrets unravel and shadows from the underworld close in, Aria is forced to question everything - her family, her identity, and the price of the truth waiting for her in the dark.

Finished; September 13th 2019 #10 abuse #10 teenfiction #8 stepdad #6 hope #3 badboys #3 broken #1 escape #1 goodgirl #1 hate #1 stepbrother #1 youngadult #1 school Reading List Featured - Teen Fiction ~ Despite all the fear, panic and the voice inside her, Hayden Kendricks still sent that one message to Parker Graham, the university girl offering her a room. After one year of hell, nightmares and pain, she's completely done. She's desperate for a room on the other side of the country with one simple demand; that her host is a female. So when she ends up being a he, what does Hayden do? During the wait to switch place, she grows quite attached to the care, kindness, humor, simplicity and courage the five boys show her. She grows attached to the stubbornness and love that feed their will not to give up on including her in everything. So what happens when the paralyzing book of her nightmares once more opens and is read out loud for not only her, but now, also those five boys? Easy. She tries running away again. But... She underestimates the love that those boys have towards her, because they're willing to do everything and anything, except letting her go. Except letting her remain broken. They're gonna do everything and anything, to Fix Her. And who knows? Maybe, despite the lies, the broken hearts, tears, and that one man behind everything, things can get better? Maybe, the strong love of five boys, each one different from the other, can force its way through the thick walls around Her? Or maybe... Fear will end up being stronger than love?

Ivana grew up alone. She was alone since the day she was born and she was sure she would also die alone. Without anyone by her side she struggled to make a living, till one day two men stood infront of her door, claiming to be her brothers. Getting to meet her overwhelmed father, her overprotective older brothers and the obsessed man from the rival mafia, Ivana didn't know how to feel nor act anymore. Experiencing love and care for the first time, the feeling of finally belonging isn't the only thing Ivana will have to get used to.