Shortlisted for the Wattys 2025! When Eden Devereaux transfers to Phillips Academy for her senior year, she has one goal: to prove herself as an investigative journalist and secure her future in the field. So when the opportunity to be published in The New York Times arises, she sets her sights on a story no one else dares to touch: the recent death of Malia Carter. Malia was sixteen, beloved by the elite Hillside community, and her death-an apparent overdose at a party-left behind more questions than answers. The police ruled it accidental, but the scene told a different story: bloody handprints on the walls, a shattered mirror, and Marcus Carter-Malia's brother-found at the scene, covered in blood. At first, Eden thinks she's chasing a simple exposé. But the deeper she digs, the more tangled the story becomes-grief, guilt, and the lengths people go to protect the ones they love. As secrets unravel, Eden finds herself forced to confront uncomfortable truths: about Malia, about Hillside, and about herself. Her ambition brought her here, but at what cost? Because some stories aren't about answers-they're about what's left unsaid. And sometimes, the truth is the hardest thing to face.

Shortlisted for the 2025 Wattys. Admiral Arden Lexington has spent most of her life hunting pirates. After losing her family to them as a child, she joined the International Pirate Hunters Fleet, a powerful naval militia loyal not to any crown, but to the Admiral who commands it. Intelligent, disciplined, and respected across the sea, Arden has built her life around duty and revenge. When James Morgan, a man from her past, is rescued from a shipwreck and placed under her command as Master of Arms, the careful distance Arden has maintained begins to falter. The boy she once cared for has returned as a man, and he quietly challenges the choices that have shaped her life. He does not ask her to forget what happened, but he makes her wonder whether there might be more living for than vengeance. With enemies closing in and loyalties tested, Arden must decide whether to continue down the path she has always known or allow herself to consider a different future.

When the spirit of a comatose man shows up in front of her, Alexis Howard is determined to help him find his identity. Little does she know, she's about to get sucked into a world of secrets, lies, and murder. *** Alexis Howard can see the dead. A gift that has done her more harm than good. Having been forced to move into a strange small town because of it, Alexis vows to cut all contact with the world of the dead. It's easy at first, especially since there don't seem to be any ghosts in Casa Nova. That is until a comatose patient of hers shows up as one. No, he's not dead. He's just semi-dead. And he has no idea who he is. Oh, and the police think he's a cold-blooded criminal who's involved in the disappearance of a 17-year-old girl. Believing otherwise, Alexis decides to help the spirit find his identity and becomes embroiled in the search for the missing girl. Her investigation also leads to a meeting with a peculiar cat, who seems to be much older than she looks. Just what exactly is the connection between the three? What kind of a cat gets shot and shows up without so much as a scratch a few days later? More importantly, who is John Doe?

In a war over the food court, an eager barista battles the confident competitor--and her own heart. *** Young barista Cora Chun takes pride in being a Cool Bean, even after years without a promotion. So when Farron Kam, the younger assistant manager of the competing smoothie shop, flaunts her hatred for her job, Cora is determined to crush her to a pulp. What she doesn't expect is for Farron to take her up on the challenge. With that declaration of war, the two begin a battle over the food court: who can serve the most customers, who can close up the fastest, who can grab the last loaf of bread at the supermarket... But as the rivalry begins to blend with romance, Cora has to decide if she is fighting a battle over beverages, or one over her own heart. *** Cover by the great @KateNotGreat! NOW SERVING: ✓ Sapphic workplace rivals-to-lovers ✓ Genderfluid love interest (with a cool tattoo) (and a motorcycle) ✓ First love and found family ✓ Opposites attract with a height difference ✓ PUNS GALORE FEATURED: ★ The Wattys 2025 Shortlist ★ @Wattpad Community Pride Recs, Love Games ★ @FreeTheLGBT Pride Awards 2024 - Second Place ★ @Ambassadors Ambassador Reads, @ChickLit Serialized Spotlight, @ContemporaryLit, @lgbtq Word Count: +90k Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romcom, Comedy, New Adult Narrative: Third Person Limited, Past Tense ☆ This story is only available on Wattpad by @laurendoubleu

TweetyWolf (n): someone who pretends to be someone else on TweetyGram to scam others out of their money. *** When 22-year-old aspiring crime journalist Lindsey Darling signs up for the popular social media app TweetyGram, she has only one goal in mind: find a fresh, crime-related story to report. An unexpected reunion with her childhood friends leads her to the hunt for the mysterious Malibu Wolf, who has been scamming die-hard fans of the hit TV show Malibu, 90265. But what begins as a routine investigation quickly turns into a wild-goose chase for perfection, and the more time Lindsey spends on TweetyGram, the more chaotic her life becomes. Soon, she finds herself posing as her annoyingly handsome neighbor's fake girlfriend, pretending to be a member of the Maccheronian royal family, and babysitting an influencer cat. Oh, and then there's that green-eyed monster in her head. With the stakes getting higher and higher, can Lindsey catch the Malibu Wolf and survive the cutthroat world of social media? *** ❤ The Ambys 2024 Favorite - Humor ❤️ Wattys 2025 Shortlist

In 2035, justice has become a spectacle, and Rebecca is the newest player in Live, the world's most infamous reality show. The rules are simple: win over the audience with your social media posts or face deadly battles in the arena, broadcast live for the world to see. Rebecca doesn't know how to navigate this brutal mix of survival and performance. Then she meets Reese, a self-made pop icon whose charisma and cunning have made him a fan favorite. At first, he offers her an alliance. But as the show pushes them to their limits, their bond shifts into dangerous territory, caught between attraction, strategy, and betrayal. Now they face something neither expected: genuine, raw emotion, exposed before an audience hungry for degradation. In Live, where love is just another weapon, their connection might save them or break them beyond repair. --- This story starts quiet. It doesn't stay that way. The more you read, the more violent, twisted, and unhinged it becomes. If you're under 18 or looking for comfort, don't read this. --- What to Expect: • A character-driven psychological thriller • Slow-burn, emotionally intense romance • Morally gray leads and manipulation games • Surveillance, control, and emotional warfare • Less action mechanics, more internal conflict and power shifts A story about performance, punishment, and the dangerous desire to be seen.

Detective Evelyn Hart is a seasoned investigator with a sharp mind and a haunted past. Years ago, she failed to catch a killer who left cryptic messages at every crime scene. Now, a new string of murders has begun, each more chilling than the last, and the messages have returned. The killer seems to know Evelyn's every move, taunting her with personal details only someone close to her could know. As Evelyn delves deeper into the case, she uncovers a web of secrets that ties the victims together-a secret society operating in the shadows of the city. The society's members are powerful, and their influence reaches into the highest levels of government and law enforcement. Evelyn must navigate a treacherous path, unsure of whom to trust, as she races against time to stop the killer before they strike again. The story explores themes of justice, obsession, and redemption, with twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Evelyn's journey is as much about solving the case as it is about confronting her own demons and finding closure for the mistakes of her past.

✨Shortlisted for the WATTYS 2025!!✨ Lesley and Nick Livingston leave the hustle and bustle of the big city of New York. Trading in the daily sky-scraper sightings and the sounds of blowing car horns for serene days and quiet nights in the small, tranquil town of Arcaden in upstate New York. But little do they know, beneath the glistening waters lies a dark secret, a haunting mystery that is waiting to be unraveled. Their lake house was supposed to be a dreamy haven of relaxation and peace. Until the somber history of the house begins to awaken with the spirit of a dead soul. The daughter of the previous owners, Leah Meyers, supposedly drowned there. This tragedy doesn't deter Lesley, though; she's hopeful she can turn the lake house into a charming and cozy home. However, very eerie occurrences begin to unfold right before her eyes. Lesley senses an ethereal presence, and soon she is visited by a ghostly figure whom she believes to be Leah Meyers herself. Lesely feels unsettled, and her sanity slowly begins to fray. Her once promising photography career spirals toward collapse. Things go from bad to worse when Nick goes missing, leaving Lesley to grapple with both the haunted lake house, the strange ghostly sightings around Arcaden and Nick's disappearance. The clock continues to tick, and time is slowly running out. Will Lesley unravel the mysteries that are lurking beneath the lake house? And will Nick be found before it's too late? FEATURED: @Mystery (Amateur (Sleuth)) @Fright (Creatures & Zombies)

[[Wattpad 2025 Shortlist]] Neo and Charlie are back, and there's a new mystery for them to solve. Bernard Malevich, a secondary school science teacher, is found murdered in his classroom at the exclusive private school Haverish Hall. Only his death is a impossible. Pasts collide, and secrets crash into the open, as Neo and Charlie try to figure out their new future together, but will their happy ending be brought to an abrupt end?

[2025 Wattys Shortlist] After getting cut off by her wealthy, business-obsessed parents, Emily Grayson finds herself broke, stranded in a small town, and working at a boba café, something she never imagined in her wildest dreams. Her first days on the job are a disaster, her patience (and Jake Sherlind's) running thinner than the tapioca pearls she keeps burning. Jake, the charming yet hardworking guy with big dreams, has no patience for entitled rich girls who don't know how to hold a job. But when Emily starts proving him wrong, their tension brews into something neither of them expected. Between spilled drinks, late-night confessions, and an orange stray cat that won't leave the back door, Emily begins to wonder... maybe losing everything was exactly what she needed to find herself. A small-town rom-com about growth, second chances, and love that's better steeped with time.