Nothing makes me happier than sitting under the warm sun with a good book in hand. Spring break is approaching and if you, like me, love discovering new books to add to your reading list, here are 10 suggestions for you, all of which are spring break-worthy.
1. Where I Belong (Alabama Summer) by J. Daniels
Goodreads rating: 4.07/5
Genre: Romance, Adult
When Mia Corelli returns to Alabama for a summer of fun with her best friend, there’s only one thing keeping her on edge. One person she’d do anything to avoid. Benjamin Kelly: world’s biggest dickhead. Mia hates him and has no desire to ever see him again. When she decides to start her summer off with a bang and give away her v-card, she unknowingly hands it over to the one guy who excelled at making her life miserable, learning a valuable lesson in the process: always get the name of the guy you’re going home with…. Ben can’t get the girl he spent one night with out of his head. When she leaves him the next morning, he thinks he’ll never see her again, until he sees her lounging by the pool with his sister. Mia is determined to hate Ben, even though she can’t forget him. Ben is determined to prove he’s not the same guy he used to be. What happens when the one person you wish never existed becomes the one person you can’t imagine being without?
This is the perfect spring break book. I read it last summer within the span of a couple days and loved it. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll fall in love with the characters. The sequel just came out; I’ll definitely be reading it over spring break! (Side note: there are a lot of steamy sex scenes, just a fair warning.)
2. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
Goodreads rating: 4.42/5
Genre: Drama, Romance, YA
Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies… That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks memories from a past she wished could stay buried. Sky struggles to keep him at a distance, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky finds that Holder isn’t who he’s claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.
Best. Book. Ever. This is my ultimate favorite book. There are so many epic twists you will definitely not see coming. Have you ever heard of a book boyfriend? You know, the boy in the book you fall in love with just by reading about. You picture him in your head and everything. Yeah? Well, Dean Holder is my book boyfriend. Don’t start reading this book until you have nothing else to do because you will definitely not be able to put this one down. Once you’re done this book, you can read “Losing Hope”. It’s the same story, but from Holder’s perspective and is equally flawless.
3. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
Goodreads rating: 4.34/5
Genre: Romance, Drama, Contemporary
When Tate Collins meets Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the two rules Miles has for her: never ask about the past and don’t expect a future. They think they can handle it, but realize they can’t handle it at all. Hearts get infiltrated. Promises get broken. Rules get shattered. Love gets ugly.
Another amazing book written by Colleen Hoover. This was an enjoyable read, but there were some parts that bothered me because the main character doesn’t really stand up for herself. However, this is definitely a quick, easy book to enjoy over the break.
4. Wait for You by J. Lynn
Goodreads rating: 4.23/5
Genre: Romance, Adult, Contemporary
Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago — an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw attention to herself, and maybe make a few friends. The one thing she never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the future she’s building for herself. Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is everywhere. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed. But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she has no other choice but to acknowledge someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?
Remember that book boyfriend thing I mentioned earlier? Are you allowed to have more than one? If so, I’m definitely adding Cam to the list! I thought this book was really cute and also had a great storyline.
5. Unravel by Calia Read
Goodreads rating: 4.11/5
Genre: Suspense, Romance, Mystery, Contemporary, Adult
Six months ago, I was happy. I was simply Naomi Carrdine. One month ago, I was admitted into a psych ward. Yesterday, Lachlan visited me. Kissed me. And told me I’m starting to lose my mind. Hours later, Max haunted my thoughts, reminding me I’m not crazy and that he needs my help. A few minutes ago, I drifted further from reality, trying to unravel the past. And now everyone thinks I’m insane. But, I know he’s real, and I know he needs me. Do you believe me?
I love books that make you think. As soon as I finished this book, I started it over and read it again because it blew my mind once all the pieces of the puzzle came together. The narrator of the story is a patient in a psych ward, so everything is skewed and you have to pay close attention to figure out what’s real and what’s not. Definitely add this to your list. Oh, and let’s take a second to admire that beautiful cover!
6. Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
Goodreads rating: 4.12/5
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting stories of their lifetime together. Ira knows Ruth can’t possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and joys that defined their marriage. A few miles away, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about the change. Recovering from a recent break up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward – even life and death – loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans – a future Luke has the power to rewrite… if the secret he’s keeping doesn’t destroy it first. Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common and are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys beyond despair, beyond death to the farthest reaches of the human heart.
This is what I’ll be reading over spring break. My friend recommended it to me and the movie comes out in April! I always enjoy Nicholas Sparks books and what better way to spend your spring break than with a Nicholas Sparks novel in hand?
7. The Quickie by James Patterson
Goodreads rating: 3.8/5
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Lauren Stillwell is not your average damsel in distress. When the NYPD cop discovers her husband leaving a hotel with another woman, she decides to beat him at his own game. But her revenge goes dangerously awry, and she finds her world spiraling into a hell that becomes more terrifying by the hour. In a further twist of fate, Lauren must take on a job that threatens everything she stands for. Now, she’s paralyzed by a deadly secret that could tear her life apart. With her job and marriage on the line, Lauren’s desire for retribution becomes a lethal inferno as she fights to save her livelihood and her life.
Here’s another book you won’t be able to put down. Don’t judge this book by its name; it’s actually a thriller. Each chapter is about a page or two long, so you fly through the book. My roommate recommended this one to me, and she doesn’t ever read!
8. Honeymoon by James Patterson
Goodreads rating: 3.79/5
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
How does it feel to be desired by every man and envied by every woman? Wonderful. This is the life Nora Sinclair has dreamed about, the life she’s worked hard for, the life she will never give up. She doesn’t just attract men, she enthralls them. So why is FBI agent John O’Hara interested in Nora Sinclair? Mysterious things happen to people around her, especially the men. And there is something dangerous about Nora, something that lures O’Hara at the same time that it fills him with fear. Is something dark hidden in the gaps of her past? As O’Hara spends more time getting to know her, is he pursuing justice? Or just his own fatal obsession?
James Patterson really sucks at naming his books. If you pick up this book because the title entices you, then rethink that immediately. Another mystery with fast chapters, complex characters and a lot of twists you won’t see coming.
9. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Goodreads rating: 4.19/5
Genre: Romance, YA, College, Contemporary
The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One Night Stand. Travis Maddox, lean, cut and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.
I know I say this a lot, but I really loved this one. You won’t fall in love with Travis in the beginning, unless you are into the whole bad boy thing. However, you’ll soon realize he’s definitely book boyfriend-worthy! This is one I definitely recommend adding to the top of your list.
10. Wreck Me by J.L Mac
Goodreads rating: 4.12/5
Genre: Romance, Adult, Drama
Life can be cruel. People can be ruthless and evil. The world can be cold and uninviting. No one knows these things better than Josephine Geroux. By her own definition, she’s a twenty-five year old “nobody with nothing” and is content to stay that way. Growing up an orphan has made her tough and indifferent to the people around her until she meets a strangely familiar man with a face that haunts her for reasons she can’t understand. Despite the pain that will ensue, she makes it her mission to discover what parts of her tragic puzzle are missing. On her journey to discovering why she feels an alarming connection to a stranger, her greatest fear is reawakening the demons and darkness from the past that will surely overtake her if she lets her guard down. Little does Josephine know that the past should be the least of her worries. Before she realizes it, she has given herself over to the one person who is close enough to wreck her.
This is the first book in a trilogy. If you want to read something like Fifty Shades of Grey, without all the corniness and awful sex scenes, read this one! A seriously amazing story with some seriously amazing sex scenes. I need to read this one again soon.
So there you have it, everyone. I hope you check these out and love them as much as I did. Happy reading and enjoy your spring break! :)