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Dark academia

If We Were Villains
M. L. Rio · 2017
“Much like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, M. L. Rio’s sparkling debut is a richly layered story of love, friendship, and obsession...will keep you riveted through its final, electrifying moments.”<br/>―Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest<br/><br/>"Nerdily (and winningly) in love with Shakespeare…Readable, smart.”<br/>―New York Times Book Review<br/><br/>On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it.<br/><br/>A decade ago: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extras.<br/><br/>But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students’ world of make-believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent.<br/><br/>If We Were Villains was named one of Bustle's Best Thriller Novels of the Year, and Mystery Scene says, "A well-written and gripping ode to the stage...A fascinating, unorthodox take on rivalry, friendship, and truth."
Romance

A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime (Lancaster Prep)
Monica Murphy · 2022
New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy takes you back to the Lancaster Prep world with a sizzling enemies to lovers, new adult romance.<br/><br/>Wren Beaumont is many things.<br/>Beautiful.<br/>Smart.<br/>Sweet.<br/>Innocent.<br/>At Lancaster Prep, the girls love her. They all want to be her friend. Only I see Wren for who she really is.<br/>A repressed little virgin who keeps her feelings locked up so tight she’s probably close to bursting. She thinks she’s above us all.<br/>Even me.<br/>I shouldn’t be drawn to her. She’s not my type.<br/>Until we’re forced to work together in class and realize we might have more things in common than we originally thought. Soon enough I find myself completely obsessed. I will do anything for this girl to make her fall in love with me.<br/>Anything.

Check and Mate
Ali Hazelwood · 2024
Mallory Greenleaf ne veut plus jamais jouer aux échecs. Cette passion a détruit sa famille. La jeune femme se consacre désormais à son job de mécanicienne pour subvenir aux besoins de sa mère et de ses soeurs. Jusqu'au jour où elle accepte à contrecoeur un dernier tournoi. Face à elle, Nolan Sawyer, le Régicide, champion du monde en titre et bad boy prodige des échecs.Les coups s'enchaînent entre Mallory et ce rival mystérieux, exaspérant - et très attirant. La partie prend alors un tour... inattendu.

Love, Theoretically
Ali Hazelwood · 2023
"The reigning queen of STEM romance."—The Washington Post<br/><br/>An Indie Next and Library Reads Pick!<br/><br/>Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain.<br/><br/>The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.<br/><br/>Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job.<br/><br/>Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?

Heartstopper #1: A Graphic Novel (1)
Alice Oseman · 2020
<b>Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. <p><b>"Absolutely delightful. Sweet, romantic, kind. Beautifully paced. I loved this book." -- Rainbow Rowell, author of <i>Carry On</i></b></b><br></br>Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance. <p>But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.<br>

Spring Tide (Coastal University)
Ki Stephens · 2022
Fantasy

Zodiac Academy: The Awakening
Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti · 2021

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air Book 1)
Holly Black · 2018
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue. Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him--and face the consequences. In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, 2)
Sarah J. Maas · 2020
The seductive and stunning #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to Sarah J. Maas's spellbinding A Court of Thorns and Roses.<br/><br/>Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.<br/><br/>As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different people: one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.<br/><br/>Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.

Six of Crows
Leigh Bardugo · 2015
<p><b>See the Grishaverse come to life on screen with the Netflix series,<i> Shadow and Bone</i> -- Season 2 streaming now!</b><br><br><b>Meet Kaz Brekker and his crew: Jesper, Inej, Wylan, and the star-crossed Nina and Matthias, on the heist of a lifetime in <i>Six of Crows </i>from #1 bestselling author, Leigh Bardugo. </b><br><br> Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone. . . .<br><br> <i>A convict with a thirst for revenge.<br><br> A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.<br><br> A runaway with a privileged past.<br><br> A spy known as the Wraith.<br><br> A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. <br><br> A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. </i><br><br> Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.<br><br> <i>Six of Crows</i> by Leigh Bardugo returns to the breathtaking world of the Grishaverse in this unforgettable tale about the opportunity—and the adventure—of a lifetime.<br><br> Read all the books in the Grishaverse!<br><br> <b><u>The Shadow and Bone Trilogy </u></b><br> (previously published as The Grisha Trilogy)<br> <i>Shadow and Bone</i><br> <i>Siege and Storm</i><br> <i>Ruin and Rising</i><br><br> <b><u>The Six of Crows Duology</u></b><br> <i>Six of Crows</i><br> <i>Crooked Kingdom</i><br><br> <b><u>The King of Scars Duology</u></b><br> <i>King of Scars<br> Rule of Wolves</i><br><br> <i>The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic</i><br> <i>The Severed Moon: A Year-Long Journal of Magic<br> The Lives of Saints</i></p>

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, 1)
Rebecca Yarros · 2023

Powerless
Lauren Roberts · 2023
She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.<br/>He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.<br/><br/>Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.<br/>The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.<br/>Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.<br/>When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.
Rom-coms

She Drives Me Crazy
Kelly Quindlen · 2022
“A little sweet, a little sharp.” ―Booklist, starred review<br/><br/>High school nemeses fall in love in Kelly Quindlen's She Drives Me Crazy, a queer YA rom com perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Casey McQuiston.<br/><br/>After an embarrassing loss to her ex-girlfriend in their first basketball game of the season, seventeen-year-old Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, Irene Abraham, head cheerleader for the Fighting Reindeer.<br/><br/>Irene is as mean as she is beautiful, so Scottie makes a point to keep her distance. When the accident sends Irene’s car to the shop for weeks’ worth of repairs and the girls are forced to carpool, their rocky start only gets bumpier.<br/><br/>But when an opportunity arises for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex―and climb her school’s social ladder―she bribes Irene into an elaborate fake- dating scheme that threatens to reveal some very real feelings.<br/><br/>From author Kelly Quindlen comes a new laugh-out-loud romp through the ups and downs of teen romance, perfect for fans of Adam Silvera.

The Love Hypothesis
Ali Hazelwood · 2021
<b><b><b>The Instant <i>New York Times</i> Bestseller and TikTok Sensation!<br><br>As seen on THE VIEW!<br><br>A BuzzFeed Best Summer Read of 2021<br></b> <br>When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.</b></b><br><br>As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships—but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.<br><br>That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor—and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.<br><br>Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

Better Than the Movies
Lynn Painter · 2021
A USA TODAY and New York Times bestseller<br/><br/>Perfect for fans of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, this “sweet and funny” (Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks) teen rom-com follows a hopelessly romantic teen girl and her cute yet obnoxious neighbor as they scheme to get her noticed by her untouchable crush.<br/><br/>Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet.<br/><br/>The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.<br/><br/>But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own ideas of what Happily Ever After should look like.

The Cheat Sheet: A Novel
Sarah Adams · 2022

I Hope This Doesn''t Find You
Ann Liang · 2024
Sadie Doesn't Have To Hold Back In Her Email Drafts Because Nobody Will Ever Read Them ... That Is, Until Someone Sends Them Out. Seventeen-year-old Sadie Wen Is Perfect On Paper. It’s A Reputation She’s Fought Hard To Earn At The Highly Prestigious Woodvale Academy, And One She’s Determined To Maintain Until Graduation. The Trick To Keeping Her Model-student-smile Plastered On Her Face At All Times? She Channels All Her Petty Frustrations Into Her Email Drafts. One For The Math Teacher Who Refused To Round Her Eighty-nine-point-nine Percent Up To Ninety; One For The Girl Who Blatantly Copied Her Science Project And Took The Credit For It. But Most Of Her Vehemently-worded Emails Are For Her Smug, Infuriating Co-captain, Julius Gong, Who’s Been The Sharpest Thorn In Her Side Ever Since They Were Kids. Sadie Never Meant For These Emails To Get Out ... But Now Her Whole Life Is About To Change... From The Author Of This Time It's Real Comes Another Own-voices Love Story With A High-concept Twist Perfect For Fans Of Jenny Han And Crazy Rich Asians Gorgeously Page-turning And Endlessly Readable, I Hope This Doesn't Find You Is Perfect For Booktok And The Netflix Generation
Mystery

Fear Street Super Thriller: Party Games & Don't Stay Up Late
R. L. Stine · 2015

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Holly Jackson · 2021
THE MUST-READ MULTIMILLION BESTSELLING MYSTERY SERIES • This is the story about an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you'll never expect. Coming to Netflix soon!<br/><br/>Everyone in Fairview knows the story.<br/><br/>Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.<br/><br/>But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?<br/><br/>Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.<br/><br/>And don't miss the sequel, Good Girl, Bad Blood!<br/><br/>"The perfect nail-biting mystery." —Natasha Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling author
GOD TIER

The Mindf*ck Series
S. T. Abby · 2019
This is the entire series put into one book. Paperback edition.They took too much.Left too little.I had nothing to lose...until him.*****************~Lana~I didn't expect him.I didn't want to fall in love.But I can't let him go.Logan Bennett makes the world a safer place.He's brilliant.He's a hero.He locks away the sick and depraved.But while he's saving lives, I'm taking them. Collecting the debts that are owed to me.Ten years ago, they took from me. They left me for dead.They should have made sure I stayed dead.Now I'm taking from them.One name at a time.I've trained for too long.I've been patient.I can't stop now.Revenge is best served cold...They never see me coming, until I paint their walls red.Logan doesn't know how they hurt me. He doesn't know about the screams they ignored. He doesn't know how twisted that town really is.He just knows people are dying.He doesn't know he's in love with their killer.No one suspects a dead girl.And Logan doesn't suspect the girl in his bed.They're looking for a monster.Not a girl who loves red.Not a girl in love.I'm a faceless nightmare.At least until I tell them the story they've pretended never happened.But in the end, will Logan choose them? Or will we watch them burn together?**Graphic**Adult language**Some triggers could be too much for the easily disturbed reader**Sexual content**Fucked up moral compass; read at your own risk.

Daisy Jones And The Six
Taylor Jenkins Reid · 2020
A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup.<br/><br/>Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six: The band's album Aurora came to define the rock 'n' roll era of the late seventies, and an entire generation of girls wanted to grow up to be Daisy. But no one knows the reason behind the group's split on the night of their final concert at Chicago Stadium on July 12, 1979 . . . until now.<br/><br/>Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it's the rock 'n' roll she loves most. By the time she's twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.<br/><br/>Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she's pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.<br/><br/>Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.<br/><br/>The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.
