[Note from Frolic: We are so excited to welcome Monica Murphy to the site to talk about her love of new adult books! Take it away Monica!]
Seven years ago, I self-published One Week Girlfriend, my first new adult book that took off and eventually became a USA Today and New York Times bestseller. I had no idea this was going to happen. I already had a decent career writing contemporary romance under my other pen name, Karen Erickson, and I was perfectly happy. But then…
I read a bunch of self-published books—wait, I devoured a bunch of self-published books that were amazing, and every single one of them was new adult. They were fast paced, full of angst, and the cliffhangers, OMG! (Abbi Glines and Jessica Sorensen, I’m looking at you). Colleen Hoover’s Hopeless left me crying. Jenn Sterling’s The Perfect Game had me enraged (he cheated on her!), yet I rooted for them to end up together.
They were romances, but they felt like so much more. At that particular time, they definitely weren’t the standard fare you picked up at the bookstore or bought from publishers. They were different. Exciting. Not only did I love reading them, I really wanted to write one, and the idea came to me so quickly. I furiously wrote One Week Girlfriend in little over a week and self-published it everywhere I could.
And now here I am, still writing new adult all these years later, but it’s a little different now. I’ve noticed that a lot of NA that’s popular is set in high school (like my upcoming release, Close to Me. ~* Shameless plug alert over *~). So similar ages/timeline, just different settings, different issues (somewhat). Still a lot of fun to write and to read. I have a few favorites I’ve read recently I’d like to mention, so let’s do this!
Broken Knight by L.J. Shen
Of course, I have to mention this book. L.J. Shen is the current master of new adult and this book has it all. Angst. Sadness. Sexy times. I loved being in Knight’s head, his voice was so unique. Who else is anxiously awaiting the release of Angry God? *raises hand*
The Trouble with You by L.A. Cotton
Okay, this story the epitome of enemies to lovers. They hated each other with a passion, but you know they always say there’s a thin line between love and hate. Plus she’s his best friend’s sister (a favorite trope of mine), so they’re really not supposed to be together, yet of course they are! This is the first book in the Rixon Raiders series—and I’m gearing up to read book two ASAP! (like seriously I just bought it yesterday)
Cruel Boy by Clarissa Wild
Another enemies to lovers new adult story. Rich boy with a big secret and the girl who knows all about it. He’s a bully, he says the worst things, yet he’s drawn to her despite it all, and she feels the same exact way. There are all sorts of twists and turns in this story (cheating parents! Mean girlfriends!) and I enjoyed every word.
Nothing But Wild by P. Dangelico
This one is set in college (Malibu University to be exact) and it is so good. Sweet girl helps out big man on campus who’s in trouble and they become close friends…with amazing sexual chemistry so you know what happens next. Their love story felt authentic and made me swoon. This is the second book in the Malibu University series and can be read as a standalone.
Those are just the ones I’ve read most recently. There are more lined up on my Kindle (my TBR is never ending, and I know plenty of you reading this can relate), and there are more lined up in my head—as in, I’ll be writing more. So here’s to new adult romance! May it live long and prosper!
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
About the Author:
Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both a traditionally published author and an independently published author. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance. She is also USA Today bestselling romance author Karen Erickson.
She is a wife and a mother of three who lives with her family in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere, along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through many angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA. Find her here: https://www.monicamurphyauthor.com/
Close to Me by Monica Murphy, out today!
Asher Davis. My first crush.
My first kiss.
The boy who ripped my heart out of my chest again and again. Over and over. I let him have it every single time.
Willingly.
We are that toxic high school couple you hear about, the one you witness in the hallway as they avoid each other. You laugh at them in class when they’re forced to work together, their gazes full of hatred. We are the couple you gossip about when they win homecoming prince and princess their sophomore year…
The back and forth is what kills me the most. I’m not his princess, I’m the girl he toys with when he’s bored. And he’s definitely not my prince, no matter how badly I want him to be.
Finally it’s our senior year and we’re months away from never having to see each other again when disaster strikes—and brings us closer together. All it takes is one touch, and I’m burning for Ash. Hotter than I ever have.
But will that burn turn into a devastating fire? Or can we actually make it work this time?
