Recommendations based on "Hard Pressed"

All twenty-year-old Daisy Haites has ever wanted is a normal life, but as the heiress to London’s most notorious criminal empire, it’s just not in the cards for her.Raised by her older brother, Julian, after their parents were murdered, Daisy has never been able to escape the watchful gaze of her gang-lord brother. But Julian’s line of work means that Daisy’s life is . . . complicated.And things don’t become any easier when she falls hard for the beautiful and emotionally unavailable Christian Hemmes, who happens to be one of the few men in London who doesn’t answer to Julian.Christian’s life is no walk in the park either, since he’s in love with his best friend’s girlfriend, Magnolia Parks.He’s happy enough to use Daisy to throw off the scent of his true affections—until she starts to infiltrate those, too.As their romance blossoms into something neither was anticipating, Daisy and Christian must come to terms with the fact that in this life everything comes at a price. Relationships intersect and tangle, and Daisy, Christian, and Julian will learn that sometimes life’s most worthwhile pursuits can only be paid in blood.

Tilla has spent her entire life trying to make her father love her. But every six months, he leaves their family and returns to his true the island of Jamaica.When Tilla's mother tells her she'll be spending the summer on the island, Tilla dreads the idea of seeing him again, but longs to discover what life in Jamaica has always held for him. In an unexpected turn of events, Tilla is forced to face the storm that unravels in her own life as she learns about the dark secrets that lie beyond the veil of paradise - all in the midst of an impending hurricane.Hurricane Summer is a powerful coming of age story that deals with colorism, classism, young love, the father-daughter dynamic--and what it means to discover your own voice in the center of complete destruction.

A STYLIST BEST NEW RELEASE OF 2025 'This summer's smart beach read' GRAZIA, '25 Things for 2025' 'Profoundly moving' EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL, bestselling author of STATION ELEVEN 'A sweeping, decades-spanning tale of queer desire' MARIE CLAIRE 'Almost unbearably beautiful' EMILIA HART, bestselling author of WEYWARD 'Had me hooked from the first page' JENNIE GODFREY, bestselling author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS _________________________________________________________________________ There's no such thing as an ordinary love story When Emily catches sight of Gennifer Hall at a party, she is transported back to the moment they fell in love as teenagers. Their connection was electric, and they thought it was forever. Twenty years later, Gen is an Olympic runner, the career she strived for, while Emily is living a picture-perfect life: Manhattan townhouse, two young children and a wealthy husband, Jack. But Jack's controlling behaviour is spiralling, and Emily has lost sight of who she once was. Now, despite Emily's fracturing marriage and the pressures of Gen's career, they are drawn back together by a magnetic attraction. After years of heartbreak, missed chances and misunderstandings, will they finally get a second chance at first love? A sweeping love story about desire, friendship, mistakes and the possibility of second chances, for fans of The Paper Palace and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow _________________________________________________________________________ 'I loved this moving, tender story about lost love and second chances' RED 'Immersive and insightful' LISA OWENS, author of NOT WORKING '[A] raw, gorgeous debut' THE i PAPER 'A tender romance' WOMAN & HOME 'A gorgeously written love story' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'Shining with rare clarity' SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINE READERS ARE ALREADY RAVING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'So raw and so real . . . If there's one book you read this year, it should be this one' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I absolutely devoured this one . . . You will want to clear your afternoon to read this one straight through' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The characters were so real that I miss them now the book's over. This novel is one for the ages' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Boy did this pack a punch, have a box of tissues by your side - you will need these' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Sexy and sensual . . . I found myself not wanting to stop reading' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'So emotionally wrecked by this book [that I'm] still thinking about it obsessively months later' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I fell in love with this story and these characters right from the beginning'

Just Listen is a captivating young adult novel about learning to forgive and forget from New York Times Number One bestseller Sarah Dessen, author of The Truth About Forever and Lock and Key, Sarah Dessen.I'm Annabel. I'm the girl who has it all. Model looks, confidence. A great social life. I'm one of the lucky ones. Aren't I?My 'best friend' is spreading rumours about me. My family is slowly falling apart. It's turning into a long, lonely summer, full of secrets and silence.But I've met this guy who won't let me hide away. He's one of those intense types, obsessed with music. He's determined to make me listen. And he's determined to make me smile. But can he help me forget what happened the night everything changed?Sarah Dessen is the author of stunning teen novels: The Truth About Forever, Along for the Ride, Lock and Key, That Summer and What Happened to Goodbye. She lives in the countryside in North Carolina with her daughter, husband, some lizards and two very spoilt dogs - read her once and fall in love.

From acclaimed author E. L. Shen comes a sun-drenched, cinematic YA novel about three Asian American girls, their unbreakable bond, and one life-changing summer, perfect for fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.Best friends Jia Lee, Ariel Kim, and Everett Hoang are inseparable. But this summer, they won’t be together.Everett, aspiring Broadway star, hopes to nab the lead role in an Ohio theater production, but soon realizes that talent and drive can only get her so far. Brainy Ariel is flying to San Francisco for a prestigious STEM scholarship, even though her heart is in South Korea, where her sister died last year. And stable, solid Jia will be home in Flushing, juggling her parents’ Chinatown restaurant, a cute new neighbor, and dreams for an uncertain future.As the girls navigate heartbreaking surprises and shocking self-discoveries, they find that even though they’re physically apart, they are still mighty together.

Unsuspecting boy. Big-hearted girl. Small-minded town. Invincible summer. Summer, 1955. Calls for equality are sweeping America, but sixteen-year-old Ethan Harper is about to discover just how deep the roots of racism run. When mixed-race Ethan is sent to stay with his white uncle and aunt in Ellison, Alabama, he soon discovers that the only thing smaller than the town itself are the minds of its inhabitants. Except for Juniper Jones - resident artist, oddball and self-proclaimed free spirit. Ignoring the tide of prejudice and disapproval that follows Ethan, Juniper enlists him as her sidekick in her quest for an unforgettable summer. Armed with two bikes and an unlimited supply of root beer floats, the pair set out to find their place in a town that's set on rejecting them. Along the way, they will find hope, friendship - and maybe something more . . .

A swoony, steamy, STEM romance in which two curators at a science museum—a handsome but grumpy astronomer and an anxious but sunshine-y entomologist—realize they are the perfect match. Equal parts nerdy banter and fiery tension, it’s perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey. Now with exclusive bonus content!Millie was never one to take the expected path. She’s an entomologist who loves her job as a natural science curator, inspiring museum visitors every day. It’s her dream to take a larger role in the planning of her department, so when a director position opens, she is determined not to let anything distract her from her goals. Especially Finn, her grumpy coworker with his permanent scowl, electric blue eyes, and nerdy astronomy ties.. . . Not that she’s spent much time noticing any of those things.Finn doesn’t mean to glare at everyone, but he’s juggling his role at the museum, navigating the grief of losing his sister, attempting to make his nieces smile, and trying not to ruin dinner for the fifth night in a row. He can’t afford to let anything slip, and certainly doesn’t need anything more to deal with—especially not Millie literally stumbling into him, with her bright smile and sunny optimism.He bugs her. She’s too starry-eyed for him. They want nothing to do with each other. But with Finn on the interview committee, avoidance is impossible. And Millie soon realizes it’s one thing when a job is on the line. It’s quite another when it’s her heart.

Thirteen-year-old Byron needs to get away, and doesn't care how. Sick of being beaten up by lads for "talkin' like a poof" after school. Sick of dad - the weightlifting, womanising Gaz - and Mam, who pissed off to Turkey like Shirley Valentine. Sick of all the people in Hucknall who shuffle about like the living dead, going on about kitchens they're too skint to do up and marriages they're too scared to leave.It's a new millennium, Madonna's 'Music' is top of the charts and there's a whole world to explore - and Byron's happy to beg, steal and skank onto a rollercoaster ride of hedonism. Life explodes like a rush of ecstasy when Byron escapes into Nottingham's kinetic underworld and discovers the East Midlands' premier podium-dancer-cum-hellraiser, the mesmerising Lady Die. But when the comedown finally kicks in, Byron arrives at a shocking encounter that will change life forever.Bold, poignant and riotously funny, What It Feels Like For a Girl is the unique, hotly-anticipated and addictively-readable debut from one of Britain's most exciting young writers.

A spicy, small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance set on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, from the author of TikTok sensation Whisky Business When you live on a tiny island, it's easy to stir up a scandal... For Callum Macabe, there's no one better than Juniper Ross. She's razor-tongued, sarcastic, elusive. And not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. There's just one problem: his brother got there first. And even though Juniper and Alistair split up five years ago, Callum knows he could never break the actual bro code. Or could he?

When she's not hanging out at her family's sweets shop, Libby loves walking her dog. Especially since she always meets the most interesting people -- like Cedric, who's her age and also has a dog. They become fast friends, until Libby finds out his family are the new owners of a competing store! Libby tries to keep her family's business a secret, because she really likes Cedric and wants to be his friend. But the secrets start adding up, and Libby needs the charm bracelet she shares with her besties to bring her some luck . . . right now!