Why am I passionate about this?

I never write anything without having first experienced it. To give you context, I’d never been slapped before, couldn’t tell you what it felt like or even sounded like. So, I legit had someone slap me so I could accurately depict it. Every mental health aspect in Death 2 My Past, I’ve personally experienced. Every loss, heartbreak, trauma, life event, etc. On some level, I’ve experienced it. And through everything, I learned something very important. Embrace it. I can’t stop the bad things from happening. But I can embrace the suspense of it, experience the romances, and grieve the death that encompassed my life. Death is a Butterfly.


I wrote

Death 2 My Past

By Angelia Bailey,

Book cover of Death 2 My Past

What is my book about?

Abby has the freedom to do whatever she wants in a city with endless possibilities like Rouen. But with no…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of One of Us Is Lying

Angelia Bailey Why did I love this book?

First of all, as the list title promises, there is a ton of suspense. This book personally was one I didn’t think I’d get into at first. But the suspense, the bit of a mystery to unravel, all paired with the forbidden-ish romance between Nate and Bronwyn had me swooning. This one particularly did remind me of the romance between Lucas and Abby in my own book due to the near forbidden nature of it. They know they really shouldn’t be around each other or together at all. Yet, they can’t help themselves. This one, in the end, taught me not every romance has to end with the couple riding off into the sunset. A real romance is hard, messy, and even painful at times.

By Karen M. McManus,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked One of Us Is Lying as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES. This stunning collector's edition of the internationally bestselling YA smash hit, ONE OF US IS LYING, contains a thrilling BONUS chapter!

Five students go to detention. Only four leave alive.

Yale hopeful Bronwyn has never publicly broken a rule.

Sports star Cooper only knows what he's doing in the baseball diamond.

Bad boy Nate is one misstep away from a life of crime.

Prom queen Addy is holding together the cracks in her perfect life.

And outsider Simon, creator of the notorious gossip app at Bayview High, won't ever talk about any of them again.…


Book cover of Nearly Gone

Angelia Bailey Why did I love this book?

This one shook me and changed my reading experience forever. First of all, the whole personality of Reece Whelan is so similar to Lucas in my book it legit made my heart ache. Lucas is based on a real person from my life and a real relationship. (If you didn’t know... now you do!) So, being able to read his personality type in a similar situation, pinged my heart instantly. The suspense kept me hanging on right along with the paranormal, yet not paranormal, element of Nearly Boswell’s ability to taste people’s emotions. It’s a win-win if you ask me. Nearly reminds me a lot of myself, too.

By Elle Cosimano,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Nearly Gone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Bones meets Fringe in a big, dark, scary, brilliantly-plotted urban thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end

Nearly Boswell knows how to keep secrets. Living in a DC trailer park, she knows better than to share anything that would make her a target with her classmates. Like her mother's job as an exotic dancer, her obsession with the personal ads, and especially the emotions she can taste when she brushes against someone's skin. But when a serial killer goes on a killing spree and starts attacking students, leaving cryptic ads in the newspaper that only Nearly can…


Book cover of Die for You

Angelia Bailey Why did I love this book?

For starters, this book was so important to have in my top 5 that I just spent the past 3 hours searching for it while only remembering a few key details. This is the only book to this day that made me angry cry and chuck it across the room. I can relate on a personal level to the toxicity of the relationship between Emma and Dillon. Don’t even get me started on Dillon’s mother. I hate her as a character. This entire story represents a reality a lot of teens face. The suspense, toxic romance, and a hint of a forbidden love did it in for me.

By Amy Fellner Dominy,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Die for You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Not everything is as perfect as it seems in this dark romance by A Matter of Heart author, Amy Dominy. 

Theirs was the perfect love story.
 
After Emma Lorde’s parents’ divorce forces her to move halfway across the state of Arizona to live with her father, Emma must face her senior year in a new school knowing absolutely no one.
         Then she meets Dillon Hobbs and something just clicks.
         Dillon introduces Emma to friends she can call her own. He provides a refuge from the chaos of her past and the security of a commitment that he promises will last…


Book cover of Paranormalcy

Angelia Bailey Why did I love this book?

How could I not include the first-ever fantasy/paranormal book I ever read? It delivers on the promised suspense, death, and romance to die for. But I most loved the way the story focused on Evie, the main character, finding herself. She is thrust on this path where she literally has no choice but to find out who she really is, what it means, and how to deal with it. She has to face some hard things for a teenager all while trying to still just be a kid. The best part of YA books is the path of discovering one’s self the MCs go on. This one resonated with me on a personal level.

By Kiersten White,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Paranormalcy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

When your world is paranormal, be glad that you're human... Exciting new author brings a fresh sassy take on paranormal romance, loved by Becca Fitzpatrick, author of HUSH, HUSH.

Sixteen-year-old Evie has always taken comfort in the fact that she is normal, even though her best friend is a mermaid and her ex-boyfriend is a lunatic - and a faery.
In a world where paranormals are monitored and controlled, Evie works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency because of her unique ability to see through glamours. But someone - or something - starts killing vampires, werewolves and other paranormals, and…


Book cover of After

Angelia Bailey Why did I love this book?

Now, for this one, I can’t promise the death aspect, but I can promise the suspense and romance makes up for it ten-fold. Hardin Scott is your typical bad boy. If you haven’t noticed by now, I love a good old-fashioned bad boy gone good for the right girl. This one delivers in the best way too. The gut-wrenching twist, the way you desperately root for Tessa and Hardin, and the emotion behind it. I just love it all. Plus, it’s incredibly relatable with a coming-of-age aspect thrown in.

By Anna Todd,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked After as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She's got direction, ambition, and a mother who's intent on keeping her that way. But she's barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is cute and different from what she's used to. But he's also rude - to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does - until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs…


Explore my book 😀

Death 2 My Past

By Angelia Bailey,

Book cover of Death 2 My Past

What is my book about?

Abby has the freedom to do whatever she wants in a city with endless possibilities like Rouen. But with no memory of her life before she was ten years old and multiple mental health diagnoses, partying isn't exactly priority #1. When she goes out to celebrate handling her mental health recovery like a boss, a bright red cherry of a distraction in the form of a familiar boy with an annoyingly monstrous ego is smashed on her insanity sundae of a life. Of course, she has to at least figure out how she knows him. Curiosity killed the cat... So, thank the saints Abby isn't a cat.

You might also like...

The Yamanaka Factors

By Jed Henson,

Book cover of The Yamanaka Factors

Jed Henson Author Of The Yamanaka Factors

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Reader Dad Outdoorsman Space cowboy Curious

Jed's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Fall 2028. Mickey Cooper, an elderly homeless man, receives an incredible proposition from a rogue pharmaceutical company: “Be our secret guinea pig for our new drug, and we’ll pay you life-changing money, which you’ll be able to enjoy because if (cough) when the treatment works, two months from now your body will be youthened to twenty-three years old.”

When his treatment proves more difficult than expected, and corporate espionage turns deadly, Mickey finds himself flanked by internal corruption and powerful external enemies, including Chinese operatives desperate to reverse their country’s aging demographics and amoral U.S. government officials who fear the…

The Yamanaka Factors

By Jed Henson,

What is this book about?

Fall 2028. Mickey Cooper, an elderly homeless man, receives an incredible proposition from a rogue pharmaceutical company: “Be our secret guinea pig for our new drug and we’ll pay you life-changing money, which you’ll be able to enjoy because if (cough) when the treatment works, two months from now your body will be youthened to twenty-three years old.”

When his treatment proves more difficult than expected and corporate espionage turns deadly, Mickey finds himself flanked by internal corruption and powerful external enemies, including Chinese operatives desperate to reverse their country’s aging demographics and amoral U.S. government officials who fear the…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in romantic love, parapsychology, and criminal investigations?

Romantic Love 937 books
Parapsychology 33 books