The most recommended bully romance books

Jared quickly leaps onto the pages and makes you want to root for him. This has everything to do with Penelope’s undeniable ability to weave a story so beautifully that even when you should hate the hero, you find yourself willing him into the type of character that is worthy of our heroine, Tate. This is an oldie, but a goodie. Personally, this is the original bully romance for me and has set the steppingstones for all the rest.

This dark academia fantasy will make you feel every single emotion possible.

Dragon shifters, pegasuses, sirens, and vampires are just a few of the fun shifters in this series. Twins, Tory and Darcy have to navigate a whole new world and way of life after they discover they’re princesses from a Fae realm. 

This isn’t a book to be taken seriously when they say things like “I laughed like a hyena on crack” and “Hands off my buttery bagels, you slippery salmon,” but that’s what makes it worth reading. Also the great characters, fun magic, and dangerous romances.

Growing up, I was so close to my great-grandmother that I chose a college near her. Shortly after I graduated, she died. I wish I'd had this book then.

Cash's grandparents and best friend, Delaney, are his life. When Delaney earns an elite scholarship, will Cash follow her or stay with his dying Papaw? I am a sucker for friends-to-lovers stories, and I loved the simmer between Cash and Delaney.

What got me right in the gut, though, was the relationship between Cash and Papaw. The best scene is a memory of when Papaw took Cash hunting—and Cash hated it. Papaw's response fractured my heart with its beauty.

This is a book to help you mourn, showing how to live on without letting go of any of the love.

Angie’s life is a mess. Her mother constantly taunts her as “Fat Angie.” High school classmates torment her as a “crazy, mad cow,” when she tries to slit her wrists in a high school assembly. Her heroic sister goes MIA during the Iraq War; her older brother treats her badly. Angie just wants to make it through each day until a beautiful new student arrives and befriends her, seeing the hidden beauty in Angie. I was revolted by Angie’s abusive family life and angry at the peer bullying. Where were school authorities? I was relieved when a warm friendship allowed Angie to become happy on her own. Though it seems extreme, I’ve occasionally observed similar situations among my students; the novel is horrifyingly realistic, but it moves in a positive fashion to its end.

Brittainy Cherry’s work never fails to sweep me off my feet and pull me in with its lyricism, grace, and depth. She’s truly a poet, and this story about two musicians as in love with their craft as they are with each other brings out some of her most stunning writing yet. Behind the Bars takes us on a journey through the hero and heroine’s childhoods all the way up to their reunion as adults. Along the way, they face some dark moments and deal with topics including bullying, loss, grief, and dysfunctional family relationships. These moments are real and raw, and instead of sensationalizing or romanticizing them, Brittainy Cherry uses them to show that life can be beautiful and ugly all at once, and that we can always reach out and find the help we need to let a little more beautiful in.

Here’s another book that I love because it’s a story about love, the love of two boys who are unlikely companions: one is a former football player, taciturn and withdrawn; the other is openly gay, a short, slender, fine-boned boy who idolizes the poet Walt Whitman, whose words become a leitmotif of this remarkable novel. Told in the form of. letters that the two boys exchange, it follows their emerging friendship as it gradually turns into a love that’s as poetic as Whitman’s well-chosen words. The relationship of the boys – who are characters to die for – is riveting and their story, unforgettable. Another terrific addition to gay literature for teens.   

Humor. Sometimes I need some humor. I read a lot of heavy stories about young adults trudging through an unfair world that beats them down for 300 pages or intricate fantasy worlds with oppressed creatures and evil beings. So reading an uplifting, fun story between more daunting stories can be just what I need.

#famous is a breath of fresh air. And I admit I swooned over the love interest, Kyle. He is just so likeable.

Holly Black is a master of the fae tale. Much has been said about this trilogy already but I assure you, the praise is well-deserved. Each book has a tight and dynamic plot, prose that fairly flies off the page, and a conclusion that is very satisfying. The first book was almost deceptive in the way it presented a not-very-strong protagonist until she evolves and becomes so much more than the reader thinks her to be. It’s the best kind of fictional surprise.

As one of the many people who was bullied in high school, the idea of falling for the person making your life miserable isn’t an easy sell for me.

Perhaps I’ve just had some unfortunate luck picking out “bully” romance books, but the ones I read prior to Savage Queen featured jerky guys and meek heroines who didn’t stand up to their tormentors. I pretty much gave up on the sub-genre, and I couldn’t be more grateful for this recommendation.

Everything I’m usually so frustrated by is nowhere to be found here. Alley Ciz delivers not only angst and romance but we’re introduced to a heroine who gives as good as she gets.

When the king of the high school sets his sights on Savvy, demanding she submit to his rule, our heroine is ready to… show more.

Mountain towns, skiing, snowboarding, and sweet romance – this story is the perfect winter entertainment. A twist of fate lands Cally and Blake in the same high school after their vacation romance ends, but why is he acting like he wants nothing to do with her? The story complications grow as Cally navigates old and new friendships and lands a spot on the ski team, and then there’s the mystery of what Blake is hiding. This is book one of three in The Rules series and more adventures await, on and off the ski slopes.