B.B. Reid Books in Order (Updated March 12, 2026)

B.B. Reid is best known for dark new-adult and bully-romance books built around high-conflict relationships, long emotional fallout, and characters who keep echoing into later stories. Order matters most in her connected series, especially Broken Love, where later books pay off history established early.

For most readers, the cleanest place to begin is Fear Me. It opens the author’s most recognizable world and sets the tone for the books that made her name.

Continuity at a glance

B.B. Reid’s books are easiest to read in three groups:

Main connected series

1. Broken Love
2. The Peer and the Puppet duet
3. When Rivals Play

Best entry point

1. Fear Me

Best modern alternate entry

1. The Peer and the Puppet

Recommended reading order

This is the safest order for a new reader who wants the strongest continuity and the smoothest progression from the older books into the later campus and next-circle stories.

1. Fear Me (2014): The first Broken Love novel introduces the aggressive emotional tone, central history, and reputation-driven conflict that define the series.
2. Love Me (2015): This second book widens the Broken Love circle and works best after Fear Me because it builds on the same emotional damage and social world.
3. Hate Me (2016): The third Broken Love novel deepens the series’ pattern of revenge, obsession, and fallout, so it lands better when read in order.
4. Fear You (2017): This is the payoff-heavy Broken Love finale, and it should be saved for last because it relies on everything the earlier books have been setting up.
5. The Peer and the Puppet (2018): This starts a newer connected branch with a college setting and a fresh central couple, but it reads even better once you already know B.B. Reid’s darker emotional style.
6. The Moth and the Flame (2019): The second half of the duet continues directly from The Peer and the Puppet, so it should not be separated from it.
7. The Punk and the Plaything (2020): This begins the When Rivals Play line and feels like a later-phase B.B. Reid book, with rivalry, chemistry, and crossover appeal for readers already comfortable with her style.

Publication order by series

Broken Love

1. Fear Me (2014): The opening novel establishes the series’ harshest dynamics early, making it the necessary first stop for readers who want the full Broken Love experience.
2. Love Me (2015): This follows with another emotionally volatile romance inside the same broader orbit, so it is best read second.
3. Hate Me (2016): The third book keeps the interconnected feel of the series intact and should stay in order for character-history reasons.
4. Fear You (2017): This closes the main Broken Love arc and carries the most weight when the earlier books are fresh.

The Peer and the Puppet duet

1. The Peer and the Puppet (2018): A strong alternate entry point, this book shifts to college-age rivalry and performance while keeping B.B. Reid’s usual intensity.
2. The Moth and the Flame (2019): This is the direct continuation, so it belongs immediately after The Peer and the Puppet.

When Rivals Play

1. The Punk and the Plaything (2020): This opens the series with a romance built on friction, persona, and emotional sparring, making it the correct first book in this line.

Which order is best?

Publication order

Publication order is still the safest way to read B.B. Reid. It preserves reveals, keeps character history clear, and lets the emotional escalation build the way it was originally released.

Chronological order

A strict internal-timeline order is less useful here. These books are driven more by relationship arcs and connected social worlds than by a complicated hidden chronology, so publication order does the job better.

Recommended order

For most readers, the best reading path is:

1. Fear Me
2. Love Me
3. Hate Me
4. Fear You
5. The Peer and the Puppet
6. The Moth and the Flame
7. The Punk and the Plaything

That path gives you her defining early series first, then moves into the later books without losing the sense of how her style develops.

Where to start, depending on what you want

Start with Fear Me if you want the signature B.B. Reid experience. It is the book that most clearly introduces her tone, her appetite for conflict, and the emotional volatility readers usually come for.

Start with The Peer and the Puppet if you want a newer-feeling entry point. It is still intense, but it is often easier for readers who want college rivalry first rather than the rawer edge of Broken Love.

Start with The Punk and the Plaything only if you already know you like B.B. Reid’s style. It works better as a later stop than as a first impression.

Do any books need special handling?

Yes. The Moth and the Flame should be treated as a direct follow-up to The Peer and the Puppet, not as a casual standalone. Fear You also works best as a payoff novel rather than a place to test the series.

FAQs

What is the best B.B. Reid book to read first?

Fear Me is the best first book for most readers because it opens the best-known series and shows exactly what kind of emotional intensity her work delivers.

Do I need to read Broken Love in order?

Yes. That series is much stronger in order because later books depend on history, damage, and character impressions built earlier.

Can I start with The Peer and the Puppet?

Yes. It is one of the better alternate entry points if you want a newer branch of her catalog and do not want to begin with Broken Love.

Is B.B. Reid mostly series-based or standalone-focused?

She is better approached as a series author. Even when a romance centers on one couple, the emotional world around it usually benefits from reading in sequence.

Best starting point

For a first-time reader, begin with Fear Me. Read Broken Love straight through, then move to The Peer and the Puppet duet, and then continue into When Rivals Play.