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The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury.

There is war in Marbury. It is a desolate and murderous place where Jack is responsible for the survival of two younger boys. Conner is there, too. But he’s trying to kill them… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Alcohol consumption
Kidnapping
War themes

Stand Off by Andrew Smith

Stand Off by Andrew Smith

It’s his last year at Pine Mountain, and Ryan Dean should be focused on his future, but instead, he’s haunted by his past. His rugby coach expects him to fill the roles once played by his lost friend, Joey, as the rugby team’s stand-off and new captain. And somehow he’s stuck rooming with twelve-year-old freshman Sam Abernathy, a cooking whiz with extreme claustrophobia and a serious crush on Annie Altman—aka Ryan Dean’s girlfriend, for now, anyway.

Equally distressing, Ryan Dean’s doodles and drawings don’t offer the relief they used to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Grief & loss depiction
Death of a friend recounted*
Murder by physical assault recounted

*Note: The protagonist’s gay best friend was beaten to death in a brutal hate crime in the previous book.

Winger by Andrew Smith

Winger by Andrew Smith

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids in the Pacific Northwest. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Bury Your Gays trope
Homomisia
Death of a friend
Murder
Physical assault
Bullying

*Note: The protagonist’s gay best friend is beaten to death in a brutal hate crime within the last fifty pages of the book.

100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith

100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith

Finn Easton sees the world through miles instead of minutes. It’s how he makes sense of the world, and how he tries to convince himself that he’s a real boy and not just a character in his father’s bestselling cult-classic book. Finn has two things going for him: his best friend, the possibly-insane-but-definitely-excellent Cade Hernandez, and Julia Bishop, the first girl he’s ever loved.

Then Julia moves away, and Finn is heartbroken. Feeling restless and trapped in the book, Finn embarks on a road trip with Cade to visit their college of choice in Oklahoma… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Rape recounted
Suicidal ideation
Seizures
Death of a mother from a fall

Christmas Eve on Haunted Hill by Bryan Smith

Christmas Eve on Haunted Hill by Bryan Smith

Ten years ago on Christmas Eve, Silas Herzinger donned a Santa suit and took an axe to 15 members of his extended family. Luke Herzinger, his youngest son, was the sole survivor of the infamous Herzinger Family Massacre. Now, after a decade away, a despondent and suicidal Luke has come home to face his past and battle the evil that still resides in the old family home on Haunted Hill.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Suicide mentioned
Blood & gore depiction
Murder & mass murder

A Sense of the Infinite by Hilary T Smith

A Sense of the Infinite by Hilary T. Smith

It’s senior year of high school, and Annabeth is ready for everything she and her best friend, Noe, have been planning and dreaming. But there are some things Annabeth isn’t prepared for, like the constant presence of Noe’s new boyfriend. Like how her relationship with her mom is wearing and fraying. And like the way the secret she’s been keeping hidden deep inside her for years has started clawing at her insides.

But most especially, she isn’t prepared to lose Noe… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Depression
Disordered eating
Attempted suicide
Self harm
Teen pregnancy
Pregnancy from rape*
Abortion
Emesis

*Note: A character learns she was the product of date-rape.

Whistle Blowing by Ada Maria Soto

Whistle Blowing by Ada Maria Soto

Former Navy medic Sebastian Thompson has classic good looks and a true blue heart. But that doesn’t mean he has the confidence to make a move on the gorgeous young blond who just breezed in to the Blue Dragon Bar. Fate will play its hand, anyway. Finding the same young blond beaten to the edge of death, terrified of a hospital, Sebastian has to choose – walk away, or try to save a life.

This one chance encounter will lead Sebastian into a web of danger. Who is the enemy and who is a friend? Who will he trust? How far will he go, and what will it cost, to do the right thing?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Sexual assault (off-page)
Nightmares
Graphic medical treatment
Physical injuries
Gun violence

Tactical Submission by Ada Maria Soto

Tactical Submission by Ada Maria Soto

SWAT commander Jack Burnside is haunted by his craving to kneel before another man. Of all the things he hates about himself – his overtly masculine size and strength, his blue eyes, his insecurities – it is the need to submit that he fears will destroy him.

Doctor Isaac Bard is close to achieving his perfect life. He has a great job with the Coroner’s Office and an open marriage to a loving wife who understands his needs better than he does. The only thing he is missing is a handsome young man to dominate, spoil rotten, and love… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Murder
Gun violence
Domestic terrorism

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when she was ten. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges.

Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable…until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family—her grandmother and cousins she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Anxiety
Alcoholism
Alcohol consumption
Recreational drug abuse mentioned
Death of a mother by heroine overdose recounted
Shipwreck & boating accident recounted
Hurricane

Once and for All by Sarah Dessen

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that’s why she’s cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm’s length. But Ambrose isn’t about to be discouraged, now that he’s met the one girl he really wants.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Sexual assault
Alcohol consumption
Recreational drug use mentioned
School shooting recounted