rachel @ typed truths

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Eva never really wanted to be a mother; certainly not of the boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker and a teacher who tried to befriend him. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with Kevin’s horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband. Uneasy with the sacrifices of motherhood, Eva fears that her dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so drastically off the rails.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Eyeball trauma
Gun violence
School shooting
Bullying

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

(Also known as You & Me on Vacation in the UK & territories)

Twelve summers ago: Poppy and Alex meet. They hate each other and are pretty confident they’ll never speak again. Eleven summers ago: they’re forced to share a ride home from college, and by the end of it, a friendship is formed. And a pact: every year, one vacation together. Ten summers ago: Alex discovers his fear of flying on the way to Vancouver. Poppy holds his hand the whole way. Seven summers ago: they get far too drunk and narrowly avoid getting matching tattoos in New Orleans. Two summers ago: it all goes wrong. This summer: Poppy asks Alex to join her on one last trip. A trip that will determine the rest of their lives.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Physical injury & illness, including pneumonia
Death of a mother due to childbirth complications mentioned
Death of a pet mentioned

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

Rosaline Palmer has always lived by the rules—well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show. Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory. Suave Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Biphobia & classism
Infidelity by ex-partner recounted (protagonist)
Attempted sexual assault
Protagonist with anxiety
Alcohol consumption
Unplanned pregnancy recounted with mentions of consideration of an abortion
Physical assault (on-page)

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead. Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop’s owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.

But Wallace isn’t ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo’s help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life. When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Suicide
Heart attack
Terminal illness
Death of a child
Death of a parent
Murder
Knife violence & stabbing
Car accident
Animal death

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Misogyny & femicide
Rape mentioned
Physical & emotional abuse
Suicidal ideation
Alcoholism
Blood & gore depiction
Murder
Torture

Stormblood by Jeremy Szal

Stormblood by Jeremy Szal

Vakov Fukasawa used to be a Reaper, a biosoldier fighting for the intergalactic governing body of Harmony against a brutal invading empire. Now, he fights against the stormtech: the DNA of an extinct alien race Harmony injected into him, altering his body chemistry and making him permanently addicted to adrenaline and aggression. It made him the perfect soldier, but it also opened a new drug market that has millions hopelessly addicted to their own body chemistry.

But when Harmony tells him that his former ally Reapers are being murdered, Vakov is appalled to discover his estranged brother is likely involved in the killings. They haven’t spoken in years, but Vakov can’t let his brother down, and investigates. But the deeper he goes, the more addicted to stormtech he becomes, and Vakov discovers that the war might not be over after all. It’ll take everything he has to unearth this terrible secret, although doing so might mean betraying his brother. If his own body doesn’t betray him first.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Child abuse recounted
Attempted suicide & self-harm recounted
Murder
Torture
Military violence

Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson

Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson

Olivia is an expert at falling in love . . . and at being dumped. But after the fallout from her last breakup has left her an outcast at school and at home, she’s determined to turn over a new leaf. A crush-free weekend at Farmland Music and Arts Festival with her best friend is just what she needs to get her mind off the senior year that awaits her.

Toni is one week away from starting college, and it’s the last place she wants to be. Unsure about who she wants to become and still reeling in the wake of the loss of her musician-turned-roadie father, she’s heading back to the music festival that changed his life in hopes that following in his footsteps will help her find her own way forward… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Revenge porn
Gun violence

Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

Also know as Last Night.

Eve, Justin, Susie, and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Now in their thirties, the four are as close as ever, Thursday night bar trivia is sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed. Maybe she should have moved on by now, but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. And she knows Ed still thinks about it, too.

But then, in an instant, their lives are changed forever.

In the aftermath, Eve’s world is upended. As stunning secrets are revealed, she begins to wonder if she really knew her friends as well as she thought. And when someone from the past comes back into her life, Eve’s future veers in a surprising new direction…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Physical parental abuse recounted
Cheating
Panic attack
Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease
Death of a friend

Runaways, Vol. 1: Find Your Way Home by Rainbow Rowell

Runaways, Vol. 1: Find Your Way Home by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Kris Anka

The “IT” book of the early 2000s with the original cast is back–Nico! Karolina! Molly! Chase! Old Lace! And, could it be…GERT?!

The heart of the Runaways died years ago, but you won’t believe how she returns! Did Chase and Gert’s love survive their time apart? Have Karolina and Nico’s feelings made their friendship impossible? What emotional landmines lie in wait to DESTROY the Runaways?!

Collects Runaways 1-6.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Death of a friend recounted
Death of a parent recounted
Fire

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks

Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends. Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.

But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . .

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Fatmisia & body shaming