The Butchers by Ruth Gilligan

The Butchers by Ruth Gilligan

A photograph is hung on a gallery wall for the very first time since it was taken two decades before. It shows a slaughterhouse in rural Ireland, a painting of the Virgin Mary on the wall, a meat hook suspended from the ceiling – and, from its sharp point, the lifeless body of a man hanging by his feet. The story of who he is and how he got there casts back into Irish folklore, of widows cursing the land and of the men who slaughter its cattle by hand. But modern Ireland is distrustful of ancient traditions, and as the BSE crisis in England presents get-rich opportunities in Ireland, few care… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Knife violence
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Head of the River by Pip Harry

Head of the River by Pip Harry

It’s the most elite school sporting event in the country. Nine rowers, 2000 gruelling metres and one chance for glory in the ultimate team sport. Sit forward … ROW. Tall, gifted and the offspring of Olympians, superstar siblings Leni and Cristian Popescu are set to row Harley Grammar to victory in the Head of the River. With six months until the big race, the twins can’t lose. Or can they? When Cristian is seduced by the easy route of performance-enhancing drugs, and Leni is suffocated with self-doubt, their bright futures start to fade. Juggling family, high expectations, study… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Eating isorder
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Because of You by Pip Harry

Because of You by Pip Harry

Tiny is homeless. Nola has everything she could ask for. They meet when Nola is forced into volunteer work for the writers’ group at the homeless shelter where Tiny is staying, and at first, it seems impossible that two people who are so different could ever be friends. But despite her initial prejudice, Nola quickly learns that there isn’t much separating her from the people who live on the streets. And Tiny begins to see that falling down doesn’t mean you never get back up. Because of You is a story about homelessness, prejudice and the power of words to provide a little hope… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Post-natal depression
  • Substance addiction
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Drug abuse
  • Death of a friend
  • Homelessness
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The Little Wave by Pip Harry

The Little Wave by Pip Harry

When a Manly school sets out to bring a country class to the city for a beach visit, three very different kids find each other and themselves. Noah is fearless in the surf. Being at the beach makes him feel free. So where does his courage go when his best mate pushes him around? Lottie loves collecting facts about bugs, but she wishes her dad would stop filling their lonely house with junk. She doesn’t know what to do about it. Jack wants to be a cricket star, but first he has to get to school and look after his little sister. Especially if he wants to go on the class trip and see the ocean for the first time.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Parent with Hoarding Disorder
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother & wife recounted
  • Near-drowning recounted
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Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein

Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein

What if you knew exactly when you’d meet the love of your life? Edie Meyer knows. When her Grandma Gloria was a young woman, she had a vision of the exact day she would meet her soul mate—and then Grandpa Ray showed up. Since then, Gloria has accurately predicted the day every single member of the family has met their match. Edie’s day arrives on June 24, 2022, when she’s twenty-nine years old. She has been waiting for it for half her life. That morning, she boards an aeroplane to her twin sister’s surprise engagement, and when a handsome musician sits beside her, she… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Hospitalisation
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a sibling recounted
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Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein

Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein

The past seven years have been hard on Avery Abrams: After training her entire life to make the Olympic gymnastics team, a disastrous performance ended her athletic career for good. Her best friend and teammate, Jasmine, went on to become an Olympic champion, then committed the ultimate betrayal by marrying their emotionally abusive coach, Dimitri. Now, reeling from a breakup with her football star boyfriend, Avery returns to her Massachusetts hometown, where new coach Ryan asks her to help him train a promising young gymnast with Olympic… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child sexual abuse mentioned
  • Emotional abuse
  • Bullying
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The Butterfly Project by Emma Scott

The Butterfly Project by Emma Scott

At age fourteen, Zelda Rossi witnessed the unthinkable and has spent the last ten years hardening her heart against the guilt and grief. She channels her pain into her art: a dystopian graphic novel where vigilantes travel back in time to stop heinous crimes—like child abduction—before they happen. Zelda pitches her graphic novel to several big-time comic book publishers in New York City, only to have her hopes crash and burn. Circumstances leave her stranded in an unfamiliar city, and in an embarrassing moment of weakness, she meets a guarded young man with a past he’d do anything to change… Read more.

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & panic attacks
  • Substance addiction & relapse
  • Kidnapping of a sister (off-page)
  • Poverty/financial difficulties discussed

Running Girl by Simon Mason

Running Girl by Simon Mason

Meet Garvie Smith. Highest IQ ever recorded at Marsh Academy. Lowest ever grades. What’s the point, anyway? Life sucks. Nothing ever happens. Until Chloe Dow’s body is pulled from a pond. DI Singh is already on the case. Ambitious, uptight, methodical – he’s determined to solve the mystery and get promoted. He doesn’t need any ‘assistance’ from notorious slacker, Smith. Or does he?

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Drug & alcohol abuse
  • Suicide
  • Murder
  • Fire
  • Stalking
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The Frame-Up by Meghan Scott Molin

The Frame-Up by Meghan Scott Molin

MG Martin lives and breathes geek culture. She even works as a writer for the comic book company she idolized as a kid. But despite her love of hooded vigilantes, MG prefers her comics stay on the page. But when someone in LA starts recreating crime scenes from her favourite comic book, MG is the LAPD’s best—and only—lead. She recognizes the golden arrow left at the scene as the calling card of her favourite comic book hero. The thing is…superheroes aren’t real. Are they? When too-handsome-for-his-own… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Sexism
  • Homomisia
  • Recreational drug use
  • Murder
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Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson

Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson

When teen movie stars Emma and Harlan Crawford move next door to the Bertram’s, they immediately set their sights on Oliver and his cunning sister, Juliette, shaking up Finley and Oliver’s stable friendship. As Emma and Oliver grow closer, Harlan finds his attention shifting from Juliette to the quiet, enigmatic, and thoroughly unimpressed Finley. Out of boredom, Harlan decides to make her fall in love with him. Problem is, the harder he seeks to win her, the harder he falls for her. When teen movie stars Emma and Harlan Crawford move next door to the Bertram’s, they… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
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