Category Archives: Contemporary

The Brood by Devney Perry

The last thing Wilder Abbott needs is a houseguest. Solitude has been his stoic companion for nearly a decade. He prefers to brood over his mistakes in seclusion. Besides, he gets enough social interaction as a high school science teacher in Calamity, Montana. But when his oldest friend calls, begging for a favor, Wilder begrudgingly agrees. For the next two months, he’ll give up his guest room to his friend’s little sister. Iris Monroe isn’t the girl Wilder remembers. Gone is the shy, quiet mouse ten years his junior who always had her nose in a book. Grown-up Iris talks too much and asks too many questions, especially about his past. And… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Slut-shaming
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a wife recounted

Blitz by Devney Perry

A coach. A student. The rules were concrete. We broke them anyway. The night I met Toren Greely was the night I learned how to lie. He was a Treasure State football coach. I was the star of the volleyball team. Coaches and students were forbidden. My future was on the line, so I told myself it was only one night. That was the first lie. They got easier to tell after that. The lines blurred. The boundaries shifted. Our relationship became a game of its own. A chaste smile. A knowing glance. A veiled touch or a hushed kiss. We hid in plain sight. We were invincible. Or so we… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Coach-student relationship
  • Alcohol consumption

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

Nothing interferes with Shane Hollander’s game—definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate. Pro hockey star Shane Hollander isn’t just crazy talented, he’s got a spotless reputation. Hockey is his life. Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that, especially the sexy Russian whose hard body keeps him awake at night. Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he’s as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him—except Shane. They’ve made a career on their legendary rivalry… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia & homophobic slurs, including discussions of anti-queer legislation & culture in Russia
  • Parent with Alzheimer’s Disease (off-page but discussed)
  • Smoking
  • Pregnancy mentioned (secondary character)
  • Hospitalisation for concussion & suspected spinal cord injury
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother from suicide recounted

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer there at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life. Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Fatphobia & dieting discussed
  • Parental divorce recounted
  • Infidelity recounted
  • Anxiety & depression
  • Nightmare
  • Alcohol consumption & drug use
  • Pregnancy mentioned (secondary character)
  • Protagonist with a congenital heart condition (aortic valve stenosis & aortic coarctation), which requires open heart surgery
  • Mild physical illness (heatstroke) & mentions of a grandparent recovering from emergency hip replacement surgery
  • Death of a parent in a car accident
  • Death of a grandfather recounted
  • Death of a best friend recounted

Flip by Ngozi Ukazu

Chi-Chi Ekeh has one huge problem: She keeps having crushes on rich white boys who have no idea she exists. Enter Flip Henderson, the most popular boy at school, who receives Chi-Chi’s private video proposal to go to senior prom. But when Flip rejects Chi-Chi in front of their entire class, what happens next is completely unexpected: Chi-Chi―shy nerd and scholarship student―switches bodies with Flip. Suddenly Chi-Chi is 6’1” and cool, while Flip gets a crash course on Chi-Chi’s life―that is, k-pop, hair-braiding, and being a poor kid of color at a rich white private school. With… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism & classism
  • Depression
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Alcoholism & alcohol consumption
  • Incarceration

Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand & Tara Anand

All Nitasha’s parents want is for her to be the perfect Indian daughter—something she is decidedly not. Everything she does seems to disappoint them, especially her mom. They just don’t get that she’ll never be like her doctor older brother. To make matters worse, she’s never quite felt like she belongs at school either, and lately, her best friend, Ava, and her crush, Henry, seem to be more interested in the rich new girl than in her. Alcohol takes the edge off, but when that doesn’t work, Nitasha turns to cutting. She can’t stop asking herself: Will she ever be enough for her friends or her family? Or even for herself?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Slut-shaming
  • Alcoholism & alcohol abuse (protagonist)
  • Self-harm & attempted suicide (on-page, protagonist)
  • Cyberbullying

King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin

For the third summer in a row, Pernell is back in the classroom, facing the same struggles that have always made school seem more like a battlefield than a place of learning. This summer is different, he’s battling to become the Cypher King, leader of the lunchroom’s impromptu rap circles. Here, the rhythm flows and the words fly, creating a space where the wittiest and most rhythmically inclined reign supreme. Here, Pernell’s ADHD gives him an edge. But life outside the cypher isn’t as forgiving. Pernell’s English teacher has it out for him. His parents are pressuring him to see… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Period-typical ableism (theme)
  • Death of a parent

All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis

All Aiden ever wanted to do was play football just like his star quarterback brother, Brandon. Unfortunately, due to Aiden’s autism, summer football tryouts did not go well when Aiden finds himself at the bottom of a pile-up resulting in an over-stimulation meltdown. But when the school year starts, a spot on the team opens urgently needing to be filled. Aiden finally gets his chance to play the game he loves most. However, not every team member is happy about Aiden’s position on the team, wary of how his autism will present itself on game day. Tensions rise. A fight breaks out. Cops are called. When Brandon tries to interfere… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism & ableism
  • Police brutality
  • Blood & injury depiction
  • Incarceration for physical assault
  • Emesis

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes

In the small town of Great Mountain, Mississippi, all eyes are on Henson Blayze, a thirteen-year-old football phenom who many have wondered if he was super-human. The predominately white townsfolk have been waiting for Henson to play high-school ball, and now they’re overjoyed to finally possess an elite Black athlete of their own. Until a horrifying incident forces Henson to speak out about injustice. Until he says that he might not play football anymore. Until he quickly learns he isn’t as loved by the people as he thought. In that moment, Henson’s town is divided in… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Hospitalisation & medical content
  • Police brutality & lynching

All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr

Sixteen-year-old Amina Conteh has always believed in using her tongue as her weapon—even when it gets her into trouble. After cursing at a classmate, her father forces her to volunteer at their church with Pastor Johnson. But Pastor Johnson isn’t the holy man everyone thinks he is. The same voice Amina uses to fight falls quiet the night she is sexually assaulted by Pastor Johnson. After that, her life starts to unravel: her father is frustrated that her grades are slipping, and her best friend and boyfriend don’t understand why the once loud and proud girl is now quiet and… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape of a minor by a member of the protagonist’s church community 
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother by immolation discussed