Category Archives: Contemporary

The History of Everything by Victoria Evans

Daisy and Agnes have always had each other. And that’s all they’ve ever needed—or wanted, at least. So when Agnes’s mom drops the bombshell that she and Agnes are moving at the end of the summer, the girls are crushed. All seems lost until the pair unearth “The History of Everything,” an old friendship scrapbook with the ultimate bucket list to make their last summer together unforgettable. But when Daisy starts dating a charming drummer, her social calendar suddenly has less room for her best friend. Insecurities bubble to the surface, and Daisy and Agnes begin to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Bullying

Halfway There by Christine Mari

Christine has always felt she is just Half American, half Japanese. As a biracial Japanese American who was born in Tokyo but raised in the US, she knows all too well what it’s like to be a part of two different worlds but never feeling as though you belong to either. Now on the brink of adulthood, Christine decides it’s time to return to the place she once called home. So she sets forth on a year abroad in Tokyo, believing that this is where she truly belongs. After years of feeling like an outsider, now she will finally be complete. Except…Tokyo isn’t the answer she thought it… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism & racial slurs
  • Depression (protagonist) & panic attacks
  • Suicidal ideation &attempted suicide
  • Self-harm

Visitations by Corey Egbert

Corey’s mom has always made him feel safe. Especially after his parents’ divorce, and the dreaded visitations with his dad begin. But as Corey grows older, he can’t ignore his mother’s increasingly wild accusations. Her insistence that God has appointed Corey as his sister’s protector. Her declaration that Corey’s father is the devil. Soon, she whisks Corey and his sister away from their home and into the boiling Nevada desert. There, they struggle to survive with little food and the police on the trail. Meanwhile, under the night sky, Corey is visited by a flickering ghost, a girl who… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Paedophilia & child sexual abuse mentioned
  • Adult-minor relationship
  • Parental divorce recounted
  • Parent with schizophrenia, manifesting as religious hallucinations & delusions (theme)
  • Drug use
  • Death of a grandparent
  • Custodial kidnapping

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

The three Blue sisters are exceptional—and exceptionally different. Avery, the eldest and a recovering heroin addict turned strait-laced lawyer, lives with her wife in London; Bonnie, a former boxer, works as a bouncer in Los Angeles following a devastating defeat; and Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while trying to outrun her hard-partying ways. They also had a fourth sister, Nicky, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky reeling. A year later, as they each navigate grief, addiction, and ambition, they find they must return to New York to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Death of a sister from suicide by overdose

The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore

As owner of her beloved Gingerbread Bakery, Annie Andrews should have a love life to match her business; sugary and sweet. But instead, she’s locked in a game of words with the irritatingly upbeat bar owner down the street. Mac Sullivan has everything he wants, except the girl he dreams of. It’s easier to argue with Annie than get her to talk to him but with Jeanie and Logan’s wedding coming up, they’re about to spend a lot more time together. As the snowflakes fall and with romance in the air, will Annie see that the one she loves to hate might just be her perfect match after all?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Bullying recounted

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore

As a world-renowned chef, single dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive. Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when it’s suggested that Archer is looking for a live-in nanny, she almost runs in the opposite direction. Now, Iris finds herself in a whole new world. One where her gorgeous new boss lives right across the hall and likes to cook topless… Keeping everything strictly professional should be easy, right?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Alcohol consumption
  • Pregnancy
  • Emesis
  • Death of a parent
  • Car accident mentioned

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can’t understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues… she just needs someone to help her out. Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he’s been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help! Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Alcohol consumption
  • Pregnancy complications discussed (secondary character)

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job. Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor’s gossip at all costs. But Jeanie’s arrival disrupts Logan’s routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her. Will Jeanie’s happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won’t fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Ableism
  • Parental abandonment discussed
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Emesis
  • Death of a mother discussed

Wild Card by Elsie Silver

Sebastian Rousseau is a grumpy, hot as hell fire pilot who is too damn good with his hands. It’s the perfect combination. But unfortunately for me, he’s also my ex-boyfriend’s dad. A chance meeting brought us together and a missed connection has kept us apart. One year later, a stroke of fate has us living under the same roof—which makes everything between us downright messy. Because even after all this time, he’s still the man I think about when I fall asleep. The one I can’t get over no matter how hard I try. He’s working on mending a fragile relationship with his son and we both… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Fatphobia & body-shaming mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption & drug use
  • Hospitalisation for surgery

Off to the Races by Elsie Silver

Keeping things professional with my employees has never been an issue… until Billie waltzes onto my property. She’s talented, feisty and so damn tempting. We clash from the moment we meet, and I can’t stop thinking about all the ways I could take her down a peg. I can’t stop thinking about her, period. And in a small town, on an even smaller farm, it’s hard to keep my distance. Billie is the whole package: whip-smart with a body I fantasise about, and quite possibly the only woman who can save this business – and me. She drives me crazy, but the more time we spend… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Parental abandonment & neglect
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Parental drug abuse recounted
  • Boss-employee relationship
  • Death of a grandparent recounted