Category Archives: Contemporary

When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller

When best friends Nomi, Vi, and Arthur were younger, they found a book that could predict the future. It was so very satisfying and comforting to know what was coming. But as the friends drifted apart, they forgot about the book. Except for Nomi. The final prediction says “How do you turn a girl into flame. You’ll never be the same.” What does it mean? It sounds dangerous—especially with wildfires raging in the distance. Nomi just knows there’s a sequel to the book; if only they could find it, everything would make sense. As Nomi teams up once again with Vi and Arthur… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Food & housing insecurity
  • Wildfires discussed

The Coldest Winter by Brittainy C. Cherry

I met Milo Corti during his self-destructive era, and he met me during mine. That night when we crossed paths at a college party, we only had one goal in mind: to feel good during our personal hell storms. After we parted ways, I’d planned to never see him again. That was until I showed up to my first day as a student-teacher and I found him sitting right there in front of me.⁣ Now I was forced to cross paths with the person who was meant to be nothing more than a fading memory. The more time we spent together, the more drawn I felt… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Teacher-student relationship
  • Depression
  • Grief & loss depiction (theme)

Boomerangers by Heather M. Orgeron

Spencer: I love sex. I love the power, the intimacy, the euphoria it brings. Too bad I’m not having any . . . You’d think as New Orleans’ most renowned sex therapist that I’d be swimming in single men. In a way, I am . . . except for the fact that one is in diapers and the other two are drowning in preteen hormones. As a single mother of three, my days are devoted to my clients and my kids, and my nights are spent with Fabio, my trusty vibrator. When my world begins to unravel, I have no choice but to move back home. And when my high school sweetheart comes waltzing back into my life, comedy and chaos ensue. What can I say? I never… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Divorce recounted
  • Infertility mentioned (secondary character)

Pour Decisions by Audrey Vaughn

When I move back to my ex’s small town, I want to avoid him at all costs. JD didn’t just break my heart ten years ago. He ran it over, then backed over it again. So naturally, I end up as his physical therapist. And to rub salt in the wound, he finds out I’m living out of my car and demands I move into his spare room. Yeah, he’s as bossy as ever. He still acts like he’s allergic to laughter. But he also pampers me after a long night out, remembers my favorite lunch…and insists on making it for me when I forget to eat. The more he grumpily dotes on me, the more I remember how good… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Divorce recounted
  • Verbal child abuse recounted
  • Alcohol consumption & mentions of drug use
  • Surgery recounted
  • Death of a grandparent mentioned
  • Eviction (on-page)

Fat Girl on a Plane by Kelly deVos

High school senior Cookie Vonn’s post-graduation dreams include getting out of Phoenix, attending Parsons and becoming the next great fashion designer. But in the world of fashion, being fat is a cardinal sin. It doesn’t help that she’s constantly compared to her supermodel mother—and named after a dessert. Thanks to her job at a fashion blog, Cookie scores a trip to New York to pitch her portfolio and appeal for a scholarship, but her plans are put on standby when she’s declared too fat to fly. Forced to turn to her BFF for cash, Cookie buys a second seat on the plane. She… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Fatphobia & body shaming (theme)
  • Dieting & weight loss (on-page)
  • Bullying

Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

Shenice Lockwood has her eyes set on the Fastpitch World Series. As team captain, she’d like nothing more than to help her girls take home the trophy and the $10,000 prize money. And as one of the few brown faces on the field, it’d be a personal triumph to show-up her rich, white opponents. But Shenice’s focus gets shaken when her Uncle Jack reveals that a family crime may have been a set-up all along. Shenice will stop at nothing to uncover the past. The closer she gets to the truth, though, the further she gets from her goals for the future.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Dementia
  • Physical injury
  • Hospitalisation
  • Death of a parent from a terminal illness

Fast Connection by Megan Erickson

After a decade of serving in the Army, everyone still expects me to be Dominic ‘Nicky’ Costigan–the skirt-chasing player. They don’t know I’ve been spending my days trying to figure out my post-military life. Including how to pick up guys. When I meet Luke on a hookup app, he makes it clear it’s for one-night only. That’s fine with me, because I’m down to see what this silver fox can do. But after I arrive at his doorstep, it doesn’t take long to realize we have serious chemistry, and we end up meeting again. He’s got more walls around his heart than a military base, but I think he’s as… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia & outing recounted
  • Child abuse recounted
  • Physical assault (on-page)
  • Kidnapping mentioned
  • Military service & enlistment recounted

Far from Home by Lorelie Brown

My name is Rachel. I’m straight . . . I think. I also have a mountain of student loans and a smart mouth. I wasn’t serious when I told Pari Sadashiv I’d marry her. It was only party banter! Except Pari needs a green card, and she’s willing to give me a breather from drowning in debt. My off-the-cuff idea might not be so terrible. We get along as friends. She’s really romantically cautious, which I find heartbreaking. She deserves someone to laugh with. She’s kind. And calm. And gorgeous. A couple of years with her actually sounds pretty good. If some of Pari’s kindness and calmness rub… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Eating disorder (anorexia)
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Hospitalisation
  • Death of a father from a heart attack mentioned

Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa

Mira is starting over at Saint Francis Prep. She promised her parents she would at least try to pretend that she could act like a functioning human this time, not a girl who can’t get out of bed for days on end, who only feels awake when she’s with Sebby. Jeremy is the painfully shy art nerd at Saint Francis who’s been in self-imposed isolation after an incident that ruined his last year of school. When he sees Sebby for the first time across the school lawn, it’s as if he’s been expecting this blond, lanky boy with mischief glinting in his eye. Sebby, Mira’s gay best friend, is a boy who seems to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Depression & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
  • Attempted suicide
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Drug use & abuse

A Family for Christmas by Jay Northcote

Zac never had a family of his own, but Rudy has enough to share. Shy, inexperienced Rudy has a crush on Zac from the moment his new colleague walks through the door. On an office night out before Christmas, Rudy finds the courage to make a move, and they form a tentative bond. When he discovers Zac will be alone at Christmas, he invites Zac to come home with him. Zac prefers to keep people at arm’s length. Yet when Rudy offers him a family Christmas it’s impossible to resist. With no parents of his own, Zac is pleasantly surprised to be welcomed by Rudy’s. The only draw… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Foster case
  • Alcohol consumption