Contemporary – Page 42 – Trigger Warning Database

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake

Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love. Her best friends are all coupled up, her siblings have partners that are perfect for them, and her parents are still blissfully married. And she’s happy for all of them, truly. Iris doesn’t want any of that–dating, love, romance. She’ll stick to her commitment-free hookups, thanks very much, except no one in her life will just let her be. Everyone wants to see her settled down, but she holds firmly to her no dating rule. There’s only one problem–Iris is a romance author facing an imminent deadline for her second book, and she’s completely… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Slut-shaming
Infidelity recounted*
Alcohol consumption
Emesis

*Context : Iris’ ex-girlfriend was married and cheated on her wife with Iris.

It’s Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake by Claire Christian

It’s Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake by Claire Christian

Of all the women and men Noni Blake has pleased in her life, there’s one she’s often overlooked—herself. After the end of a decade-long relationship, Noni decides it’s time for that to change. She’s finally going to prioritize her wants and desires and only do things (and people) that feel good in the moment. As she embarks on a pleasure-seeking quest that takes her halfway around the world, she discovers that maybe she can have everything, and everyone, she’s ever wanted.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Fatmisia
Cheating
Pregnancy
Infertility
Miscarriage
Death of an infant

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

Kyuri is a beautiful woman with a hard-won job at a “room salon,” an exclusive bar where she entertains businessmen while they drink. Though she prides herself on her cold, clear-eyed approach to life, an impulsive mistake with a client may come to threaten her livelihood. Her roommate, Miho, is a talented artist who grew up in an orphanage but won a scholarship to study art in New York. Returning to Korea after college, she finds herself in a precarious relationship with the super-wealthy heir to one of Korea’s biggest companies. Down the hall in their apartment building… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Misogyny
Cheating*
Parental abandonment
Body dysmorphia
Suicide & suicidal ideation
Alcoholism
Mutism
Pregnancy
Miscarriage
Cancer
Emesis
Surgery recounted & discussed
Murder of sex workers discussed
Physical assault, on- & off-page

*Context : Miho’s boyfriend is engaged to another woman and cheats on her with a sex worker.

The Best Man’s Problem by Sera Taíno

The Best Man’s Problem by Sera Taíno

His sister’s wedding isn’t the ideal place for Rafael Navarro to reconnect with the man he kissed in a moment of reckless abandon. But it’s impossible to avoid best man Étienne Galois! The gorgeous Haitian photographer hasn’t forgotten the intimate moment they shared, even if Rafi is the most maddening person he’s ever met. Can the two find common ground, proving opposites not only attract—they can become lovers for life?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Alcohol consumption

Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist by Codi Hall

Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist by Codi Hall

Nick Winter is just out of the military, and his Christmas homecoming is not going as planned. What was supposed to be a memorable holiday with his long-time girlfriend goes sour when he learns she cheated on him while he was stationed overseas. At least Nick can rely on his usual shift at the family Christmas tree farm with his best friend, Noel Carter, and her endless supply of Christmas tunes to lift his spirits. A night of fun together is just what he needs to forget about his ex. But then they kiss. And it feels…so right. If Noel can… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Slut-shaming
Infidelity
Hospital
Miscarriage mentioned
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a parent
Bullying

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth

When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone (as her grandmother might say), and Cam becomes an expert at both. Then Coley Taylor moves… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Lesbophobia & transphobia
Conversion therapy (theme)
Child abuse
Attempted suicide
Graphic self-harm
Drug use
Death of a mother & father in a car accident

To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise

To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise

Jason Thorn… My brother’s childhood friend. Oh, how stupidly in love with that boy I was. He was the first boy that made me blush, my first official crush. Sounds beautiful so far, right? That excitement that bubbles up inside you, those famous butterflies you feel for the very first time—he was the reason for them all. But, you only get to live in that fairytale world until they crush your hopes and dreams and then stomp on your heart for good measure. And boy did he crush my little heart into pieces. After the stomping part, he became the boy I did my best to stay away from-and let me… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Child neglect
Infidelity (secondary characters)
Parent with alcoholism recounted
Drugging
Death of parents

Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

For seventh-grader Mila, it starts with some boys giving her an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpet player) Callum tells Mila it’s his birthday, and asks her for a “birthday hug.” He’s just being friendly, isn’t he? And how can she say no? But Callum’s hug lasts a few seconds too long, and feels…weird. According to her friend, Zara, Mila is being immature and overreacting. Doesn’t she know what flirting looks like? But the boys don’t leave Mila alone. On the bus. In the halls. During band practice-the one place Mila always… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Sexual harassment (theme), including unwanted touching & pinching
Bullying & physical assault

Obsession by Gemma Weir

Obsession by Gemma Weir

As soon as I realized she existed, I lost the ability to look away. She was always destined to be mine. I’m Sebastian Lockwood; a king among men. And kings get to take what they want. My little bird disagreed. She fought me, and disobeyed me even though we both know she belongs to me. So I broke her, bent her to my will. I pushed too hard, loved too much and she ran from me. But letting her go was impossible. So I chased; hiding in the shadows, silently pulling the strings that would bind her to me. Two years have passed, I’ve waited long enough. It’s time to reclaim my queen; to take what’s mine. The trap is set, a gilded… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Sexual assault
Dubious consent scenarios
Panic attacks
Kidnapping
Stalking

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner

When Cassie Klein goes to an off-campus bar to escape her school’s Family Weekend, she isn’t looking for a hookup—it just happens. Buying a drink for a stranger turns into what should be an uncomplicated, amazing one-night stand. But then the next morning rolls around and her friend drags her along to meet her mom—the hot, older woman Cassie slept with. Erin Bennett came to Family Weekend to get closer to her daughter, not have a one-night stand with a a college senior. In her defense, she hadn’t known Cassie was a student when they’d met. To make things worse, Erin’s daughter brings Cassie to breakfast the next… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Cheating recounted
Parent with alcoholism
Alcohol consumption
Recreational drug use