Category Archives: Contemporary

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

Falling for Catastrophe by Michelle Hercules

Three years ago, I fell in love with a monster. I barely survived, and now I’ve been given a second chance at Maverick Prep. My plan was to keep my head down and not draw attention to myself. Then Jason Novak came into my life like a thunderstorm. Furious. Devastating. Loud. The devil incarnate, he has a reputation for cruelty that precedes him. Not even his angelic face can hide his black heart. He wants something I’ve earned fair and square, and now he hates me. My survival instincts are telling me to flee. But I’ve… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Dubious consent scenario
  • Anxiety attacks (protagonist)

Fallen Star by Susannah Nix

Scott Deacon was one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood until his drug abuse and out-of-control behavior brought it all crashing down. Four years after flaming out, he’s clean, sober, and trying to revive his career. But what he needs is to warm up the beautiful yet chilly script supervisor who won’t cut him a break. Grace Speer doesn’t think much of Scotty Deacon. He may be sex on wheels, but the man is 100% bad news. Beneath the handsome facade, he’s just another arrogant jackass determined to make her life more difficult. Only the more time they spend… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Substance addiction & recovery
  • Drug abuse

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

Alexi Littrell hasn’t told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does. When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in “the Kool-Aid Kid,” who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from rape (theme)
  • Self-harm (protagonist, on-page)