Contemporary – Page 61 – Trigger Warning Database

Tyed by L.J. Shen

Tyed by L.J. Shen

Blaire, an underachieving college student with zero prospects and a ton of issues (hey, being the less-successful twin of a gorgeous supermodel would totally do that to you) needs something from Ty. Mixed Martial artist Ty, a soon-to-be Welterweight champion of the Xtreme Warrior League and the hottest guy in the Bay Area, wants something from Blaire. But Ty has a secret. And Blaire can barely even handle his truths. Life is about to throw a few knockout punches at both of them. Can they handle the pain?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Drug use
Sex work

The Monster by L.J. Shen

The Monster by L.J. Shen

The most important thing I’d ever read was scribbled on the door of a portable restroom, engraved into plastic at a carnival on the outskirts of Boston. Lust lingers, love stays. Lust is impatient, love waits. Lust burns, love warms. Lust destroys, but love? Love kills. Maybe it was always my destiny to fall in love with a monster. When other kids stayed awake at night fearing the pointy-toothed beast hiding in their closet, I longed to see mine. I wanted to feed it, domesticate it, understand it. Sam and I were only allowed to love each other in the dark. Once our story unfolded, and the… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Suicide
Self-harm
Drug use
Overdose
Miscarriage & stillbirth mentioned
Abortion mentioned
Murder

The Hunter by L.J. Shen

The Hunter by L.J. Shen

Hunter. I didn’t mean to star in a sex tape, okay? It was just one of those unexplainable things. Like Stonehenge, Police Academy 2, and morning glory clouds. It just happened. Now my ball-busting father is sentencing me to six months of celibacy, sobriety, and morbid boredom under the roof of Boston’s nerdiest girl alive, Sailor Brennan. The virginal archer is supposed to babysit my ass while I learn to take my place in Royal Pipelines, my family’s oil company. Little does she know, that’s not the only pipe I’ll be laying… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Child abuse & neglect
Alcohol consumption
Blackmail
Animal death

Defy by L.J. Shen

Defy by L.J. Shen

My name is Melody Greene, and I have a confession to make. I slept with my student, a senior in high school. Multiple times. I had multiple orgasms. In multiple positions. I slept with my student and I enjoyed it. I slept with my student and I’d do it all over again if I could turn back time. My name is Melody Greene, and I got kicked out of my position as a teacher and did my walk of shame a la Cersei Lannister from the principal’s office, minutes after said principal threatened to call the cops on me. My name is Melody Greene, and here is why it was totally worth it.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Teacher-student relationship

Bane by L.J. Shen

Bane by L.J. Shen

Bane. Naked surfer. Habitual pothead. A con, a liar, a thief and a fraud. Last I heard, he was extorting the rich and screwing their wives for a living. Which is why I’m more than a little surprised to find him at my threshold, looking for my friendship, my services, and most puzzling of all—looking humbled. Thing is, I’m on a boycott. Literally—I cut boys from my life. Permanently.
Problem is, Bane is not a boy, he is all man, and I’m falling, crashing, drowning in his sweet, perfect lies. Jesse Carter. Hot as hell, cold as ice. I wasn’t aware of her existence until a fat, juicy deal landed… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Sex work
Rape, on-page
Gang rape, off-page
Suicide, off-page
Drug use
Pregnancy
Forced abortion, off-page

Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf

Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf

Veteran social worker Ellen Moore has seen the worst side of humanity; the vilest acts one person can commit against another. She is a fiercely dedicated children’s advocate and a devoted mother and wife. But one blistering summer day, a simple moment of distraction will have repercussions that Ellen could never have imagined, threatening to shatter everything she holds dear, and trapping her between the gears of the system she works for. Meanwhile, ten-year-old Jenny Briard has been living with her well-meaning but irresponsible father since her mother left them, sleeping on friends’ couches and moving in and out of cheap,… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Child abuse

* Context : The protagonist, a social worker and child advocate, accidentally leaves her infant locked in a hot car.

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

Sang Ly lives at Cambodia’s largest city dump, earning a living for her family by sifting through the trash for recyclables and things that can be repaired and sold. On a good day, she can earn enough to buy food for her family. She needs enough good days to pay the Rent Collector, Sopeap—a grumpy old woman who is willing to evict any tenant who can’t pay their rent on time. When Sang Ly is unable to pay her rent, she fears her family will have to leave their shanty home—a place where her only possessions can be carried in two hands. But when Sopeap sees a discarded children’s book lying on Sang Ly’s cardboard bed, her mood… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Human trafficking mentioned
Physical injuries & illnesses mentioned
Death of a parent
Gang violence
Physical assault
Poverty (theme)

The Decoy Girlfriend by Lillie Vale

The Decoy Girlfriend by Lillie Vale

Writer Freya Lal has a huge secret: she’s a dead ringer for It-girl actress Mandi Roy. Her second novel is due in a month, but inspiration is nowhere to be found. Desperate to shake off her writer’s block, Freya leans into her look-alike abilities and indulges in some mistaken identity for simple perks, like scoring a free mimosa or getting into a trendy nightclub. Actor Taft Bamber appears to have it all: gorgeous, talented, and Mandi’s love interest both on- and off-screen. But what nobody knows is that their relationship is a PR stunt, and after years of playing make-believe… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Toxic friendship
Alcohol consumption
Death of a mother mentioned
Cyberharassment

Hitting the Wall by Cate Wells

Hitting the Wall by Cate C. Wells

Shay. Six years ago, the good, upstanding men of Stonecut County ran me off. I took a secret with me. An inconvenient truth they wanted buried. Actions have consequences. Their perfect golden boy maybe wasn’t so perfect after all. Then life hands me one too many lemons. I’m forced to go back, and in Stonecut, nothing ever changes. Kellum Wall is still golden. I’m still unwanted. And falling for his cocksure smile will most certainly ruin my life all over again. Kellum
I believe there are still good men left in this world, and I strive to be one. I was raised to live by a code. God and country. Protect and serve. I always do the… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Ableism
Rape & statutory rape recounted
Intimate partner violence
Parent with alcoholism mentioned
Alcohol consumption
Teen pregnancy recounted
Emesis
Death of a grandparent mentioned
Attempted infanticide by drowning mentioned
Physical assault
Police corruption & abuse of power
Accidental death of a pet horse mentioned
Animal hunting
Poverty

Even If I Fall by Abigail Johnson

Even If I Fall by Abigail Johnson

A year ago, Brooke Covington lost everything when her beloved older brother, Jason, confessed to the murder of his best friend, Calvin. Brooke and her family became social pariahs, broken and unable to console one another. Brooke’s only solace remains the ice-skating rink, where she works but no longer lets herself dream about a future skating professionally. When Brooke encounters Calvin’s younger brother, Heath, on the side of the road and offers him a ride, everything changes. She needs someone to talk to…and so does Heath. No one else understands what it’s like. Her… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Depression
Grief & loss depiction
Murder
Bullying