Contemporary – Page 73 – Trigger Warning Database

Light the Lamp by Catherine Gayle

Light the Lamp by Catherine Gayle

Life’s been rough lately for Noelle Payne, but she’s not one to let negativity rule. So, she lost her job? She’ll find another one. The bank foreclosed on the house? Well, she can live out of her car for a while. There’s always an upside to be found…but now Noelle needs to find something to give her life meaning. She owes it to the universe to figure it out, too, because a stranger just saved her life. When Liam Kallen’s wife died, his goal-scoring ability died with her. After a trade from the only pro hockey team, he’s ever played for, he’s now playing for the NHL’s Portland Storm. Everyone said he needed a change of scenery, but nothing changes… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Death of a pregnant wife in a car accident recounted

Breakaway by Catherine Gayle

Breakaway by Catherine Gayle

Portland Storm captain Eric “Zee” Zellinger knows how to get the job done, but leading his once elite team to victory is fast becoming a losing battle. He can’t lose focus now—not with his career on the line. But when his best friend’s little sister makes him an offer he can’t refuse, Eric could lose the drive the team relies on from their captain. Still in a downward spiral after a life-altering event in college, Dana Campbell is desperate to try anything to break away from the horror of that fateful night—even enlisting the help of the only man she trusts completely. No matter how… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Gang rape recounted
Anxiety
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Taking A Shot by Catherine Gayle

Taking A Shot by Catherine Gayle

Rising hockey star Jamie Babcock is ready to take the most important shot of his life—and this time, it’s not on the ice. Dating his teammate’s daughter might be riskier than going head to head with one of the Portland Storm’s rivals. But time is running out—it’s now or never. High school senior Katie Weber knows all too well the woes of adolescence, but throw in a leukemia diagnosis, and her life just got a lot more complicated. With prom looming and a shiny bald head to contend with, Katie. might sit at home on the most important night of her potentially very short life. Unless Jamie Babcock, her ultimate crush, finally makes the move… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Cancer (leukemia)

It All Comes Back to You by Farah Naz Rishi

It All Comes Back to You by Farah Naz Rishi

After Kiran Noorani’s mom died, Kiran vowed to keep her dad and sister, Amira, close. Then out of the blue, Amira announces that she’s dating someone and might move cross-country with him. Kiran is thrown. Deen Malik is thrilled that his older brother, Faisal, has found a great girlfriend, even if it’s getting serious quickly. Maybe now their parents’ focus will shift off Deen, who feels intense pressure to be the perfect son. When Deen and Kiran come fact to face, they silently agree to keep their past a secret. Four years ago–before Amira and Faisal met–Kiran and Deen dated. But Deen ghosted Kiran with no explanation. Kiran will stop… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Hate crime mentioned
Substance addiction
Drug use & abuse
Death of a parent from terminal illness
Arson
Bullying mentioned

The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter

The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter

Cassie O’Malley has been trying to keep her head above water—literally and metaphorically—since birth. It’s been two and a half years since Cassie’s mother dumped her in a mental institution against her will, and now, at eighteen, Cassie is finally able to reclaim her life and enter the world on her own terms. But freedom is a poor match against a lifetime of psychological damage. As Cassie plumbs the depths of her new surroundings, the startling truths she uncovers about her own family narrative make it impossible to cut the tethers of a tumultuous past. And when the unhealthy… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Fatmisia & body shaming
Rape
Child abuse
Anxiety
Depression
Suicide
Self-harm

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Ableism
Homomisia
Victim blaming
Sexual assault
Alcohol consumption
Drug use
Terminal cancer
Death of a parent
Bullying

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Ari has spent all of high school burying who he really is, staying silent and invisible. He expected his senior year to be the same. But something in him cracked open when he fell in love with Dante, and he can’t go back. Suddenly he finds himself reaching out to new friends, standing up to bullies of all kinds, and making his voice heard. And, always, there is Dante, dreamy, witty Dante, who can get on Ari’s nerves and fill him with desire all at once. The boys are determined to forge a path for themselves in a world that doesn’t understand them. But when Ari is faced with a shocking loss… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Homomisia
Racism
Bullying

You Must Not Miss by Katrina Leno

You Must Not Miss by Katrina Leno

Magpie Lewis started writing in her yellow notebook the day after her family self-destructed. The day her father ruined her mother’s life. The day Eryn, Magpie’s sister, skipped town and left her to fend for herself. The day of Brandon Phipp’s party. Now Magpie is called a slut in the hallways of her high school, her former best friend won’t speak to her, and she spends her lunch period with a group of misfits who’ve all been as socially exiled as she has. And so, feeling trapped and forgotten, Magpie retreats to her notebook, dreaming up a magical place called Near. Near is perfect–a place… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Bimisia
Transmisia
Slut shaming
Victim blaming
Rape & date rape
Child neglect
Cheating
Anxiety & anxiety attacks
Suicide
Suicidal ideation
Alcoholism
Alcohol consumption & abuse
Drugging
Murder
Bullying

Everything All at Once by Katrina Leno

Everything All at Once by Katrina Leno

Lottie Reeves has always struggled with anxiety, and when her beloved Aunt Helen dies, Lottie begins to fear that her own unexpected death might be waiting around every corner. Aunt Helen wasn’t a typical aunt. She was the author of the best–selling Alvin Hatter series, about siblings who discover the elixir of immortality. Her writing inspired a generation of readers. In her will, she leaves one last writing project—just for Lottie. It’s a series of letters, each containing mysterious instructions designed to push Lottie out of her comfort zone. Soon, Lottie’s trying some writing of her own, leaping off cliffs, and even fall… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Queermisia
Child abuse
Anxiety & panic attacks, on-page
Suicide mentioned
Alcohol consumption
Terminal cancer
Hospital
Emesis mentioned
Grief & loss depiction (theme)
Death of an aunt
Death from a fall
Drowning mentioned

The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno

The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno

You live and you remember. Me, I live and I forget. But now—now I am remembering. For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Dissociative Identity Disorder (theme)
Depression
Suicidal ideation discussed
Thwarted attempted suicide by drug overdose, on-page
Blood depiction
Hospital
Emesis
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a friend
Death of a brother
Car accident involving a truck hitting a motorcycle, on-page
Death of a pet goldfish mentioned