Contemporary – Page 79 – Trigger Warning Database

Like Home by Louisa Onomé

From Little Tokyo, with Love by Sarah Kuhn

If Rika’s life seems like the beginning of a familiar fairy tale–being an orphan with two bossy cousins and working away in her aunts’ business–she would be the first to reject that foolish notion. After all, she loves her family (even if her cousins were named after Disney characters), and with her biracial background, amazing judo skills and red-hot temper, she doesn’t quite fit the princess mold. All that changes the instant she locks eyes with Grace Kimura, America’s reigning rom-com sweetheart, during the Nikkei Week Festival. From there, Rika embarks on a madcap adventure of… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism, on-page & discussed
Colourism
Sexism
Ableism, off-page
Lesbomisia
Parental abandonment
Anxiety
Panic attack, on-page
Teen pregnancy recounted
Invasions of privacy (paparazzi)

Like Home by Louisa Onomé

Like Home by Louisa Onomé

Chinelo, or Nelo as her best friend Kate calls her, is all about her neighbourhood Ginger East. She loves its chill vibe, ride-or-die sense of community, and her memories of growing up there. Ginger East isn’t what it used to be, though. After a deadly incident at the local arcade, all her closest friends moved away, except for Kate. But as long as they have each other, Nelo’s good. Only, Kate’s parents’ corner store is vandalized, leaving Nelo shaken to her core. The police and the media are quick to point fingers, and soon more… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Gentrification
Police violence

By a Thread by Lucy Score

By a Thread by Lucy Score

I got her fired. Okay, so I’d had a bad day and took it out on a bystander in a pizza shop. But there’s nothing innocent about Ally Morales. She proves that her first day of her new job… in my office… after being hired by my mother. So maybe her colourful, annoying, inexplicably alluring personality brightens up the magazine’s offices that have felt like a prison for the past year. Maybe I like that she argues with me in front of the editorial staff. And maybe my after-hours fantasies are haunted by those brown eyes and that sharp tongue. But that doesn’t mean that… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Workplace sexual harassment

Sing Anyway by Anita Kelly

Sing Anyway by Anita Kelly

After a lifetime of failed relationships, non-binary history professor Sam Bell is committed to a new (non)romantic strategy: Thirst Only. It’s the actual drinking where things get too complicated, where Sam inevitably gets hurt. Sam is good at being thirsty, though, especially when it’s karaoke night at The Moonlight Café, otherwise known as Moonie’s to its largely queer regulars. Moonie’s is fun. Comfortable. Safe. Except for tonight, when one by one, all of Sam’s friends abandon them. Disappointed, they prepare to leave—until their #1 karaoke crush catches… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Alcohol consumption
Animal injury & illness mentioned

I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin

I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin

So begins a series of texts and emails sent between two best friends, Ava and Gen, as they head off to their first semesters of college on opposite sides of the country. From first loves to weird roommates, heartbreak, self-discovery, coming out and mental health, the two of them document every wild and awkward moment to each other. But as each changes and grows into her new life, will their friendship be able to survive the distance?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Sexual assault
Anxiety
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Drug abuse

Just for Clicks by Kara McDowell

Just for Clicks by Kara McDowell

Twin sisters Claire & Poppy are accidental social media stars thanks to Mom going viral when they were babies. Now, as teens, they’re expected to contribute by building their own brand. Attending a NY fashion week and receiving fan mail is a blast. Fending off internet trolls and would-be kidnappers? Not so much. Poppy embraces it. Claire hates it. Will anybody accept her as “just Claire”? And what should Claire do about Mom’s old journals? The handwritten entries definitely don’t sound like Mom’s perfect blog persona. Worse, one of them divulges a secret that leaves Claire wondering what else in her life might be nothing but a sham . . .

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Attempted kidnapping
Cyberbullying

The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz

The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz

A middle grade novel about 14-year-old Nat Beacon, a Broadway super fan who happens to use a wheelchair, and the summer she overcomes fears to turn her fandom into stardom.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Ableism
Fire
Car accident mentioned
Animal death mentioned
Bullying mentioned

Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira

Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira

Carmen Aguilar just wants to make her happily ever after come true. Except apparently “happily ever after” for Carmen involves being stuck in an unpaid summer internship! All she has to do is perform! In a ball gown! During the summer. In Miami. Fine. Except that Carmen’s company is hired for her spoiled cousin Ariana’s over the top quinceañera. And of course, her new dance partner at work is none other than Mauro Reyes, Carmen’s most deeply regrettable ex. If Carmen is going to move into the future she wants, she needs to leave the past behind. And if she can man… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Workplace sexual harassment mentioned
Alcohol consumption
Drug abuse mentioned

Hood River Rat by K Webster

Hood River Rat by K. Webster

Hood River was supposed to be the change I needed. A fresh start. An escape from my painful past. Better in every way. I’m a popular guy. Approachable. I make friends easily. Cool car. Nice clothes. Good attitude. Everything will be fine. School is school. I’ll keep my head down until graduation and try not to stick out. College will be here before I know it. Yet my first day proves to be anything but easy. The Hood River Hoodlums—our school’s most notorious group of bad boys—have put a target on my back. Their leader, Roan, hates me. He calls me Rat. To him and his… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Attempted rape of a minor
Drug abuse
Murder
Attempted drowning

Team Phison Forever by Chace Verity

Team Phison Forever by Chace Verity

Tyson Falls is ready to get married. After being disowned by his parents, his adorably grumpy boyfriend has made cautiously optimistic Tyson embrace the concept of family again. Armed with a ring and the newest video game, Tyson has plans for the nerdiest proposal. Life throws a wrench in Tyson’s plans when he meets someone online during a multiplayer match. Someone that makes him rethink if he’s ready to start a family—the half-sister he never knew he had.
With the harsh reminder of how messy families can be, Tyson plunges headfirst into despair. Phil… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Ableism
Homomisia mentioned
Transmisia mentioned
Racism mentioned
Familial estrangement
Depression
Alcohol consumption
Death of a parent mentioned