Category Archives: Horror

A Winter’s Earl by Annabelle Greene

A Winter’s Earl by Annabelle Greene

Infamous poet Sherborne Clarke is a scholar, a lover—but not a father. When he finds a baby abandoned on the steps of his crumbling castle, he knows he must get her to London and an orphanage. It’s the perfect excuse to contact the one person he trusts…the man whose love he stills yearns for, and whose heart he broke years before. Richard Ashbrook was groomed from birth to become the Earl of Portland, until Sherborne betrayed him, exposing his sexuality to the papers and forcing him into exile. But as much as he hates Sherborne, Richard has never managed to break their link or let his confusing sentiments concerning him,… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Outing
  • Attempted suicide

Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson

Nooks & Crannies by Jessica Lawson

Tabitha Crum is a girl with a big imagination and a love for mystery novels, though her parents think her only talent is being a nuisance. She doesn’t have a friend in the world, except her pet mouse, Pemberley, with whom she shares her dingy attic bedroom. Then, on the heels of a rather devastating announcement made by her mother and father, Tabitha receives a mysterious invitation to the country estate of the wealthy but reclusive Countess of Windermere, whose mansion is rumoured to be haunted. There, she finds herself among five other children, none of them,… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Parental abandonment
  • Child abuse & neglect

Twelfth Grade Night by Molly Horton Booth and Stephanie Kate Strohm

Twelfth Grade Night by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, and illustrated by Jamie Green

Vi came to Arden High for a fresh start and a chance to wear beanies and button-ups instead of uniform skirts. And though doing it without her twin feels like being split in half, Vi finds her stride when she stumbles (literally!) into broody and beautiful poet-slash-influencer, Orsino. Soon Vi gets roped into helping plan the school’s Twelfth Grade Night dance, and she can’t stop dreaming about slow dancing with Orsino under the fairy lights in the gym. The problem? All Vi’s new friends assume she’s not even into guys. And before Vi can ask Orsino to the dance, he recruits Vi to help woo his crush, Olivia. Who has a crush of her own.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Bullying

The Boy with the Spider Face by A.J. Franks

The Boy with the Spider Face by A.J. Franks

Jeff Pritchet isn’t much different from other teenage boys, with one exception. His monstrous, spider-like appearance and loner persona make him a target for bullying when all he wants is a friend who sees beyond the surface. Enter transfer student, Aarav Jain. Thoughtful, accepting, and insightful, he sparks an untapped hope in Jeff, transforming his life. But as the boys grow closer, their deepening relationship becomes hijacked by a darkness Aarav can’t escape and a life-altering secret Jeff can barely contain. The unconventional pair find themselves… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Queermisia
  • Child abuse
  • Alcoholism
  • Drug abuse
  • Emesis
  • Body horror
  • Murder
  • Death of a parent
  • Animal death
  • Bullying

A Good Idea by Cristina Moracho

A Good Idea by Cristina Moracho

Fin and Betty’s close friendship survived Fin’s ninth-grade move from their coastal Maine town to Manhattan. Calls, letters, and summer visits continued to bind them together, and in the fall of their senior year, they both applied to NYU, planning to reunite for good as roommates. Then Betty disappears. Her ex-boyfriend Calder admits to drowning her, but his confession is thrown out, and soon the entire town believes he was coerced and Betty has simply run away. Fin knows the truth, and she returns to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Conversion therapy
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Drug & alcohol abuse
  • Murder

Seven Days at the Hot Corner by Terry Trueman

7 Days at the Hot Corner by Terry Trueman

In baseball, fielding your position at third base is tricky—that’s why third is called “the hot corner.” You have to be aware that anything can happen at any time. This should be the best year of Scott’s life: It’s his last season of varsity ball, his team is about to go to the city championship, and a pro career is on the line. Instead, everything he always counted on comes crashing down at the same time, and his whole life is like one blazing hot corner—full of deadly line drives and crazy “bad hops.” Scott can’t believe the awful stuff… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Bullying

37 Things I Love by Kekla Magoon

37 Things I Love (in No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon

Ellis only has four days of her sophomore year left, and summer is so close that she can almost taste it. But even with vacation just within reach, Ellis isn’t exactly relaxed. Her father has been in a coma for years, the result of a construction accident and her already-fragile relationship with her mother is strained over whether or not to remove him from life support. Her best friend fails even to notice that anything is wrong and Ellis feels like her world is falling apart. But when all seems bleak, Ellis finds comfort in the most unexpected… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Parent on life support after a construction accident

Notreadytodie by Cate Carlyle

#Notreadytodie by Cate Carlyle

A killer stalks the hallways Ginny’s life suddenly comes to a screeching halt one fateful Monday when a shooter shows up at Southwestern High School during first period. In lockdown with both the homeroom sub and her secret crush Owen badly wounded, Ginny finds herself teamed up with Kayla, one of the “Barbies.” Together, they must try to keep their classmates alive amid terror and pain. A teacher is fatally wounded As the chaos continues, Ginny is plagued with questions. Has she judged Kayla too harshly? Will she ever have the chance to ask Own to prom? Will the… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Self-harm recounted
  • Blood & injury depiction
  • School shooting (theme)

You Set Me on Fire by Mariko Tamaki

(You) Set Me on Fire by Mariko Tamaki

Allison Lee is seventeen and off to college in the fall. So far, she’s been in love once (total catastrophe) and on fire twice (also pretty bad). Both love and fire have left their scars. Looking a little more burnt chicken and a little less radiant phoenix, Allison takes up residence in Dylan Hall (a.k.a. Dyke Hall) at St. Joseph’s College, where she discovers the true gift of freshman year: the opportunity to reinvent yourself. Miles away from the high school she’s happy to leave behind, her all-female dorm is a strange new world, home to new social circles and challenges. Allison still feels like the… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Alcohol consumption
  • Drug abuse
  • Burn scars

Pretending I Love Lucy by Julie Christianson

Pretending I Love Lucy by Julie Christianson

People think it’s easy being Felix Dodd III. And sure the fortune, legacy, and inheritance aren’t exactly terrible. But the name comes with so many strings, my hands feel permanently tied. ’ve got less than zero interest in marriage, ever since my one attempt at love crashed and burned. But Grams won’t let me access my trust until I’m engaged. Which means I need a fiancée. I’ve got less than zero interest in marriage, ever since my one attempt at love crashed and burned. But Grams won’t let me access my trust until I’m engaged. Which means I need a fiancée. Someone who’s looking for quick cash and a quicker getaway… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Death of parents recounted