Queer Lit – Page 59 – Trigger Warning Database

Not All Heroes by Josephine Cameron

Not All Heroes by Josephine Cameron

Even though her family moved across the country for a “fresh start” after her little brother’s death, eleven-year-old Zinnia Helinski still feels like she’s stuck waiting for her new life to begin. Then she spots her new neighbour, Kris, climbing down the fire escape of their apartment building. He’s wearing a black eye mask! And Spandex leggings. . . . And a blue body suit? Soon Zinnia finds herself in a secret club for kids who want to be heroes. The Reality Shifters don’t have superpowers, but they do have the power to make positive change in their neighbourhoods… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Grief & loss depiction
Death of a brother

Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender

Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender

Lark Winters wants to be a writer, and for now that means posting on their social media accounts––anything to build their platform. When former best friend Kasim accidentally posts a thread on Lark’s Twitter declaring his love for a secret, unrequited crush, Lark’s tweets are suddenly the talk of the school—and beyond. To protect Kasim, Lark decides to take the fall, pretending they accidentally posted the thread in reference to another classmate. It seems like a great idea: Lark gets closer to their crush… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Transmisia
Panic attacks
Depression
Suicidal ideation
Pandemic (Covid-19)
Bullying
Gentrification

This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender

This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender

Nathan Bird doesn’t believe in happy endings. Although he’s the ultimate film buff and an aspiring screenwriter, Nate’s seen the demise of too many relationships to believe that happy endings exist in real life. Playing it safe to avoid a broken heart has been his MO ever since his father died and left his mom to unravel—but this strategy is not without fault. His best-friend-turned-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-again, Florence, is set on making sure Nate finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com-worthy, someone does… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Ableism
Cheating
Depression
Anxiety
Alcohol consumption
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a father recounted

The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan

The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan

Seventeen-year-old Mattie is hiding her obsession with Harry Houdini and Dorothy Dietrich from everyone, including her best friend Stella. When Stella takes off to boarding school for the summer, all of Mattie’s anxieties bubble to the surface, leaving her feeling adrift. To distract herself, she seeks out Miyu, the reclusive daughter of a world-renowned escape artist whose life and career were snuffed out by a tragic plane crash. With Miyu’s help, Mattie secretly transforms herself into a burgeoning escapologist and performance artist. Away from the curious eyes of her peers, she thrives in her new world of lock… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Ableism
Homomisic slurs
Cheating
Statutory rape
Alcoholism
Depression
Near-drowning

Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text. Her refuge at Stillhouse Lake has become a trap. Gwen leaves her children in the protective custody of a fortified, well-armed neighbour. Now, with the help of Sam Cade, brother of one of Melvin’s victims, Gwen is going hunting. She’s learned how from one of the sickest killers alive… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Rape mentioned
Eye trauma
Graphic murder
Torture
Kidnapping
Animal injury (dog)

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Suicide
Alcohol consumption
Emesis
Death of a friend
Death of a sibling recounted
Torture recounted
Explosion
Imprisonment
Fire
War themes & military enlistment

How to Be Ace by Rebecca Burgess

How to Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess

Growing up, Rebecca assumes sex is just a scary new thing they will ‘grow into’ as they get older, but when they leave school, start working and do grow up, they start to wonder why they don’t want to have sex with other people. In this brave, hilarious and empowering graphic memoir, we follow Rebecca as they navigate a culture obsessed with sex—from being bullied at school and trying to fit in with friends, to forcing themself into relationships and experiencing anxiety and OCD—before coming to understand and embrace their asexual identity.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Amisia & internalised amisia
Sexual assault mentioned
Anxiety & panic attacks
Depression
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Endometriosis mentioned
Emesis
Bullying

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

Rachel is twenty-four, a lapsed Jew who has made calorie restriction her religion. By day, she maintains an illusion of existential control, by way of obsessive food rituals, while working as an underling at a Los Angeles talent management agency. At night, she pedals nowhere on the elliptical machine. Rachel is content to carry on subsisting—until her therapist encourages her to take a ninety-day communication detox from her mother, who raised her in the tradition of calorie counting…Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Fatmisia & body-shaming
Body dysmorphia
Eating disorder & disordered food thoughts
Emesis

Into the Real by Z Brewer

Into the Real by Z Brewer

The first Brume is a waking nightmare, overrun by literal monsters and cutthroat survivors. For Quinn, who is openly genderqueer, the only silver lining is their friendship with Lia—and the hope that there might still be a safe place somewhere else in the world. The second Brume is a prison with no bars. Forced to “sort out” their sexuality with other teens at Camp Redemption, Quinn must also figure out why presenting as female has never felt quite right… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Homomisia
Deadnaming
Misgendering
Conversion therapy
Physical child abuse
Blood & gore depiction
Gun violence

This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron

This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron

Briseis has one chance to save her mother, but she’ll need to do the impossible: find the last fragment of the deadly Absyrtus Heart. If she is to locate the missing piece, she must turn to the blood relatives she’s never known, learn about their secret powers, and take her place in their ancient lineage. Briseis is not the only one who wants the Heart, and her enemies will stop at nothing to fulfil their own ruthless plans. The fates tell of a truly dangerous journey that could… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Emesis
Death of a mother recounted
Murder recounted
Knife & sword violence
Kidnapping