Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake book cover

“I need Owen to explain this. Because yes, I do know that Owen would never do that, but I also know Hannah would never lie about something like that.”

Mara and Owen are about as close as twins can get. So when Mara’s friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn’t know what to think. Can the brother she loves really be guilty of such a violent crime? Torn between the family she loves and her own sense of right and wrong, Mara is feeling lost, and it doesn’t help that things have been strained with her ex-girlfriend and best friend since childhood, Charlie.

As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie navigate this new terrain, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits in her future. With sensitivity and openness, this timely novel confronts the difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Coming out themes
  • Bimisia
  • Internalised enbymisia
  • Slut-shaming
  • Victim blaming, discussed
  • Misogyny
  • Racist microaggressions
  • Rape, central theme
  • Sexual assault
  • Paedophillia*
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Panic attacks, multiple occurrences on-page
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Minor injury, mentioned
  • Hospital visit, mentioned
  • Medical procedure including a rape kit, recounted
  • Physical assault
  • Bullying

*Main character, who is a minor, is sexually abused by her teacher

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Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.

Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they’ve been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.

Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?

It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Racism & anti-Blackness
  • Police brutality
  • Hospital
  • Physical assault
  • Poverty themes
  • Bullying
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Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James

Tilly & the Bookwanderers by Anna James

Eleven year-old Tilly has lived above her grandparents’ bookshop ever since her mother disappeared shortly after she was born. Like the rest of her family, Tilly loves nothing more than to escape into the pages of her favourite stories.

One day Tilly realises that classic children’s characters are appearing in the shop through the magic of `book wandering’ – crossing over from the page into real life.

With the help of Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland. Tilly is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago, so she bravely steps into the unknown, unsure of what adventure lies ahead and what dangers she may face.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Parental abandonment
  • Serious illness of a grandmother mentioned
  • Death of a father discussed
  • Disappearance of a parent & daughter
  • Bullying
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The Wicked King by Holly Black

The Wicked King by Holly Black

The Wicked King by Holly Black book cover

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Child abuse, recounted
  • Parental abandonment
  • Forced and arranged marriages
  • Cheating
  • Suicide, recounted
  • Self-harm, recounted
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Hallucinogenic drugs, mentioned
  • Blood depiction
  • Physical injuries
  • Dead bodies
  • Death of parents, recounted
  • Murder and attempted murder
  • Physical assault
  • Kidnapping
  • Captivity
  • Loss of autonomy
  • War themes
  • Bullying

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The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin book cover

After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy has been accused of raping a high school student. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago.

The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Misogyny
  • Victim blaming (discussed in-depth)
  • Rape culture (theme)
  • Sexual assault
  • Sexual harassment
  • Paedophilia mentioned
  • Graphic rape & gang rape of a minor discussed
  • Physical child abuse recounted
  • PTSD
  • Panic attacks
  • Night terrors
  • Attempted suicide by drowning mentioned
  • Suicide of a parent by overdose discussed
  • Addiction mentioned
  • Drug & alcohol abuse mentioned
  • Terminal cancer
  • Hospitalisation
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother recounted
  • Death of a sister & child (off-page)
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Drowning
  • Hostage situation
  • Stalking
  • Car accident & motorcycle accident recounted
  • Animal injury mentioned (minor)
  • Bullying & hazing
  • Grave desecration
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Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sadie by Courtney Summers book cover

Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism
  • Paedophilia & child sexual abuse (theme)
  • Child pornography
  • Sex work
  • Child abandonment & neglect
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Alcoholism
  • Substance addiction
  • Disordered eating, mentioned
  • Attempted suicide
  • Self-injury (unintentional)
  • Alcohol & drug abuse
  • Overdose mentioned
  • Pregnancy mentioned
  • Terminal cancer mentioned
  • Graphic blood depiction
  • Physical injury & illness
  • Emesis
  • Hospitalisation
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a sister and child
  • Death of a grandmother
  • Death of a husband mentioned
  • Murder
  • Knife violence
  • Physical assault
  • Fire
  • Disappearance of a sibling
  • Hostage situation
  • Stalking
  • Car accident
  • Homelessness
  • Poverty
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Nubia by L.L. McKinney

Nubia: Real One by L.L. McKinney

Nubia has always been a little bit…different. As a baby she showcased Amazonian-like strength by pushing over a tree to rescue her neighbor’s cat. But, despite having similar abilities, the world has no problem telling her that she’s no Wonder Woman. And even if she was, they wouldn’t want her. Every time she comes to the rescue, she’s reminded of how people see her; as a threat. Her moms do their best to keep her safe, but Nubia can’t deny the fire within her, even if she’s a little awkward about it sometimes. Even if it means people assume the worst.

When Nubia’s best friend, Quisha, is threatened by a boy who thinks he owns the town, Nubia will risk it all–her safety, her home, and her crush on that cute kid in English class–to become the hero society tells her she isn’t.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Racism, racial slurs, anti-Blackness & hate crime
  • Homomisia & sexism
  • Attempted sexual assault
  • Police brutality & racial profiling
  • School shooting and gun violence
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Bullying
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How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters

How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters

Everyone on campus knows Remy Cameron. He’s the out-and-gay, super-likable guy that people admire for his confidence. The only person who may not know Remy that well is Remy himself. So when he is assigned to write an essay describing himself, he goes on a journey to reconcile the labels that people have attached to him, and get to know the real Remy Cameron.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Racism
  • Homomisia
  • Coming out themes
  • Depression
  • Alcoholism & alcohol consumption
  • Recreational drug use mentioned
  • Bullying
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Running With Lions by Julian Winters

Running With Lions by Julian Winters

Bloomington High School Lions’ star goalie, Sebastian Hughes, should be excited about his senior year: His teammates are amazing and he’s got a coach who doesn’t ask anyone to hide their sexuality. But when his estranged childhood best friend Emir Shah shows up to summer training camp, Sebastian realizes the team’s success may end up in the hands of the one guy who hates him. Determined to reconnect with Emir for the sake of the Lions, he sets out to regain Emir’s trust. But to Sebastian’s surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the town’s streets, and bonding on the weekends sparks more than just friendship between them.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Homomisia & homomisic slurs
  • Islamophobia
  • Coming out themes
  • Fat-shaming & internalised body-image issues
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Bullying
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Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is…Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Transmisia & queermisia
  • Public outing
  • Sexual assault (on-page)
  • Depression & anxiety
  • Panic attacks
  • Suicide & attempted suicide
  • Physical assault
  • Stalking
  • Bullying
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