Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Also known as Being Toffee.

One is trying to forget. The other is trying to remember.

After running away from an abusive home, Allison finds herself taking shelter in a shed behind an abandoned house. But the house isn’t empty after all; an elderly woman named Marla, who suffers from dementia, lives there. And rather than turn her away, Marla welcomes her – she mistakes Allison for an old friend from her past named Toffee.

Allison is used to hiding who she really is, and trying to be what other people want her to be, so she decides to play along. But as their bond grows, and Allison discovers how much Marla needs a real companion, Allison begins to waver. They both deserve a home, a safe place, and a family – but at what cost?

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Sexism
  • Slut shaming
  • Sexual harassment
  • Physical, verbal & emotional child abuse (theme)
  • Domestic violence and physical & emotional abuse
  • Elder abuse
  • Cheating mentioned
  • Depersonalisation
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Self-harm
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Recreational drug use (smoking)
  • Death from childbirth & traumatic childbirth mentioned
  • Dementia (theme)
  • Minor blood depiction & physical injuries, including burns
  • Emesis
  • Hospital
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother & wife recounted
  • Homelessness
  • Animal death
  • Death of a pet dog mentioned
  • Animal attack mentioned
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If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

High school senior Cameron Bright’s reputation can be summed up in one word: bitch. It’s no surprise she’s queen bee at her private L.A. high school—she’s beautiful, talented, and notorious for her cutting and brutal honesty. So when she puts her foot in her mouth in front of her crush, Andrew, she fears she may have lost him for good.

In an attempt to win him over, Cameron resolves to “tame” herself, much like Katherine in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. First, she’ll have to make amends with those she’s wronged, which leads her to Brendan, the guy she labelled with an unfortunate nickname back in the sixth grade. At first, Brendan isn’t all that receptive to Cameron’s ploy. But slowly, he warms up to her when they connect over the computer game he’s developing. Now if only Andrew would notice…

But the closer Cameron gets to Brendan, the more she sees he appreciates her personality—honesty and all—and wonders if she’s compromising who she is for the guy she doesn’t even want.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Emotional & verbal parental abuse
  • Cheating mentioned & recounted
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Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language
  • Bimisia
  • Misogyny
  • Fatmisia & body shaming
  • Slut shaming
  • Aromisic language
  • Gaslighting recounted
  • Cheating recounted
  • Anxiety & panic attacks (on-page)
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Bullying
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Nailbiter Vol. 2: Bloody Hands by Joshua Williamson & Mike Henderson

Nailbiter, Vol. 2: Bloody Hands by Joshua Williamson & Mike Henderson

Army interrogator Nicholas Finch is hot on the trail for why sixteen of the world’s worst serial killers are all from the same small town, but his path to answers is lettered with deadly intentions. There are dark forces that don’t want the secrets of Buckaroo and it’s murderous past to be revealed. And the Nailbiter himself has to deal with being thrown in the spotlight again!

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Teacher-student relationship
  • Cheating
  • Pregnancy & childbirth (secondary character)
  • Graphic blood & gore depiction
  • Hospital
  • Death of a son
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Knife violence & Stabbing
  • Kidnapping
  • Fire recounted
  • Attempted drowning
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Giant Days, Vol 4 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman & Max Sarin

Giant Days, Vol 4 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman & Max Sarin

Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Trieman and Max Sarin book cover

It’s springtime at Sheffield University — the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and fast-pals Susan, Esther and Daisy continue to survive their freshman year of college. Susan is barely dealing with her recent breakup with McGraw, Esther is considering dropping out of school, and Daisy is trying to keep everyone and everything from falling apart! Combined with house-hunting, indie film festivals, and online dating, can the girls make it to second year? 

The Eisner Award-nominated series from John Allison (Bad Machinery, Scary Go Round) with artist Max Sarin delivers another delightful slice-of-life adventure in Giant Days Volume 4. Collects issues 13-16.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Cheating
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Recreational drug use, including smoking
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The Lessons by Naomi Alderman

The Lessons by Naomi Alderman

The Lessons by Naomi Alderman book cover

Hidden away in an Oxford back street is a crumbling Georgian mansion, unknown to any but the few who possess a key to its unassuming front gate. Its owner is the mercurial, charismatic Mark Winters, whose rackety trust-fund upbringing has left him as troubled and unpredictable as he is wildly promiscuous. Mark gathers around him an impressionable group of students: glamorous Emmanuella, who always has a new boyfriend in tow; Franny and Simon, best friends and occasional lovers; musician Jess, whose calm exterior hides passionate depths. And James, already damaged by Oxford and looking for a group to belong to. For a time they live in a charmed world of learning and parties and love affairs. But university is no grounding for adult life, and when, years later, tragedy strikes they are entirely unprepared. Universal in its themes of ambition, desire and betrayal, this spellbinding novel reflects the truth that the lessons life teaches often come too late.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableist tropes, specifically the demonising of mental illness
  • Queermisic tropes, specifically “cheating bisexuals”
  • Domestic abuse
  • Cheating
  • Mental health
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Self-harm
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Rough Terrain by Annabeth Albert

Rough Terrain by Annabeth Albert

Rough Terrain by Annabeth Albert book cover

Navy SEAL Renzo Bianchi has a soft spot for Canaan Finley, and not only because the man makes a mean smoothie. He’s the first guy to get Renzo’s motor revving in a long time. But when he agrees to Canaan’s insane charade—one all-access fake boyfriend, coming right up—he never expects more than a fling.

Creating a hot Italian SEAL boyfriend to save face seemed like a good idea…until his friends called Canaan’s bluff. Now he’s setting off into the woods with the very man who inspired his deception, and Canaan is not the outdoorsy type. The sparks are already flying when a flash flood separates them from their group, leaving Renzo and Canaan very much trapped…very much alone in the wilderness.

Working together to come up with a plan for survival is sexier than either of them expects. But back in the real world, being a couple is bringing its own set of hazards… 

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Cheating, recounted
  • Serious injury to a loved one, recounted
  • Death of a parent, recounted
  • Death of a partner, recounted
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The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin

The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin

The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin book cover

What do a future ambassador, an overly ambitious Francophile, a hospital-volunteering Girl Scout, the new girl from Cleveland, the junior cheer captain, and the vice president of the debate club have in common? It sounds like the ridiculously long lead-up to an astoundingly absurd punchline, right? Except it’s not. Well, unless my life is the joke, which is kind of starting to look like a possibility given how beyond soap opera it’s been since I moved to Lancaster. But anyway, here’s your answer: we’ve all had the questionable privilege of going out with Lancaster High School’s de facto king. Otherwise known as my best friend. Otherwise known as the reason I’ve already helped steal a car, a jet ski, and one hundred spray-painted water bottles when it’s not even Christmas break yet. Otherwise known as Henry. Jersey number 8.

Meet Cleves. Girlfriend number four and the narrator of The Dead Queens Club, a young adult retelling of Henry VIII and his six wives. Cleves is the only girlfriend to come out of her relationship with Henry unscathed—but most breakups are messy, right? And sometimes tragic accidents happen…twice…

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Racism
  • Misogyny and sexism
  • Ableism
  • Slut-shaming
  • Victim blaming
  • Body shaming
  • Sexual assault, recounted
  • Revenge pornography
  • Cheating
  • Gaslighting
  • Abusive relationship/s
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Death of a mother, mentioned
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Building collapse
  • Fire
  • Stalking
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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 Leaving by Tara Altebrando

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando book cover

Six were taken. Eleven years later, five come back–with no idea of where they’ve been.

Eleven years ago, six kindergarteners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to.

Until today. Today five of those kids return. They’re sixteen, and they are . . . fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mom she barely recognizes, and doesn’t really recognize the person she’s supposed to be, either. But she thinks she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except they’re entirely unable to recall where they’ve been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max. He doesn’t come back. Everyone wants answers. Most of all Max’s sister Avery, who needs to find her brother–dead or alive–and isn’t buying this whole memory-loss story.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism
  • Child abuse
  • Absent parent
  • Cheating
  • Alcoholism
  • Depression
  • Asthma
  • Grief depiction
  • Death of a friend
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a sibling
  • Murder
  • Kidnapping
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