Coming Out Themes – Page 11 – Trigger Warning Database

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman

Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from home to find the boy that he loves, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City after a family tragedy leaves him isolated on the outskirts of Washington state. After the three of them collide in Central Park, they slowly reveal the parts of their past that they haven’t been able to confront, and together, they find their way back to who they’re supposed to be.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Homomisia
Forced coming out
Child neglect & abandonment
Suicide & suicidal ideation
Physical injuries, including eye trauma & concussion

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

When Ruby’s mother dies, she’s dragged three thousand miles away from her gorgeous boyfriend, Ray, to live in LA with her father, who she’s only ever seen in movies. He’s a mega-famous actor who divorced her mom before Ruby was even born, and while the rest of the world may love him, Ruby definitely does not.

But as time passes and pages turn, Ruby comes to understand that circumstances are far more complicated than they seem, and sometimes forgiveness is found where you least expect it.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism & ableist language
Coming out themes*
Parental abandonment
Cheating
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a mother

*Note: Coming out is used as a plot twist.

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa

Julián Luna has a plan for his life: Graduate. Get into UCLA. And have the chance to move away from Corpus Christi, Texas, and the suffocating expectations of others that have forced Jules into an inauthentic life. Then in one reckless moment, with one impulsive tweet, his plans for a low-key nine months are thrown—literally—out the closet. The downside: the whole world knows, and Jules has to prepare for rejection. The upside: Jules now has the opportunity to be his real self.

Then Mat, a cute, empathetic Twitter crush from Los Angeles, slides into Jules’s DMs. Jules can tell him anything. Mat makes the world seem conquerable. But when Jules’s fears about coming out come true, the person he needs most is fifteen hundred miles away. Jules has to face them alone.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Homomisia & homomisic slurs
Forced coming out
Emotional, physical & psychological parental abuse
Parental abandonment
Depression
Suicidal ideation
Death of a parent mentioned
Bullying

We Used to Be Friends by Amy Spalding

We Used to Be Friends by Amy Spalding

At the start of their senior year in high school, James and Kat are inseparable, but by graduation, they’re no longer friends. James prepares to head off to college as she reflects on the dissolution of her friendship with Kat while Kat thinks about being newly in love with her first girlfriend and having a future that feels wide open.

Over the course of senior year, Kat wants nothing more than James to continue to be her steady rock, as James worries that everything she believes about love and her future is a lie when her high-school sweetheart parents announce they’re getting a divorce.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Cheating
Coming out themes
Death of a mother to heart disease

Whiteout by Elyse Springer

Whiteout by Elyse Springer

Noah Landers wakes up one day with a headache and no memory of where — or who — he is. Jason, the man taking care of him, tries to fill in some of the blanks: they’re in a cabin in Colorado on vacation, and Noah slipped on ice and hit his head. But even with amnesia, Noah knows Jason is leaving out something important.

Jason O’Reilly is sexy as hell, treats Noah like he’s precious, and seems determined to make this the romantic getaway they’d apparently dreamed of together. But Noah’s more concerned that he’s trapped alone with Jason in the middle of a blizzard while his slowly returning memories bring hints of secrets and betrayal.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Parental neglect
Retrograde amnesia
Depression
Alcohol consumption
Physical injury (head injury)
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a parent by suicide
Death of an ex-partner from a brain tumor recounted

Heels Over Head by Elyse Springer

Heels Over Head by Elyse Springer

Jeremy Reeve is one of the best divers in the world, and he’s worked hard to get where he is. He intends to keep pushing himself with one very clear goal in mind: winning gold at the summer Olympics in two years. That medal might be the only way to earn his father’s respect as an athlete.

Brandon Evans is everything Jeremy isn’t: carefree, outgoing, and openly gay. With his bright-blue eyes and dramatic tattoos, he’s a temptation that Jeremy refuses to acknowledge. But Jeremy can’t ignore how talented Brandon is—or that Brandon has no interest in using his diving skills to compete. They’re opposites who are forced to work together as teammates, but Jeremy’s fear of his own sexuality and Brandon’s disinterest in anything “not fun” may end their partnership before it begins.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Homomisia & internalised homomisia
Coming out themes
Parental abuse
Homelessness

As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper

As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper

Marty arrives in London with nothing but his oboe and some savings from his summer job, but he’s excited to start his new life–where he’s no longer the closeted, shy kid who slips under the radar and is free to explore his sexuality without his parents’ disapproval.

From the outside, Marty’s life looks like a perfect fantasy: in the span of a few weeks, he’s made new friends, he’s getting closer with his first ever boyfriend, and he’s even traveling around Europe. But Marty knows he can’t keep up the facade. He hasn’t spoken to his parents since he arrived, he’s tearing through his meager savings, his homesickness and anxiety are getting worse and worse, and he hasn’t even come close to landing the job of his dreams. Will Marty be able to find a place that feels like home?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Coming out themes
Nonconsensual outing
Homomisia
Religious bigotry
Anxiety & anxiety attacks
Body dysmorphia
Disordered food & weight thoughts (including on-page crash dieting, food-shaming, calorie counting & self-imposed starvation)
Alcohol consumption

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus.

Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid,” and finds himself falling head over heels—fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Coming out themes recounted
Cheating recounted
Anxiety & anxiety attacks
Depression
Alcohol consumption
Hospitalisation mentioned
Terminal cancer recounted
Grief & loss deception
Death of aunt & sister mentioned
Plane crash

It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura

It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura

Sixteen-year-old Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don’t invite her to parties. Some are big, like that fact that her father may be having an affair. And then there’s the one that she can barely even admit to herself—the one about how she might have a crush on her best friend.

When Sana and her family move to California she begins to wonder if it’s finally time for some honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez. Jamie is beautiful and smart and unlike anyone Sana’s ever known. There are just a few problems: Sana’s new friends don’t trust Jamie’s crowd; Jamie’s friends clearly don’t want her around anyway; and a sweet guy named Caleb seems to have more-than-friendly feelings for her. Meanwhile, her dad’s affair is becoming too obvious to ignore anymore.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Racism & racial slurs, including racial profiling
Slut-shaming
Coming out themes
Cheating
Alcohol consumption

The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott

The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott

Emily and her mum were always lucky. But Emily’s mum’s luck ran out three years ago when she succumbed to cancer. Now, the summer before her senior year, things are worse than ever. Emily has wrecked things with her boyfriend, Matt, and her dad is selling the house she grew up in. The only person she has to talk to is Blake, a girl she barely knows since she moved back to town five seconds ago.

But that’s when Emily finds her mum’s senior year summer bucket list. When Blake suggests that Emily take it on as a challenge, the two set off on a journey to help Emily face her fears over losing her connection to her mum. As she starts to feel closer to her mother, her bond with Blake deepens into something she wasn’t expecting. And suddenly Emily must face another fear: accepting the secret part of herself she never got a chance to share with the person who knew her best.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Coming out themes
Death of a mother to cancer recounted