The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris book cover

Sixteen-year-old Alex Rufus is trying his best. He tries to be the best employee he can be at the local ice cream shop; the best boyfriend he can be to his amazing girlfriend, Talia; the best protector he can be over his little brother, Isaiah. But as much as Alex tries, he often comes up short.

It’s hard to for him to be present when every time he touches an object or person, Alex sees into its future. When he touches a scoop, he has a vision of him using it to scoop ice cream. When he touches his car, he sees it years from now, totaled and underwater. When he touches Talia, he sees them at the precipice of breaking up, and that terrifies him. Alex feels these visions are a curse, distracting him, making him anxious and unable to live an ordinary life.

And when Alex touches a photo that gives him a vision of his brother’s imminent death, everything changes.

With Alex now in a race against time, death, and circumstances, he and Isaiah must grapple with their past, their future, and what it means to be a young Black man in America in the present.

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Racism
  • Self-harm
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Death of a parent
  • Death of a sibling
  • Anti-black violence
  • Slavery
  • Inter-generational trauma
  • Poverty
  • Police brutality
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Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown book cover

Jersey Cameron has always loved a good storm. Watching the clouds roll in and the wind pick up. Smelling the electricity in the air. Dancing barefoot in the rain. She lives in the Midwest, after all, where the weather is sure to keep you guessing. Jersey knows what to do when the tornado sirens sound. But she never could have prepared for this.

When her town is devastated by a tornado, Jersey loses everything. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she’s sent to live with relatives she hardly knows-family who might as well be strangers. In an unfamiliar place, can Jersey discover that even on the darkest of days, there are some things no tornado can destroy?

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Child abandonment
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Panic attacks
  • Alcoholism mentioned
  • Death of a sibling
  • Death of a parent
  • Tornado, central theme
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You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Shay Miller wants to find love, but it eludes her. She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end. She wants to belong, but her life is increasingly lonely.

Until Shay meets the Moore sisters. Cassandra and Jane live a life of glamorous perfection, and always get what they desire. When they invite Shay into their circle, everything seems to get better. Shay would die for them to like her. She may have to.

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language
  • Fatmisia & body shaming
  • Rape (on-page)
  • Trauma & panic attacks
  • Graphic suicide by train (on-page)
  • Suicide (theme)
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a friend
  • Death of a sister
  • Death of a father recounted
  • Strangulation
  • Stalking

*Note: A character is described as having ‘almond-shaped eyes’.

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The Midnight Library of Matt Haig

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Depression discussed (protagonist)
  • Alcoholism
  • Panic attack
  • Suicide, suicidal ideation & attempted suicide (protagonist, on-page)
  • Self-harm mentioned
  • Drug abuse
  • Terminal illness & cancer
  • Emesis
  • Death of a parent
  • Death of a sibling
  • Car accident
  • Drowning mentioned
  • Death of a pet (cat) & animal cruelty mentioned

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

Matthew Turner doesn’t have faith in anything.

Not in family—his is a shambles after his younger brother was bullied into suicide. Not in so-called friends who turn their backs when things get tough. Not in some all-powerful creator who lets too much bad stuff happen. And certainly not in some “It Gets Better” psychobabble.

No matter what his girlfriend Hayden says about faith and forgiveness, there’s no way Matt’s letting go of blame. He’s decided to “live large and go out with a huge bang,” and whatever happens happens. But when a horrific event plunges Matt into a dark, silent place, he hears a rumble … a rumble that wakes him up, calling everything he’s ever disbelieved into question.

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Cheating
  • Alcoholism & alcohol abuse
  • Recreational drug use
  • Suicide
  • Death of a brother
  • Explosion
  • Hanging
  • Bullying
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Wildcard by Marie Lu

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she’s always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo’s grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone’s put a bounty on Emika’s head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn’t all that he seems–and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language
  • Child abuse & neglect
  • Cheating
  • Substance addiction
  • Suicide & mass suicide
  • Substance addiction & recovery
  • Nonconsensual drugging
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Physical injuries
  • Dead bodies
  • Emesis
  • Terminal illness
  • Hospital
  • Nonconsensual medical treatment & experimentation
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a brother
  • Death of a father
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Torture
  • Explosions
  • Hanging mentioned
  • Kidnapping & captivity
  • Blackmail
  • Poverty themes
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The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all she’s gained. When a new danger appears, Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds, putting not only herself at risk, but every Elite. In order to preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Sex work recounted
  • Graphic auditory & visual hallucinations, on-page
  • Nightmares
  • Suicide & attempted suicide, on-page
  • Intentional self-starvation mentioned
  • Self-injury, on-page
  • Physical injuries including burns & scars
  • Death of a friend recounted
  • Death of a lover recounted
  • Death of a sister, on-page
  • Death of a father from a fever illness, off-page)
  • Multiple graphic scenes of murder & attempted murder, on-page
  • Mass murder mentioned
  • Regicide mentioned
  • Knife & sword violence
  • Explosions
  • Fire including attempted murder by being burnt at the stake
  • Imprisonment
  • Forced conscription
  • War themes including battle scenes & naval warfare
  • Animal death & dead bodies
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Champion by Marie Lu

Champion by Marie Lu

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Plague
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a brother recounted
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Gun violence
  • War themes
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Prodigy by Marie Lu

Prodigy by Marie Lu

Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic’s most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots – a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games? 

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Blood & physical injury depiction
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a brother recounted
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Gun violence
  • Explosion
  • Plane crash
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Legend by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Plague
  • Medical experimentation
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a brother
  • Murder & executions
  • Gun violence
  • Torture
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