Death of a Sibling – Page 45 – Trigger Warning Database

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea.

Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the “boys next door”—a teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesn’t take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years ago—Rumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.

Aching, powerful, and unflinchingly honest, Summer Bird Blue explores big truths about insurmountable grief, unconditional love, and how to forgive even when it feels impossible.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Grief depiction
Death of a brother

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

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.

Goodreads • The 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

The Second Life of Ava Rivers by Faith Gardner

The Second Life of Ava Rivers by Faith Gardner

Ava’s disappearance was the crack in the Rivers family glacier. I wish I could explain to you how we were before, but I can’t, because the before is so filmy and shadowed with the after.

The after is all Vera remembers. When her twin sister, Ava, disappeared one Halloween night, her childhood became a blur of theories, tips, and leads, but never any answers. The case made headlines, shocked Vera’s Northern California community, and turned her family into tragic celebrities.

Now, at eighteen, Vera is counting down the days until she starts her new life at college in Portland, Oregon, far away from the dark cloud she and family have lived under for twelve years. But all that changes when a girl shows up at the local hospital.

Her name is Ava Rivers and she wants to go home.

Ava’s return begins to mend the fractures in the Rivers family. Vera and Ava’s estranged older brother returns. Vera reconnects with Max, the sweet, artistic boy from her childhood. Their parents smile again. But the questions remain: Where was Ava all these years? And who is she now?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Child sexual abuse
Child sexual assault
Child rape
Disappearance of a loved one
Kidnapping
Death of a child
Death of a sibling

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

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.

Goodreads • The 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

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Misogyny, slut-shaming & victim-blaming
Rape, sexual assault, paedophilia & child pornography
Substance addiction
Alcohol consumption
Death of a sister
Murder
Fire (arson)
Animal death
Animal abuse & cruelty

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sadie by Courtney Summers

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.

Goodreads • The 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

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.

There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Victim blaming
Statutory rape
Paedophilia
Domestic violence
Adult-minor relationship/s
Depression
Suicide, mentioned
Abortion
Teenage pregnancy
Pregnancy from rape
Mild gore depiction
Emesis
Death of a parent
Death of a sibling
Murder
Gun violence
Car accident

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

This Nebula Award-winning sequel to Parable of the Sower continues the story of Lauren Olamina in socially and economically depressed California in the 2030s. Convinced that her community should colonize the stars, Lauren and her followers make preparations. But the collapse of society and rise of fanatics result in Lauren’s followers being enslaved, and her daughter stolen from her. Now, Lauren must fight back to save the new world order.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Classism
Hate crimes
Victim blaming
Misogyny, sexism and gendered slurs
Racism and racial slurs
White supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
Child sexual assault and rape
Grooming behaviour and paedophilia
Rape and rape by coercion
Sex trafficking and sex slavery
Abuse, neglect and abandonment
Child abuse
Emotional abuse
Physical abuse
Verbal abuse
Family estrangement
Adult-minor relationships
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Suicide and attempted suicide
Infertility themes
Pregnancy
Non-consensual pregnancy
Teenage and child pregnancy
Amnesia
Blood and gore depiction
Body horror
Emesis
Physical injuries and wounds
Scars
Starvation and dehydration depiction
Dead bodies and body parts
Death of a child
Death of a friend
Death of a parent/guardians
Death of a sibling
Death of a partner/spouse
Disappearance of a loved one
Grief and loss depiction
Flogging and whippings
Gun violence
Hanging and lynching
Murder and attempted murder
Torture
Avalanche
Chemical gassing and warfare
Cults
Home invasion
Exile
Indentured servitude
Imprisonment, incarceration and captivity
Kidnapping
Persecution for witchcraft
Police brutality and violence
Religious persecution
Terrorism
War and military themes
Homelessness
Poverty themes

Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly. Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own.

Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, & out for his blood.

So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all. Winner takes the loser’s heart. Literally.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism
Classism
Persecution for witchcraft (theme)
Fatmisia & body shaming
Child abuse
Arranged marriage
Alcohol consumption
Alcohol abuse & alcoholism recounted
Graphic blood & gore depiction, including dead bodies
Cannibalism
Emesis
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a sister
Death of a mother & father
Death of a child mentioned
Murder & attempted murder
Torture
Knife violence & stabbing
Explosions
Fire
Kidnapping
Loss of autonomy (mind control)
Death from a fall mentioned
War themes (central theme)
Animal death and dead bodies
Death by animal attack mentioned
Bullying
Poverty themes

The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

Autumn always knew exactly who she was—a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan always turned to writing love songs when his love life was a little less than perfect.

But when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow music is no longer enough. Now Logan can’t stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. Shay is a music blogger struggling to keep it together. And Autumn sends messages that she knows can never be answered.

Despite the odds, one band’s music will reunite them and prove that after grief, beauty thrives in the people left behind.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Bimisia
Suicide recounted
Panic attacks
Substance addiction
Alcohol abuse
Recreational drug use, & drug abuse mentioned
Terminal cancer (leukemia)
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a best friend recounted
Death of a sister recounted
Death of an ex-boyfriend recounted
Car accident recounted