The World on Either Side by Diane Terrana 

The World on Either Side by Diane Terrana

After the death of her boyfriend, sixteen-year old Valentine stops going to school, quits seeing her friends, and, finally, won’t leave her bed. Desperate for her daughter to recover, Valentine’s mother takes her on a trek in Thailand. In the mountains north of Chiang Mai, Valentine finds a world she didn’t know existed, where houses are on stilts and elephants still roam wild. She learns about the Burmese civil war and the relentless violence against the Karen and Rohingya peoplest… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Human trafficking
  • Rape
  • Depression
  • Attempted suicide by overdose
  • Self-harm (cutting)
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a boyfriend recounted
  • Murder
  • Graphic animal cruelty & abuse
  • Poaching
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More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

In the months following his father’s suicide, sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto can’t seem to find happiness again, despite the support of his girlfriend, Genevieve, and his overworked mom. Grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist won’t let him forget the pain. But when Aaron meets Thomas, a new kid in the neighbourhood, something starts to shift inside him. Aaron can’t deny his unexpected feelings for Thomas despite the tensions their friendship has created with Genevieve and his tight-knit crew. Since Aaron can’t stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound happiness, he considers taking drastic actions. The… Read more.

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia
  • Depression
  • Self-harm
  • Death of a father from suicide

Hold Me Down by Jacqueline Woodson

Hold Me Down by Jacqueline Woodson

Talia Benson has always been independent, unafraid to go after what she wants, regardless of setback, injury, or failure. But between her father’s conditional tuition payments and her mother’s nagging concern over her emotional state, Talia’s suffocating. So when Talia meets doctoral student Sean Poole, she can’t figure out why she wants him to control her. Why she wants him to boss her around. Why she wants him to hurt her. Talia learns the hard way that not all control is created equal, and sometimes submitting is the most empowering thing in the world.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism mentioned
  • Antisemitism mentioned
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
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A Light Amongst Shadows by Kelley York and Rowan Altwood

A Light Amongst Shadows by Kelley York & Rowan Altwood

James Spencer is hardly the typical “troubled youth” who ends up at Whisperwood School for Boys. Instead of hating the strict schedules and tight oversight by staff, James blossoms, quickly making friends and indulging in his love of writing, while contemplating the merits of sneaking love poems to the elusive and aloof William Esher. The rumours about William’s sexuality and opium reliance are prime gossip material amongst the third years. Rumours that only further pique James’ curiosity to uncover what William is really like beneath all that emotional armour… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Rape recounted
  • Depression
  • Drug abuse
  • Blood depiction
  • Murder, off-page
  • Torture
  • Blackmail
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100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

Terrified that her vision might never return, Tessa feels like she has nothing left to be happy about. But when her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper looking for a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging, an unlikely answer knocks at their door: Weston Ludovico, a boy her age with bright eyes, an optimistic smile…and no legs.

Knowing how angry and afraid Tessa is feeling, Weston thinks he can help her. But he has one condition — no one can tell Tessa about his disability. And because she can’t see him, she treats him with contempt: screaming at him to get out of her house and never come back. But for Weston, it’s the most amazing feeling: to be treated like a normal person… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism and ableist language
  • Sexual assault
  • PTSD
  • Depression
  • Hospital
  • Amputation
  • Temporary loss of vision
  • Graphic car accident recounted
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How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference by Rebecca Huntley

How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference by Rebecca Huntley

Why is it so hard to talk about climate change? While scientists double down on the shocking figures, we still find ourselves unable to discuss climate change meaningfully among friends and neighbours – or even to grapple with it ourselves.

The key to progress on climate change is in the psychology of human attitudes and our ability to change. Whether you’re already alarmed and engaged with the issue, concerned but disengaged, a passive skeptic or an active denier, understanding our emotional reactions to climate change – why it makes us anxious, fearful, angry or detached – is critical to coping on an individual level and convincing each other to act.

This book is about understanding why people… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Child sexual abuse mentioned
  • Eco-anxiety & climate depression discussed
  • Suicide mentioned
  • Displacement and loss of property & land discussed
  • Food insecurity & water scarcity discussed
  • Poverty discussed
  • Natural disasters, including hurricanes, drought, bushfire, & floods, discussed at length
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The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams 

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Ealing after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries. Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list.. Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Depression
  • Suicide

Bleed by Joel Abernathy

Bleed by Joel Abernathy

Vengeance. My purpose, carved deeper into my soul than their names carved in my flesh.

Dominic. The man who took everything from me, my own personal devil in shifting flesh. Ursache. My pack. The high-born family of wolves I’ve sworn my life to protect, even if my dying breath is pledged to another.

Mason… My everything. Friend, confidant, enemy, lover. Most dangerous of all, he would become the reason I lived if I let him. He is the one thing I won’t allow Dominic to take from me. Love is not a luxury I can afford, but the sweetness of revenge has nothing on the taste of him…

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Misgendering
  • Sexual assault, implied
  • Depression
  • Consensual knife & blood play
  • Torture
  • Kidnapping

Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh

Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh

Junie Kim just wants to fit in. So she keeps her head down and tries not to draw attention to herself. But when racist graffiti appears at her middle school, Junie must decide between staying silent or speaking out.

Then Junie’s history teacher assigns a project and Junie decides to interview her grandparents, learning about their unbelievable experiences as kids during the Korean War. Junie comes to admire her grandma’s fierce determination to overcome impossible odds, and her grandpa’s unwavering compassion during wartime. And as racism becomes more pervasive at school, Junie taps into the strength of her ancestors and finds the courage to do what is right.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Depression
  • Suicide
  • War themes
  • Bullying

Nineteen & Twenty-One by Yohan

Nineteen & Twenty-One, Vol. 1 by Yohan

A 19-year-old boy, Dong-hui, who still wants to stay as a kid.
A 21-year-old girl, Yuni, who became an adult still doesn’t feel like one. They met each other through street cats and share their precious things.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Depression
  • Death of a cat