K-pop Confidential by Stephan Lee

K-pop Confidential by Stephan Lee

Candace Park knows a lot about playing a role. For most of her life, she’s been playing the role of the quiet Korean girl who takes all AP classes and plays a classical instrument, keeping her dreams of stardom and her obsession with SLK, K-pop’s top boyband-to herself. She doesn’t see how a regular girl like her could possibly become one of those K-pop goddesses she sees on YouTube. Even though she can sing. Like, really sing. So when Candace secretly enters a global audition held by SLK’s music label, the last thing she expects is to actually get a coveted spot in their…. Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Grap

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Sexism
  • Fatmisia & body shaming
  • Dieting & restrictive eating, on-page
  • Panic attack
  • Hospitalisation of a grandparent

The Queens of New York by EL Shen

The Queens of New York by E.L. Shen

Best friends Jia Lee, Ariel Kim, and Everett Hoang are inseparable. But this summer, they won’t be together. Everett, aspiring Broadway star, hopes to nab the lead role in an Ohio theater production, but soon realizes that talent and drive can only get her so far. Brainy Ariel is flying to San Francisco for a prestigious STEM scholarship, even though her heart is in South Korea, where her sister died last year. And stable, solid Jia will be home in Flushing, juggling her parents’ Chinatown restaurant, a cute new neighbor, and dreams for an uncertain future.

GoodreadsThe Story Grap

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Recreational drug use (weed) mentioned
  • Hospitalisation of a grandparent from a fall
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a sister in a boating accident recounted

Almond by Sohn Won-Pyung

Almond by Sohn Won-Pyung

Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger. He does not have friends—the two almond-shaped neurons located deep in his brain have seen to that—but his devoted mother and grandmother aren’t fazed by his condition. Their little home above his mother’s used bookstore is decorated with colorful post-it notes that remind him when to smile, when to say “thank you,” and when to laugh. Yunjae grows up content, even happy, with his small family in this quiet, peaceful space. Then on Christmas Eve… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Grap

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Ableism
  • Alexithymia (theme)
  • Murder of a grandmother by stabbing, on-page
  • Physical assault of a mother resulting in hospitalisation, on-page
  • Animal death & abuse
  • Bullying

Misadventures in Blue by Sierra Simone

Misadventures in Blue by Sierra Simone

Senior Detective Cat Day has one hard and fast rule about dating: no cops. They live hard and die young—a truth she’s faced every day since her fiancé’s tragic death several years ago. But when rookie Jace Sutton shows up to work the same burglary investigation, she feels desire she hasn’t felt in years. Jace knows what he wants the minute Detective Day strolls onto his crime scene in heels and a pencil skirt tailored by God himself. He wants to thaw the legendary Ice Queen, and it only takes one hot, dirty night for Jace to realize he wants more. Much, much more. But more… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Grap

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Hospitalisation
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Gun violence

Feast of Sparks by Sierra Simone

Feast of Sparks by Sierra Simone

I’m an outcast and a loner, named for death itself. Fate wasn’t supposed to have plans for me. But then she came back—the girl I once kissed in a thorn-covered chapel in the woods. She came back, and I could no more resist her than I could pry out my own heart. And by some trick of fate, she wants me as much as I want her. The only problem? She also wants the man who owns Thornchapel, Auden Guest. And so do I. Eight years ago, I did something to Auden, something terrible. He hurt me back the only way he knew how, and so here we are: our hatred seasoned with pain… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Grap

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Coming out mentioned
  • Rape & attempted gang rape recounted
  • Child abuse recounted
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood & injury depiction
  • Blood drinking
  • Hospitalisation mentioned
  • Death of a mother & father recounted

The Immeasurable Depth of You by Maria Ingrande Mora

The Immeasurable Depth of You by Maria Ingrande Mora

Fifteen-year-old Brynn can’t stop thinking about death. Her intrusive thoughts and severe anxiety leave her feeling helpless—and hopeless. So after her mom interprets one of Brynn’s blog posts as a suicide note, she takes extreme measures, confiscating Brynn’s phone, blocking her Internet access, and banishing her to stay with her father who lives “off the grid” on a houseboat in the Florida mangroves. Isolated from her online friends—her only friends—Brynn resigns herself to a summer of mind-numbing boredom and loneliness until Skylar appears. Skylar is everything… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Internalised ableism
  • Suicide & suicidal ideation
  • Anxiety & panic attacks
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) & intrusive thoughts
  • Hospitalisation
  • Hurricane

Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon

She just wanted to claim her inheritance. What she got was a husband… Xeni Everly-Wilkins has ten days to clean out her recently departed aunt’s massive colonial in Upstate New York. With the feud between her mom and her sisters still raging even in death, she knows this will be no easy task, but when the will is read Xeni quickly discovers the decades-old drama between the former R&B singers is just the tip of the iceberg. The Secrets, lies, and a crap ton of cash spilled on her lawyer’s conference room table all come with terms and conditions. Xeni must marry before she can claim the estate that will set her up for life and her… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Bimisia
  • Racist microaggressions
  • Emotional parental abuse
  • Pregnancy mentioned
  • Abortion recounted
  • Miscarriage recounted
  • Hospital
  • Heart attack
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a family member

A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon

A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon

With a headline spot on a hit morning show and truly mouth-watering culinary skills, chef Evie Buchanan is perched on the edge of stardom. But at an industry party, a fall lands Evie in the hospital—with no memory of who she is. Scrambling to help, Evie’s assistant contacts the only “family” Evie has left, close friends who run the luxury dude ranch in California where Evie grew up. Evie has no recollection of them—until former rodeo champion Zach Pleasant walks into her hospital room, and she realizes his handsome face has been haunting her dreams. Zach hasn’t seen Evie in years, not since their families conducted a… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Fatmisia
  • Amnesia
  • Panic attack
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Hospital
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a grandmother from a heart attack
  • Death of a parent in a car accident
  • Physical assault

Wicked Princess by Ashley Jade

Wicked Princess by Ashley Jade

Welcome to their kingdom. They call me a heartless bitch. An evil manipulator. A wicked princess who enjoys hurting people. They tell me terrible things happened. Things that changed my life forever. Only problem is… I can’t remember any of it.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slut-shaming
  • Abusive relationship
  • Physical assault resulting in memory loss
  • Hospitalisation
  • Car accident recounted
  • Bullying recounted

The Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong

City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis and illustrated by Vivian Truong

When Grace moves to Hong Kong with her mom and new stepdad, her biggest concern is making friends at her fancy new boarding school. But when a mysterious old woman gifts her a dragon egg during a field trip, Grace discovers that the wonderful stories of dragons she heard when she was a young girl might actually be real–especially when the egg hatches overnight. The dragon has immense powers that Grace has yet to understand. And that puts them both in danger from mysterious forces intent on abusing the… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Death of a father from cancer in hospital, on-page
  • Bullying