For readers everywhere
This page lists books that contain trigger warnings for the depiction of mental illness.
See also Anxiety, Panic attacks, Suicide, Self-harm, Phobias, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Addiction.
A Feast of Snakes by Harry Crews
A small Georgia town, filled with a curious assortment of losers, anticipates the promise of bizarre new possibilities with the upcoming rattlesnake hunt.
Trigger & Content Warnings
The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian
Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of judgment from her roommate, Sarah. But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story. Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah. Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms. And Freddy Bello is the… Read more.
Trigger & Content Warnings
Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala
Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent despite the attention of two very eligible bachelors. Or her professional life, since she can’t bring herself to open her new cafe after the unpleasantness that occurred a few months ago at her aunt’s Filipino restaurant, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favourite season, has just started. Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent despite the attention… Read more.
Trigger & Content Warnings
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
The dead of Loraille do not rest. Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past. The dead of Loraille do not rest, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent… Read more.
Trigger & Content Warnings
Worth Searching For by Wendy Qualls
Disowned by his conservative Peruvian parents, Lito Apaza headed for gay-friendly Atlanta. Resilient, charismatic, and successful, he’s built a life on his terms—with a new family of friends and the unconditional love of his dog, Spot. Then his job forces him to relocate to tiny Black Lake, Alabama. Here, being fabulous isn’t exactly the town motto. However, Lito can’t help who he is any more than he can curb his feelings for a certain sexy ex-soldier. A former dog handler in… Read more.
Trigger & Content Warnings
The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee
Welcome back to New York, 2119. A skyscraper city, fueled by impossible dreams, where the lives of five teenagers have become intertwined in ways that no one could have imagined. Leda just wants to move on from what happened in Dubai. Until a new investigation forces her to seek help—from the person she’s spent all year trying to forget. Rylin is back in her old life, reunited with an old flame. But when she starts seeing Cord again, she finds herself torn: between two worlds, and two very different boys. Rylin is back in her old life, reunited with an old flame. But when she… Read more.
Trigger & Content Warnings
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
In the final days of December 2004, in a small rural village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa hides in the woods when her father is abducted by Russian forces. Fearing for her life, she flees with their neighbour Akhmed—a failed physician—to the bombed-out hospital, where Sonja, the one remaining doctor, treats a steady stream of wounded rebels and refugees and mourns her missing sister. Over the course of five dramatic days, Akhmed and Sonja reach back into their pasts to unravel the intricate mystery that unexpectedly binds them and decides their fate….
Trigger & Content Warnings
When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris
When you look like us—brown skin, brown eyes, black braids or fades—people think you’re trouble. No one looks twice at a missing black girl from the projects because she must’ve brought whatever happened to her upon herself. I, Jay Murphy, can admit that, for a minute, I thought my sister, Nicole, got too caught up with her boyfriend—a drug dealer—and his friends. But she’s been gone too long now. If I hadn’t hung up on her that night, she’d be spending time with our grandma. If I was a better brother, she’d be finishing senior year instead of being another name on a… Read more.
Trigger & Content Warnings
Anna K: Away by Jenny Lee
How the mighty have fallen. Anna K, once the golden girl of Greenwich, CT, and New York City, has been brought low by a scandalous sex tape and the tragic death of her first love, Alexia Vronsky. At the beginning of the summer, her father takes her to the other side of the world, to connect with his family in South Korea and hide her away. Is Anna in exile? Or could this be her chance to figure out who she really is? Back in the U.S., Lolly has forgiven Steven for cheating on her, and their relationship feels stronger than ever. But when Lolly meets a boy at her beloved theatre camp, she has to ask herself how well Steven will ever reall… Read more.
Trigger & Content Warnings
Fandom by Eden Finley
Everyone remembers the night the boy band Eleven broke up. Hearts shattered around the world, including my own. I made a mistake, and I’ve been avoiding bandmate Mason Nash ever since. At first, it was hard, but eighteen months ago, he made it easier by leaving Hollywood and disappearing. When Eleven reunion talks start, I’m against it completely. I could really do with the publicity, but I don’t want to face Mason again. I’m sure he won’t want to see me either… Read more.
Trigger & Content Warnings
Trigger Warning Database