How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

Helen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard once in the thirteen years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever. Now a bestselling author, Helen pours everything into her career. She’s even scored a coveted spot in the writers’ room of the TV adaptation of her popular young adult novels, and if she can hide her imposter syndrome and overcome her writer’s block, surely the rest of her life will fall into place too. LA is the fresh start she needs. After all, no one knows her there. Except… Grant has done everything in his power to move on from the past, including building a life across the country. And while the panic… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Trauma & panic attacks
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a sibling from suicide

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead. Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism & colourism
  • Sexism
  • Slavery
  • Sex-trafficking & slavery mentioned
  • Rape & sexual assault
  • Trauma
  • Intrusive thoughts & panic attacks
  • Self-harm
  • Suicide & suicidal ideation mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Drug abuse
  • Graphic blood & gore depiction including dead bodies
  • Physical injuries including amputation (off-page)
  • Medical experimentation mentioned
  • Famine & starvation
  • Emesis
  • Cannibalism
  • Decapitation
  • Mutilation & genital mutilation (castration)
  • Murder & mass death
  • Torture
  • Sword violence
  • Poisoning
  • Bombings
  • Animal abuse & death
  • Graphic war themes & battle scenes (theme)
  • Colonialism (theme)

Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent

A former slave fighting for justice. A reclusive warrior who no longer believes it exists. And a dark magic that will entangle their fates. Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life. Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises…. Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Slavery & sex slavery
  • Rape & sexual assault mentioned
  • Trauma & nightmares
  • Self-harm
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Kidnapping
  • Blood, gore & injury depiction
  • Emesis
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Knife & sword violence
  • Whipping
  • Loss of autonomy (possession)
  • War themes & battle scenes including genocide

False Witness by Karin Slaughter

Leigh Coulton has worked hard to build what looks like a normal life. She has a good job as a defence attorney, a daughter doing well in school, and even her divorce is relatively civilised – her life is just as unremarkable as she’d always hoped it would be. But Leigh’s ordinary life masks a childhood which was far from average… a childhood tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, and finally torn apart by a devastating act of violence. Then a case lands on her desk – defending a wealthy man accused of rape. It’s the highest profile case she’s ever been given – a case which could transform her career, if she wins. But when she meets the accuse…. Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape
  • Graphic child sexual abuse
  • Child pornography
  • Alcohol consumption & abuse
  • Graphic drug use
  • Substance addiction
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Chronic pain
  • Blood depiction
  • Murder
  • Death of a sibling

The Devil You Know by Kit Rocha

Maya has had a price on her head from the day she escaped the TechCorps. Genetically engineered for genius and trained for revolution, there’s only one thing she can’t do—forget. Gray has finally broken free of the Protectorate, but he can’t escape the time bomb in his head. His body is rejecting his modifications, and his months are numbered. When Maya’s team uncovers an operation trading in genetically enhanced children, she’ll do anything to stop them. Even risk falling back into the hands of the TechCorps. And Gray has found a purpose for his final days: keeping Maya safe.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Pregnancy & abortion mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption mentioned
  • Seizure
  • Medical experimentation recounted
  • Nonconsensual body modification
  • Surgery
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a close friend recounted
  • Death of a parent
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Torture, on-page & recounted
  • Kidnapping of children

Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender

Logan Gray is Hollywood’s bad boy—a talented but troubled actor who the public loves to hate. Mattie Cole is an up‑and‑coming golden boy, adored by all but plagued by insecurities. When Logan and Mattie are cast as leads in a new romantic film, Logan claims that Matt has “zero talent,” sending the film’s publicity into a nosedive. To create positive buzz, the two are persuaded into a fake‑dating scheme—but as the two actors get to know their new characters, real feelings start to develop. As public scrutiny intensifies and old wounds resurface, the two must fight for their relationship and their love.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homomisia & bimisia
  • Sexual assault & attempted rape
  • Infidelity
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD)
  • Dissociation
  • Depression & suicidal ideation
  • Drug abuse
  • Alcohol consumption and abuse
  • Cyberbullying & -harassment

*Context : The protagonist withdraws consent during sex and his partner refuses to accept it. He is able to escape the assault and physically assault his attacker. The perpetrator later victim blames the protagonist and kisses him without consent.

Sanctuary with Kings by Kathryn Moon

Evanthia has spent half her life trapped inside the Seven Veils. When the house crumbles, she seizes her moment and runs from Birsha and his twisted pleasures. But pleasure is what she needs to survive, and the dark streets of London leave her starving and vulnerable. Rescued by a mysterious monster who vows her sanctuary, Evanthia must piece back the woman that Birsha tore apart. Quiet sanctuary is no cure for her endless hunger, but the war brewing on the horizon is the last place she wants to be. Hiding with sleeping dragons and lonely monsters in a castle made from dreams might be a fantasy, but it’s not… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Human & sex trafficking recounted
  • Rape recounted
  • Parental abandonment recounted
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Weight loss & gain mentioned
  • Starvation recounted
  • Emesis
  • Death of both parents recounted
  • Murder
  • Torture, off-page
  • Kidnapping & captivity

Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid

A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites. Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Antisemitism
  • Paedophilia & child sexual abuse
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Eating disorder (bulimia)
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Self-harm
  • Emesis, on-page
  • Body horror
  • Cannibalism
  • Animal death

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny. But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Ableism & internalised ableism
  • Sexual harassment & sexual assault mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption & abuse
  • Drug use (smoking)
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Anxiety, panic attacks & nightmares
  • Amputation (protagonist is missing her finger)
  • Death of a parent mentioned
  • Torture recounted
  • Car accident recounted
  • Drowning & attempted drowning
  • Flood recounted
  • Animal death mentioned

*Context : A secondary character is kissed without consent and has plans to kidnap and hold her captive.

Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

Raised in a conservative and emotionally volatile Palestinian family in Brooklyn, Yara thought she would finally feel free when she married a charming entrepreneur who took her to the suburbs. She’s gotten to follow her dreams, completing an undergraduate degree in Art and landing a good job at the local college. As a traditional wife, she also raises their two school-aged daughters, takes care of the house, and has dinner ready when her husband gets home. With her family balanced with her professional ambitions, Yara knows that her life is infinitely more rewarding than her own mother’s. So why doesn’t it feel like enough?.. Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Sexism
  • Racism
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Anxiety & depression