Must be a Mistake by Fiona West

Must be a Mistake by Fiona West

After ignoring his feelings for Ainsley for years, emergency room doctor Kyle Durand finally decides it’s time to act. But the same day he makes his move, he finds out she may already be engaged. Engaged? How’s he supposed to get close enough to find out without making a fool of himself? Not a simple task for any man, autistic or otherwise. First-grade teacher Ainsley Buchanan’s been pouring herself into Timber Falls for years on the committee after committee, and this school year looks to be no different. But when the town’s most eligible bachelor signs up to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
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The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani DasGupta

The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani DasGupta

On the morning of her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala is just a regular sixth grader living in Parsippany, New Jersey… until her parents mysteriously vanish and a drooling rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents’ fantastical stories-like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess and how she comes from a secret place not of this world. To complicate matters, two crush-worthy princes ring her doorbell, insisting they’ve come to rescue her. Suddenly, Kiran is swept into another dimension full of… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Physical child abuse
  • Death of a father in prison recounted
  • Sword violence
  • Kidnapping of children
  • Near-drowning
  • Earthquakes, fire and lightning storms
  • Animal attack (snake)
  • Bullying

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee

Fourteen teens who have grown up together in Japantown, San Francisco. Fourteen teens who form a community and a family, as interconnected as they are conflicted. Fourteen teens whose lives are turned upside down when over 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry are removed from their homes and forced into desolate incarceration camps. In a world that seems determined to hate them, these young Nisei must rally together as racism and injustice threaten to pull them apart. 

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism & racial slurs
  • Misogyny
  • Hate crimes
  • Death of a friend
  • Fire
  • Imprisonment
  • Internment camps
  • War themes
  • Poverty themes
  • Animal death, on-page
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Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

Bree can’t wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Manatees–until she’s stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she’s forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help. With Etta’s training and a lot of hard work, Bree suddenly finds her swim-crazed community counting on her to turn the… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Panic attack
  • Bullying
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Edinburgh by Alexander Chee

Edinburgh by Alexander Chee

Twelve-year-old Fee is a shy Korean American boy and a newly named section leader of the first sopranos in his local boys’ choir. But when Fee learns how the director treats his section leaders, he is so ashamed he says nothing of the abuse, not even when Peter, his best friend, is in line to be next. When the director is arrested, Fee tries to forgive himself for his silence. But when Peter takes his own life, Fee blames only himself. In the years that follow he slowly builds a new life, teaching near his hometown. There he meets a young student who is the picture of Peter and is forced to confront the past he believed was gone.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Homomisic slurs
  • Paedophilia, including child pornography
  • Suicide by gun
  • Self-immolation
  • Self-harm
  • Black Death pandemic
  • Death of a grandparents
  • Murder
  • Arson

Jade War by Fonda Lee

Jade War by Fonda Lee

On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years. Beyond Kekon’s borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon’s most prized resource, could make them rich – or give them the edge they’d need to topple their rivals… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Ableism
  • Racial hate crimes
  • Rape mentioned
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Drug use
  • Abortion
  • Blood & injury depiction
  • Body horror
  • Murder
  • Graphic torture
  • Gun violence
  • Strangulation
  • Explosion

The Jade Setter of Janloon by Fonda Lee

The Jade Setter of Janloon by Fonda Lee

The rapidly changing city of Janloon is ruled by jade, the rare and ancient substance that enhances the abilities and status of the trained Green Bone warriors who run the island’s powerful clans. Pulo Oritono is not one of those warriors. He’s simply an apprentice jade setter with dreams of securing clan patronage and establishing a successful business. His hopes are dashed, however, when a priceless jade weapon is stolen from the shop where he works… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Drug use
  • Blood & injury depiction
  • Emesis
  • Murder
  • Torture

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin and illustrated by Jenn St-Onge

Bingo Love is a story of a same-sex romance that spans over 60 years. A chance meeting at church bingo in 1963 brings Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray together. Through their formative years, these two women develop feelings for each other and finally profess their love for one another. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid 60’s, Hazel and Mari are reunited again at a bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Queermisia
  • Infidelity
  • Disownment
  • Alzheimer’s Disease

The Handsome Girl & Her Beautiful Boy by B.T. Gottfred

The Handsome Girl & Her Beautiful Boy by B.T. Gottfred

Everyone assumes that Zee is a lesbian. Her classmates, her gym buddies, even her so-called best friend. So many people think that Zee likes girls, even Zee is starting to wonder. Could they be onto something? Everyone assumes that Art is gay. They take one look at his nice clothes and his pretty face and think: well, obviously. But there’s more to Zee and Art than anyone realizes. When Art first meets Zee, he knows he’s found someone special–someone magical. Zee may not be able to see that magic in herself, but Art is bound and determined to show it to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Homomisia
  • Transmisia
  • Lesbomisia
  • Islamomisia

Drawn That Way by Elissa Sussman

Drawn That Way by Elissa Sussman

Hayley Saffitz is confident, ambitious, and intent on following in the footsteps of her hero, renowned animation director, Bryan Beckett. When she’s given a spot in his once-in-a-lifetime summer program, Hayley devises a plan: snag one of the internship’s coveted directing opportunities. Dazzle Bryan with her talent. Secure a job post-graduation. Live her dream. Except she doesn’t land one of the director positions. All of those go to boys. And one of them is Bryan’s son, Bear. Despite Bear’s obvious apathy for the internship, Hayley soon realizes that there’s more to him… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism mentioned
  • Sexism
  • Sexual harassment