Grief & Loss

• Off-page pedestrian death (occurs prior to the story)

• Grief and bereavement (central themes involving the loss of a character who is a boyfriend, twin brother, and son)

• Funeral scene

• Mentions of a past abortion (active grief over the loss of that baby)

Violence and danger

• Attempted sexual assault

• Physical altercation (fist fight)

• Medical emergency (involving choking and the Heimlich maneuver)

Substances & Language

• Alcohol use (a few instances of drunkenness)

• Brief cigarette use (by minor character)

• Some strong language throughout (excludes religious profanity)

Romance & Intimacy

• Romance intensity: Mild to moderate; steamy kissing only (no explicit sexual content)

• Mention of previous sexual relationships

Grief & Loss

• Grief and bereavement (central themes involving the loss of a character who is a boyfriend, twin brother, and son)

• On-page pedestrian death (non-graphic)

• Witness description of pedestrian death

• Heated discussion regarding a past abortion (occurs between a main character and an ex-girlfriend, involving themes of active grief over the loss of that baby)

Violence & Danger

• PTSD nightmare and involuntary physical reaction that leads to a minor head injury (mildly graphic descriptions of blood and wound care)

• Brief mention of previous suicidal ideation

Substances & Language

• Alcohol use (a few instances of drunkenness)

• Brief mention of previous drug use

• Brief cigarette use

• Some strong language throughout (excludes religious profanity)

Romance & Intimacy

• Romance intensity: Mild to moderate (steamy kissing on-page only)

• Two closed door/fade-to-black scenes (intimacy implied rather than explicitly described; main character has brief, non-explicit reflections on the intimacy afterward)

• Falsely perceived cheating

• Mention of previous sexual relationships

Grief & Loss

• Grief and bereavement (central themes involving the loss of a character who is a best friend, boyfriend, brother, and son to main and side characters)

• Off-page car accident death (occurs before story begins, but is addressed in flashbacks)

• Funeral scene

Violence & Danger

• Gun shot wound (descriptions of blood and subsequent medical/wound care)

• Robbery involving a firearm

• Physical altercations (includes one character being badly beaten by a group of classmates, and another character punching someone)

• Flashback of attempted suicide (involves a firearm; no physical injury occurs)

• Self-harm (depicts cigarette burns)

Substances & Language

• Underage drinking (some instances of drunkenness)

• Cigarette use by a main character

• Some strong language throughout (excludes religious profanity)

Romance & Intimacy

• Romance intensity: Mild (kissing on-page only; no explicit sexual content)

• Mention of previous sexual relationship

Grief & Loss

• Off-page death of a parent (loss of an estranged father due to a heart attack; explores themes of complicated grief and estrangement)

• Funeral scene (briefly depicted)

Violence & Danger

• Backstory mentions of parental abuse: Discussions of past abuse inflicted by a main character's deceased father (influences character behavior and plot progression; the MMC is entirely non-abusive)

Substances & Language

• Alcohol use (a few instances of drunkenness)

• Some mild language throughout (excludes religious profanity)

Romance & Intimacy

• Romance intensity: Mild (kissing on-page only; no explicit sexual content)

• Infidelity (occurs strictly between secondary/side characters)

• Mentions of past intimacy (brief backstory references to the main characters' previous sexual relationship)

• Central romance tropes: Features a "secret baby" / hidden child element (the FMC conceals her pregnancy to prevent the MMC from returning to a dangerous domestic situation)