Trigger Warning
This book deals with the the following issues:
• Secondary character’s struggle with domestic abuse and miscarriage
• Sexual assault
• Death of heroine’s mother from breast cancer
• Stalking and harassment
• Off-page car accident (car totaled, but no serious injuries)
• On-page suicide attempt by a secondary character (which is stopped before medical assistance is necessary)
• Discussion about the hero’s ex-girlfriend cheating on him before the start of the story
• Harry Potter references
• Sexually explicit content
• Profanity
Also please note that this is the second book of a trilogy, and the first book showed a relationship between a seventeen-year-old student and her twenty-three-year-old teacher. The beginnings of their relationship are mentioned in this book.
If you feel that these may be difficult subjects for you to read about, please tread with caution and stop if it gets too painful for you. I would hate for this story to cause anyone pain.
I really struggled with whether to include the supporting character’s suicide attempt in this book, as its main purpose is to set the stage for that character’s standalone novel, which will be coming later. But the scene does also include some backstory for Elijah that I feel is important, so, after much deliberation and discussing it with a few friends, I made the decision to include it in this book. The actual attempt doesn’t last long (only a couple of short paragraphs) and it’s stopped before medical help needs to be called in. Most of the chapter is the conversation that occurs between Elijah and this other character afterward. However, if you struggle with thoughts of self-harm or suicide or if you feel like this would be a difficult subject for you to read about, the chapter may be skipped without it being detrimental to your enjoyment of Elijah’s overall story. For those of you who would like to skip this chapter, it is Chapter Twenty-Three (“How to Save a Life”).
If you or someone you know struggle with any of the subjects mentioned above, there is help available for you. Here are just some of the many places you can go for support.
Crisis Text Line (For All Issues)
Text HOME to 741741
Learn more about the text line or apply to volunteer at www.crisistextline.org.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
(800) 273-8255
Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center
(855) 484-2846
National Domestic Abuse Hotline
(800) 799-7233
RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network)
(800) 656-4673
CancerCare
(800) 813-4673