You're No Better discusses the aftershocks of extreme childhood violence in plain, straightforward detail. This is one of my rougher YA novels, and I urge you to take care of yourself. Content warnings include:
Backstory, mentions, or discussions of:
- Kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder
- Child abuse and grooming, including forcing a child to witness or participate in the above
- The “troubled teen industry,” the adoption industry, mental health struggles, past hospitalization, and psychiatric mistreatment
On-page:
- Narrative focus on child abuse (physical and emotional) and true crime’s exploitation of abuse and trauma for “content”
- Graphic violence, including manslaughter
- Sexual harassment and assault
- Queerphobia, transphobia, and ableism; threats of queerphobic violence, forced closeting, misgendering, and medical/psychiatric neglect
- Mental health crises; intrusive thoughts, autistic meltdowns, self-medication with alcohol/alcohol abuse, self-harm (physical and emotional), suicidality
- Confinement
- In epilogues: hospitalization after injury, the justice system, and foster care
This story has a happy ending, or at least a hopeful one. A more general list of content warnings also exists in the author's note at the front of the book.