This series centers queer joy. That said, the characters in these books haven’t had the easiest lives and deal with the lingering impacts of past trauma. Proceed with caution if the below may be uncomfortable. Tara's book is considerably heavier than previous books, but I promise everyone is going to come out of this whole and loved.

• Transphobia, biphobia, and homophobia, including sexual harassment, microaggressions, and deadnaming by unsupportive parents, including a scene where Richard voluntarily calls his father, knowing he'll get misgendered.

• Sexual harassment that results in physical violence. This includes:

  1. A bar fight where Sunny and Richard are sexually harassed, leading Sunny and Tara to commit assault. Richard sustains the only injury with a punch to the face. No other consequences.

  2. Blanche's patron pulls strings to get a candlelight vigil busted for disturbing the peace in hopes of getting them arrested. There is excessive use of force, including riot gear and teargas. Our protagonists are not arrested and stay far away from the police.

  3. A shorter incident at a different bar where Tara is sexually harassed, which is enthusiastically deescalated by Gabe. They are kicked out of the bar, but no other consequences.

• Off-page death of a side character. Walter, Tara's grandfather figure, reaches the end of his long, adventure-filled life, passing away due to heart failure while in a holding cell for alleged trespassing.

• Sexual content between people of all genders to varying intensity, including:

  1. A coercive, exploitative BDSM arrangement with dubious consent Blanche and their patron.

  2. Less-than-safe sex that results in an unplanned (but not unwanted) pregnancy. This includes discussion about the option to terminate and the suspected cause of the birth control failure (Saint John's Wort). There is not and will not be any medically graphic symptoms beyond fatigue, mild nausea, and sore breasts. Even in the next book, there will be no medically graphic symptoms beyond second trimester high sex drive and an active bladder.

  3. Consensual BDSM scene involving alcohol, where Richard ends up tipsier than he intended. No negative consequences other than Richard getting mushy.

• Difficulties managing mental health, including depictions of panic attacks, dissociation, flashbacks, and substance use to cope with emotions. This book explores recovery from sexual trauma more than previous books in the series. 

  1. Tara experienced many heavy things a child should not have to endure, including witnessing sexual assault against her mother, neglect, hunger, and attempted corrective rape by a religious authority figure. These mostly appear in quick flashbacks, but she does talk about some of it.

  2. Gabe went from being a bullied teenager to a series of bad relationships, where he was coerced into CNC roleplay that left both him and his partner traumatized. He then entered another relationship where he was coerced into a slave dynamic that was incredibly abusive and resulted in a traumatic brain injury. He then entered another toxic relationship that exacerbated his trauma, and finally into a long term submissive relationship with a partner who capitalized on him being her perfect victim, isolating him and making him punish himself. He is still on his healing journey and experiences some setbacks (including one flashback stemming from sexual trauma), but is overall in control of his mental health and determined to heal into a healthier person.

• The main characters come in a wide range of body types and appearances. This book takes a body-neutral approach, however some characters have biases and insecurities. In particular, Gabe experiences more body dysmorphia than other characters.

• References to past traumatic events occur off-page but may be heavy for some readers, including trafficking, child abuse, abusive relationships, addiction, self-harm, and assault.

  1. In this book, Lee reconnects with his abusive parents, who seemingly have turned a new leaf, though they are not perfect and are not intended to come across as reformed.