Gray is a 15-year-old boy who has been chosen last his whole life, neglected by his biological mom, social workers, and the juvenile detention system. What happens when life begins to turn around when a new family takes a chance on him after his time in Juvie? Will Gray be accepted? Will Gray impact their lives in the same way they might move his? Read to find out. #1 foster family - 10/14 #1 epilepsy - 10/20 #2 adoption- 10/29

Sixteen-year-old Emmett Sidney has spent his life trapped in a cycle of abuse at the hands of his father, with no one left to protect him after his mother's death. His older brother, Emilio, promised to stay-but when he turned eighteen, he left without looking back. Now, Emmett is alone, hardened by years of fists and fear. When his dad dies were does he go? Across the country, Emilio Simmons has built a life he never thought possible-a loving wife, a daughter, and a stable home. But a late-night call from the police brings his past crashing back. His father is dead, and CPS is pressuring him to take in the younger brother he abandoned. Emilio can't forget the horrors of his childhood, but facing Emmett again means confronting the guilt and trauma he buried years ago. As Emmett and Emilio's paths cross again, they must both grapple with the wounds of their past and the choices that tore them apart. Can they rebuild what was broken, or are some scars too deep to heal?

| teacher x student | wxw | slow burn | When 19-year-old Lena James enters English Literature class, she expects nothing special. Instead, she meets Ms. Sinclair her cold, sharp-tongued British literature teacher. Elegant, cutting, and unbearably superior. From the very first lesson, the 34-year-old woman seems to take pleasure in dismantling Lena's every opinion with cruel precision. Lena hates her. She hates the condescending red marks on her essays, the raised eyebrow that makes her feel small, and the way Ms. Sinclair lingers in her thoughts long after class ends. But hate this intense has a way of twisting into something far more dangerous. With a strict 15-year age gap and an unbreakable teacher-student boundary, their slow-burning tension threatens to break every rule both in literature and in real life. Some lessons aren't taught kindly. And some hatreds taste too much like desire. "Ms. Sinclair's Secret"

ONGOING Riley Stevens has no one. No friends, no one to care for her. Then she meets him. Kai Brooks. He's cute, funny, smart and most of all, seems to care about her a bit too much. When Riley finds out how life can truly be when you have people who love you, she feels unstoppable. But living in this world comes with too many struggles to count. Can she make it out alive? Will she be able to live the life she's always wanted? Will Kai be able to see her for her? TRIGGER WARNINGS: self harm, eating disorders, death, su!cide, drugs, underage alcohol consumption.

Alessia has never spoken a single word in her life. Stolen as a child by a ruthless gang, she grew up in captivity, taught to believe that pain was a lesson and obedience was survival. Forced to work as a servant, she endured years of mistreatment, never questioning the twisted reality forced upon her. Despite the cruelty, she remains kind, her innocence untainted-but dangerously unaware of the true depths of evil in the world. Until the night she escaped. Lost in the dark streets of Naples, she collided into Matteo De Luca, the cold and merciless head of the most powerful mafia family. Matteo is a man feared by all, a king in the underworld where blood and loyalty rule. He has no patience for weakness. No room for softness in his life. But when he sees the mute, trembling girl looking up at him with wide, trusting eyes, completely unaware of who he is, something inside him snaps. She doesn't fear him. She doesn't know he's a monster. And for the first time in his life, Matteo feels the dangerous urge to protect instead of destruction.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭-𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭. • 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

From the outside Juliet Kingston seems to have the perfect life. She has popularity, beauty and a famous dad who seemingly spoils her rotten. But nobody is aware of what happens behind closed doors. After spending years at the mercy of her abusive father Juliet sees her chance to escape by attending her dream university across the country but after being told that she doesn't qualify for student aid she faces a problem. Her dad refuses to pay her tuition and in an attempt to control Juliet and to keep her always at arms reach, he makes her a deal. He'll pay her tuition for a smaller, local university as long as she agrees to continue living at home and miss out on the full uni experience. She agrees and starts her first semester soon after but she becomes more and more depressed living with a father who constantly tells her how worthless she is. Her days start to become repetitive and she no longer finds joy in anything, becoming an empty shell of who she used to be . Seeing no point in living, she gives herself a deadline. If something in her life doesn't change by her nineteenth birthday approaching in two months she plans to end her life. But what happens when the quiet drug dealer is the only one to notice her downward spiralling.

Elowyn "Winnie" Smith met Ben when she was 4 years old. They've been best friends since they were 6. After her dad died when she was 13, he was the only person she wanted to talk to. He should know everything about her, shouldn't he? But he doesn't, and Elowyn is slowly drowning in the weight of her secrets. He doesn't know about the creepy guy who won't leave her alone or how bad her home life and her mother have gotten. And he definitely doesn't know that she's slowly falling in love with him. But he would never want her, he's captain of the soccer team and could have any girl he wants. She's the girl he sees as a sister, he's even known her since before she went to speech therapy for her stutter. So why can't she shake this feeling, even though she knows it's so wrong? ✦ ─ ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ ─ ✦ He draws me back in, our lips connecting again and I feel like I'm melting. Like I can't think at all. Like there's no such thing as any of my problems. There's no depressed mom, there's no jealousy, there's no secrets. There's only his calloused hand rubbing my cheek and his hair beneath my fingers. I'm hot and I'm cold and I'm melting. I'm gone, disappearing into the sand beneath us. ✦ ─ ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ ─ ✦ Tropes: friends to lovers, childhood friends, golden boy, shy girl x popular boy, only one bed, secret crush Triggers: mental illness, depression, sa

Starting college is supposed to feel like freedom. For Sofia, it feels like survival. Fresh out of the hospital and stepping onto campus weeks after the semester has already begun, she is forced to navigate dorm life, lectures, and relationships while carrying the weight of a past she's not ready to talk about. As she tries to rebuild a sense of normalcy, she forms unexpected connections, including her outgoing roommate Alison and Joshua, a football player whose quiet steadiness contrasts sharply with the chaos inside her head. Set against the backdrop of college life, this story explores eating disorders, relapse, control and the fragile balance between isolation and connection. -------------------------- 🥇#1 Football (09/6/2026) 🥈#2 Eating Disorder (09/6/2026) #5 University (09/6/2026) #10 Hospital (09/6/2026)

𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝟏 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 ─────୨ৎ───── 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎 feels invisible. As the daughter of the Royal Academy's football coach, everyone assumes they know her, but no one truly does. Beneath her fake exterior lies a girl drowning in secrets, desperate for someone to see past the facade. Then 𝐀𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐍 '𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄' 𝐎'𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐑 the academy's new star footballer, steps into her life and starts to notice the cracks in her armour. Connie has his own struggles. With a father who's relentlessly pushing him to become a football star, he's constantly fighting to meet expectations he isn't sure he can fulfill. The last thing he expects and needs is to find himself distracted and drawn to a certain curly haired blonde. ─────୨ৎ───── When I park in front of her house, I speak up before she can say goodbye. "I know you're going through something." The words come out rougher than I intend. "You try to hide it, but I see right through you, Carmen Castro." "Aaron..." Her eyes drop to her hands, her fingers twisting together. "You don't have to tell me anything. But I need you to know that I'm here for you. Whenever you need me. Okay? You can text me, call me, whatever. I'll drop everything." Her eyes flicker up to meet mine. She looks... scared. Not of me. But of something else. "Please?" I add, my voice breaking. I was never one to beg but ever since meeting Carmen, I've been a fucking beggar. She swallows hard and nods her head slowly. "Okay." Then, gives me a weak smile before slipping out of the car. [ 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 ] #1 mental health #1 addiction #1 awareness #1 academy #1 teen love #1 drugs #1 football #1 sad #1 rehab #2 healing #3 sportsromance