What Trigger Warnings Does Belonging Include?

The topic of trigger warnings in literature is pretty nuanced. I recently read 'My Dark Vanessa' by Kate Elizabeth Russell, which deals with heavy themes like grooming and trauma. It’s one of those books where the emotional weight lingers long after you finish, and I’d definitely recommend checking content warnings beforehand. Another example is 'A Little Life' by Hanya Yanagihara—this one’s infamous for its depictions of self-harm and abuse. While it’s a masterpiece in its own right, it’s not for the faint of heart. I’ve seen online communities like Goodreads create crowdsourced lists of warnings for books like these, which I find super helpful when deciding what to pick up next.

For anyone picking up 'Not A Small-Town Girl', it's worth having a compact trigger checklist before you start — the book leans into some heavy, adult themes that aren't shyly hinted at. I found that the most prominent warnings are sexual content and scenes of non-consensual sexual activity; there are moments that deal directly with assault and the aftermath, including characters processing trauma. Alongside that, emotional and psychological abuse gets a lot of attention: gaslighting, controlling behaviors, and manipulation are part of key relationship dynamics and are treated as serious, painful experiences. There are also mental-health related triggers. The narrative includes suicidal ideation and self-harm references, and a few passages explore deep depressive episodes. Substance use and alcohol misuse appear in ways that tie into coping and self-destruction — not glamorized, but gritty. Grief and the death of loved ones are woven into some character arcs, and those scenes hit hard if you have sensitivity around loss. Stalking, harassment, and invasive behaviors show up too, so if you’re sensitive to threats to personal safety, that’s another heads-up. I appreciated how the book doesn't shy away from the consequences of these actions — the fallout is visible and messy. Still, some readers might prefer more discrete content notes: the author includes a brief warning in the front matter, but it doesn't list everything exhaustively, so I recommend checking a detailed trigger guide or reader reviews if you want specifics before diving in. If you plan to read, consider skimming reviews or using the search-in-book feature for terms that might be particularly upsetting to you. I found the tougher scenes were balanced by honest conversations about healing and boundaries later in the plot, which made the painful parts feel earned rather than gratuitous. Personally, it stayed with me not because it shocked me, but because it treated trauma with weight and consequence — heavy, but handled with care, in my view.