Trigger

An unflinching LGBTQIA+ verse novel about a teenage boy who is sexually assaulted in an attack he struggles to remember.

A Kirkus Best Teen & YA Verse Novel

A Children's Book Council YA Favourite

A School Library Journal Best Young Adult Book

Jay wakes in a park, beaten and bruised. He can’t remember what happened the night before. But he has suspicions. Jay realises he has been raped — and that his ex-boyfriend may have been involved. Counselling sessions cause Jay to question everything. His new friend Rain encourages his pursuit of justice. Jay wants answers, but his search will lead him down a perilous path.

Once the trigger is touched you can't tell who to trust.

"So emotional and immersive" Alice Oseman, author of Heartstopper (for Gut Feelings by C.G. Moore)

Chris is the author of Gut Feelings which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing 2022 and won the Children's Books Ireland Book of the Year Award in 2022. He has featured in magazines including Pink News, GCN Magazine and Manchester Evening News. Chris enjoys the challenge of weaving lived experience into his writing. He has hosted workshops exploring free verse poetry, invisible illness and more in schools across Ireland and the UK and has appeared at festivals including YALC and Bradford Literature Festival. Chris previously taught on the BA and MA in Publishing programmes at University of Central Lancashire. He’s a passionate advocate for reading and is happiest when he’s meeting and helping to inspire young people.