It Will Hurt by Anya K. Jordan

In a realistic portrayal of mental illness and sexual repression, not every romance can have a happy ending. Two steps forward, one step back, as they say. But we can laugh and cry together on the way. We don't have to be alone. Nico still has to learn that. It Will Hurt is a contemporary queer story about a young man with bipolar disorder discovering his bisexuality in the underground death metal scene of a university town in 2010s Germany.

Adult • Contemporary Fiction • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+/Own Voices • Diversity Representation/Mental Health/Own Voices • Literary Fiction

Content Warning: Mental illness (bipolar II, mention of others) Confinement in psychiatric hospital Suicidal ideation Alcohol and marijuana Non-targeted bigotry in dialogue Intimacy and sex (no SA) Mention of verbal threat of SA Mention of brain tumor and cancer