Impulse

Although there isn't much actual bloodshed until one shoot-out, the threat of violence hangs over the book. Cent is bullied at school by an older girl, nicknamed Caffeine. Caffeine and her cohorts physically abuse some freshman boys, who are being sexually blackmailed. Cent finds ways to combat Caffeine and her gang, sometimes resorting to minor violence. In another subplot, four girls escape from a brothel in Bangladesh and are almost recaptured by their "landlord."

Cent is clearly interested in romance and the possibility of sex. She has a crush on one character, then begins dating another boy. They kiss passionately but aren't depicted as being more physically intimate. Her mother reminds her about condom use. Three boys are blackmailed by a surreptitious sex tape, and a few details about its contents are revealed. (The sex is consensual but embarrassing for a teen boy.)

The language in Impulse is strong, although not gratuitously so. More than a dozen instances of "f--k" are used by both adults and teens. Variations of "hell," "damn," "bitch," "p---y," "a--hole," and "s--t" are also used in conversation, usually in scenes of strong emotion.

A high school drug ring plays a major role in the plot, but there are no scenes of teens using them. One of the villains smokes. One supporting character attempts suicide with prescription pills.