Side Effects May Vary

Alice punches a bully in the nose and draws blood. A coppery taste from bleeding gums is mentioned. A homophobic bully is in turn bullied via public humiliation.

There are about a dozen scenes of kissing and light making out, with the description limited to mentioning the kisses' locations (mostly on the lips, with a few instances of neck and shoulders) and intensity. Several make-out sessions almost lead to sex, but something always puts a stop to it; the brief descriptions stay above the waist. Harvey and Alice have sex once, but it's not described; they use a condom. A minor classmate character has a pregnancy scare. Several descriptions of bras.

Teens frequently use swear words, including "f--k" and its variations, "s--t," and "ass" with variations such as "smartass" and "a--hole." Other strong language they use occasionally includes "crap," "sucked," "chickens--t," "bulls--t," "pissed," "turd," "bitch," and "damn." "Boobs" occurs once. The backseat of a bike is referred to as the "bitch seat." Rare instances of name-calling include "pansy," "whore," and "faggot." Neither Harvey's mother nor Alice's parents censor their language in front of their kids, and they're heard swearing a couple times.

Teens matter-of-factly sneak beer on several occasions but don't seem to particularly enjoy it. Harvey drinks a Jack and Coke at a bar but also drinks water and soda there. A teen describes another as "plastered" at a party. Adults drink wine with dinner and when socializing. Adults at a party smell of cigars and beer. Teens assume that everyone in high school has smoked pot at least once. How to make an apple bong is described without specifics, and Alice and Harvey smoke from it what she thinks is marijuana but turns out to be pine-flavored tobacco. There's speculation about snorting Adderall. Tramadol is mentioned once. Since Alice is a cancer patient, she takes painkillers, some of which she describes as the "good stuff:" After taking some, she drifts in and out of consciousness.