I love a book that has LGBTQ+ characters or themes. I’d even go as far to say that I’m more likely to be interested in a book if it has LGBTQ+ characters in it. So I thought I’d compile a big list of LGBTQ+ book recommendations — from actual LGBTQ readers!
All of the book recommendations are split into age range – YA (young adult), MG (middle grade), and adult/general, and organised alphabetically. Each book will tell you what representation it has in it, the genre, and where you can buy a copy of it online.
At the end of the post, you can see a list of everyone who contributed with links to where you can find them, so if you want some more LGBTQ+ bookworms to follow, have a look at the list!
This list will continuously grow, so if you want to submit your LGBTQ+ book recommendations and be featured in the post, find out how to do that here.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy a book using one of the things on this page, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Young Adult (YA) books
- Middle Grade (MG) books
- Adult/General books
- List of contributors
- Submit your recommendations
- Goodreads lists for more recommendations
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YA (Young Adult) LGBTQ+ Book Recommendations
All the Bad Apples by Moira Fowley-Doyle
💛 Representation: Lesbian, Bisexual
📚 Genre: Mystery, Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: When Deena’s wild and mysterious sister Mandy disappears – presumed dead – her family are heartbroken. But Mandy has always been troubled. It’s just another bad thing to happen to Deena’s family. Only Deena refuses to believe it’s true.
And then the letters start arriving. Letters from Mandy, claiming that their family’s blighted history is not just bad luck or bad decisions – but a curse, handed down through the generations. Mandy has gone in search of the curse’s roots, and now Deena must find her. What they find will heal their family’s rotten past – or rip it apart forever.
Why I recommend: You’ll love this book if you like a story filled with intrigue and mystery, magical realism, complex characters that you really feel a lot for, and a strong moral element that makes you think about the issues that the book is exploring, which often uses symbolism to tell a greater story. All the Bad Apples is a book that explores LGBTQ+ themes in Ireland in a unique, magical, and heartbreaking way, and it’s a must-read for everyone. Read my full review here.
Why Sophie recommends: “It delves into the history of Ireland whilst also having a contemporary storyline too. We see how women have been persecuted over the years for their gender, sexuality amongst other things. It’s not always an easy read but it’s an important one.”
Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
💛 Representation: Asexual/Aromantic main character
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Wasp’s job is simple. Hunt ghosts. And every year she has to fight to remain Archivist. Desperate and alone, she strikes a bargain with the ghost of a supersoldier. She will go with him on his underworld hunt for the long-lost ghost of his partner and in exchange she will find out more about his pre-apocalyptic world than any Archivist before her. And there is much to know. After all, Archivists are marked from birth to do the holy work of a goddess. They’re chosen. They’re special. Or so they’ve been told for four hundred years.
Archivist Wasp fears she is not the chosen one, that she won’t survive the trip to the underworld, that the brutal life she has escaped might be better than where she is going. There is only one way to find out.
Why eriophora recommends: “Archivist Wasp is a strange blend of post-apocalyptic dystopia, ghost hunting, and metaphysical descent into the underworld. My response on completing it can be summarized as “very weird, very good.” Although intriguing, philosophical YA is nothing new, Archivist Wasp takes this to a new level. Nicole Kornher-Stace crafts a world predicated not only on life and death, but also on the interconnectedness of life and our inability to define ourselves without using others as points of reference. None of us live in a vacuum, and the only way to grow and maintain our sense of self is through those we care for.
It represents wonderful, wholesome m/f friendship and is excellent for readers YA and above. I recommend it to fans of adult SFF just as highly as I do fans of YA.”
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
💛 Representation: Gay
📚 Genre: Verse, Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen – then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers – to show ourselves to the world in bold colour.
Why I recommend: The Black Flamingo focuses on a whole array of themes including gender, sexuality, race, toxic masculinity, and explores the unique dynamics between family and friends who might not share the same views as Michael does. It also shows that with the right people around you, you can be whoever you want to be, and there’s no shame in being free. There are beautiful illustrations scattered throughout the whole book, and it makes the reading experience so much more interesting. It’s just such a stunning book and I just love everything about it. Read my full review here.
Why Jamie recommends: “The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta gave me an incredible insight of the world of Drag and the poetry it is written in is just beautiful.”
The Bone Witch trilogy by Rin Chupeco
💛 Representation: Gay, lesbian/sapphic, implied pan, nonbinary, questioning trans
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
About the book: In the captivating start to a new, darkly lyrical fantasy series, Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price.
When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.
In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles and make a powerful choice.
Why Imi recommends: “Engrossing high fantasy trilogy with necromancy and hate to love romance while also incorporating important discussions about gender and sexuality. Also, Rin is non binary themselves and also parts of the world are based on Filipino culture. Its just brilliant.”
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
💛 Representation: Trans, Gay
📚 Genre: Fantasy
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.
However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.
Why I recommend: Cemetery Boys is a mystery, adventure, romance and coming-of-age tale all bundled up into one beautiful story. Vivid descriptions and in-depth characters bring Aiden Thomas’ world of brujx and magic to life. The story is driven by gender and the roles they’re expected to play, but the main character Yadriel (who is trans) smashes down the boundaries with a solid determination that proves his worth. It’s a wonderful slow-burn LGBTQ+ romance that feels natural and realistic! Read my full review here.
Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody
💛 Representation: Asexual/Aromantic, Lesbian, Bisexual
📚 Genre: Fantasy
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Sixteen-year-old Sorina has spent most of her life within the smoldering borders of the Gomorrah Festival. Yet even among the many unusual members of the traveling circus-city, Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years. This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show.
But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that—illusions, and not truly real. Or so she always believed…until one of them is murdered.
Desperate to protect her family, Sorina must track down the culprit and determine how they killed a person who doesn’t actually exist. Her search for answers leads her to the self-proclaimed gossip-worker Luca, and their investigation sends them through a haze of political turmoil and forbidden romance, and into the most sinister corners of the Festival. But as the killer continues murdering Sorina’s illusions one by one, she must unravel the horrifying truth before all of her loved ones disappear.
Why I recommend: If you love murder mysteries, circus stories, and dark and mysterious towns with perfect descriptions that put detailed images in your mind, this book is the one for you. This story has a bisexual protagonist, a gay female character and an asexual male, but the thing I love is that their sexuality isn’t an important device in the story — they’re that way because they just are. That’s so great, and something I’d love to see more! Read my full review here.
Drag Teen by Jeffery Self
💛 Representation: Gay, M/M
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: A fantastic, fabulous, funny YA debut from Jeffery Self, one of the gay icons of the YouTube generation, that follows one high school student on a drag race to his future.
Debut YA author Jeffery Self takes us on a road trip with an insecure high school senior who has one goal: to be the first in his family to leave Clearwater, Florida, and go to college. The problem is, he has zero means of paying for school — until his friends convince him to compete in a drag teen competition for a college scholarship.
Why WordedOverload recommends: I love how it combines a road trip with the self discovery of your place in the world. The characters journey to becoming a drag queen is truly heartwarming.”
Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour
💛 Representation: Lesbian, F/F
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Romance
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.
Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.
Why Sophie recommends: “It’s cheesy, it’s a little exaggerated but that’s why it’s so wonderful! It does deal with some harder topics too but the romance and the way it is written is really lovely and just brings a smile to myself. It’s a cheesy happy queer story about two girls falling in love and I highly recommend this as a little summer read.”
The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth
💛 Representation: Lesbian, W/W
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Romance
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings. If they were real, her mother would still be able to remember her name and not in a care home with early onset dementia. A condition that Saoirse may one day turn out to have inherited. So she’s not looking for a relationship. She doesn’t see the point in igniting any romantic sparks if she’s bound to burn out.
But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.
Unbothered by Saoirse’s no-relationships rulebook, Ruby proposes a loophole: They don’t need true love to have one summer of fun, complete with every cliché, rom-com montage-worthy date they can dream up—and a binding agreement to end their romance come fall. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren’t forgetting one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it’s over, the characters actually fall in love… for real.
Recommended by Jamie
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
💛 Representation: Queer, M/M, Trans, Bisexual, Gender questioning
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Romance
About the book: Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.
When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle….
But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.
Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.
Why Jamie recommends: “Felix Ever After by the amazing Kacen Callender gave me everything I needed and more. Felix is unbelievably relatable and his whole story is just touching and beautiful!”
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
💛 Representation: Gay, Bisexual, Gay Parents
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She’s making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she’s HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.
Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real–shy kisses escalating into much more–she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she’s positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she’s terrified of how he’ll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.
Simone’s first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on…
Why I recommend: Great friendships, good family dynamics, LGBTQ+ characters, AND musical theatre? Yes please! The main character, Simone, is HIV+ and I learned a lot about how it might be to live as a teenager with an illness like that and how it affects Simone’s life — in this case, with her feeling the need to hide it so she isn’t bullied about it. It has friends coming together to support each other, Simone having two gay parents (something I’d love to see more of in YA), and I just love this book so much. Watch my full review on my YouTube channel here.
Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
💛 Representation: Bisexual main character, genderfluid love interest
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Mara and Owen are about as close as twins can get. So when Mara’s friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn’t know what to think. Can the brother she loves really be guilty of such a violent crime? Torn between the family she loves and her own sense of right and wrong, Mara is feeling lost, and it doesn’t help that things have been strained with her ex-girlfriend and best friend since childhood, Charlie.
As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie navigate this new terrain, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits in her future. With sensitivity and openness, this timely novel confronts the difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault.
Why Lauren recommends: “This book gave me the words I needed to come out to my parents. Main character Mara realizes she can be bi without experiencing 50/50 attraction; she likes girls and boys and other genders for different reasons that she doesn’t feel the need to justify. That’s inspiring.”
Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston
💛 Representation: M/M romance, implied asexual romance, W/W side couple, asexual author
📚 Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Retellings, Romance
About the book: Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.
Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.
When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.
What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?
Why Lauren recommends: “I was incredibly bummed when The Rise of Skywalker’s queer representation turned out to be an unnamed sapphic couple shown onscreen for two whole seconds. Heart of Iron has ACTUAL REPRESENTATION and is more cogent and a lot more fun. If you like your space adventures with a healthy dollop of gay, you will love this book.”
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
💛 Representation: Gay, Bisexual, Trans
📚 Genre: Graphic Novel, Contemporary, Romance
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn’t been too great, but at least he’s not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He’s heard a little about Charlie – the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months – but he’s never had the opportunity to talk to him.
They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner…
Why I recommend: I cannot stop talking about Heartstopper. It has so many different LGBTQ+ identities and we see not only the teenagers coming to terms with their identity, but adults too. A lot of people will see themselves represented in at least one of the characters in these books. If you’re a graphic novel fan, I urge you to pick up a copy; or if you haven’t tried graphic novels before, why not start here? I recently wrote a whole post about sexuality in Heartstopper, so you can check that out here.
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
💛 Representation: Lesbian, W/W
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Romance
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life.
Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.
Recommended by Jamie
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
💛 Representation: Nonbinary, Queer
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Romance
About the book: When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents’ rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school.
But Ben’s attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan’s friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.
At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity.
Why Fee recommends: “This book beautifully shares the story of someone who is kicked out of their parents house after coming out as nonbinary. But it didn’t feel too much like a sad story. It’s very much about how they and the people around them deal with everything. It’s a very heartfelt and loving book.”
Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by Lev A.C. Rosen
💛 Representation: Gay, M/M
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Meet Jack Rothman. He’s seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys – sometimes all at the same time. His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, ‘it could be worse’.
He doesn’t actually expect that to come true.
But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he’s been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack’s secret admirer knows everything: where he’s hanging out, who he’s sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they’ll force him.
As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous…
Why WordedOverload recommends: “It features an openly gay teen writing a sex positive column, but also sheds light on the microagressions LGBT people can experience. It’s both hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time.”
Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron
💛 Representation: Gay, M/M Relationship
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Brody Fair feels like nobody gets him: not his overworked parents, not his genius older brother, and definitely not the girls in the projects set on making his life miserable. Then he meets Nico, an art student who takes Brody to Everland, a “knock-off Narnia” that opens its door at 11:21pm each Thursday for Nico and his band of present-day misfits and miscreants.
Here Brody finds his tribe and a weekly respite from a world where he feels out of place. But when the doors to Everland begin to disappear, Brody is forced to make a decision: He can say goodbye to Everland and to Nico, or stay there and risk never seeing his family again.
Why I recommend: If you love portals to magical worlds, tight friendships, LGBTQ+ romance (real romance rather than gushy romance), and real-world themes and issues, this is the book for you. This book has contemporary themes like mental health (for example, the main character’s dad suffers from agoraphobia) and characters coming to terms with who they are and who they want to be, but blends them with a touch of magical realism that I just loved. Read my full review here.
Loveless by Alice Oseman
💛 Representation: Asexual/Aromantic, Lesbian, Pansexual, Genderfluid/Nonbinary
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.
As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.
But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.
Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?
Why I recommend: Ugh, what can I say about this book? I loved it so much and it helped me realise so much about myself. It helped me learn that not wanting a relationship is okay, and friendships are just as important—if not more so. It’s one of those books that I loved a lot, but I struggle to really know what to say about it. It’s probably why I haven’t written a full review yet. If you’re considering that you could be ace/aro, give this book a go.
Why Sophie (Love and Literature) recommends: “This book is one of my FAVOURITE books of all time. OF. ALL. TIME. This book reinforces that no matter your sexuality, you are valid. There’s characters who are non-binary, pansexual, homosexual, etc., there’s so much representation!”
Why Cerys recommends: “It’s the first time I really felt seen and understood, not only in a book but in life really. Being asexual is such an individual experience and while the MC’s experience isn’t exactly like my own, the feelings Oseman captured were spot on.”
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
💛 Representation: Lesbian
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Coming of Age
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK
About the book: When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.
But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone (as her grandmother might say), and Cam becomes an expert at both.
Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship–one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self–even if she’s not exactly sure who that is.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.
Why Esse recommends: “The Miseducation of Cameron Post is the story of a young girl who is sent to a conversion center because she’s discovered in a relationship with a girl. I loved this book because it touches, not only the theme of homosexuality and of self discovery but also of loss and death, Christianity and conversion therapy. It also had some very diverse characters and it was such an original story for me 🥰”
Night Shine by Tessa Gratton
💛 Representation: Genderfluid character, discussions of renaming and gender identity
📚 Genre: Fantasy
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: In the vast palace of the empress lives an orphan girl called Nothing. She slips within the shadows of the Court, unseen except by the Great Demon of the palace and her true friend, Prince Kirin, heir to the throne. When Kirin is kidnapped, only Nothing and the prince’s bodyguard suspect that Kirin may have been taken by the Sorceress Who Eats Girls, a powerful woman who has plagued the land for decades. The sorceress has never bothered with boys before, but Nothing has uncovered many secrets in her sixteen years in the palace, including a few about the prince.
As the empress’s army searches fruitlessly, Nothing and the bodyguard set out on a rescue mission, through demon-filled rain forests and past crossroads guarded by spirits. Their journey takes them to the gates of the Fifth Mountain, where the sorceress wields her power. There, Nothing will discover that all magic is a bargain, and she may be more powerful than she ever imagined. But the price the Sorceress demands for Kirin may very well cost Nothing her heart.
Why Lauren recommends: “Tessa Gratton wrote this book as an exploration of gender and a reclaiming of the genderqueer villain trope. The queer characters in this book are messy and selfish – they push each other away only to reach for each other again. More than anything, this book made me feel whole, that I’m enough even if I don’t have everything figured out.”
Not Your Sidekick (+ whole Sidekick Squad series) by C.B. Lee
💛 Representation: Sapphic, bi, queer (+ trans and ace characters who are MCs of their own stories later in the series)
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Supherheroes
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Welcome to Andover… where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.
Why Imi recommends: “Super fun superhero futuristic dystopia but with really great queer rep which is a solid focus without being the entirety of the story? Hard to explain, but also just brilliant books.”
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
💛 Representation: Trans
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: There are no more monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. With doting parents and a best friend named Redemption, Jam has grown up with this lesson all her life. But when she meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colours and claws, who emerges from one of her mother’s paintings and a drop of Jam’s blood, she must reconsider what she’s been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption’s house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question — How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?
Why Sophie recommends: “This is a highly inventive and creative book which is unlike anything I have ever read before. It merges fantasy with very real life problems and is hard at times but well worth the read. I don’t want to give too much away about this book but it is truly fantastic.”
Why Jamie recommends: “Pet by Akwaeke Emezi is an amazing novel with a trans protagonist, with awesome rep.”
Proud Anthology by Various Authors (Compiled by Juno Dawson)
💛 Representation: Various
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Poetry
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: A stirring, bold and moving anthology of stories and poetry by top LGBTQ+ YA authors and new talent, giving their unique responses to the broad theme of pride. Each story has an illustration by an artist identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Compiled by Juno Dawson, author of THIS BOOK IS GAY and CLEAN. A celebration of LGBTQ+ talent, PROUD is a thought-provoking, funny, emotional read.
Why I recommend: I love that this book includes pieces by well-known authors (like Simon James Green and David Levithan) as well as new authors that have been discovered especially for these anthologies. Finding new voices is wonderful, especially when they’re in a minority, like BAME or LGBTQ+. This book is full of stories for everyone and it needs to be sold in every single shop, put into libraries everywhere, and put into the hands of people that need a bit of encouragement to believe that it’s okay to be who they are without shame – but that it’s also okay to wait until you’re ready. Read my full review here.
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
💛 Representation: Bisexual
📚 Genre: Graphic Novel, Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends. Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.
But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.
Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years…
What if their last shift was an adventure?
Why I recommend: Graphic novels often can’t explore a story in a lot of depth, but Pumpkinheads focuses on such a short amount of time that so many things are explored in a lot of detail: the different areas of the pumpkin patch, the people who work there, and the main characters. It’s great to all of the different areas drawn so beautifully, and to see the relationships between some of the characters too. If you’re a graphic novel fan, you should definitely give this a try. Or if you’re a graphic novel newbie, you’ll love this too! Read my full review here.
Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran
💛 Representation: F/F relationship, lesbian main characters, demisexual main character
📚 Genre: Fantasy
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: When teenage queen Lia inherits her corrupt uncle’s bankrupt kingdom, she brings a new spymaster into the fold… Xania, who takes the job to avenge her murdered father.
Faced with dangerous plots and hidden enemies, can Lia and Xania learn to rely on each another, as they discover that all is not fair in love and treason?
In a world where the throne means both power and duty, they must decide what to sacrifice for their country – and for each other…
Why Asha recommends: “Probably the best YA political fantasy I’ve ever read! Dual POV between the young queen who’s trying to dismantle her predecessor’s debauched and dangerous court, and her spymistress, who’s trying to solve the mystery of her father. Sweet and fierce romance, perilous plots, plenty of courtly shenanigans. If you love the ‘ballgowns and murderous diplomats’ genre, this is perfect for you! Demi lesbian author.”
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
💛 Representation: F/F Relationship, Asexual
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Poetry
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Who are the Sawkill Girls?
Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.
Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.
Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.
Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires. Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now.
Why I recommend: I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed Sawkill Girls. I never usually read horror and I don’t really read a lot of novels with a supernatural, mysterious element to them, so I was so pleasantly surprised when I finished the book and instantly wanted to turn back to the beginning and read it again. It’s one of those books that feels almost exhausting to finish because it’s just taken you on such a journey, but you feel like you want to reread it to see how things developed from the beginning. I loved it a lot and I can definitely see it being one I bring out every Halloween to reread and get into the spooky spirit! Read my full review here.
Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
💛 Representation: Gay
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Romance
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.
Why I recommend: I’m sure everyone has heard of this book by now (and if you haven’t, where have you been?!) I’d recommend this to anyone who is LGBTQ themselves and wants a lovely coming of age, “coming out the closet” story; anyone who knows somebody LGBTQ and needs some help understanding how they feel and the hardships they might be facing, even under the surface; or anyone who just wants a nice, heartwarming story that is fast and easy to read. Read my full review here.
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
💛 Representation: Biromatic & Demisexual main character, Non-Binary side character
📚 Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population.
Seventeen-year-old Janelle “Ellie” Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. Deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, humanity’s emotional transgressions are now grounds for execution. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When a book goes missing, Ellie is terrified that the Ilori will track it back to her and kill her.
Born in a lab, M0Rr1S (Morris) was raised to be emotionless. When he finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more. They’re both breaking the rules for love of art—and Ellie inspires the same feelings in him that music does.
Ellie’s—and humanity’s—fate rests in the hands of an alien she should fear. M0Rr1S has a lot of secrets, but also a potential solution—thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous road trip with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while making a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.
Why Julie @ Struck by Stories recommends: “I’m not usually a fan of science fiction, but this book just Blew. Me. Away!! I loved Ellie, our anxious, biracial, biromantic, demisexual main character with all of my being. I fully connected to her struggles with anxiety, her self-awareness & acceptance of her demisexuality, and her passionate love of books and burning desire to get books into the hands of people who so desperately needed the escape. Furthermore, the world-building was astronomically phenomenal, and *by far* this book had the best and most realistically plausible dystopian premise ever! Even though this book just came out a few months ago, I think it’s safe to say that this is probably my favorite book OF ALL TIME! Please do yourself a favor and pick up The Sound of Stars ASAP – it will easily be one of the best decisions you will ever make :D” (Read Julie’s review)
Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman
💛 Representation: Asexual/Aromantic
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea.
Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the “boys next door”—a teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesn’t take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years ago—Rumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.
Why I recommend: Summer Bird Blue deals with themes of loss, grief, tough family dynamics, and discovering who you are when you feel like you’ve lost yourself. It’s a heavy read, but hope and love shines through it too. Akemi’s writing is just beautiful and you can feel that she writes straight from the heart. This book is recommended a lot for its great exploration of asexuality. Watch my full review on my YouTube channel here.
Why Sophie (Love and Literature) recommends: “This book really is a beautiful exploration of grief, and highlights the importance of friends and family when we’ve lost a loved one. This is the first book that I’ve read, where I’ve really related to a character in our shared sexuality.”
The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding
💛 Representation: Lesbian
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Romance
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Seventeen, fashion-obsessed, and gay, Abby Ives has always been content playing the sidekick in other people’s lives. While her friends and sister have plunged headfirst into the world of dating and romances, Abby has stayed focused on her plus-size style blog and her dreams of taking the fashion industry by storm. When she lands a prized internship at her favorite local boutique, she’s thrilled to take her first step into her dream career. She doesn’t expect to fall for her fellow intern, Jordi Pérez. Abby knows it’s a big no-no to fall for a colleague. She also knows that Jordi documents her whole life in photographs, while Abby would prefer to stay behind the scenes.
Then again, nothing is going as expected this summer. She’s competing against the girl she’s kissing to win a paid job at the boutique. She’s somehow managed to befriend Jax, a lacrosse-playing bro type who needs help in a project that involves eating burgers across L.A.’s eastside. Suddenly, she doesn’t feel like a sidekick. Is it possible Abby’s finally in her own story?
But when Jordi’s photography puts Abby in the spotlight, it feels like a betrayal, rather than a starring role. Can Abby find a way to reconcile her positive yet private sense of self with the image that other people have of her?
Is this just Abby’s summer of fashion? Or will it truly be The Summer of Jordi Pérez (and the Best Burger in Los Ángeles)?
Why WordedOverload recommends: “It’s all the fluffy sapphic rep I love to see in a book. It’s a lighthearted quicker read and has got some great fat rep as well as a great subplot. For me it was one of the first times I could truly see myself in a character.”
Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson
💛 Representation: Bisexual character, demisexual main character
📚 Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Retellings, Romance
About the book: When a guy named Martin Nathaniel Munroe II texts you, it should be obvious who you’re talking to. Except there’s two of them (it’s a long story), and Haley thinks she’s talking to the one she doesn’t hate.
A question about a class project rapidly evolves into an all-consuming conversation. Haley finds that Martin is actually willing to listen to her weird facts and unusual obsessions, and Martin feels like Haley is the first person to really see who he is. Haley and Martin might be too awkward to hang out in real life, but over text, they’re becoming addicted to each other.
There’s just one problem: Haley doesn’t know who Martin is. And Martin doesn’t know that Haley doesn’t know. But they better figure it out fast before their meet-cute becomes an epic meet-disaster…
Why Lauren recommends: “This book has ACCURATE, ON-THE-PAGE demisexual rep, which is VERY exciting! This story also features a bisexual boy (relatively rare in YA) who describes his attraction to girls as a spark and his attraction to boys as a dimmer switch. This description helped me explain my own experiences to others.”
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
💛 Representation: Gay, M/M
📚 Genre: Contemporary, Romance
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: New York Times bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.
While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.
Why Jamie recommends: “My heartbook is Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan—it has all the feels and such an important message!”
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
💛 Representation: Queer women (I believe no labels are mentioned)
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.
Why Sophie recommends: “It’s heartfelt, emotional and truly very affecting. This is one of the best pieces of writing on emotions I have ever read.”
The Weight of the Stars by K Ancrum
💛 Representation: Sapphic, mixed race, gay, bisexual, socio eco, teen parent, polyamorous
📚 Genre: Science Fiction, Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Ryann Bird dreams of traveling across the stars. But a career in space isn’t an option for a girl who lives in a trailer park on the wrong side of town. So Ryann becomes her circumstances and settles for acting out and skipping school to hang out with her delinquent friends.
One day she meets Alexandria: a furious loner who spurns Ryann’s offer of friendship. After a horrific accident leaves Alexandria with a broken arm, the two misfits are brought together despite themselves—and Ryann learns her secret: Alexandria’s mother is an astronaut who volunteered for a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system.
Every night without fail, Alexandria waits to catch radio signals from her mother. And its up to Ryann to lift her onto the roof day after day until the silence between them grows into friendship, and eventually something more…
Why Imi recommends: “I will never not rec this book as an all time fave. Fast paced, very different writing style but engulfing and heart felt and emotional and just so much.” (Read Imi’s review)
Who I Was With Her by Nita Tyndall
💛 Representation: Bisexual main character, asexual side character
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: There are two things that Corinne Parker knows to be true: that she is in love with Maggie Bailey, the captain of the rival high school’s cross-country team and her secret girlfriend of a year, and that she isn’t ready for anyone to know she’s bisexual.
But then Maggie dies, and Corinne quickly learns that the only thing worse than losing Maggie is being left heartbroken over a relationship no one knows existed. And to make things even more complicated, the only person she can turn to is Elissa — Maggie’s ex and the single person who understands how Corinne is feeling.
As Corinne struggles to make sense of her grief and what she truly wants out of life, she begins to have feelings for the last person she should fall for. But to move forward after losing Maggie, Corinne will have to learn to be honest with the people in her life…starting with herself.
Why Lauren recommends: “I don’t get to see bi rep like this very often. Corinne’s coming-out experience mirrored my own in that a lot of factors built up pressure before either of us was ready. What I loved most about this book: Corinne comes out, even though she still doesn’t understand everything about herself and that’s okay.”
Wonderland by Juno Dawson
💛 Representation: Trans, Bisexual
📚 Genre: Genre
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Alice lives in a world of stifling privilege and luxury – but none of it means anything when your own head plays tricks on your reality. When her troubled friend Bunny goes missing, Alice becomes obsessed with finding her. On the trail of her last movements, Alice discovers a mysterious invitation to ‘Wonderland’: the party to end all parties – three days of hedonistic excess to which only the elite are welcome.
Will she find Bunny there? Or is this really a case of finding herself? Because Alice has secrets of her own, and ruthless socialite queen Paisley Hart is determined to uncover them, whatever it takes.
Alice is all alone, miles from home, and now she has a new enemy who wants her head…
Why I recommend: Wonderland sucked me in right away and didn’t let go. It’s so full of dark mystery, intrigue, and a kind of dirty glamour that I know I would absolutely never want to experience for myself. (In fact, it makes me feel perfectly satisfied living my regular, “normal” life.) It’s full of twists that I never saw coming, and I loved every page. There are a bunch of trigger/content warnings, so just be aware of that. I’ve listed them all in my full review, which you can read here.
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
💛 Representation: F/F Relationship (t/w: public outing)
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.
But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down… until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.
The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams… or make them come true?
Why I recommend: I loved this!!! So much fun and the relationships are all great – not just the romantic one, but the friendships, the relationship between Liz and her brother, and even the comradery between Liz and her teachers, especially her music teacher. This is just such a positive, feel-good book and I liked it a lot. The narrator of the audiobook is wonderful, too – the perfect voice for this story!
Why Fee recommends: “I loved how this book has such a nice fluffy story that I before had only read in straight books. It also has great intersectional representation, which is also addressed in the book. And while dealing with important, grave issues (racism, homophobia) it manages to still stay a positive, happy, upbeat book.”
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MG (Middle Grade) LGBTQ+ Book Recommendations
The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith
💛 Representation: MtF trans main character
📚 Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will.
As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they begin to hatch a plan to avenge their family and retake their royal home.While Hawke wants to return to his old life, Grayce struggles to keep the threads of her new life from unraveling, and realizes she wants to stay in the one place that will allow her to finally live as a girl.
Why eriophora recommends: “This is a gorgeous graphic novel suitable for any age. The story follows two siblings on the run who must unveil the plot that killed their family in a vicious coup. The two siblings are initially represented as brothers, but when they go to hide as girls in an abbey, one of the two finds acceptance as the girl she’s always been. Her brother is a bit clueless, but it’s very wholesome and sweet with beautiful art.”
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake
💛 Representation: Lesbian coming of age
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: When a tornado rips through town, twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen’s house is destroyed and her family of five is displaced. Ivy feels invisible and ignored in the aftermath of the storm–and what’s worse, her notebook filled with secret drawings of girls holding hands has gone missing.
Mysteriously, Ivy’s drawings begin to reappear in her locker with notes from someone telling her to open up about her identity. Ivy thinks–and hopes–that this someone might be her classmate, another girl for whom Ivy has begun to develop a crush. Will Ivy find the strength and courage to follow her true feelings?
Why Jaz recommends: “This was such a beautiful middle grade about a girl realising she likes girls. It’s such an accessible book, and will make you cry, smile, and feel everything.”
King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
💛 Representation: Gay
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family.
It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy-that he thinks he might be gay. “You don’t want anyone to think you’re gay too, do you?”
But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. As King’s friendship with Sandy is reignited, he’s forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother’s death.
Why I recommend: I loved this a lot. Middle grade books can often be overlooked, but this one has to be read far and wide and I’m absolutely going to be shouting about it to everybody. The way it deals with heavy themes like racism, homophobia, and abuse is great for younger readers to understand without watering them down; they’re still hard to read about, but I think they’d be amazing for teaching younger readers some valuable lessons about how to treat everyone fairly and equally, and how your sexuality doesn’t define who you are.
Rick by Alex Gino
💛 Representation: Gay, Nonbinary, Trans, Asexual Questioning
📚 Genre: Contemporary
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Rick’s never questioned much. He’s gone along with his best friend Jeff even when Jeff’s acted like a bully and a jerk. He’s let his father joke with him about which hot girls he might want to date even though that kind of talk always makes him uncomfortable. And he hasn’t given his own identity much thought, because everyone else around him seemed to have figured it out.
But now Rick’s gotten to middle school, and new doors are opening. One of them leads to the school’s Rainbow Spectrum club, where kids of many genders and identities congregate, including Melissa, the girl who sits in front of Rick in class and seems to have her life together. Rick wants his own life to be that … understood. Even if it means breaking some old friendships and making some new ones.
As they did in their groundbreaking novel George, in Rick, award-winning author Alex Gino explores what it means to search for your own place in the world … and all the steps you and the people around you need to take in order to get where you need to be.
Why Sophie (Love and Literature) recommends: This book is ideal for younger audiences as it introduces different identities, sexualities and LGBTQ+ issues sensitively to younger audiences.
Adult/General LGBTQ+ Book Recommendations
All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
💛 Representation: Queer
📚 Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
About the book: In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.
Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren’t Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson’s emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.
Why Jamie recommends: “All Boys Aren’t Blue is the memoir of George M. Johnson and so heartbreaking and healing to read!
The Bi-ble: An Anthology of Personal Narratives and Essays about Bisexuality
💛 Representation: Bisexual
📚 Genre: Non-Fiction
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: In today’s social climate, bisexuals inhabit a liminal space between cultures, often misunderstood and criticised by both the straight community and the LGBTQ+ – despite the fact we represent the capital B in that very mix. We’re called fence-sitters, greedy, promiscuous, incapable of decisions or monogamy, or simply dismissed as non-existent like a stubborn urban legend. Bisexuals suffer both the abuse incurred for existence and the erasure that claims nonexistence: a half-life, a state of being and not being, simultaneously too gay and not gay enough.
Because of this and many other factors, the statistics for bisexual wellbeing are bleak – we are more likely to suffer from mental health issues, more likely to be closeted, at higher risk of domestic abuse and assault from partners, and even at higher risk of conditions like heart disease and addiction. It is time to dig into these issues and step out of the liminal space – into a full life where our voices and stories can be heard, and our identities declared valid.
So was born The Bi-ble, a collection of original essays and personal narratives giving platform to the thoughts and experiences relevant to bisexuals today.
This book is not just for bisexuals, though we hope it will unite and inspire those of us who identify as such. It is also an invitation to sharing and understanding, an open book, so to speak, extending a discussion to other communities in the hope of learning more about each other and the beautiful, multifaceted, endlessly complex and individual world of sexuality.
Why Sophie recommends: “I haven’t yet finished it but it’s a non-fiction collection of short essays and personal stories all about and from the bi community. It’s a great look into bisexuality and how people experience it – the amazing things but also the stigma we get. I’d encourage people to pick it up as you can learn a lot about other’s experiences of being bi.”
The Clothesline Swing by Ahmad Danny Ramadan
💛 Representation: M/M
📚 Genre: Fiction, Cultural
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: The Clothesline Swing is a journey through the troublesome aftermath of the Arab Spring. A former Syrian refugee himself, Ramadan unveils an enthralling tale of courage that weaves through the mountains of Syria, the valleys of Lebanon, the encircling seas of Turkey, the heat of Egypt and finally, the hope of a new home in Canada.
Inspired by Arabian Tales of One Thousand and One Nights, The Clothesline Swing tells the epic story of two lovers anchored to the memory of a dying Syria. One is a Hakawati, a storyteller, keeping life in forward motion by relaying remembered fables to his dying partner. Each night he weaves stories of his childhood in Damascus, of the cruelty he has endured for his sexuality, of leaving home, of war, of his fated meeting with his lover. Meanwhile Death himself, in his dark cloak, shares the house with the two men, eavesdropping on their secrets as he awaits their final undoing.
Why Jaz recommends: “It’s a really hard but beautiful story about a Syrian man living in Canada and telling his story to his partner that is dying. It’s such a moving story, and I particularly loved that it wasn’t told in a linear fashion. You have to piece together the story, as you would if you were learning about a friend.”
Daughter of the Sun by Effie Calvin
💛 Representation: F/F relationship, nonbinary side characters
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Romance
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Orsina of Melidrie is a paladin of the Order of the Sun, sworn to drive out corruption and chaos wherever she finds it. She has been ordered to leave her home and travel around Vesolda in search of a great evil she is supposedly destined to destroy. But after two years of fighting monsters and demons and evil gods, she does not seem to be any closer to her goal—or ever returning home.
Aelia is the Goddess of Caprice, the personification of poor decision-making. The Order of the Sun has classified her as a chaos goddess, meaning that her worship has been outlawed. During a run-in with Orsina, she is trapped in a mortal body, rendering her unable to leave Inthya.
Aelia is found by Orsina again, but this time Orsina does not recognize her in her new body. So Aelia pretends to be a mortal woman who is fleeing an abusive family. Aelia plans to use Orsina as protection as she hunts down the magical relic that will free her from her mortal body.
As Aelia and Orsina grow closer to one another, Aelia wrestles with her own desire to tell Orsina the truth about who she is, and her fear that Orsina will turn on her if she does. But the decision might not be hers after all, because their actions have not gone unnoticed by Aelia’s siblings.
Why Asha recommends: “A romp of a road-trip in a queer-norm medieval fantasy world! A knight on a quest to oust evil from the land ends up travelling with the chaos goddess she knocked into human form – it’s a fast paced adventure with a slow-burn romance as the two of them start to be very intrigued by each other. I loved the world, which is accepting of all genders and sexualities – none of the drama comes from any characters being queer. Pronouns are asked for and offered on multiple occasions, and several side characters use they/them. It’s lovely and warm – like a grown up Tamora Pierce novel! The rest of this series is fab too, all F/F romances with loads of queer identities repped. Author is WLW.”
Fallible Justice by Laura Laakso
💛 Representation: Bisexual/pansexual main character, F/F relationship
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: In Old London, where paranormal races co-exist with ordinary humans, criminal verdicts delivered by the all-seeing Heralds of Justice are infallible. After a man is declared guilty of murder and sentenced to death, his daughter turns to private investigator Yannia Wilde to do the impossible and prove the Heralds wrong.
Yannia has escaped a restrictive life in the Wild Folk conclave where she was raised, but her origins mark her as an outsider in the city. These origins lend her the sensory abilities of all of nature. Yet Yannia is lonely, and struggling to adapt to life in the city. The case could be the break she needs. She enlists the help of her only friend, a Bird Shaman named Karrion, and together they accept the challenge of proving a guilty man innocent.
So begins a breathless race against time and against all conceivable odds. Can Yannia and Karrion save a man who has been judged infallibly guilty?
Why Asha recommends: “Incredible urban fantasy with a bi/pan spoonie detective heroine. The mystery is far more the focus than the romance here, but the MC does have an F/F relationship in the course of this book, and discusses a previous important relationship with a man (which will become very important in later books). She doesn’t label herself and neither does the author, but the rep is clear and #ownvoices. The world is incredibly inventive, and there’s a huge sense of found family amongst her companions, who range from an emo bird wizard who can’t stop being plagued by pigeons, to a wise old hearth spirit. The chronic illness rep (EDS, chronic pain) is so incredibly accurate it made me cry in recognition. Queer spoonie author.”
The Four Profound Weaves by RB Lember
💛 Representation: Trans main character, elderly
📚 Genre: Fantasy
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Wind: To match one’s body with one’s heart. Sand: To take the bearer where they wish. Song: In praise of the goddess Bird. Bone: To move unheard in the night.
The Surun’ do not speak of the master weaver, Benesret, who creates the cloth of bone for assassins in the Great Burri Desert. But Uiziya now seeks her aunt Benesret in order to learn the final weave, although the price for knowledge may be far too dear to pay.
Among the Khana, women travel in caravans to trade, while men remain in the inner quarter as scholars. A nameless man struggles to embody Khana masculinity, after many years of performing the life of a woman, trader, wife, and grandmother.
As the past catches up to the nameless man, he must choose between the life he dreamed of and Uiziya, and Uiziya must discover how to challenge a tyrant, and weave from deaths that matter.
Set in R. B. Lemberg’s beloved Birdverse, The Four Profound Weaves hearkens to Ursula Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness. In this breathtaking debut, Lemberg offers a timeless chronicle of claiming one’s identity in a hostile world.
Why eriophora recommends: “The story is told via the voices of two trans main characters whose fates are entwined with one another. They are old – their joints ache, and their bodies are beginning to fail them with so many years weighing down on their bones. Uiziya made her transformation when she was very young, as is the way of her people. She has always been loved and accepted for who she is, and her carpet of transformation was woven by her friends and family for her when she needed it. The nameless man, nen-sasair, son of sandbirds, had a very different experience. In his culture, he’s still viewed as a particularly rebellious woman who is interested in manly pursuits. His people, the Khana, view him as a particularly old tomboy and reject his chosen identity.
I was instantly captivated by the poetic, lyrical prose and drawn in with dreams of sandbirds. It’s the queer, Middle-Eastern fairy tale we’ve been waiting for.”
The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes
💛 Representation: Vast range of gender identities
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
🛒 Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: A dinosaur detective in the land of unwanted ideas battles trauma, anxiety, and the first serial killer of imaginary friends.
Most ideas fade away when we’re done with them. Some we love enough to become Real. But what about the ones we love, and walk away from?
Tippy the triceratops was once a little girl’s imaginary friend, a dinosaur detective who could help her make sense of the world. But when her father died, Tippy fell into the Stillreal, the underbelly of the Imagination, where discarded ideas go when they’re too Real to disappear. Now, he passes time doing detective work for other unwanted ideas – until Tippy runs into The Man in the Coat, a nightmare monster who can do the impossible: kill an idea permanently. Now Tippy must overcome his own trauma and solve the case, before there’s nothing left but imaginary corpses.
Why eriophora recommends: “The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes is hands-down the most imaginative, fresh, and kind book I’ve read this year. It is absolutely unlike anything else I’ve read, combining the innocence and creativity of a middle grade novel with the darkness and trauma of adult fantasy. At a glance, that makes it tempting to label this book as YA or middle grade, but upon reading it, that’s clearly not the case. It deals with loss of innocence, growing up, trauma, PTSD, identity, and abuse in a way that is both genuinely kind and genuinely heartbreaking.
There are themes of identity, given that ideas may be too young to have a gender or even a fully formed body. No one can really make assumptions about one another, given that they’re not even close to limited to a human form, and many may have been the Friend of a child who was still figuring out their own gender or other aspects of their identity.”
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
💛 Representation: Pansexual, Bisexual
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Historical
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
Why Imi recommends: “The most beautiful book I’ve ever read, never felt so seen by the relationship with mental health and feelings of loneliness. The queer rep feels honest and true, my heart overflows just thinking about it.”
Los Nefilim series by T. Frohock
💛 Representation: Gay main character, Bisexual partner, M/M relationship
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: The fate of mankind has nothing to do with mankind…
Born of an angel and a daimon, Diago Alvarez is a singular being in a country torn by a looming civil war and the spiritual struggle between the forces of angels and daimons. With allegiance to no one but his partner Miquel, he is content to simply live in Barcelona, caring only for the man he loves and the music he makes. Yet, neither side is satisfied to let him lead this domesticated life and, knowing they can’t get to him directly, they do the one thing he’s always feared.
They go after Miquel.
Now, in order to save his lover’s life, he is forced by an angel to perform a gruesome task: feed a child to the daimon Moloch in exchange for a coin that will limit the extent of the world’s next war. The mission is fraught with danger, the time he has to accomplish it is limited…and the child he is to sacrifice is the son Diago never knew existed.
Why eriophora recommends: “I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THESE BOOKS. Diago Alvarez, our protagonist, is the character who made this book a particular favorite. While it still would have been well done without him, the delicacy with which he’s written is bar-none. In an era long before LGBT+ rights exist, Diago is a bisexual young man with a gay partner. Although they cannot legally marry given the laws and social customs at the time, both wear rings as symbols of their commitment to one another. Their romance is both endearing and heartwarming; it’s not about them being two gay/bi men together, it’s about them being partners.”
May Day by Josie Jaffrey
💛 Representation: Bisexual main character with bisexual love triangle, gay side characters
📚 Genre: Genre
🛒 Book Depository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: If the murderer you’re tracking is a vampire, then you want a vampire detective. Just maybe not this one.
It’s not that Jack Valentine is bad at her job. The youngest member of Oxford’s Seekers has an impressive track record, but she also has an impressive grudge against the local baron, Killian Drake.
When a human turns up dead on May Morning, she’s determined to pin the murder on Drake. The problem is that none of the evidence points to him. Instead, it leads Jack into a web of conspiracy involving the most powerful people in the country, people to whom Jack has no access. But she knows someone who does.
To get to the truth, Jack will have to partner up with her worst enemy. As long as she can keep her cool, Drake will point her to the ringleaders, she’ll find the murderer and no one else will have to die.
Body bags on standby.
Why Asha recommends: “Snarky disaster bi vampire detective! If those five words don’t sell you, then I’ll add excellent worldbuilding (vampires live alongside us, even in Oxford), a compelling mystery to solve, and a main character with a wonderfully vivid and sarcastic voice who is constantly kicking at the patriarchy. Plus clear on page bi and gay rep, and a bi love triangle with one side scorching enemies to lovers and the other sweet, romantic, and adorkable! Bi author. (Please check content warnings before reading, it deals with some heavy subjects.)”
Our Bloody Pearl by DN Bryn
💛 Representation: Nonbinary main character with they/them pronouns, ace main characters, M/NB, F/F, and M/NB relationships
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: The ocean is uncontrollable and dangerous. But to the sirens who swim the warm island waters, it’s a home more than worth protecting from the humans and their steam-propelled ships. Between their hypnotic voices and the strength of their powerful tails, sirens have little to fear.
That is, until the ruthless pirate captain, Kian, creates a device to cancel out their songs.
Perle was the first siren captured, and while all since have either been sold or killed, Kian still keeps them prisoner. Though their song is muted and their tail paralyzed, Perle’s hope for escape rekindles as another pirating vessel seizes Kian’s ship. This new captain seems different, with his brilliant smile and his promises that Kian will never again be Perle’s master. But he’s still a human, and a captor in his own way. The compassion he and his rag-tag human family show can’t be sincere… or can it?
Soon it becomes clear that Kian will hunt Perle relentlessly, taking down any siren in her path. As the tides turn, Perle must decide whether to run from Kian forever, or ride the forming wave into battle, hoping their newfound human companions will fight with them.
Why Asha recommends: “Do you want to read a love story between a disabled non-binary siren and the gay ace pirate who rescues them and helps them come to terms with their disability? This is the sweetest and softest book ever to feature pirates and murder mermaids. Pretty much every character is queer, and there’s a real sense of community and kindness and communication running throughout, with laugh-out-loud funny moments and such good character work you’ll be hugging your pillow. Perfect for fans of Becky Chambers who also like fantasy – this book just wants to wrap you in a blanket and give you a kiss on the forehead. Queer nonbinary author.”
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
💛 Representation: Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay (main love story is WLW)
📚 Genre: Fantasy
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
Why Fee recommends: “I’m a big fantasy fan but after so many books I got sick of the constant patriarchal worlds. Anything can be in fantasy, so why do we keep that part of the world the same? The author has described this book as being about a “knife-wielding lesbian not realising for 400 pages that she’s in love with a sad bisexual queen. Also there are dragons,” and I can’t promote it better than that.”
Why Imi recommends: “I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t [love it] – incredible historical epic fantasy which is feminist and dragons and everything I’ve ever wanted with the most beautiful slow burn sapphic relationship.” (Read Imi’s review)
This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
💛 Representation: Queer
📚 Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
🛒 Book Depository / Waterstones / Amazon UK / Amazon US
About the book: Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.
Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.
Why Jamie recommends: “This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone makes me thirsty for more sapphic Sci-fi novels!”
List of Contributors
Thanks so much to all of the people who contributed to this article by sharing their recommendations!
eriophora
Christine Sandquist works as a project manager with a passion for books and reading. They are a moderator of the Reddit community r/fantasy, participate in several book clubs in the NYC area, and enjoy hanging out in dive bars to read on their Kindle. They dabble in pixel art, love houseplants, and have two black cats named Evil and Ninja. 🔎 Blog // Twitter // Goodreads
WordedOverload
A Queer engineering student with a passion for YA books, 50s fashion and STEM. Usually found either in the library or on Twitter. 🔎 Blog // Twitter
Jaz
Hi, I’m Jaz. I’m a book blogger and recently booktuber from the UK. I’m a chaotic bisexual, who reads a lot of LGBTQ+ fiction, non-fiction and books set and by authors all over the world. 🔎 YouTube // Blog // Instagram // Twitter
Asha
A bi spoonie blogger with a voracious appetite for queer SFF, a TBR that threatens to crush her at any moment, and one extremely large cat. 🔎 Blog // Twitter
Fee
I’m Fee, 25, bi and I love reading. I love immersing myself in a book and also think it’s a great way to learn about the world and learn about others. Apart from reading books, I also love chatting about books, so my inbox is always open 🙂 🔎 Instagram // Twitter
Sophie
Sophie is one half of the book blogging duo, The Little Contemporary Corner, who host an LGBTQ+ Book Club in Manchester. She loves all things LGBTQ+ and has a huge passion for both books and films. She also works at the volunteer-led production company Rianne Pictures. 🔎 Instagram // Twitter // Blog
Jamie
Hey there, I’m Jamie, a bisexual and non-binary person, my pronouns are they/them. I’m from Germany, but read mostly in English, so I’m blogging in both languages at my bookstagram @booksnkoffee. I’m mostly reading YA and Fantasy, preferably with queer rep! My goal is, to one day fill one of my Ikea bookshelves only with queer books, so I’m definitely open for recommendations, though my list is already endless! 🔎 Instagram
Lauren
Bi + demi, genderfluid + woman. I love books with messy characters and lots of feelings. 🔎 Blog
Imi
Bi babe and co-creator of F/F February, Imi loves a good romance, sharks, and sapphic queens. She blogs at beyond a bookshelf with her coblogger Ellie and they adore championing queer lit through their epic masterlists! 🔎 Blog // Twitter // Instagram
Cerys
Hi I’m Cerys! I’m a booktuber, blogger and reviewer from Wales. I’m an English Teacher in training and I read a lot of scifi and fantasy as well as graphic novels, with a particular focus on books with LGBT+ and feminist themes. 🔎 YouTube // Twitter // Instagram // Etsy
Esse
Julie
Hello! I’m Julie, an 18-year-old autistic & demisexual book blogger, ailurophile, iced coffee addict, future YA librarian, and the founder of Struck by Stories. 🔎 Blog // Twitter // Goodreads // Ko-Fi
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Want to Submit a Book Recommendation?
I’d love for this list to keep growing, especially with contributions from readers. So if you want to add your own recommendations to this list and be featured in the post, I’d love to include them! Please fill out this form with your recommendations and I’ll let you know when they’ve been added to the list.
You can also add a quote to any of the books already listed by DMing me on Twitter (@WBookishBlog) or Instagram (@wonderfullybookish), or by leaving a comment on this post. If you want to, please also send over a short bio and your links so I can feature you in the list of contributors above!
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Want More LGBTQ+ Book Recommendations?
Goodreads lists are a great way to find more books because they’re community-curated, so anyone can add books to them. Here are a few Goodreads lists to check out for LGBTQ+ book recommendations:
- Lesbian teen fiction (Young adult novels featuring lesbian teen protagonists)
- Booklist for Trans Teens (Young adult literature featuring trans* (including transgender, gender variant, two-spirit, genderqueer, aggressive and other gender non-conforming) characters or trans* themes)
- Gay-Inclusive Books for Elementary Age Kids (Books with LGBT themes for junior high and elementary age kids)
- Best YA Fiction with GLBTQQI themes / characters
- Graphic Novels Featuring LGBTIQ+ Themes (A list to promote graphic novels and comic books where there is a queer character who is relevant to the plot)
- LGBTQ for YA (Any and all books targeted at young adults featuring gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender characters)
- Best Gay Fiction
- Best Fantasy Books with Gay Main Characters
- LGBTQ Science Fiction and Fantasy (Science fiction and fantasy novels which have a main character who is LGBTQ)
- 100 Best Lesbian Fiction & Memoir Books Of All Time
- Top 100 Gay Novels of the XXI century
- Hope In a Box – 50 LGBTQ Inclusive Books (Hope In a Box are a nonprofit that donates boxes of LGBTQ-inclusive books and curriculum to teachers across the US)
Want to add a Goodreads list here? Get in touch!
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