No one list can encompass the amount of amazing and diverse LGBTQIA+ books currently littering store shelves. With this list of 9 books, I want to be able to showcase queer novels that will allow readers to be able to see a small but diverse portion of what is available. I want this list to inspire you to learn about others’ experiences with sexuality and see that not one story is really ever exactly the same.
Pictures of covers can be found on Instagram @thybookbasket
1. Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (Adult)
If you’re looking for a quick paced enemies to friends to lovers with a sprinkling of international fake friendship in the public eye, look no further than Casey McQuiston’s debut novel Red White and Royal Blue. This novel follows the struggles of the main character, Alex Claremont-Diaz, the first son of the first female president. After a very public incident involving a cake, Alex is forced into a publicity stunt of a friendship with his ‘enemy’ Prince Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor. This book is filled with wit and lots of crossing the pond journeys. The colourful cast of characters brings together a story that’s filled with funny moments as well as heartwarming scenes. Overall, this story follows Alex’s life as he comes to term with his sexuality, and it has one of my favourite bisexual representations I’ve read.
2. Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin (Young Adult)
Trigger warnings for sexual assault in this novel.
This novel follows gender fluid Riley Cavanaugh, child of a congressman, starting at a new school, and not out, to anyone but their therapist. Their therapist suggested starting a blog to talk about their feelings about being gender fluid. Riley doesn’t think it will go anywhere, just a pet project for themselves but then overnight it blows up and Riley’s blog is everywhere, but it’s under an anonymous name so Riley thinks they’re safe. That is until an anonymous messenger says they know Riley’s real identity. This novel is full of personal struggle and trying to fit in when your identity isn’t widely accepted. It was an eye-opening novel about a different experience of life, and how difficult it can be when you don’t fit everyone’s perfect binary.
3. Crier’s War by Nina Varela (Young Adult)
Enemies to lovers and it’s sapphic? I’m sold. This story follows Ayla, a human servant within the kingdom of Rabu, and the daughter of the Automae Sovereign, Crier. Most of Ayla’s life has been spent trying to rise up the ranks of servants within the palace in order to enact her revenge on the king for what he did to her family; her plan is to kill his family in return, namely his daughter Crier. When Ayla finally gets access to Crier, she realizes that Crier isn’t as much of a monster as she seemed, while she is still an Automae (the android type ruling class), she actually has feelings and cares about humans. This puts Ayla’s plans on the rocks, she’s teetering and doesn’t know what to do. Ayla and Crier’s story spans over two novels, the first one being Crier’s War and the second Iron Heart. These are fantasy novels with plenty of fighting and a few sweet moments tossed into the mix. A personal favourite about these novels is that being homosexual is not frowned upon or really ever mentioned, it’s just normal, now Automae and humans being together, that’s another story.
4. What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (Young Adult)
From the authors of novels such as Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda and They Both Die at the End, comes this novel about falling into the path that fate lays out for you and also taking matters into your own hands. This story follows Arthur and Ben. Arthur is a boy who believes in fate and is in NYC for the summer working at his mum’s law firm, Ben’s a skeptic and an NYC native spending a dull summer trying to get through summer school with his ex-boyfriend. When the two boys have a chance encounter at a post office both can’t get the other boy off their minds but finding each other again isn’t as easy as they think and being together, far trickier than fate ever made it seem.
5. Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (Adult)
Honey Girl follows 28-year-old Grace Porter, she’s a recent PhD graduate in astronomy, she’s always been the kind to push push push, but now… she’s lost. After graduation she goes on a trip to Las Vegas and does the most un-Grace Porter thing, she drunkenly marries a girl she just met. Grace’s life starts to spiral after this, everything she worked so hard for just meant nothing now with the prejudice she was fighting in finding a job both because she was a woman and she was black, so when she reconnects with her wife, Yumi who invites her out to New York for the summer, Grace says yes. This novel details Grace’s struggle with her life and mental health. While sexuality isn’t a main point of this novel, it feels refreshing to just have her relationship be with a woman without her story centering around it. In Morgan Rogers debut novel, she uses language and writing that can only be described as dreamy, thoughtful and downright beautiful. She paints Grace’s struggle with a realness that has an almost dream-like edge to it, something that makes you fall deep into it, feel it so deeply you feel like you need to pinch yourself.
6. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (Young Adult)
This book follows Yadriel, a young transgender boy who is trying to prove himself as a real brujo (male practitioner of brujeria) to his Latinix family. In the process of doing so he summons a ghost, Julian Diaz, the resident bad boy from his own high school and must help Julian to figure out what happened so that Julian will allow Yadriel to help him pass over. This story is filled with an amazing vibrant culture and explores themes of stubborn family, loss, and love. Cemetery Boys is fast-paced and devastating at points, but for me it really helped me to understand the struggles that Yadriel and other transgender youth face. In his debut novel, Aiden Thomas did a fantastic job at putting together a book that pushed forward important conversations and allowed you into the culture and perspective of someone who you might never have truly understood. This book had me laughing, crying and blushing all at the same time.
7. Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy (Young Adult)
This novel follows, you guessed it, Ramona Blue. At 6 feet tall and with distinct blue hair, Ramona sticks out in her small Mississippi town. She knows two things about herself, she loves her family, and she likes girls, but after a whirlwind summer dating a visiting summer vacationer, she’s feeling different. The end of that relationship hadn’t been what she expected, so when an old friend, Freddie, moves back into town, her life starts to change. Ramona’s sister gets pregnant, senior year is starting and maybe her feelings for Freddie aren’t just platonic. Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy is a story about the fluidity of who we like, being able to read Ramona’s struggle felt like being seen, she wasn’t set under a label, she didn’t know what she wanted, she had to figure it out. The idea of this ‘figuring it out’ was a refreshing change to more ‘coming out’ style novels. Pick up Ramona Blue if you’re looking for a female protagonist trying to figure it all out with a supportive family and a suffocating life.
8. Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu (Young Adult)
Check Please! Is a graphic novel which follows main character Eric ‘Bitty’ Bittle as he starts his new journey into the world of college hockey! This book is filled with fun friendships, crazy parties and showing a different side of college hockey than you might think of now. Bitty is an amazing main character going through the struggle of finding his place in a world that hasn’t let him in yet. As a gay pro-baking hockey player, he is trying to make a space that is safe for people like him. Overall a very fluffy and fun read, filled with lots of jokes and great friendships. I would advise avoiding it if you are not one for swear words or the ‘typical’ college scene (parties, talk about hooking up, etc.) There are also two volumes of this out that go through Bitty’s entire college journey, the first volume containing Freshman and Sophomore year. This story is also entirely available on Tumblr but consider picking up the physical copies to support Ngozi!
9. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (Young Adult, Graphic Novel)
If graphic novels are more your speed check out Heartstopper! A rather short graphic novel following the life of openly gay year 10 Charlie Spring. Upon the changing of homerooms, Charlie ends up sitting beside year 11 Nick Nelson, a rather loveable rugby player. While Charlie is hesitant to even get to know Nick, due to the fear of how Nick might treat him, the two end up with a sweet friendship, helping each other through difficult moments and just overall having fun. When Nick convinces Charlie to join the Rugby team, their dynamic changes even more, and Charlie decides his feelings are just platonic, they are! But as the year progresses, things change. This novel is drawn in a gorgeous simple style with a fun green tint, it follows the idea of falling in love with a straight friend as well as questioning your own sexuality. The novel is fun and quite British, think all boys school, using words like chav and mate on the regular, but overall, it’s a quick and fun read and has four current volumes with more to come!