There are plenty of ways to support and celebrate Pride [1] this year, and one of them is to dive into LGBTQ+ stories. Throughout the month and beyond, check out LGBTQ+ films [2], TV shows [3], and moving essays that spotlight individual identities. And as you're looking for new books to add to your collection, keep reading to learn more about some books across genres with LGBTQ+ characters written by LGBTQ+ authors.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Red, White & Royal Blue [5] is a brilliant take on the trope of rivals to lovers. After Alex Claremont-Diaz's mom is elected President of the United States, he's faced with all the trials and tribulations that come with being "American royalty." However, he has an actual problem with Welsh Prince Henry. When the tabloids get wind of Alex and Henry's feud, US and British relations become even more complicated. It's not until their families stage a truce that the pair begin to grow close romantically. Will it end up pulling the nations further apart, or can true love truly fix the world?
The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
You might be familiar with The Price of Salt [6] thanks to its film adaptation, the 2016 movie Carol starring Cate Blanchett [7]. Partially inspired by author Patricia Highsmith's own relationships, the book is set in the 1950s and follows Therese Belivet, whose life turns around when she meets Carol Aird at the department store where she works.
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
First published in 1982, Annie on My Mind [8] follows Liza, a wealthy 17-year-old private-school student who meets a girl named Annie at the Met. Their connection morphs from one of friendship to one of romance, and the story follows their relationship as they face an unexpected pressure from Liza's school.
Homie: Poems by Danez Smith
Homie: Poems [9] is a poetry collection by Danez Smith that focuses on finding hope in a challenging world filled with violence and xenophobia. Born out of the loss of one of Smith's friends, the book touches on the importance of friendship and the ways that love heals.
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Boy Meets Boy [10] follows Paul, a teenager who falls quickly for a boy named Noah. Just as Noah and Paul's relationship starts to take off, Paul's ex-boyfriend comes back into his life, shaking things up, and Paul tries to figure out how to pick up the pieces.
Love & Other Curses by Michael Thomas Ford
Love & Other Curses [11] follows a young teen whose family has a dark curse: anyone they fall in love with before their 17th birthday will die. As Sam Weyward gets ready for his big day, he plans on distracting himself, but when he meets the new guy in town, those plans begin to fall through.
We Are Totally Normal by Rahul Kanakia
We Are Totally Normal [12] by Rahul Kanakia is a contemporary YA novel that explores labels, expectations, and finding yourself. Nandan has a plan to make his junior year perfect, which includes patching things up with his ex and helping his friend Dave fit in with the popular crowd. When Nandan and Dave hook up, Nandan begins to question his sexuality. He's willing to give his relationship with Dave a shot, but he wonders how this will affect him and what it means for his identity.
Ash by Malinda Lo
Malinda Lo's Ash [13] is a retelling of Cinderella. In it, a young woman named Ash is left with her stepmother after her father's death, and she finds comfort in the fairy tales she reads. She dreams of being stolen away by the fairies, and when she meets a dark fairy named Sidhean, she thinks her dreams may be coming true. That changes, though, after Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, and she's pulled between the world of the fairies and the woman who captures her heart.
Fiebre Tropical by Juliana Delgado Lopera
In Juliana Delgado Lopera's multilingual debut novel, Fiebre Tropica [14], 15-year-old Francisca has a hard time adjusting when her family moves from Bogotá, Colombia, to Miami. Things only get worse when her mother gets involved in an evangelical church, but it's there that Francisca meets — and falls for — Carmen, the pastor's daughter.
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
Jonny Appleseed [15] is an award-winning novel that centres on a two-spirit Indigiqueer young man who, following his stepfather's death, has one week to prepare to go home to his reserve. He spends those seven days facing his former life and his current reality, reconciling and reflecting upon the two.
Reverie by Ryan La Sala
Reverie [16] follows protagonist Kane Montgomery after a nearly fatal accident. After getting pulled from a river, he has no recollection of anything other than he's a gay teen who crashed a car. When three people show up claiming to be Kane's friends and that they have superpowers, he starts to question everything. In a world where dreams become reality and the line between the two is blurred, Kane has to find a way to uncover the truth about his past if there's any hope for the future.
The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson
Touted as the perfect blend of Six Feet Under meets Pushing Daisies, The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried [17] shows what happens when a pair of friends are given more time to resolve unfinished business when one suddenly dies. While Dino is used to spending time with the dead, as his family owns a funeral home, he's not used to what happens when they come back. After his ex-best friend July comes back from the dead, the two have to not only figure out what's happening but also why their friendship ended the way it did.
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages [18] features various historical-fiction stories about LGBTQ+ youth over the years. Stories include everything from a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in 1870s Mexico to an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene.
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
If I Was Your Girl [19] follows Amanda Hardy, a transgender teen, as she tries to adjust to life at her new school. She's reluctant to open up, but when she connects with a boy named Grant, Amanda feels her walls coming down, and she wrestles with how to share her past.
What Makes You Beautiful
Bridget Liang's YA fiction novel What Makes You Beautiful [20] follows the story of Logan Osborne, a high schooler who experiments with and questions their gender identity. As they grow closer with a student named James, they begin to learn more about themselves in the process.
The Necessary Hunger by Nina Revoyr
In The Necessary Hunger [21], senior and star basketball player Nancy Takahiro's life takes an uncertain turn when her father falls in love with the mother of her rival. When their families move in together, the dynamics get even more complicated.
Odd One Out by Nic Stone
Nic Stone's Odd One Out [22] depicts best friends and next-door neighbours Courtney Cooper and Jupiter Sanchez (aka Coop and Jupe) as Coop realises he wants more than friendship from Jupe. When Rae Chin moves to town, she becomes friends with the duo and ends up with crushes on both of them.
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
Taking place across a span of 20 years, Rubyfruit Jungle [23] tells the story of Molly Bolt as she struggles to find her own identity and face the realities of being a lesbian. Adopted by a poor family at a young age, Molly has a difficult family life but is determined to excel academically. That determination continues into adulthood, as she continues to explore her sexuality and challenge stereotypes.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Now a Tony Award-winning musical, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic [24] is a memoir where author Alison Bechdel (yes, the originator of the Bechdel test) recalls her tense relationship with her father growing up in a funeral home. The graphic memoir follows Alison's experience coming out in college and coming to terms with her father's death.
Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig
Last Seen Leaving [25] is a YA mystery following the disappearance of 15-year-old high school sophomore Flynn Doherty's girlfriend, January McConville. As the investigation unfolds, Flynn has to confront the truth about his own sexuality in addition to the secrets entwined in January's disappearance.
The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
The Gravity of Us [26] follows Cal, an aspiring journalist with a massive social media following whose father has been tasked with piloting a mission to Mars. Cal is uprooted from his home in Brooklyn to Houston. As the public becomes increasingly obsessed with the crew and their families, Cal finds himself in the middle of a media frenzy. As he struggles to adjust to his new normal, he meets Leon, whose mother is another astronaut on the mission.
Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
Seventeen-year-old Tash Zelenka considers Leo Tolstoy her literary love. In Tash Hearts Tolstoy [27], Tash has to deal with the sudden popularity of her web series called Unhappy Families, a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina. While Tash identifies as a romantic asexual, she has a hard time navigating an online flirtation with a fellow Golden Tuba award nominee that suddenly has the potential to become something real.
Bingo Love by Tee Franklin
In 1963, Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray have a chance meeting at a church bingo game. Bingo Love [28] follows the story of their romance over the span of 60 years. They're forced apart by their disapproving families and end up marrying men and having families. At another chance bingo meeting, they realise their love for each other is still as strong as ever.
Boyfriends With Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez
Boyfriends With Girlfriends [29] follows four teens as they explore their blossoming sexuality. Lance has always known he's gay and falls for bisexual Sergio. Sergio is drawn to Lance but up until now has only had relationships with girls. Allie has a boyfriend yet finds herself attracted to Kimiko. This YA novel follows the four teens as they navigate their relationships and feelings for each other.
Under the Rainbow by Celia Laskey
Big Burr, KS, is a small town that earns the distinction of "the most homophobic town in the US" from a nonprofit group in Under the Rainbow [30]. The nonprofit then sends a group of LGBTQ+ volunteers to move to Big Burr for two years in hopes of educating the people who live there.
History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
History Is All You Left Me [31] centres on Griffin, who has just lost his ex-boyfriend, Theo, in an accident. Although Theo had gone off to college in California, Griffin always believed they'd end up together. With him gone, Griffin's future has gone off the rails, and the only one he can relate to is Theo's latest boyfriend, Jackson.
The Fascinators by Andrew Eliopulos
The Fascinators [32] is very much in the vein of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets The Raven Boys. Living in a small town that doesn't accept magic, Sam needs his friends from magic club, James and Delia, more than ever during his senior year of high school. But while Sam is dealing with his feelings for James, Delia becomes frustrated with their club, which seems to be taking her focus away from getting into a hypercompetitive magic college. Sam must then face the fact that their love for magic is now what's causing the cracks in their relationships.