Hi everyone! Here I have another bookish blog, and since it is PRIDE Month, I am going to be recommending some books which have amazing representation of the community with some really awesome LGBTQ characters!

So, without further ado, let's get into the books!

*note 1: the books are in no particular order*

*note 2: please go through the trigger warnings of the books before reading, if you are sensitive to some content*

---

CONTEMPORARY:-

1. Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This is one of the most hyped books on tiktok and bookstagram. To be honest, I personally was a bit let down from this book. However, this book doesn't fail in making our hearts melt from the cutest romance between Alex and Henry.

The story follows the scandalous secret relationship of the First Son and the Prince of Britain. And, it is really a roller coaster ride.

If you are a fan of reading politics along with romance, this is the book for you!

2. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Now, this is one of my favorite contemporaries of all time! I love this book with my whole heart.

It describes all types of relationship dynamics and does a wonderful job of expressing the realistic emotions of teenagers. And, this book doesn't just show the coming out experience of the boy, but rather, it shows us the struggles faced by him during his relationship, and how he copes up with heartbreak and bullying, along with handling his family issues.

GO READ THIS BOOK!

3. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

This is, again, one of my favorite contemporaries of all time. The characters in this are so well written! This heartfelt story will really break your heart, but in a good way. You're literally gonna cry reading this book!

As seen from the title, the story involves two Mexican-American boys who are on the path of finding their true identity and true self. They face a lot of hardships, but the best thing is that they have each other.

Wanna find out what happens? GO READ IT!

4. Simon Vs the Homo-Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Simon's story was really a joy to read! It follows a boy who keeps getting blackmailed by a schoolmate with the warning of revealing his personal emails which in turn reveals his sexuality. So, the story shows us the struggles Simon faces with it, and how he makes his choices in that course of time on how to tell his friends and family.

You should definitely read this cute, humorous, and heartwarming coming-of-age story! Also, there are companion novels to this book (also lgbtq+), so, you can go and check those out too:)

5. You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Ahhh, this is such a cute novel!! This story shows the cutest sapphic romance between two high school students. The author has featured a variety of characters in it and that made the story so much more engaging, which added to the drama that the main character faces. Also, the large number of characters made the plot more dramatic and engaging, WHICH I LOVED!

If you're into ya books about accepting and becoming confident about your true self, this is the book!!

6. I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

This book really hits the mark on being the most realistic one out there. It involves a lot of sensitive topics, so please be aware of that before getting to this book. It follows a non-binary teenager who gets dejected by their parents after they come out. What follows is an emotional journey for the character as they discover new people and acceptance for their identity. Though really nothing much goes on in the book in terms of plot, still it will leave you with your heart-melting for the characters.

7. Autoboyography by Christen Lauren

I adored this story!! It was so much fun to read and I got through it in 2 days! It follows two boys, one of whom is a member of the church, with orthodox parents. But when they meet in the English class and are assigned a project together, they develop feelings for each other. The further story shows how they face the obstacles together and find their happy ever after.

Such a heartwarming story!!

FANTASY/SCI-FI:-

8. Crier's War by Nina Varela

I LOVED THIS STORY! This is a fantasy duology along with some sci fi elements.

It was extremely enjoyable and had a very interesting plot. The characters were well written along with the writing being perfectly poetic.

At some point, the tension between the two progatonsits was just too much for me to handle so, fingers crossed- hope they find their love in the second book (which I am dying to read!!!!)

9. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This is probably the most unique book I have ever read. It is a sapphic time travel sci-fi epistolary novella about the two agents of their respective warring empires, who send each other letters through different mediums (which was the BEST PART of this book!) and fall in love. The writing was kind of hard to digest for me, but, nonetheless, it was so well done! It was lyrical and so soothing to read.

This book is really a whole different vibe!

10. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

This is a gothic fantasy story representing Mexican culture and follows a gay trans boy who wants to prove to his family that he is a brujo (sorcerer). He goes a long way with his friends to do this and instead ends up having to solve a mysterious occurrence in his neighborhood. Not only this, but this story also involves a very cute love interest for the protagonist which, I can bet, EVERYONE LOVES!

I enjoyed this book thoroughly and would highly recommend you to try it out!

---

So, these were all the recs! Hope you got at least a couple of books you were interested in!

Thanks for reading :)

Love,

Ashi

*NOTE*

I don't take any credit for the blog post's cover

source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/26/01/ca/2601ca72d409c2821feba594329dac80.jpg