Summary
- LGBTQ+ romance books are essential for Pride Month, showcasing diverse identities and love stories over time.
- These novels cover various themes, from young adult struggles to historical reflections, offering unique perspectives.
- Authors like James Baldwin and Kacen Callender create powerful narratives that explore love, identity, and societal challenges.
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Novels by LGBTQ+ authors about their experiences, fictional or otherwise, are a large part of Pride Month, and the best LGBTQ+ romance books to read for Pride cover many topics and journeys. Romance is a wide-reaching genre and within the past few years, stories that center on LGBTQ+ relationships have only grown in number. While many of these narratives have been released over the past decade, it’s important to return to certain seminal texts of queer literature that demonstrate how long LGBTQ+ authors have been telling stories of love.
Readers drawn to the romance genre look for many different niches within the familiar story structures, ranging from easy beach reads to complex explorations of identities at various periods in time.
The best LGBTQ+ rom-com movies are great companions to books to read for Pride and encompass the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. Readers drawn to the romance genre look for many different niches within the familiar story structures, ranging from easy beach reads to complex explorations of identities at various periods in time. Whether they end in bliss or tragedy, romantic LGBTQ+ books are sure to bring a tear to the eye and warm the hearts of readers looking to connect with their identities or learn more about the LGBTQ+ community.
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10 Best LGBTQ+ Books Coming Out In June 2024
As Pride month approaches, so does the release of a host of new LGBTQ+ books by amazing authors using their words to transform the genre.
10 The Lesbiana’s Guide To Catholic School (2022)
Written by Sonora Reyes
Author Sonora Reyes made their debut with The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School in 2022, and it immediately impressed readers of all ages. The protagonist, Yamilet Flores, transfers to a predominantly white and wealthy Catholic school and does everything she can to keep her LGBTQ+ identity a secret. For younger audiences looking to see themselves represented in a character who grows to embrace her sexuality and openly discusses issues of racism and colonialism in education, this is the perfect book to start with.
It tackles important subjects, but it does so with a lot of heart and plenty of romantic scenes that keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Yami is a great main character, as she is fully developed and fleshed out with a life that expands far beyond her first feelings of love, even these feelings are central to the plot. It’s also a refreshing tale, as even though coming out is treated as a significant moment, Yami finds plenty of love and acceptance at the same time.
9 Last Night At The Telegraph Club (2021)
Written by Malinda Lo
There are many great modern period piece movies and TV shows, but novels are just as good a place to look for romantic stories that take place in different times. Last Night At The Telegraph Club is one of these stories as it takes place in the 1950s. As a novel, it has the opportunity to take its time exploring all the facets of this setting. The political upheaval and rampant racism of the Red Scare are woven through the narrative as Lily Lu encounters discrimination as a Chinese American woman in San Francisco.
In the titular Telegraph Club, Lily and Kath, the object of her affection, encounter amazing characters and performers who open their eyes to the LGBTQ+ underground of the 1950s.
At the same time, Lily takes her first steps toward joy and realizes what she’s willing to sacrifice to be with the woman she loves. In the titular Telegraph Club, Lily and Kath, the object of her affection, encounter amazing characters and performers who open their eyes to the LGBTQ+ underground of the 1950s. Though it falls within the young adult genre, Last Night At The Telegraph Club trusts its audience to understand and interact with the highs and lows of Lily’s story.
8 The Secret Lives Of Country Gentlemen (2023)
Written by K.J. Charles
Though Red, White & Royal Blue or the Heartstopper series might be more recognizable than The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, the book by K.J. Charles scratches the same itch and introduces the reader to a new world. Set in a Bridgerton-esque alternate history, the novel follows two young men living in Regency-era England who might be on opposite sides of the social ladder, but their connection couldn’t be more real. Additionally, Charles does a good job of including compelling plots outside the central romance.
For readers looking for an easy, heartfelt, and swoon-worthy story, The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is the perfect choice. Set in the countryside rather than the city, it’s not necessarily gossip that comes between the young lovers, but dangerous plots and underground smuggling operations. Charles has written several romance novels. Still, The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is particularly memorable because of how character-driven the story is and how fresh the relationships feel despite treading familiar ground.
7 The Stars And The Blackness Between Them (2019)
Written by Junauda Petrus
Interweaving magical realism and spirituality, the most beautiful and magical part of the book remains the relationship these young women build with each other and the amount of love each has to give.
Mabel and Audre are fantastic dual protagonists in The Stars and the Blackness Between Them, as they take turns helping and caring for one another. Audre has just arrived in Minneapolis from Trinidad to live with her father, and it’s there she meets Mabel, who feels that this relationship is what she’s been waiting for. Unfortunately, their growing connection and parental expectations aren’t the only obstacles the young women will face, but their love for each other withstands these tests.
Junauda Petrus uses the perspectives of each woman to illustrate their differences and similarities and gives the reader insight into the depth of their internal lives. Interweaving magical realism and spirituality, the most beautiful and magical part of the book remains the relationship these young women build with each other and the amount of love each has to give. Touching upon illness, moving, and intergenerational memory, The Stars and the Blackness Between Them is an unforgettable tale.
6 Marriage Of A Thousand Lies (2017)
Written by S.J. Sindu
The main characters of Marriage of a Thousand Lies might be married to each other, but their marriage only occurred to please their families. Lucky and Krishna are both gay, and their marriage is working well enough to convince their Sri Lankan–American families that they’re straight and living the life their parents want for them. Behind the scenes, they explore relationships with the people they’re actually attracted to and have found a decent balance between the different sides of themselves and their lives.
However, in Marriage of a Thousand Lies, it doesn’t take long for Lucky’s world to come crashing down when she reconnects with a friend and lover from when she was young. Witnessing the rekindling of a long-lost relationship and the growing realization that they would do anything to be together is incredibly moving thanks to the author, S.J. Sindu. Sindu is also the author of Blue Skinned Gods which touches on similar topics. However, Marriage of a Thousand Lies is unique, making the audience fall in love with its characters as they fall in love with each other.
5 Maurice (1971)
Written by E.M. Forster
Merchant Ivory Productions made the 1987 screen adaptation of Maurice starring Hugh Grant which transported viewers into an idyllic English countryside full of longing and heartache. While the film is a gorgeous reimagining of the novel, the original work by E.M. Forster must be read to get the full experience of the love story between Maurice and Clive, and later Maurice and Alec. Though at first, it seems that Clive will be the singular object of Maurice’s affection, his true love and truest friend appears in Alec, despite the differences in their class.
Yearning for someone who cannot be had is a consistent theme in LGBTQ+ literature, especially books written in the 20th century.
Though differing social standing is an issue in relationships everywhere, it’s felt acutely in England, especially during the early 20th century when the novel is set. Yearning for someone who cannot be had is a consistent theme in LGBTQ+ literature, especially books written in the 20th century. However, these feelings hold true today for people of any sexual orientation. Though it was written many years prior, around 1913, Maurice was only published after Forster’s death. Maurice takes time to express his desires physically, but once he does he’s changed for the better.
4 Felix Ever After (2020)
Written by Kacen Callender
Many stories about trans individuals and the prejudice they face flood the novels available for young audiences. Though Felix Ever After connects with the realities of how ignorant people hurt others, it’s also imbued with joy and excitement, as Felix never has a moment when he isn’t completely himself. Felix exists at the intersection of many identities, which informs how he moves through life and his choices. When young adults, or people of any generation, read Felix Ever After, they’re not just engaging with conversations about gender identity, but with a compelling, human story.
Kacen Callender writes Felix beautifully and empathetically grapples with instances of bullying and hate that are all too common in the real world. Callender has previously written in the fantasy genre, but they have always represented people of all communities within their writing. Felix Ever After also boasts a love story full of the butterflies of first love that only happen once in a person’s life but can be revisited any time by reading a work as well-written as this novel.
3 Young Mungo (2022)
Written by Douglas Stuart
It deals with wealth and how many elements of socioeconomic subjugation come together to create a reality where few people can truly be themselves.
Though technically it’s set in the past, 1990s Glasgow, Young Mungo feels irrevocably relevant to the present day and reads like a timeless piece of fiction. Best known for his earlier novel, Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart has captured something unique and universal in his exploration of Mungo, the titular character. Religious divides and sexual orientation are treated with the same amount of delicacy and care. Mungo is surrounded by depictions of masculinity that are harsh and bordering on violence. However, he doesn’t let this stop him from discovering who he’s meant to love.
The novel is just as much about Mungo’s home life and family as it is about his budding romance with James, another young man struggling to find himself within the narrative. It deals with wealth and how many elements of socioeconomic subjugation come together to create a reality where few people can truly be themselves. What sets Young Mungo apart is Stuart and his writing, which does justice to the sensitive inner life that Mungo tries so desperately to hide.
2 The Disenchantment (2023)
Written by Celia Bell
The Disenchantment by Celia Bell takes place in 17th-century France. It explores themes similar to the movie Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and other period dramas that center on lesbian relationships. In The Disenchantment, classic story tropes of the period piece are elevated by supernatural undertones and aspects of the thriller genre. Playing with gender expression and sexuality, The Disenchantment takes its characters on an odyssey through France where they find interesting people and learn more about themselves and each other.
Baroness Marie Catherine and Victoire Rose de Bourbon are at the heart of the story and their relationship is as passionate and explosive as any written on the page.
Baroness Marie Catherine and Victoire Rose de Bourbon are at the heart of the story and their relationship is as passionate and explosive as any written on the page. Not only do they find love with each other, but politically revolutionary ideas and discussions of how women were subjugated during this time. The rarity of a true meeting of the minds is something rare, and The Disenchantment treats it as such. Bell weaves an intricate and winding story that’s genre-bending and engaging to the end.
1 Giovanni’s Room (1956)
Written by James Baldwin
It’s difficult to imagine what LGBTQ+ theory and literature would be without the seminal work of James Baldwin and his ability to capture the fire and sensitivity of his characters in one breath. Giovanni’s Room is one of his most romantic pieces, and at the time of its release in 1956, the U.S. was far from being accepting of gay men or any members of the LGBTQ+ community. Drawing on Baldwin’s own experiences living as an ex-pat in Paris, Giovanni’s Room doesn’t stop at discussions of sexuality but also encompasses masculinity, social class, and sexism.
Though Giovanni’s Room isn’t in as direct a conversation with race as Baldwin’s other work it is still a vital part of understanding the work and how Baldwin’s characters move through the world. By no means does Giovanni’s Room have a happy ending, as the romances the protagonist embarks on are all but doomed from the beginning. However, it’s a romantic story nonetheless, and a vital piece of LGBTQ+ history to engage with in any stage of life.