Five Great Books by LGBTQ+ Authors to Add to Your TBR
- unabridgedpod
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Curated by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (ashley_dicksonellison)
Looking to add more LGBTQ+ voices to your reading list? In this post, we’re sharing some standout reads by queer authors that have stayed with us. From swoony YA romances to genre-bending sci-fi, thoughtful literary fiction, and heartwarming tales of belonging, you can find the right fit for you. Whether you’re diving into summer reading, celebrating Pride (this month and every month!), or simply craving a powerful story, these books offer something special.
Click the links to read our full reviews and let us know which LGBTQ+ books you’re loving lately!
"Dahlia Adler’s Cool for the Summer is a fabulous YA romance that would be perfect to add to your seasonal TBR.
"Lara returns to high school after a summer break away in the Outer Banks to her dream-come-true: Chase Harding is noticing her. She’s had a crush on him forever, and though he’s always been friendly and kind (one of the qualities she most admires about Chase), he’s never really noticed her before.
"She’s thrilled. Really. She and her three best friends giggle and scheme, reveling in one of their own getting her wish.
"But then Jasmine walks into her school, and Lara is taken back to summer and to the friendship—and maybe more?—she had with Jasmine." Read the full review.
"In this story, protagonist Viola Carroll was presumed dead at the battle of Waterloo, which led to the unlikely opportunity for her to finally live more freely as herself. But the start of her life as Viola does not come easily as she must give up her land, her title, her prestige, and every connection to her old life including her relationship with her beloved best friend, Justin de Vere, duke of Gracewood. The only people in the world who know Viola's true story are her brother and his wife, Lady Marleigh. To keep Viola with her family and secure her livelihood, they all decide to present Viola as the lady's maid to Lady Marleigh.
"But Viola's anonymity does not last long as Lady Marleigh, a hilarious and lovable busybody who often inserts herself into other people's affairs, takes it upon herself (and Viola) to visit the Duke of Gracewood and his younger sister Miranda. Upon their arrival at Gracewood, it's apparent that things are going very poorly there. Gracewood himself meets them at the door with a gun and is clearly under the influence and in terrible mental shape. Viola immediately aches for Gracewood's suffering and sees the profound effects the war has had on him, but she does not yet know how to reveal her truth to him. It's decided that Lady Miranda needs a season so that she can find a suitor, and hijinks ensue as they all make their way to London to present Miranda to society." Check out the full review.
T. J. Klune's THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA - A Beautiful Story about Finding Your Home (from Ashley):
"Linus Baker lives a quiet, routine-oriented life with only his curmudgeonly cat, Calliope, for company. As a low-level worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, Linus finds himself going through the motions of his life and feels a bit like a cog in the machine. He feels that he has accepted his life as it is.
"But when Linus gets called up to Extremely Upper Management and is given a super secretive assignment on a faraway island, his life drastically changes. He and Calliope reluctantly pack up their things and go on an adventure that will change what he knows about himself and the world. I love Linus in this book and the way that he takes everything in stride. He is quirky and reticent, and yet he is perfected suited for the task at hand—evaluating the nature of the orphanage on the island that houses a number of unusual, potentially dangerous magical children and a mysterious caretaker. Linus's ability to handle tumultuous situations with an awkward ease and with dry humor makes him so very lovable." Click here to read the full review.
"Everina Maxwell's Winter's Orbit (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) is a stunner of a sci fi novel. It's also an LGBTQ romance, a book centered on palace intrigue, a mystery. Quite simply, I loved it.
"The book begins with Prince Kiem. Kiem is a bit of an outcast from his prominent royal family—so, when he has the chance for redemption, he knows he should jump on it. His grandmother, the Emperor of Iskat, is in the midst of delicate negotiations with the universe's governing body, and it requires a peaceful relationship with the planet of Thea. What does she want Kiem to do?" Check out the full review.
"How would our lives be different if we knew what others would say when we are gone? Steven Rowley's The Celebrants explores what happens when college friends, after experiencing the sudden death of one of their core members, make a binding pact to have their own "funerals" while they are still alive.
"I was deeply moved by this book, which brings together the five friends at several different points in their lives as different members invoke the pact they made during college. Their sixth friend, Alec, who died while they were in college, is always also present in their gatherings, albeit through his absence." Click here for the full review.
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