30+ book bloggers and readers share their favourite LGBTQIAP+ books and anticipated releases for Pride Month

Before I begin this post, I want to share a link to the Black Lives Matter cardd, which has lots of links to petitions, useful information, and organisations accepting donations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Please listen to what Black people are saying, sign petitions, educate yourselves, and talk with your friends and family at home about being actively anti-racist. Please make sure you’re continuously uplifting Black people’s voices and supporting the BLM movement in every way possible.

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For Pride Month, I wanted to celebrate as many LGBTQIAP+ books and upcoming queer releases as possible.

And I thought a fun way to do that would be to create a post with lots of different readers and bloggers sharing their favourite queer books and anticipated LGBTQIAP+ releases they’re looking forward to.

So, I tweeted asking if any readers and bloggers would like to be part of this post, and the wonderful people below all responded.

Let’s find out what their favourite LGBTQIAP+ books are and which releases they’re excited about.

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Kirsty @KirstyReadsBlog

Favourite queer book

For me the book that immediately comes my mind when you say my favourite lgbtqia+ book is Red White and Royal Blue.

I read that book four times in one year. I don’t know why I love it so much, maybe it’s because it’s so hopeful or maybe it’s because the discussions of sexuality confusion and grief really connect with me. I haven’t yet found the book that really truly gets me in terms of my sexuality, but this one is pretty solid.

Anticipated release

The release I’m really looking forward to is Cemetery Boys. I’ve been wanting to read more books from trans people and also want to read more books from Latinx people so this seems like the perfect intersection of that.

Lauren @NorthernPlunder

Favourite queer book

An LGBT+ book I love is one I read for the first time this year. Even though I went in knowing there would be asexual rep, it still stunned me.

I actively sat there, paused and rewound the audio to hear it again. How soul confirming to be reminded I Am Okay and not alone. It is because of this I highly recommend Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire.

Anticipated release

A future LGBT+ book release I’m excited for is Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power because after reading Wilder Girls I trust Rory with anything. This is another YA horror and features f/f characters!

Nicola @FantasticBookDragon

Favourite queer book

There’s only one thing I love more than a LGBTQIA+ book, and that’s a laugh out loud funny one. I fell in love from the first page of Alex in Wonderland.

Alex is so relatable, I’d laugh along with the awkward mishaps because I’d done so much of it myself. Alex in Wonderland has everything I could possibly want from a funny contemporary.

Anticipated release

An upcoming LGBTQIA+ release I’m excited about is Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran. So many people have raved about this one and I need it in my hands right now! It sounds amazing and everything I love in a book!

Ams @WastingInks

Favourite queer book

I am going to go with Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn. Not only is it an amazing, action packed, fantasy story, but it also includes an amazing historical background and most importantly, SO MUCH DIVERSITY.

In the main characters only you have a bisexual woman, a gay man, and a lesbian woman. The main romance is a f/f, and there’s a kind of bisexual love triangle and it’s the most amazing book.

Anticipated release

My most anticipated is Ruinsong by Julia Ember. It’s a phantom of the opera retelling from what I’ve gathered, and it’s a f/f childhood friends to enemies to lovers relationship. What do we need more?

Jaz @TravelsinFiction

Favourite queer book

Gah! This was so hard to pick. I’m going to pick one I’ve really enjoyed lately as picking a fave is too hard! I’ve been trying to read more own voices queer stories and more non-fiction lately, and a non-fiction that I really enjoyed lately was Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager.

This is a collection of articles about queer people in history – some you may know, some you most likely won’t. I was tearing through the pages, eager to learn about these forgotten people and their stories.

It’s not a perfect collection (it’s mostly Western centric, and the author talks about this in the book), but it is definitely worth your time and a really accessible way if you want to learn a bit about queer history.

Anticipated release

Again, so many! But I’m really excited to read Something To Talk About by Meryl Wilsner. Natalia from Books Build Life has been really raving about it and it just sounds so soft and rom-commy.

It’s set in Hollywood and features a show runner and her assistant who I can almost guarantee fall in love. This is an f/f romance with lesbian and bisexual rep which I am here for. Also, Meryl Wilsner on Twitter described one of the main characters as both “a bisexual disaster” and “a *fingerguns* bisexual”. I’m sold.

Alex @AlexsBooks

Favourite queer book

My favourite LGBTQIA+ book is The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. Fantasy is my favourite genre, and this was one of the first adult fantasy books I read, and the first one I loved and it really got me into adult fantasy.

One of my absolute favourite things about this book is the fact that it is set in a medieval style fantasy world that doesn’t feel the need to follow medieval beliefs. Same sex relationships are more accepted in this book than they are in real life and it was amazing to read.

Anticipated release

A 2020 LGBTQIA+ release that I am looking forward to is Wonderland by Juno Dawson. It is an own voices novel featuring a transgender main character. I have read one of Juno’s previous novels, and I have read her nonfiction books about sexuality and mental health and I have loved all of them. I also love Juno herself; she is so awesome and amazing. I absolutely cannot wait to read Wonderland later this month.

Ben @BooksWithBen

Favourite queer character

Two of my favourite LGBTQIAP+ characters are Max and Jordan from The Music of What Happens.

I just love this book entirely. It’s such a powerful and jaw-dropping book. It tackles some really hard topics but it does it in such a respectful way. Just everything about these two characters I love they’re just great!

Anticipated release

A book that’s just released that I’m looking forward to is The Henna Wars. This sounds absolutely incredible. I’m really looking forward to this book (it’s on my June TBR!), it sounds like it’s going to be a really interesting read and really cute at the same time. I can’t wait to finally read this!

Kait @SixCrowsBooks

Favourite queer book

I think my overall favorite queer book has to be Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller. There are multiple queer characters, like an ace biromantic girl as the MC, a sapphic girl side character, and trans side characters, as well as an f/f relationship.

One of the biggest themes is about being “enough”, whether that’s being enough for yourself or for society, or both. I thought the author explored that theme really well!

Anticipated release

I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender! The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I just really want a book about trans and non-binary characters by a genderqueer author. Recently figuring out I’m genderqueer myself, I am so pumped to read this!

Chloé @ChloesMusings

Favourite queer book

I don’t often read romances, but I was lucky enough to receive an arc of Red, White & Royal Blue last year and fell in love with this book instantly. I’ve reread it five times since. It’s my comfort read, the book I instinctively reach for.

My favourites are often categorised by whether they helped me, would have helped a younger me, or mirror a part of my soul; this book represents the latter two. I saw myself in Alex’s journey of realising he’s bisexual, found Henry a part of my soul with his love of literature and history.

It’s a book where I know the words so well they may as well be pressed upon my skin. And it doesn’t matter how many times I reread, I always laugh, smile, and find new favourite passages and quotes.

Anticipated release

An anticipated release is The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth. Can we take a moment to be in awe of the beautiful cover? And then we have the plot, which is the second cousin to the fake-dating trope: going on every cliché, romcom-worthy date over summer with an agreement to end it all come autumn, a totally foolproof plan. And it’s f/f.

Put those three things together and you have the recipe for a book that is right up my alley, so to speak. I hope I fall in love with The Falling In Love Montage.

Lauryn @Lauryngreen99

The Song of Achilles is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve read. I had a bit of a crisis after reading this that I’d never find a book I would love as much as this.

As someone who loves the Iliad, getting to know Patroclus as a character was so fascinating (and makes rereading Homer much, much more sad). Anyone who grew up on Percy Jackson will love this book, and anyone who loves their myths retold queerly. Besides, who doesn’t appreciate well written prose including quotes like “I could eat the world raw”?

Anticipated release

A queer 2020 release I’m looking forward to is The Summer of Everything. Julian Winters Julian Winters is well aware he absolutely won my heart with his debut Running with Lions. His third book, The Summer of Everything, sounds like the most wonderful summery romance to get us through the winter of 2020.

Coming out – no pun intended – in September, the book follows Wesley, a fan of 90s alt-rock, his bookstore job, and his best friend Nico. He’s a really big fan of that last one. In fact, despite spending his days on dating sites, his crush on Nico just won’t go away. I am so excited for this book, as I always am for Winters’ releases. He’s absolutely nailed the queer romance genre, and his dedication to writing diverse characters is one of the things I love most about his work.

Sophie @SophieLouBlogs

Favourite queer book

My favourite LGBTQIA+ book that I have read has to be I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson.

The reason I love this book so much is because of the amount of emotion and beauty in it and the perfect portrayal of the issues that some young LGBTQIA+ children face.

Anticipated release

A queer release I am looking forward to has to be The Summer Of Everything by Julian Winters. It sounds amazing!

Ellie @FaerieShelf

Favourite queer book

The book I’m choosing to bring attention to is a Chinese novel only available online, through fan translation, called Mo Dao Zu Shi. (Some may know it by the title of its popular live-action adaption, ‘The Untamed’.)

It follows a hero called Wei WuXian as he studies at the famous GusuLan cultivation sect (making an active hobby out of annoying Lan Wangji, the esteemed Second Master of the GusuLan Sect rather than studying), before moving into a sweeping war narrative between cultivation sects.

Thematically, it grapples with morality, justice, and doing what you think is right even in the face of societal disapproval. Furthermore, it has the most delicious slow-burn hate-to-love romance, because Wei Wuxian ends up falling for Lan Wangji, the stoic disciple he teased back at school. Also there’s an antihero arc. It’s great.

Anticipated release

Being utterly obsessed with dark academia, this f/f 2021 release from Victoria Lee is the stuff my dreams are made of. Very little is known about A Lesson in Vengeance, but it’s from the author of The Fever King/The Electric Heir and follows heroine Felicity as she returns to school following her girlfriend’s tragic death.

Only, she is caught up in the twisted plans of an enigmatic new student Ellis (who is also a literary prodigy who won a Pulitzer at 17 . . . Donna Tartt who?) who is crafting a murderous experiment of her own influenced by the school’s bloody history.

Esmée @ServillasSpeaks

Favourite queer book

I think the best queer books are the ones where the characters just can be their queer self and no-one is treating them or their relationship any different.

There are many of these I love dearly, but The Fever King by Victoria Lee is one of my absolute favourites, especially as the author said that everyone in this series is queer, no exceptions. The lead is a disaster bisexual and as a bisexual myself, I stan Noam Àlvaro and this series. 

Anticipated release

My anticipated upcoming queer release is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Victoria Schwab is one of my favourite authors and all the early reviews are all so loving of the book already, especially praising its queerness.

The way Victoria can write queer characters is so beautiful, especially as many times you know they are queer before it’s mentioned or sometimes it’s not mentioned at all.

Mollie @MindofMollie

Favourite queer character

My favourite LGBTQIA+ book character that I’ve read about so far is Evelyn Hugo from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

She’s a bisexual queen who knows who she is and owns it and I look up to her so much even if she is a fictional character. My favourite quote from Evelyn Hugo is “don’t ignore half of me so you can put me in a box”.

Anticipated release

A new release that I am incredibly excited for is Eat, Gay, Love by Calum McSwiggan which is a memoir that follows Calum after he splits up with this boyfriend of 6 years and he leaves his hometown and goes travelling!

Chiara @Chiara_31_31

Of all the LGBTQ+ books I have read over the years there is only ever one that I keep coming back to.  I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver. Part of me say I don’t know why, but I think I know exactly what the reason is. It’s because it’s the first book that I read that was beyond gay/lesbian. It really broadened my horizons. It educated me. Ben (the main character) educated me. It made me realise that my world view was a lot narrower than I thought it was and that why I recommend it to everyone.

Anticipated releases

There are two books I’m really excited for right at this moment. Loveless by Alice Oseman and Cinderella is Dead by Kaylynn Bayron. Both books look absolutely amazing. 

I’ve been loving Alice Oseman’s work ever since I read Heartstopper at the beginning of this year. Her way of telling stories is brilliant and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Cinderella is Dead is by an author I haven’t heard of before. I can’t tell you I’m looking forward to it because I love the author’s style, or because I love what she has wrote before. But the premise of the book. That looks amazing!

Sahar @slcjewishreader

Favourite queer book

When I first picked up Cemetery Boys, I couldn’t believe how accurately the book portrayed trans experiences. This book, with its strong family ties, longing for acceptance, and desperate seeking of approval and affirmation hit so many notes for me.

I’ve read quite a few trans books, and several books on magical realism. But none quite like this. This is a book about a trans boy with a rich, interesting life that will make you want to read more.

Anticipated release

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is a book I am really looking forward to because it has a genderqueer autistic MC. Things I’m really excited about in that book are accepting family, great friendships, and finding community. Also, there’s a murder mystery plot! I love books about trans characters that aren’t about being trans but instead about the adventures people have that are trans.

Lauren @MsLaurenBrice

Favourite queer books

It’s incredibly hard to just pick one! I want to put a spotlight on three of my all time favorites first: Tash Hearts Tolstoy (was the first time I found ace rep in YA and still means the world to me), Verona Comics, and Look.

I wanted to put a particular spotlight on Look because it was the first book I read where the main character wasn’t completely confident in her sexuality from the start. Though bi feels most right to Lulu, she’s still uncertain whether it’s a label she wants or if she wants one at all. While she’s confident in her romantic relationships, she also never feels the need to answer for them.

I found it both empowering and comforting to see Lulu not want or need to explain herself to the world or be certain about anything. I love LGBTQIA characters who know exactly who they are from the start, but I’m glad to see representation opening up to more experiences so that even more readers can see themselves and their paths reflected in books. Beyond its awesome representation, the book is a fascinating look into the glamorous side to LA that’s riddled with cracks and the triumphs and pitfalls of social media. 

Anticipated release

There have been so many great LGBTQIA books released this year already and so many exciting ones that I’ve put on my TBR. Right now, I’m most excited for I’ll Be The One. It centres on Skye who has decided that even though she doesn’t fit the conventional K-Pop norms, she wants to be a part of that world.

She joins a reality TV competition in an attempt to win the spot. People have been talking about its wonderful bi representation and body positivity, and I’m always ready to read a book about reality TV and the music world. It seems like it will be full of fun and the perfect summer read while also delving into interesting conversations about the toxic expectations that are prevalent in society.

Bethany @BethanyandBooks

Favourite queer book

My favourite LGBTQ+ book is Radio Silence written by Alice Oseman. This book really does hold a special place in my heart as it was the first book I read with an asexual character.

I actually bought it for that reason so I knew they were ace but when I read Aled coming out, I started crying. For the first time, I really felt seen and it helped me feel a lot more valid and comfortable in who I am.

Anticipated release

A 2020 LGBTQ+ book release that I’m really excited about is Read with Pride by Lucy Powrie. The Paper & Hearts Society is one of my favourite books and features a lot of LGBT+ characters and now the sequel is focusing on queer books! It’s probably the book that I’m most excited to come out this year.

Emily @AShortBookLover

One of my all time favourite LGBT+ books is Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro. This is an impactful, emotional firecracker of a book that you will not be able to forget.

It deals with dark, tough issues and has some upsetting scenes but it is real and raw. Oshiro’s writing is just gorgeous as well. Almost every character is a person of colour as well.

Anticipated release

An upcoming LGBT+ books that I’m super excited about is Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass. I was luck enough to read this stunning, unsettling story early and it’s just amazing, packed full of twists and heart wrenching moneys. Again, it’s a horrendous read at times but it never feels exploitative, rather more like it’s unafraid of shying away from the dark realities behind the novel.

Izzy @BookishChapter

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper. This is a fairly new release and was actually going to the one for my most anticipated, but I was lucky enough to receive it on Netgalley and LOVED it.

It was such an original plot, and the love story was so sweet. They were openly gay, so the focus on their love story was them coming to terms with their love and support for each other, rather than their sexuality. It was fresh and original as so so lovely!

Anticipated release

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson I am so excited for this book; it sounds like everything I love! I’m a sucker for prom type books, and I’m also trying to work on reading more f/f books recently, so this is the perfect fit. I just know I’ll love it and cannot wait to get my hands on it!

Ocean @OceansofNovels

Favourite queer book

I adore Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy. This is a fun and unique gender-swapped retelling of Arthurian legend, set in space!

The main cast of characters are diverse and complex, and this is the first book I’ve read with a nonbinary character, which made it all the more important to me.

Anticipated release

A 2020 LGBTQIA+/queer release I’m looking forward to: I’m really looking forward to Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp. Not only does the story itself sound fascinating (who doesn’t love a good thriller?) but it also has queer, autistic, and disabled rep. I couldn’t ask for anything better!

Charlotte @WonderfullyBookish

Favourite queer book

My favourite LGBTQ+ book (or multiple books, technically) is the Heartstopper graphic novel series by Alice Oseman. There are so many things about this series that I adore, from the wide range of representation to the real, healthy relationship between the main characters, Nick and Charlie.

Whatever your sexuality, there is a character that almost anyone can probably relate to or see themselves in. I could honestly talk about these books for days!

I recently wrote a whole blog post all about why the Heartstopper books are a perfect companion for someone who might be in the midst of coming to terms with their sexuality, or figuring out their sexual identity.

Anticipated release

Aah, there are so many and it was difficult to narrow it down to just one… but I have to go with Alice Oseman again! Her novel, Loveless, comes out later this year and I’m beyond excited for it.

It’s described as: “This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance.” It’s about friendship and the main character realising that she might be somewhere on the asexual spectrum – only she doesn’t even know it exists.

As someone who has dealt with this same sort of thing for years now since I was a teenager, it makes me so happy to see asexuality being explored more in YA fiction, especially written by someone who does actually identify that way too. I can’t wait to read it, and I’m hopeful that a book like this might help teenagers and young adults learn a lot about themselves and their own identity too.

Brigid @BrigidWriter

Favorite queer character

My favorite LGBTQ+ character is Carmen from Tehlor Kay Mejia’s We Set the Dark on Fire and We Unleash the Merciless Storm. I love Dani, too, don’t get me wrong, but I just see Carmen as this strong role model. She’s feisty but also sometimes soft. She’s shown she can be feminine and sticks to her morals. 

Tehlor Kay Mejia’s books are also some of my favorites for representation because she shows racial diversity and women empowerment. She’s my favorite author right now and her writing is so powerful. Also, I want to be best friends with Carmen because she’s so inspiring. 

Anticipated release

The book I’m excited for this year is Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron. This book has similar themes to We Set the Dark on Fire, which is probably why I’m so excited for it.

It’s about two powerful women falling in love and taking down the patriarchy and societal standards. 200 years after Cinderella fell in love, girls are still attending balls to be chosen by men. A girl’s worth is based on whether she can find a match. The main character, Sophia, would rather marry her childhood best friend, Erin. 

Sophia meets Cinderella’s descendant, Constance, and together they are taking down the patriarchy! I adore a good fairytale retelling. I love LGBTQ+ books and stories that centre people of colour, and I’m here for strong women taking down societal standards. The more diversity in a book the better and I’m really excited for this release on July 7th. 

JM @JustReadJM

Favourite queer book

“Maybe it’s better to have gotten it right and been happy for one day instead of living a lifetime of wrongs… But no matter what choices we make—solo or together—our finish line remains the same. No matter how we choose to live, we both die at the end.”

Even after all these years, I’m still so whipped for this quote from They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera simply because it obviously rings so true.

To me, it’s a hundred times better to have lived for a day and gotten everything right that to have lived for so long with so many mistakes. This book, along with this quote, have changed my way of looking at life, and I’m forever grateful for it. Thank you, Adam!

Anticipated release

One LGBTQIA+ YA book I’m looking forward to for the rest of 2020 is Arvin Ahmadi’s How It All Blew Up. I’ve been a fan of Arvin’s since I last read his debut and I’ve fallen deeply in love with his writing since then.

His upcoming novel is about Amir Azadi, a gay, Iranian teen who runs away to Rome for an adventure-filled summer. But as exciting as that might sound, this boy’s story is about failed relationships, and blackmail, and familial acceptance, and should he choose to grab onto his hard-won freedom, he’ll have to bare the whole truth of his story to a US Customs officer, or risk saying goodbye to the life he has once known. September can’t come fast enough.

Marta @StellaeThoughts

Favourite queer book

My favorite LGBTQIAP+ book is Running With Lions by Julian Winters. It’s a cute book set at a soccer summer camp.

This is a comfort read for me for several reasons. But mostly because when I first read it, it was the summer after something very saddening happened in my life. So it always stuck with me and I re-read it every year now.

Anticipated release

As for an LGBTQIAP+ anticipated release, for this year I’d say The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska. All I know is that it’s sapphic, enemies-to-lovers and it has witches. What else could I ask for? Its release sadly got pushed back but I’m pretty sure the wait will be worth it!

Emma @TheEmmaEdit

Favourite queer book

So where do I begin with The Watchmaker of Filigree Street? It’s that quiet sort of novel that sits on your shelf and when you pull it out, it’s like finding treasure in Aladdin’s Cave.

Watchmaker is set in the 1800s, it’s historical fiction with some steampunk and detective fiction threaded through along with speckled elements of magical realism.

We follow Thaniel, an average young man who just wants to get on with his day to day when a golden pocket watch comes into his life.

Through multiple events he’s lead to our Mori – the watchmaker – and Thaniel is then swept along in the expected and the unexpected. He meets a small mechanical octopus called Katsu who likes to steal your socks, and starts to realise there is more to life than foggy London when Keita Mori is by his side.

It’s a beautiful relationship and deserves to be read for its subtle and beautifully written diversity. It may not scream and shout it from the blurb or cover but inside this book is one of the most beautiful queer relationships I’ve ever read, and they go down as my favourite bookish OTP ever.

Anticipated release

The queer bookish release I’m most looking forward to is the novelisation of the graphic novel series Fence originally by C S Pacat with the novel being written by Sarah Rees Brennan. The graphic novels set the premise with Nicholas Cox, determined to prove himself as the best fencer in the world to beat his half brother but at the academy he goes to, he’s also faced against the mysterious and unbeatable Seiji.

The novel will be centred around their team building exercises to deepen their bonds and help them to the championships. Filled with many queer fencers (most of the team are queer, yes!), the promise of shop lifting scandals, couple moonlight walks, and exploring the tension between our main two Nicholas and Seiji it looks to be a fantastic first novel! It’s full of casual diversity and queer self discovery and I am pumped to get my hands on it!

Aoife @PrettyPPD

Favourite queer book

To be honest, there’s one book that sticks out in my mind for how much I love the LGBTQ+ portrayal. I read Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the space of two days while on holiday in Vienna, and I was engrossed.

It features two LGBTQ+ couples, who had to act as each other’s beards in order to keep their sexuality a secret. It’s set between the 1960s and 1980s, and you really see the huge difference in how attitudes towards homosexuality have changed since then.

Anticipated release

As for LGBT books I’m excited for, the top spot goes to Helen Corcoran’s Queen of Coin and Whispers. I can’t wait to read about Xania and Lia’s relationship, and it’s coming out at the beginning of June so luckily there isn’t long to wait.

Theresa @FettesTheresa

Favourite queer book

This is such a difficult choice but Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston has to be my favourite.

Reading this book just feels like a warm hug; I love the characters, the romance and the alternate timeline (why can’t Ellen Claremont actually be president??). It’s one of few books that’s made me cry and reread it after less than a year.

Anticipated release

It’s really difficult to choose just one because we have been truly blessed with LGBTQ+ books in 2020 so I’m not going to. I’m choosing two: one that I have been lucky enough to read an advanced copy of and one that I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on later this year.

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran is truly the slow-burn sapphic dream, full of political intrigue and court dynamics. I can’t wait for other people to be able to read this book! I think my next choice might be quite a popular one, but I really can’t wait for Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas!

Jess @Snowglobe10

Favourite queer character

Sorcery of Thorns is a fun, action-packed read with magic, demons and books that spit wads of ink. It gripped me straight away and has a slow-burn romance that I adored. I loved all the main characters, but Nathaniel Thorn, who is a sorcerer and bisexual, was my favourite.

His dialogue and interactions with other characters always made me smile, and his relationship with Silas, his servant, was very intriguing and interesting. Writing this has made me want to read it all over again!

Anticipated release

My anticipated release pick is The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth which releases on the 9th June. The Falling in Love Montage had me sold the moment I saw the cover, which features two young women holding hands.

I’m someone who has been wanting to read and see more F/F romances in books and this one sounds like a really cute read, with the promise of cliché dates and a plan not to fall in love, which will most likely fall apart. I can’t wait to get my hands on this!

Ross @RoyalBookshelf

Favourite queer character

One of my favourite queer characters (because there are many!) would have to be Alec Lightwood from The Shadowhunter Chronicles.

Not only do I love Cassandra Clare and everything she writes, but Alec was one of the first characters where I saw myself represented so he’ll always hold a special place in my heart!

Anticipated release

As for a 2020 LGBTQ release, I’m so excited for many, but one in particular would definitely be Loveless by Alice Oseman! I can’t wait for it!

Lauren @RenontheRoad

Favourite queer book

My favourite LGBTQIA+ novel is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. I first read this book back when I was 19, and it still to this day is the only book that is touched me in this specific way.

The way that Aristotle thinks and feels, was the first time that I’d seen the exact way that I think and feel in a novel. The way Sáenz writes is so beautiful and lyrical and his words have stayed with me and continue to inspire and encourage me every time I reread this novel. The way this book discusses accepting yourself and the mental processes of dealing with that were so incredibly raw, and I related to them so much.

Anticipated release

Later this year I am so excited for Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. This is Aiden Thomas’s debut novel and it focuses on Yadriel, who wanting to prove himself to his traditional Latinx family, summons a ghost. His purpose for doing so was to speak with his murdered cousin and set him free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, who was the school’s resident bad boy. Julian, determined to find out what happened to him, is not about to go quietly into death.

I’ve been following Aiden Thomas on Twitter for a while, and have been so excited about this book’s release. It sounds so unlike anything I’ve read before, and I can’t wait! It comes out September 1^st. 

Eloise @EloiseWrites

Favourite queer book

My favourite queer book has to be Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour. It’s the one book I will always recommend to anyone who asks for a book rec because there isn’t a single thing about it that I don’t love.

It’s a low-stakes, quiet story that manages to be full of soft strength and beautiful words without ever being over the top.

It’s such a tender story about living life as it comes, all messy and full, instead of hoping for the picture perfect moments that will never really happen and the sapphic romance is woven into Emi’s character arc so beautifully that you truly go on the journey with her, from heartbreak to love, in a book that is quite honestly, absolutely stunning.

Anticipated release

My most anticipated 2020 queer release is The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar which follows Nishat, a Bangladeshi Muslim teen living in Ireland as she deals with racism and homophobia, all while slowly falling for a childhood friend. The two girls reunite and quickly become rivals when they both pick henna as their business class project. Enemies to lovers is one thing but friends to enemies to lovers?? Yes please.

The pre-release excitement around this one has been absolutely amazing and there is nothing about this book that doesn’t make me want to burst into tears, also just the snippet of prose we’ve seen so far has been absolutely gorgeous. I’m pretty sure it’s going to destroy my heart a little bit and I absolutely can’t wait to read it.

Charvi @BooknerdWriter

I have so many favourites when it comes to queer characters and books that I can’t even count!

I would have said Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda but I know that it’s gotten a lot of love and attention that it deserves and I would like to shed light on another wonderful book.

If you know me at all then you might be tired of me screaming about The Sound of Stars but I just can’t stop! I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this wonderful sci-fi dystopian book about Ellie, a biromantic demisexual black girl.

Alechia Dow has done a wonderful job of creating a stunning world that just pulls you in and the narrative touches upon a lot of important themes like racial discrimination, consent and sex as well. The Sound of Stars is just a wholesome book and I’ll even go ahead to say that it’s going to be in my list of top five books of 2020!

Anticipated release

2020 is giving us a horde of amazing queer releases and I’m especially looking forward to: 1. Loveless by Alice Oseman, a book about an aro/ace mc that I’m DYING to read. 2. Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron, a cinderella retelling featuring a queer black girl! 3. Ruinsong by Julia Ember, a magical fantasy with a f/f romance!

Ana @MyselfandBooks

Favourite queer character

My favorite LGBTQIA+ character is Magnus Bane from the Shadowhunter Chronicles because he is the best character in the bookish world.

He is confident, intelligent and has the most beautiful heart.

Anticipated releases

Some of 2020 LGBTQIA+/queer book releases I want to read are Loveless by Alice Oseman, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson and Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender.

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Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this post! I had such a fun time reading all your answers and I hope everyone else will too!

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What are some of your favourite LGBTQIAP+ books? Which 2020 releases are you looking forward to?