The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

FIC ATT

Michael never feels like he's quite enough. He's not enough Black, he's not enough Greek, he's coming to terms with being gay, with coming out, and finding his place in the world. His mother is incredibly supportive and for the most part, is accepted by his family and friends. There are bumps, and they hurt, but he continues to strive to be the best he can be. When he goes to college, he finds a drag society and finally feels like this is where he belongs. Beautifully written.

Novel in Verse, LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Felix Ever After, I Wish you All the Best, Little & Lion, Radio Silence, If I Was Your Girl

The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin Brown

FIC BRO

The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

FIC KHA

When Rukhsana's ultra conservative parents find out she's gay, what happened to this poor girl - being dragged off to Bangladesh, being forced into a marriage - sounds completely impossible. Not to mention the Bangladeshi conversion therapy she was subjected to as well as her own mother drugging her and keeping her locked in her room. It sounds a bit far-fetched, but as Rukhsana tells her friends in the book, they just don't understand what she has to go through as a Muslim girl. She does everything her parents tell her just to make peace, but she's waiting for the day she can go off to college and be who she is meant to be.

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked: I Wish You All The Best, Juliet Takes a Breath, Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

FIC ROW

In the sequel to Carry On, the trio head off on a road trip to America and get into all sorts of adventures. Simon, after losing his magic in Carry On, is devastated and becomes depressed. Baz doesn't know if Simon loves him anymore and is afraid he never will again. But on the road trip, Simon starts to feel again. And that might have been part of the problem for me. Simon was so clinically depressed at the beginning of the book, it seemed like all that he needed was to ride in a Mustang convertible to make him feel better. But when it comes down to it, it's like a Harry Potter fan fiction, with three magical friends fighting the bad guys, and there's never anything wrong with that. 

Fantasy, LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Harry Potter, Red White and Royal Blue, The Magicians, Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, Let's Get Lost

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

FIC DEA 

Ben goes by the pronoun 'they' instead of 'him'. For me, it was a bit confusing at first. I kept thinking the author was referring to two people. When Ben comes out to his parents that he's nonbinary, to say it didn't go well is an understatement. They immediately throw them out of the house, no shoes, no phone, no money. They get to a pay phone and calls their sister, who they haven't seen in ten years. When she went off to college, she never came back to escape her parents. Hannah takes them in and does everything she can to make them feel welcome. She feels guilty for leaving them behind. She buys them clothes, enrolls them in school, and gets them a therapist to work through everything. Ben has a lot of issues, but tries to come out of their shell. Ben meets Nathan and finally feels like they've found someone to like. Nathan is very close to Ben and will often take their hand and remain close. Ben wonders if something can happen between them. At one point, Ben's parents contact them and want them to come home. I thought the parents acted appropriately - they told Ben they were sorry and had even done some research on the internet to try to understand. They were willing to try. But Ben completely shut them down and freaked out. I didn't quite get their reaction. Ben also never came out to anyone in the school and would always be annoyed that no one was using the correct pronoun. But if no one knew, how could they? There were a few spots that I felt Ben's character was a bit inconsistent, but this is the first book that I've read about someone who is nonbinary which is the way a person views their gender as opposed to their sexuality.

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  The Music of What Happens, Like a Love Story, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, Wayward Son, How Not to Ask a Boy to Prom

Love & Other Carnivorous Plants by Florence Gonsalves

FIC GON

Danny and Sara have been best friends forever. They planned to go to college together and be roommates, but at the last minute, Danny was accepted to Harvard. That caused a bit of a strain on their relationship, but they have been trying to work through it. Danny ends up in a rehab center at the end of her 1st semester and is reluctant to tell Sara. She has a lot of issues stemming from her anxieties and Sara has gotten to the point where she doesn't want to deal with Danny any longer. Then tragedy strikes and Danny starts to spiral out of control. She finds out that Sara has been keeping secrets and struggles to cope.

Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  The Upside of Unrequited, The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Perks of Being a Wallflower

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

FIC COl

When Little comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she isn't sure if she'll ever want to go back. L.A. is where her friends and family are, along with her crush, Emil. And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support.  When Little finds herself falling for the same girl her brother has fallen for, she steps back because she feels she has to support him.  But when Lion goes off his meds and starts spiraling out of control, Little keeps his secret even though she isn't sure that  it's the right thing to do.

Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  When We Collided, The Upside of Unrequited, The Great American Whatever

What if it's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

FIC ALB

Told from two different POVs - Ben, a native New Yorker has just broken up with his boyfriend and is at the post office to mail back all his stuff, and Arthur, in NY for the summer working at his mother's law firm. Arthur sees Ben and he's instantly attracted, but he's never had a boyfriend, so he doesn't know what to do. When they become separated, he's beside himself because he didn't get his number. The search ensues, and miracle of miracles, they find one another. It's an adorable story of a first love and friendships, those of both Ben and Arthur, and navigating those difficult waters.  Really good book, very real and not neat and tidy.

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda, I'll Give You the Sun, Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala

FIC IWE

Niru seems to have it all.  An affluent family, early acceptance to Harvard, a star track runner, and a wonderful best friend.  But Niru is gay, and he can't let his strict, conservative family know.  When his father finds out, he is taken back to Nigeria for a Christian conversion therapy which he goes along with just to appease his family.  Niru is so conflicted - he wants to do the right thing and make his family proud, but he also wants to be true to himself and be happy.  A tough read.

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Girl Mans Up, Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

FIC ALB

In this companion to the phenomenal Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Simon's best friend, Leah is in agony and is confused.  She knows she's bi, and she thinks she has feelings for Abby, but can't figure out if Abby is sending signals to her.  Insert Garrett, who does have feelings for Leah, and she doesn't know what to do.  Leah is completely filled with teenaged angst and is trying to find her place in the world.

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Dumplin'

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

FIC RUS

After having gender reassignment surgery, Amanda gets assaulted at her school so she leaves to live with her father where no one knows her and her past. She's a senior and wants to keep her head down, graduate, and get out. But on her first day, something happens - other kids talk to her and befriend her - something she never had before as a boy. Then she meets Grant, and she knows she should stay away, but now there is a boy who likes her, which is something she never thought she'd have. She starts to feel bad about keeping her secret, and tells one of her new friends. But when she tells everyone in school, Amanda runs back to her mother because she feels like she's lost the life she made in her new home.

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, Drag Teen, Lizard Radio

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

FIC SIL

Well, the title certainly gives the ending away. Death Cast makes call at midnight every night to let people know they are dying at some point in the next 24 hours. Mateo and Rufus get their calls, and find each other through Last Friend, an app that helps 'Deckers' find someone to spend their last day with. Mateo is a timid, scared boy, who rarely leaves the house. Rufus is a foster child who has made some bad choices. Both boys want to live their last day overcoming their fears and shortcomings. In one day, they help each other become the people that they wanted to be if they had more time in life. A bittersweet story of friendship, love, and loss.

LGBTQ, Dystopian

Read this if you liked:  The Sun is Also a Star, Scythe, The Inexplicable Logic of My Life, Whatever

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

FIC BRO

Joanna, her father, and new wife move from Atlanta to a small, narrow-minded Georgia town.  Because he thinks people will hate, Joanna's father asks her to stay in the closet and not let anyone know she's gay.  She doesn't want to, but finally agrees.  Joanna tries to fit in with this small town crowd and makes friends with a bunch of nice girls.  She starts to have feelings for one of Mary Carlson, and miraculously, she returns the feelings.  But when Mary wants to come out, Joanna refuses to and they break up.  When her secret is revealed, Mary Carlson never wants to see her again, but Joanna finds that her new friends are a lot more tolerant than her father ever thought they would be.  

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Dumplin', True Letters from a Fictional Life, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, If I Was Your Girl

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz

FIC SAE

Sal is the adopted son of a gay man whose mother died when he was three.  His best friend, Sam, is constantly fighting with her mother and likes bad boys.  Fito's mother is a drug addict and is essentially raising himself.  The three experience tragedies, but they always have each other to rely on.  Sal's dad is the perfect father - he loves his son and his friends, gives wonderful advice, and supports them all in their time of need.  It was a bit too sappy and over the top - no one's family is that loving and supportive all the time.  But good lessons are learned and each of the characters realizes what's important in life.

Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, Whatever, Jellicoe Road, They Both Die at the End

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

FIC SIL

Griffin's first boyfriend and love of his life Theo dies in a drowning accident while he's away at college.  Griffin is heartbroken and begins to spend time with Jackson, Theo's new boyfriend.  Told in a series of flashbacks, Griffin recounts their love story and what their history means to him.  He begins to realize he has to let Theo go in order to get on with his life, and although he hated Jackson for taking Theo away from him, he can now be friends with him and form a bond for Theo's sake.

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  We Are Ok, I'll Give You the Sun, Kids of Appetite, The Inexplicable Logic of My Life 

We are the Ants by Sean Hutchinson

FIC HUT

Henry Denton has it hard. His boyfriend commits suicide, his mom struggles to keep the family together, his brother drops out of college, and his grandmother has Alzheimer's. However, Henry has it the worst of them all. Henry gets abducted by aliens and he has 144 days to decide the fate of the Earth. The question is whether Henry thinks the world is worth saving. That is, until he meets Diego Vega, an artist with a secret past who forces Henry to question his beliefs, his place in the universe, and whether any of it really matters. But before Henry can save the world, he’s got to figure out how to save himself, and the aliens haven’t given him a button for that. ~ reviewed by Brooke Stellman

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked: Violent Ends, I’ll Give you the Sun, Symptoms of Being Human, Highly Illogical Behavior

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Great American Whatever, You Know Me Well, Will Grayson, I'll Give You the Sun

Draw the Line by Laurent Linn

FIC LIN

Adrian is a gay teenage boy who witnesses a gay hate crime.  He becomes totally paranoid at school that the football bullies are going to go after him.  The bully's father is a policeman in a small Texas town, so he goes free.  Adrian has two close friends who try to help and prop him up.  The cool part about this book is that JT is an illustrator, and drawings of his online graphic novel are throughout the book.

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Whatever, True Letters from a Fictional Life, The Great American Whatever, Look Both Ways

Drag Teen by Jeffery Self

FIC SEL

JT is gay and wants to be a teen drag queen. There's a contest in NYC that he wants to compete in in order to win a full scholarship to college. So JT, his boyfriend Shane, and their friend Heather lie to their parents and travel up to NYC to enter. Along the way they meet a Drag Queen who teaches JT how to look glamorous, an old country singer who teaches him how to feel confident with himself, and other people along the way who help him in his journey to find his best self. It's all pretty predictable, but it's a funny story about a boy who finally can feel good about himself.

LGBTQ, Humor

Read this if you liked: Will Greyson, Will Greyson, The Porcupine of Truth, True Letters from a Fictional Life, Whatever

This Book is Gay by James Dawson

FIC DAW

This is a funny and lighthearted look at a difficult subject, and a fantastic resource for teens who have questions.  Dawson breaks the book up into various parts, explaining fundamentals like what to call yourself (if you want to), how to deal with negativity, and how to have a relationship.  It's all very up front and candid - there is no hiding in this book.  It's a must for teens and adults who are confused, and even for those who aren't.

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Beyond Magenta, Some Assembly Required  

The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith

FIC SMI

Eden McCrorey’s was a band geek and good student and harbored a secret crush on her beloved older brother’s best friend. But her life is overturned when, in her freshman year, that best friend rapes her late one night in her own bed—and threatens to  kill her if she tells anyone. She keeps the  secret and soon finds herself using sex and boys to  gain control over her own body. She distances herself from her best friend and a loving boyfriend while losing interest in music, academics, and her own future. - Book List

Realistic Fiction

Read this if you liked:  What Happened to Goodbye, Thirteen Reasons Why, The Running Dream, Hate List

The Great American Whatever by  Tim Federle

FIC FED

Quinn Roberts is a sixteen-year-old smart aleck and Hollywood hopeful whose only worryused to be writing convincing dialogue for the movies he made with his sister Annabeth. Of course, that was all before—before Quinn stopped going to school, before his mom started sleeping on the sofa…and before the car accident that changed everything. - Amazon

LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl, I'll Give you the Sun

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda  by Becky Albertall

FIC ALB

More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera

FIC SIL

After enduring his father's suicide, his own suicide attempt, and broken friendships, Aaron wants to have a mind-altering procedure to forget all of his problems.  He has feeling for his new friend Thomas and is so confused, but this book looks at the subject in such a sensitive way and has you rooting for Aaron who is struggling with his sexuality.

LGBTQ, Science Fiction

Read this if you liked:  Will Grayson, Will Grayson, I'll Give you the Sun, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Tolley

FIC TOL

In 1959 Virginia, Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily.  Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town's most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept separate but equal.  Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.

Historical Fiction, LGBTQ

Read it if you liked:  The Help, Freedom Walkers, I Have a Dream, The Lions of Little Rock

I'll Give you the Sun by Jandy Nelson

FIC NEL

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways.  The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

Realistic Fiction, LBTGQ

Read this if you liked: Eleanor and Park, Two Boys Kissing, The Sky is Everywhere, All the Bright Places

Carry on by Rainbow Rowell

FIC ROW

A different sort of a concept from Rainbow Rowell in that she takes the story within the story in Fan Girl and completes it for us.  According to Rainbow, she loved the characters of Simon and Baz she introduced in Fan Girl and wanted to tell their story.  Simon is the most powerful magician his world has ever seen but he has trouble with the simplest of spells.  Baz, his roommate, is a vampire and his arch enemy.   They live at The Watford School of Magic, and even though they hate each other, they decide to call a truce when the ghost of Baz's mom comes to visit and tells them to avenge her death.  Through it all, they think that maybe they don't hate each other as much as they thought, even though they have trouble admitting it.

Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ

Read this if you liked Harry Potter, The Magician, The Young Elites, Fan Girl  anything by Rainbow Rowell

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

FIC LEV

Based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. 

Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Ask the Passengers, I'll Give you the Sun, Openly Straight, Rainbow Boys

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan 

FIC GRE

When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both. - Goodreads

LGBTQ, Romance, Realistic Fiction

Read this if you liked:  Every Day, Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Tiny Cooper Story, Boy Meets Boy