This is an ongoing list of queer books I’ve read, loved, and recommend. Think of it as a hub, which I’ll update as I add more books.

YA Contemporary

Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli
One of the first books I saw my queerness reflected in. And it’s just delightfully funny (way better than the movie, which is also good)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz
Recommended reading situation: devour this book in the middle of a heatwave for the most immersive experience

The Monster of Her Age, Danielle Binks
A sapphic love story amid the drama of a horror film club and the protagonist’s dying actress grandmother. A beautiful exploration of grief, love, and complicated family relationships set in Hobart

Night Swimming, Steph Bowe
This is one of the most delightful, quirky, and brilliant Australian YA books I’ve ever read. That’s all you’re getting. Just go and read it right now

Dancing Barefoot, Alice Boyle
Winner of the Text Prize and owner of my whole heart. I would die for Patch

Pet, Akwaeke Emezi
A non-verbal trans girl accidentally unleashes a creature from her mother’s painting that helps her track down monsters.

Perfect on Paper, Sophie Gonzales
A bisexual protagonist runs an anonymous advice column in her school that gets deeply out of hand.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson, John Green & David Levithan
Also one of my favourite books of all time. Read it any time you’re feeling lost.

Anything by Will Kostakis
The First Third is my one true love, but Will’s latest, We Could Be Something, is an incredible multigenerational queer story and an amazing reading experience. Warning: you may be so caught up in the story that you miss your stop on the train (not that I did that…)

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story, David Levithan
Oh, you loved Will Grayson but wanted to see the autobiographical musical Tiny stages? This is the script and it’s a DELIGHT

Anything by Alice Oseman
Am I putting this on the list to show off that I started reading Alice’s work in 2017, way before the Hearstopper show? Maybe. But seriously, read everything Alice has written, especially Radion Silence and Loveless

Where You Left Us, Rhiannon Wilde
Australian coastal gothic about finding your feet in a changing tide. Completely gorgeous and heart-healing

Graphic Novels and Comics

The Breakaways, Cathy G. Johnson
A group of kids who are ‘bad at soccer, okay a friends’. Would make a great gift for 11-14 year-olds

Seance Tea Party, Reimena Yee
Gorgeously explores the struggle of growing up and being on the edge. Bittersweet and beautifully illustrated

Stars in Their Eyes, Jess Walton & Aska
Australian YA graphic novel about a disabled character’s romance at a comic convention. Delightfully nerdy

Fantasy

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, Juno Dawson
The UK’s official coven has to fight against the rise of evil – and against the fracturing dynamics of their leader and her oldest friends

Carry On series, Rainbow Rowell
This series is one of my favourites ever and I reread it every few years. Wayward Son has my whole heart – I mean, vampires, Vegas, and road trips? What more could you want!

Sci-fi

All That’s Left in the World, Erik J Brown
A YA dystopia that explores a surprisingly cosy relationship that blossoms in the bleakest situation. A really hopeful look at the end of the world

Monk & Robot, Becky Chambers
This duology features a non-binary protagonist, and explores their journey with a robot companion as they both search for what humans need

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing & A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour, Hank Green
An incredible, fast-paced, hilarious sci-fi about robots and contagious dreams that happens to feature a bisexual protagonist. Another series I reread every few years

Historical Fiction

Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Malinda Lo
A quiet, lush YA story of sapphic first love set in 1950s San Francisco’s Chinatown, featuring lesbian bars, male impersonators, and complex character dynamics

General Fiction

Red, Whit & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston
(That’s right, it’s not YA, no matter what booktok tells you.) A romp. That’s all. It’s a great time

Non-Fiction

Love Letters: Vita and Virginia, edited by Alison Bechdel
Love letters – and friendship letters – between Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf