Sadly, pride month is over, but that doesn’t mean you should stop reading LGBT+ stories. They should be enjoyed all year round.
And since I attended my very first pride parade last week it seemed appropriate that I recommend some of my favourite LGBT+ books so you can all enjoy them too.
Proud by Juno Dawson.
“Welcome to being LGBTQ+. Your life is inherently political. Politicians, all over the world, are still discussing whether or not you should have the same fundamental human rights as straight or cisgender people.”
Genre; Young Adult, Short Stories, Anthologies.
A stirring, bold and moving anthology of stories and poetry by top LGBTQ+ YA authors and new talent, giving their unique responses to the broad theme of pride. Each story has an illustration by an artist identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Compiled by Juno Dawson, author of THIS BOOK IS GAY and CLEAN.
I’m only halfway through this but I highly recommend picking it up as I’m already pretty sure it’s going to be a five star read.
“Since the dawn of time, we have been told in a litany of ways that we are ‘less-than’, ‘out of the ordinary’, ‘abnormal’, ‘subnormal’, or plain ‘different’. We are none of these things. We are gloriously ourselves, and we show the world our glory during Pride.”
Alice Oseman.
“Most adults see teenagers as confused kids who don’t understand much, while they’re the pillars of knowledge and experience and know exactly what is right at all times.
I think the truth is that everyone in the entire world is confused and nobody understands much of anything at all.”
– I Was Born For This.
Genre; Young Adult, Contemporary.
Solitaire, Radio Silence, and I Was Born For This.
Firstly, I love all of Alice’s books and her webcomic Heartstopper, they’re brilliant and everyone should go and read all of them right now.
One of the things I love most is that they all touch on on themes that are so relatable for me, such as mental health. Specifically; Anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
A lot of them talk about the education system and it’s flaws and it’s so important, especially for younger readers who are still in school.
Friendships are extremely important in all of these books and Alice writes some of the best platonic relationships I’ve ever read. I wish more books would focus on wholesome friendships the way these ones do.
While they can all cover really heavy subjects they are not depressing, they’re very easy to read and always leave me feeling hopeful and happy.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.
“History, huh? Bet we could make some.”
Genre; New Adult, Romance, Contemporary.
A hate to love romance between FSOTUS (First Son of the United States) and the prince of England.
This book is full of amazing characters, cute friendships, and wholesome moments that made me extremely happy.
It also covers a lot of important topics, like politics, sexuality and race, that need to be talked about more often and more openly.
Set in a world where a woman won the 2016 presidential elections, it spoke a lot about making history and how change really was possible, and it left me feeling somewhat hopeful about the future, something that has been difficult to do with all of the terrible things going on at the moment.
Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi.
“Sana knew her mother sympathized with female directors. As a woman who had clawed her way up from carpenter to art director to production designer, Sana’s mother couldn’t help but understand what it was to be in a woman in a largely male space. But Mom tended to say that the leeway was millimeters for women where the male directors got miles.”
Genre; Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance.
A slow burn hate to love romance between Sana, an all around perfect cheerleader that aspires to be a surgeon, and Rachel, a thorny and sarcastic film maker in the middle of making her final school project.
I related to Rachel so much because I too assumed anyone being nice to me in school was probably pranking me and closed myself off to almost everyone.
I loved their relationship and the way it developed, their family dynamics and how they changed, and the fact that it was basically a sapphic Gilmore Girls with women of colour set in Hollywood instead of Connecticut.
It talks a lot about the pressures of leaving home and becoming an adult, it challenges everyday sexism and micro aggressions that every woman has dealt with at some point, especially women of colour.
The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman.
“On the edge of town a beast haunts the woods, trapped in the Gray, its bonds loosening…”
Genre; Young Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal.
Violet Saunders is take from the city to Four Paths, her mothers hometown, where she meets the children of the founding families and is pulled in to the mystery of the Gray.
It’s filled with all kinds of representation, very atmospheric writing with magical and spooky vibes, it was exactly what I wanted going in and I had a lot of fun reading it.
I loved the characters, particularly Isaac and Harper, and I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel to find out what happens next.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
“Don’t ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box. Don’t do that.”
Genre; Adult, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Romance.
Written almost entirely in interview format this story focuses on a journalist that is talking with Evelyn Hugo, an iconic cuban actress that recounts her days as a young bisexual woman in Hollywood from the 1950s onwards.
The characters all felt very real, complex, and definitely flawed. Throughout the book my opinion on all of them changed multiple times and I love it when an author can make me both love and hate a character.
This was an emotional rollercoaster that I wasn’t at all prepared for and I’d definitely recommend listening to the audiobook, which is how I read it, because the voice acting is incredible and it immediately pulled me in to the story.
Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli.
“White shouldn’t be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn’t even be a default.”
Genre; Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance.
An adorable teen coming out story that made me smile a lot.
Simon, an extremely relatable teenage boy, emails anonymously with a boy who calls himself ‘Blue’, but when another boy at his school see’s these emails he begins blackmailing Simon.
Overall it was a cute and wholesome read with some teenage angst and a hint of mystery about who ‘Blue’ is.
This book makes a lot of good points, especially about how straight is always the standard default, and how everyone else has to repeatedly come out and declare who they are over and over again throughout their lives because of that.
I also really enjoyed the film, which has an exceptional soundtrack.
Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno.
“On the island of By-the-Sea you could always smell two things: salt and magic.”
Genre; Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Magical Realism.
A beautifully written young adult story about a magical island and a mysterious bird, it focuses heavily on family and female relationships, with some angst and a bit of romance in there as well.
I enjoyed the magical realism aspect of it and now I definitely want to read more of that genre.
This book went places I wasn’t expecting. It ended up making me feel emotions I wasn’t ready for, but it also made some important points, focusing on sexism and sexual assault.
Besides those heavy topics it is a perfect summer read so it’s the right time to go and pick this one up.
Some books I haven’t personally read yet but have seen multiple recommendations for;
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver.
The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera.
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins.
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan.
Alex In Wonderland by Simon James Green.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz.
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.
Do you have any LGBT+ favourites? If you do let me know so I can check them out!
And if you want to stay up to date with what I’m reading you can add me on Goodreads!
https://www.goodreads.com/dkvanderstock
B-ROLL BANSHEE 