Best Queer YA Books

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

Amber McCloud wants to be cheerleader captain next year but it’s hard to keep the spirits up when the team quarterback has died in a car accident and the new replacement is a girl. Even if the girl in question is a hot one. Jaclyn “Jack” Walsh has always dreamed of… See Gaby’s review

The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum

This is actually a slight enemies-to-lovers (and I mean that in YA terms) romance. The romance is really slow-burn and I loved how the characters’ relationship progressed as the book went on. It is a YA-rated romance but I absolutely believed in them as a… See Lex’s review

Girl Island by Kate Castle

Ellery, British under-18th heptathlon champion, is still grieving her father’s death when she joins her new classmates at the prestigious King’s Academy for a PE trip to an island in the Indian Ocean. Other than all of them being athletes, Ellery has nothing in common with the other teenagers, except maybe one, Skye, whom she didn’t expect to… See Jude’s review

A Sid Rubin Silicon Alley Adventure series by Stefani Deoul

These are Sapphic YA mystery books. The mysteries are always different and always interesting, but the heart of these books is really geektacular Sid and her life as a 17-year-old in New York City. I have mentioned this before but it’s worth mentioning again, Deoul writes in an extremely believable YA voice. The characters truly feel like 17-year-olds and I can’t help but… See Lex’s review

Girl mans up by M-E Girard

Penelope ‘Pen’ Olivera is a teenager attending a Catholic high school and not following gender norms. It’s not easy to live in a small community in Ontario, Canada with her Catholic parents, who are first-generation Portuguese immigrants, while… See Gaby’s review

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Jess Tran is a normal teenager (insofar as teenagers can be normal). She’s not a genius like her younger brother nor does she have superpowers like her parents and older sister. She’s average. In order to prove her worth, at least to herself, she applies for an internship at Monroe Industries. Much to her surprise, she gets in, only to find out… See Jude’s review

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

It’s 1954, San Francisco and everything is about to change for Lily Hu. Until her senior year, life has marched on, her circle of friends the same forever, using her own words, her actions always those of a good Chinese daughter. But when she… See Jules’s review

Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin

While a book about a teenager who chooses to hide her sexuality in a small religious town is not a new idea, there was a bit of a twist to this storyline. While I hate labels, Mara is really a baby butch. It’s a struggle for her to be comfortable in her own skin as a masculine-presenting young woman, but when you are in… See Lex’s review

Hell Bent by Calista Lynne

Jules is everything a seventeen-year-old is, or can be, and that in itself is pretty terrifying. She thinks she has a massive, obsessive crush on British actor Marcus K. Dixon but the crush seems to actually be on his daughter Elle. Of course, she’s never met either of them, but after Marcus… See Jude’s review

There’s Magic Between Us by Jillian Maria

When she told her grandma she hoped to visit soon, sixteen-year-old Lydia meant it in a polite way, not in an I’ll-be-there-next-week way. Her grandmother was so happy though that when her mother drives her from Chicago to the tiny town of Fairbrooke, Wisconsin, Lydia vows to make the most of the week. Even without other people her age, even without… See Jude’s review

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

I went into this book hoping I’d enjoy it. I didn’t expect to love it this much. I do not know whether it’s perfect and I really don’t care if it isn’t. I love what it made me feel. I love the characters. I super love Ophelia, how could I not? I love her… See Jude’s review

Love under Glasse by Kristina Meister

This book is a little slow to start out with, but once it gets going it turns into a page-turner. An abused girl is on the run, while the girl she loves tries to find her. This is a YA version of good versus evil. The abuser is such a dark character with no redeeming qualities at all. The two mains El (17) and Riley (18) are the exact… See Lex’s review

Jellicle Girl by Stevie Mikayne

Beth left her mother’s house as soon as it was legally possible. At seventeen, she’s squatting her absentee father’s place, going to university and working in a group home for children who are at least as broken as she is. Mandatory support therapy is part of the… See Jude’s review

Endgame by Zoe Reed

Introvert college student Audrey has two big goals at the beginning of the soccer season, first becoming team captain and then winning the championship. But with the new forward arriving shortly before the season starts, she got competition for her first goal. Morgen is an art student and a competitive soccer player who would like to… See Sandra’s review

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

This is one of those books you can’t put down once you start reading. It is a good length, but there was no way I could stop reading. Before I go much further I want to mention some possible triggers that the characters go through like homophobia, racism, and suicide. I’m not kidding but I think the first time I teared up was… See Lex’s review

Not my Problem by Ciara Smyth

Aideen is a 16-year-old with plenty of problems of her own. Still, when she stumbles upon her nemesis Meabh Kowalski who is visibly distressed by her overwhelming schedule, she offers her assistance. Aideen just needs to push her down the stairs to… See Gaby’s review

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

I thought this book was really well written. It was filled with teenage angst and drama, broken hearts, friendship, love, it had everything a good Young Adult book should have including all the feels. I love it when a good book can make you feel and yes that included… See Lex’s review