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#ReadWithPride With These LGBTQIA+ Books

This Pride Month, we’re celebrating with books that highlight extraordinary LGBTQIA+ stories. Funny, heartbreaking, suspenseful, romantic – there’s a little something for everyone on this list, so scroll down on for some of our favorites! Plus, don’t forget to enter our sweeps to win a stack!

 

Song of the Dead by Sarah Glenn Marsh

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A lavish fantasy with a surprising and breathtaking LGBTQ+ romance at its core, Song of the Fallen is the gutsy, unpredictable sequel to Reign of the Fallen that will grab readers and never let go….

 

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

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Millie Quint is devastated when she discovers that her sort-of-best friend/sort-of-girlfriend has been kissing someone else. Heartbroken and ready for a change of pace, Millie decides to apply for scholarships to boarding schools. The only problem: Mille’s roommate Flora is a total princess. She’s also an actual princess. Of Scotland. If you love adorable banter and swoony love stories, this one’s for you.

 

That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston

Set in a near-future world where the British Empire never fell, That Inevitable Victorian Thing is a surprising, romantic, and thought-provoking story of love, duty, and the small moments that can change people and the world.

 

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman

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Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from everyone he has ever loved, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City with a backpack, a desperate plan, and nothing left to lose. In I Have Lost My Way a fateful accident draws these three strangers together, their secrets start to unravel as they begin to understand that the way out of their own loss might just lie in helping the others out of theirs.

 

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

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These Witches Don’t Burn is a contemporary fantasy featuring a teen witch living in modern-day Salem who discovers that the tension with her ex-girlfriend doesn’t much matter when there’s a Blood Witch on the loose. To stop the attacks and score a second date with the new girl in town, she must uncover who’s causing the deadly fires before her coven is destroyed.

 

Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour

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Emi, a gifted young production designer, is all set to have the summer of her life after her brother entrusts her with his Los Angeles apartment as a graduation gift. But despite her talents in the film industry, Emi hasn’t been able to design a love life that’s more than make-believe – until the discovery of a mysterious letter at the estate sale of a Hollywood film legend leads her to Ava, a beautiful girl with secrets of her own.

 

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

16-year-old Solomon Reed is agoraphobic: He hasn’t left the house in three years, and that’s fine by him. And if he’s gay, so what? It’s not like he’s going to meet anyone anyway. Until Lisa Praytor shows up – and suddenly he has a friend. Two, really, if you count Lisa’s super cute boyfriend Clark. A funny, heartwarming story about the many ways we hide ourselves from the world – and how love and friendship can bring us back into the light.

 

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

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When a charismatic boy moves in across the street from Noah, a passionate artist, he finds himself falling fast and hard for his new neighbor, who seems to like him back. But when the two are separated, and tragedy strikes Noah’s family, Noah becomes a totally different person—at least, he pretends to be. You’ll fall for Noah as he rediscovers himself in this breathtaking, Printz Award-winning story of first love, loss, betrayal and forgiveness.

 

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

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This book is Love, Simon levels of adorable. And just so you know we’re all on the same adorable page, Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, says, “I’m wrecked with love for this funny, joyful, bighearted book.” Set in a decrepit-yet-beloved local amusement park, Jennifer Dugans sparkling debut coming-of-age romance stars a princess, a pirate, a hot dog, and a carousel operator who find love–and themselves–in unexpected people and unforgettable places.

 

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Since Marin left everything behind, Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her own life – and she’s the only one who knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend Mabel knows, but Marin will be forced to face everything she left behind when Mabel comes to visit. This book will  leave you breathless.

 

Perfect Ten by L. Philips

Is there really such thing as a Perfect Ten? It’s been two years since Sam broke up with the single other eligible gay guy at school, so when his BFF suggests performing a love spell, Sam’s ready to try it out – he writes a list of ten traits he wants in a BF and burns it at midnight on Friday the 13th in a cemetery. This coming-of-age romcom with a hint of magic is sweeter than any ice cream you’ll eat this summer

 

Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Ann Bausum

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The best way to kick of Pride Month? Study up on your history. This unflinching, heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful exploration of the beginnings of the Gay Rights movement will transport you to a hot June night in 1969 when tensions boiled over, starting a riot triggered an explosive demand for equality, one that would not be silenced—no matter what the cost.

 

How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox

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Biz knows how to float. She has her people, her posse, her mom and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn’t be here but is. So Biz doesn’t tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn’t tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface–normal okay regular fine. A stunning, gutting, deeply hopeful YA novel is for sure one you’ll want on that summer tbr.

 

Hold Me Closer by David Levithan

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In this book we get to hear from one of our favorite fictional musical theater nerds. The irresistible, hilarious Tiny Cooper is out, proud, and has something to say, and no ex-boyfriends or homophobic coaches are going to stand in his way. Having first stolen our hearts in Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Tiny finally takes center stage in his own story, written as the most fantastic musical ever produced!

 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green

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Speaking of Tiny Cooper, read the book in which he made his debut with his best friend Will Grayson!

 

Half Bad by Sally Green

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In a modern-day England where good witches and bad witches war against each other, Nathan is an abomination: he’s part good witch, part bad witch. At sixteen, he’s living in a cage—beaten, shackled, and trained to kill. His only hope for survival is to escape and find his father, Marcus, the most feared of all Black Witches, before he turns seventeen. Hunted and despised by both sides, he can’t trust anyone, not even the girl he loves—nor Gabriel, the Black Witch to whom he finds himself increasingly attracted.

 

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger

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Best friends T.C. and Augie enter ninth grade with the world all figured out—only to have first love throw them a curveball. T.C. falls hard for the pretty, sassy, Harvard-bound Al, while Augie comes to realize he has a crush on a boy. While T.C.’s feelings are clear as a bell, Augie’s are anything but—at least to him. This feel-good, rom-com of a novel is a perfect summer read.

 

The Afterward by E.K. Johnston

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In a tale both sweepingly epic and intensely personal, Kalanthe and Olsa fight to maintain their newfound independence and to find their way back to each other.

 

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

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The Grief Keeper is a tender tale that explores the heartbreak and consequences of when both love and human beings are branded illegal. Marisol will risk anything if it means keeping her sister safe. She just never imagined one of the risks would be falling in love, a love that may even be powerful enough to finally help her face her own crushing grief.

 

 

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

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Looking for direction after the loss of her guardian aunt, Jane accepts an unexpected invitation to a gala at an extravagant island mansion called Tu Reviens. It’s the one invitation her beloved aunt made her promise never to turn down. She might fall in love, she might lose her life; she might find her calling, she might solve a mystery, she might come face-to-face–with herself. Anything is possible at Tu Reviens…

 

A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo

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Dark, disturbing, and full of twists, A Line in the Dark is a cleverly crafted YA mystery that will delight readers craving a queer teenage girl antihero just as morally complicated as her male counterparts.

 

Also, make sure to keep an eye out for…

 

We Speak in Storms by Natalie Lund

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A beautifully told, haunting yet hopeful novel about pushing past the pain, facing the world, and finding yourself. Out September 3rd!

Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

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In the faux-documentary style of The Blair Witch Project comes the campfire story of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the girl who is determined to find her sister–at all costs. Out September 24th!

 

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

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A gutsy, queer coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Nina LaCour, Rainbow Rowell, and Elizabeth Acevedo. In a summer bursting with queer brown dance parties, a sexy fling with a motorcycling librarian, and intense explorations of race and identity, Juliet learns what it means to come out–to the world, to her family, to herself. Out September 17!

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus

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Told in two distinct and irresistible voices, Junauda Petrus’s bold and lyrical debut is the story of two black girls from very different backgrounds finding love and happiness in a world that seems determined to deny them both. Out September 17th!

 

All the Bad Apples by Möira Fowley-Doyle

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The Storm of Life by Amy Rose Capetta

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Teodora diSangro and Cielo, the strega she loves, are on a mission to save their country of Vinalia from its manipulative leader, who wants to exploit streghe and use them as his weapons. But will marshaling a small but powerful band of streghe be enough to wrest power from a cunning dictator? And what if Teo’s been setting her sights on the wrong enemy all along? This epic sequel to The Brilliant Death completes the Italian-inspired fantasy duet with shocking twists, steamy romance, and magic that will dazzle your imagination and make you wish Vinalia were a real place.

 

 

Enter the sweepstakes here!

 

 

 

Still aren’t over the new season of Black Mirror? Check out these top three picks for Black Mirror fans!

 

 

 

Penguin Teen