We think about romance a lot around here, and are always searching for stories that explore love in all its glory. While these books aren’t all romances at their core, the love story in each of them is wonderful and complex. Here are 25 books with LGBTQ+ love stories you need to add to your list right now.
26 LGBTQIA+ Love Stories You Need To Read
1. So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens
Carry On meets Arthurian legend in this funny, subversive young adult fantasy about what happens after the chosen one wins the kingdom and has to get married to keep it…and to stay alive.
2. She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick
She’s All That meets What If It’s Us in this swoon-worthy hate-to-love YA romantic comedy from #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Five Feet Apart Rachael Lippincott and debut writer Alyson Derrick.
3. Sofi & the Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley
In this gorgeous, queer standalone fantasy, a young musician sets out to expose her rival for illegal use of magic only to discover the deception goes deeper than she could have imagined—perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens!
4. Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
A rich, dark contemporary fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him. Stay tuned for the sequel to Blood like Magic, Blood like Fate, out this fall!
5. The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch
When a homophobic eblast outs Sky’s promosal plans he and his friends turn his 30-day promposal countdown into a school-wide hunt to find the eblast perpetrator. This witty, heartfelt, and ultimately hopeful debut novel is perfect for fans of What if it’s Us? and I Wish You All the Best.
6. Blaine for the Win by Robbie Couch
After being dumped so his boyfriend can pursue more “serious” guys, a teen boy decides to prove he can be serious, too, by running for senior class president in this joyful romp from the author of The Sky Blues.
7. The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott
Rachael Lippincott, co-author of #1 New York Times bestseller Five Feet Apart, weaves a captivating, heartfelt love story about learning who you are, and who you love, when the person you’ve always shared yourself with is gone. Now out in paperback!
8. Moon Dark Smile by Tessa Gratton
The fate of an Empire lies with a headstrong Heir and a restless demon in this lush YA fantasy for fans of Laini Taylor and Girl, Serpent, Thorn. Raliel is desperate to see the Empire Between Five Mountains, and she feels a deep kinship with Moon, who longs to break free of its bonds. When the time finally arrives for Raliel’s coming of age journey, she discovers a dangerous way to take Moon with her, even as she hides this truth from her travel companion, the beautiful, demon-kissed bodyguard Osian Redpop.
9. A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson
Black Mirror meets What If It’s Us in this gripping, romantic, and wildly surprising novel about two boys lost in space trying to find their way home—while falling in love—from the critically acclaimed author of We Are the Ants.
10. The Mythic Koda Rose by Jennifer Nissley
In the spirit of Nina LaCour and Adam Silvera, this offbeat and romantic debut novel follows a teen girl whose desire to find out more about her late rock star father brings her closer to the last person she expected.
11. Bruised by Tanya Boteju
Whip It meets We Are Okay in this vibrant coming-of-age story, about a teen girl navigates first love, identity, and grief when she immerses herself in the colorful, brutal, beautiful world of roller derby—from the acclaimed author of Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens.
12. Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley
Tamsin is the most powerful witch of her generation. But after committing the worst magical sin, she’s exiled by the ruling Coven and cursed with the inability to love. Wren is a source—a rare kind of person who is made of magic, despite being unable to use it herself. When a magical plague ravages the queendom and Wren’s father falls victim, Wren proposes a bargain: if Tamsin will help her catch the dark witch responsible for creating the plague, then Wren will give Tamsin her love for her father. Of course, love bargains are a tricky thing, and these two have a long, perilous journey ahead of them.
13. In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens
A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean.
14. A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth
The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones in this thrilling urban fantasy set in the magical underworld of Toronto that follows a queer cast of characters racing to stop a serial killer whose crimes could expose the hidden world of faeries to humans. Once you’ve read A Dark and Hollow Star, check out the sequel: A Cruel and Fated Light!
15. When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey
This book is filled with dark humor and magic as six teens attempt to fix some accidental magic that goes horribly wrong, all while Alexis deals with her secret love for her best friend.
16. Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju
I strongly believe that the greatest love story is one you have with yourself. In Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens Nima, a queer teen, navigates questions of identity and self-acceptance while discovering the magical world of drag.
17. The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu
All Magnus Bane wanted was a vacation—a lavish trip across Europe with Alec Lightwood, the Shadowhunter who against all odds is finally his boyfriend. But as soon as the pair settles in Paris, an old friend arrives with news about a demon-worshipping cult called the Crimson Hand that is bent on causing chaos around the world. A cult that was apparently founded by Magnus himself. Years ago. As a joke. Nothing says love like trying to get to the bottom of a cult.
18. Something Like Gravity by Amber Smith
Chris is a transgender teen still processing a frightening assault from last year. Maia is grieving the loss of her older sister. When a near-fatal car accident brings them together, their rocky start makes them want nothing to do with each other, but they just can’t seem to stay away. Falling in love was the last thing on either of their minds. But would it be so bad if it happened anyway?
19. All Eyes on Us by Kit Frick
Amanda Kelly is deeply invested in her boyfriend Carter, the town gold boy, unaware that he is cheating on her with Rosalie Bell. Rosalie is tired of maintaining a fake, straight relationship and hiding her identity from her Christian fundamentalist parents.When an anonymous texter threatens to spill their secrets, Amanda and Rosalie become unlikely allies in a fight to unmask their stalker before Private uproots their lives.
20. Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells
Maren’s dreams of a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia are whisked away when Kaia is kidnapped by the Aurati, the emperor’s prophetic agents. Desperate to save her, Maren hatches a plan to steal one of the emperor’s coveted dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold. With time running out, can Maren survive long enough to rescue Kaia from impending death? Or could it be that Maren is destined for something greater than she could have ever imagined?
21. Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
Tanner Scott, who identifies as bisexual, comes to terms with his feelings towards Sebastian Brother, all while living in a conservative Mormon community in Provo, Utah.
22. The Last to Let Go by Amber Smith
Brooke struggles with her identity and trying to come to terms with her life when she meets Dani, a girl who really helps Brook change her perspective on what life is all about.
23. The True Queen by Sarah Fine
The third book in the Impostor Queen series combines fantasy, action, and romance. Elli and Ansa’s relationship, both platonic and romantic, is important as they try to keep their kingdom from crumbling.
24. Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
Natasha didn’t expect Unhappy Families, her web series adaptation of Anna Karenina, to go viral. Nor did she expect the complications it would bring to her love life and coming out as a romantic asexual.
25. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. At first they seem to have nothing in common, but as they spend more time together, a friendship blossoms, and along with it a sweet romance. Continue following this love story with its sequel, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World.
26. Briar Girls by Rebecca Kim Wells
The Cruel Prince meets A Curse So Dark and Lonely in this epic reimagining of “The Sleeping Beauty” that follows a teen girl on a quest to wake a sleeping princess in an enchanted forest, while searching for the truth behind her own deadly curse.
