5 LGBTQ+ Books on my TBR!

Pride month is in full swing (🥳) so it’s had me looking at my current TBR and which LGBTQ+ books are waiting patiently on my shelves for their turn to be read.

This year I’m trying to focus on getting through my (ridiculously) huge physical TBR and so while there are a whole bunch of other LGBTQ+ books on my radar, I thought I’d focus on giving some attention to the ones I already own. Here are five books that make perfect reading for Pride month (and, lets face it, every other month too) if you need some inspiration…

*This is inspired by The Local Bee Hunter’s Nook who hosts the #5OnMyTBR tag. There was a prompt earlier this month about LGBTQ+ rep but I missed it!

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Wranglestone by Darren Charlton

Blurb: In a post-apocalyptic America, a community survives in a national park, surrounded by water that keeps the Dead at bay. But when winter comes, there’s nothing to stop them from crossing the ice. Then homebody Peter puts the camp in danger by naively allowing a stranger to come ashore and he’s forced to leave the community of Wranglestone. Now he must help rancher Cooper, the boy he’s always watched from afar, herd the Dead from their shores before the lake freezes over. But as love blossoms, a dark discovery reveals the sanctuary’s secret past. One that forces the pair to question everything they’ve ever known.

🏳️‍🌈 A m/m romance set in the zombie apocalypse! What more could you want? I’m also a huge fan of LGBTQ+ books expanding beyond the contemporary genre 🤩

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

Blurb: Simone has got high school down. She’s made friends, she’s directing the school musical, and she’s making out with Miles, the most attractive boy in school. She’s also HIV-positive – and that complicates things. Because the last time she told someone, the fallout was devastating. And when Simone finds an anonymous threat in her locker threatening to turn her world upside down, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on…

🏳️‍🌈 While the main character (I think!) is straight, she does have two dads and, from what I know, this explores the impact of HIV and AIDs on the LGBTQ+ community.

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Blurb: At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarised society. Depending on her specialisation, a graduate will one day run her husband’s household or raise his children, but both wives are promised a life of comfort and luxury, far away from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her bright future depends upon no one discovering her darkest secret – that her pedigree is a lie. Her parents sacrificed everything to obtain forged identification papers so that Dani could rise above her station. Now that her marriage to an important politico’s son is fast approaching, she must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society, where famine and poverty rule supreme. On her graduation night, Dani seems to be in the clear, despite the surprises that unfold. But nothing prepares her for all the difficult choices she must make, especially when she is asked to spy for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio. Will Dani give up everything she’s strived for in pursuit of a free Medio – and a chance at a forbidden love?

🏳️‍🌈 I’ve heard a few times that this book looks at f/f relationships without necessarily labelling them mixed in with some enemies-to-lovers which I love. Apparently the second book in this duology is more openly queer but it’s a series I’m excited to start nonetheless!

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

Blurb: Set in the deep American South between the wars, this is the tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Raped repeatedly by the man she calls ‘father’, she has two children taken away from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery – singer and magic-maker – a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually, Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.

🏳️‍🌈 I had no idea that this book was remotely LGBTQ+ but I recently found out that it features a lesbian relationship! Apparently this is often downplayed, especially in the film adaptation, so I’m intrigued to read the original story.

Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye

Blurb: Everyone at Fairvale Academy knows Bryson Keller, the super-hot soccer captain who doesn’t believe in high-school relationships. They also know about the dare Bryson accepted – each week he has to date the first person who asks him out. A single school week is all anyone gets. There have been no exceptions to this. None. Until me, that is. Because brilliant, faultless Bryson Keller forgot one thing. The dare never specified it could only be girls he dated…

🏳️‍🌈 Another m/m romance that is sold as a mix of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Simon vs the Homo Sapians Agenda 👀 I fell in love with the blurb of this one and am always ready to read a tropey romance!

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Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Are there any recommendations you could give me? I’d love to know! 

You can always find me over on Twitter if you’d like to discuss this post (or any of the others) more or if you’re just looking for some book chat! 😌