Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour
Under Threat by Robin Stevenson
Bleeding Earth by Kaitlin Ward
You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan
Winning by Lara Deloza
Bonus: Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown and Without Annette by Jane B. Mason both feature lesbian MCs who are out but then have to go back in for their new schools
We Are Okay (February 14)
Author: Nina LaCour
Genre/Category: Contemporary YA
Rainbow details: lesbian MC, major bi secondary
Why put it on your radar? Because everything Nina LaCour touches turns to gold and this isn’t remotely an exception. I cried like a freaking baby after reading this one.
Wanted: A Gentleman (January 9)
Author: KJ Charles
Genre/Category: Historical Romance
Rainbow details: Gay MC
Why put it on your radar? Let’s be real: if you’re into queer historical romance at all, anything by KJ Charles is already on your radar.
A Good Idea (February 28)
Author: Cristina Moracho
Genre/Category: Contemporary YA
Rainbow details: Bi MC
Why put it on your radar? Those looking for more queer YA in which sexuality/coming out aren’t “issues” will find a perfect match in this twisty noir about friendship and betrayal
Perfect Ten (June 6)
Author: L. Philips
Genre/Category: Contemporary YA
Rainbow details: Gay MC
Why put it on your radar? Because it’s cute as helllll but also does a really nice job capturing why monogamy can feel especially difficult for queer kids who suddenly have options for the first time in their lives
Meg & Linus (April 18)
Author: Hanna Nowinski
Genre/Category: Contemporary YA
Rainbow details: Gay MC, Lesbian MC
Why put it on your radar? Gay and lesbian MCs who are BFFs? Two main characters who are already out? Relatively low angst? Nerds? Come on.
Oh hi, this is a book about princesses in love, and yes, it is super happy. Do you need to know anything else? Yeah, I didn’t think so. If you’ve been waiting for a book that finally pairs with Malinda Lo’s Ash and/or Sara Gaines’ Noble Falling and Noble Persuasion, ta da!
Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden.
Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine (called Mare), sister of her betrothed.
When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two work together, each discovers there’s more to the other than she thought. Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. Soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.
But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms—and each other.
Buy it: IndieBound * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository
Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst (f/f YA Fantasy)
The Rules of Ever After by Killian B. Brewer (m/m YA Fantasy)
The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine (m/f bi YA Fantasy)
The Princess Affair by Nell Stark (f/f Adult Contemp)
Cinder Ella by S.T. Lynn (f/f Adult Fantasy w/trans protag)
Bonus: Shira Glassman’s entire Mangoverse series features a variety of royals and representation!
These are all dual-POV books in which at least one POV belongs to a queer character and the other belongs to a close friend, not a love interest.
Run by Kody Keplinger
You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan
Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler
Meg & Linus by Hanna Nowinski
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
Bonus: Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa is tri-POV, and two of those POVs belong to BFFs who are a gay guy and a straight girl;
Bonus #2: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman is single POV, but the BFFship is the core relationship of the story, and both BFFs are queer (bi and demi, respectively)
I’ve been doing a lot of hunting for cheap LGBTQ YA lately, as one of the easiest things for people in book world with some disposable income to do is donate. And if you don’t already have on hand to do so, here’s where you can stock up!
Every Day by David Levithan – $2.49, BookOutlet
Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan – $2.99, BookOutlet
Adaptation by Malinda Lo – $2.99, BookOutlet
Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle – $2.99, BookOutlet
Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour – $3.49, BookOutlet
Proxy by Alex London – $3.99, BookOutlet
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden – $5.62, Amazon
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth – $6.24, B&N
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsburg – $6.24, B&N
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray – $6.24, Amazon
Hero by Perry Moore – $6.24, Amazon
Ask the Passengers by A.S. King – $6.44, Amazon
The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle – $6.49, BookOutlet
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan – $6.57, B&N
One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva – $6.52, Amazon
Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall – $6.67, Amazon
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson – $6.70, Amazon
Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour – $6.71, Amazon
Far From You by Tess Sharpe – $6.73, Amazon
Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan – $6.84, B&N
Ash by Malinda Lo – $6.87, B&N
Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson – $6.91, Amazon
The Winter Triangle by Nikki Woolfolk
Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
A Matter of Disagreement by E.E. Ottoman
Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger
Clockwork Tangerine by Rhys Ford
For those of you who feel like you’ve already read every LGBTQIAP+ book in existence, not to worry – there’s plenty still to come! Every TBRainbow Alert will have a mix of five LGBTQIAP+ titles to make sure are on your radar, along with why I think they should be on your radar. If you missed the earlier alerts, you can check out those titles here. And now, because I can’t wait to get these books on your reading lists, check out some of what awaits in 2017!
Radio Silence (March 28)*
Author: Alice Oseman
Genre/Category: Contemporary YA
Rainbow details: bi MC, major demi secondary
Why put it on your radar?
Just gonna repost my entire GR review here: Okay I totally see why people are in love with this book – I definitely know people for whom reading this would feel like coming home, and I hope everyone for whom that’s true finds it. If you’re afraid to be yourself, to show your weird; if finding a friend with whom you really click is so rare for you that you feel legit terror at the idea of losing it; if you’re still working out your sexuality (or lack thereof); if you’re a fan of Welcome to Night Vale… Anyway, read it. (Plus, on-page bi MC and also the first YA in which I’ve ever seen the word demisexual.)
*This is the US release date. It originally released in the UK in 2016.
Finding Your Feet (January 16)
Author: Cass Lennox
Genre/Category: Contemporary Romance
Rainbow details: ace female/trans male
Why put it on your radar?
I haven’t read any of the books in this series yet, but they’re so full of underrepresented characters, I’m just hoping to love them all, and hoping lots of people who haven’t been able to find themselves in books yet can find themselves in these!
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (June 20)
Author: Mackenzi Lee
Genre/Category: Historical YA
Rainbow details: Bi MC and LI
Why put it on your radar?
This book is so. Much. Fun. If you follow Mackenzi Lee on Twitter (or have at least seen her #BygoneBadassBroads series) you know how awesomely fun she can make history, and how she makes characters from eras you might think stodgy come to life.
Queens of Geek (March 14)
Author: Jen Wilde
Genre/Category: Contemporary YA
Rainbow details: Bi MC, lesbian LI
Why put it on your radar?
This is a super freaking cute fandom book with two best friends narrating, providing one f/f romance and one cishet romance. It’s also got lovely autism rep, and is full of encouraging messages. This one particularly stuck out to me as being a good choice for reluctant readers.
Dreadnought (January 24)
Author: April Daniels
Genre/Category: Sci-Fi YA
Rainbow details: Trans MC
Why put it on your radar?
TRANS SUPERHERO BOOK. We good here? Yeah, I thought so.
A Hundred Thousand Words by Nyrae Dawn
Certainly, Possibly, You by Lissa ReedÂ
Out of Frame by Megan EricksonÂ
F*ths by G.L. Thomas
Hold Me by Courtney MilanÂ
Bonus: Non-Contemp NAs: Vampire Sorority Sisters series by Rebekah Weatherspoon (Paranormal) and To Terminator, With Love by Wes Kennedy (Sci-Fi)
I am totally having a moment with this series. Certainly, Possibly, You, which released on October 6, is the second book, but I was only halfway through the first when I bought it, because honestly, adorable + foodie themed + great rep (especially f/f) is really all I need, thank you very much! So far in the series there’ve been characters who are gay, bi, lesbian, transgender, and/or polyamorous, and in case you couldn’t tell from the cover (or the cover of its predecessor), we’re not talking a lily-white Romance series either.
The girl you’re looking at on this cover is Sarita, an Indian American lesbian studying Philosophy in grad school and working as head decorator at the Sucre Coeur bakery that’s the center of the series. In this super cute romance, she deals with the challenging dynamics of her mostly supportive family and a major shift happening within it while also falling for a bisexual Puerto Rican ballroom dancer named Maritza, who’s got her own POV and her own issues moving forward in her career, given her ex-boyfriend is not only growing increasingly abusive but is still her dance partner.
And there are cupcakes. In these books, there are always cupcakes. (And there’s a recipe at the end, too!)
Buy it: Interlude Press * The Ripped Bodice * Amazon * Barnes & Noble *Â iBooks
