Fake It by Lily Seabrooke (Contemporary)
Pack of Her Own by Elena Abbott (Paranormal)
Cinder Ella by ST Lynn (Fantasy)
The Weight of Living by M.A. Hinkle (Contemporary)
Roller Girl by Vanessa North (Contemporary)
Bonus: These are all Adult, but in YA, check out contemporary graphic novel Cheer Up! by Crystal Frazier, Val Wise, and Oscar O. Jupiter
Match Point by R.L. Burgess (tennis)
Roller Girl by Vanessa North (roller derby)
Interference by Zoe Reed (hockey)
Crash Into You by Diana Morland (roller derby)
Break Point (Historical) and Lucky Loser (Contemporary) by Yolanda Wallace (tennis)
Bonus: Tumbling by Caela Carter has a lesbian POV (YA, Olympic gymnastics), although there is no romance, and the You Know Who Girls series by Annameekee Hesik (basketball) has f/f romance and a lesbian protag but is not a Romance by definition
I asked people to tell me the LGBTQIAP+ books they’re most thankful for, in honor of American Thanksgiving coming up this week, and here’s what they had to say! (And if these happen to encourage you to do some holiday shopping, all the better!)
Only one? Quicksilver by RJ Anderson. Read it when I was feeling uncertain about being ace; it was validating to see it named.
— Miriam Joy (@miriamjoywrites) November 20, 2016
#SimonvsTheHomoSapiensAgenda because this book can make me smile when I’m sad and stressed, and I love it so much.
— Priscilla (@brokebackjoker) November 20, 2016
#SimonvsTheHomoSapiensAgenda -A real lightbulb ‘oh that’s totally me there on the page’ book.
— Ian Cann (@thebeercolonel) November 20, 2016
“Patience and Sarah” because the LGBT community deserves happy endings 🙂
— Agata Weronika (@Aqueda_Veronica) November 20, 2016
ROLLER GIRL by @VanessaNWrites. Having a trans woman/cis woman relationship in a book means a lot to me.
— Caissa Casarez (@cmcasarez) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Thankful for Lumberjanes because it’s an all ages comic with Queer and Trans kids that I’d wish I’d been able to read as a kid.
— Susan Rose (@bookishsusan) November 20, 2016
The QoLV series by Kris Ripper. LGTBQ+ chars, a queer community that doesn’t ignore POCs, and v. entertaining MCs.
— Ariadna (@mazingergirlie) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads @MikalebRoehrig‘s Last Seen Leaving bc it deals w/ realizing love exists in many different ways & understanding love is complex
— Katja (@BastiansMom) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads @audwrites Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan. Queer all the way through: characters, world, the lot. Charming too.
— Justina Robson (@JustinaRobson) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads it’s NSFW but the 2012 edition of Smut Peddler anthology. Sex positivity and happy endings for queer folks.
— hiding in a fridge (@adrianfridge) November 20, 2016
Kindness for Weakness by Shawn Goodman. It really opened my eyes to the juvenile justice system and its flaws. https://t.co/cCCjm4FCWI
— Kira Hawke (@kira_hawke) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel, because I related to it so well, and even the side characters are well rounded.
— Roya Hellbender (@RoyaHellbender) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads DUH, Under the Lights, the book of my heart.
— serena (@serenareads13) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Suicide Notes it was the first lgbt book i have ever read
— . (@M1CHAEL_T1LLMAN) November 20, 2016
.@LGBTQReads By The Light of my Father’s Smile by Alice Walker. Helped me figure myself out as a teenager. Showed me there could be joy.
— Sarah Kay Moll (@skmoll) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads it’s NSFW but the 2012 edition of Smut Peddler anthology. Sex positivity and happy endings for queer folks.
— hiding in a fridge (@adrianfridge) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit because I think I’m in love with Mary Carlson and it was feel-good, Christian, & f/f
— Rebecca (@rebeccasteele_) November 20, 2016
JULIET TAKES A BREATH by @QuirkyRican-related so much to being disillusioned by white feminism+being token brown person in some rooms. https://t.co/n9dzeBPej2
— Janani (@TheShrinkette) November 20, 2016
Dating Sarah Cooper by Siera Maley. It’s fun & adorable & bi rep & I love it. https://t.co/gQDUObdQew
— Ashley Herring Blake (@ashleyhblake) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads ARI & DANTE bc it explores the intersections b/w queer and Hispanic identities and shows that it’s normal to doubt yourself 🌈
— Adriana (@perpetualpages) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Radio Silence by Alice Oseman because there are queer characters but their story isn’t focused on romantic/sexual relationship.
— Katja (@Xitty) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads The Merro Tree by Katie Waitman. Queer+survivor+art+struggle+joy, shelved in SFF like all this could actually be “normal.” 1997.
— Kate De Groot (@kilkennykat_9) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Ash by @malindalo I am obsessed with fresh spins on classic fairy tales and this delivers. A beautifully told, delicate jewel
— braveandreckless (@Christabelle666) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Ahh so hard! NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED because I really identified with not fitting neatly into any one box.
— 🍁Sarah Kettles🍂 (@sfkettles) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads EVERYTHING LEADS TO YOU, because friendship, romance, fairytale situations, and beautiful storytelling.
— Jaye Robin Brown (@JayeRobinBrown) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Stygian by santino hassell-bc i love paranormal, and never got to see myself in it as a voracious teen reader ❤️
— not normalizing shit (@SaraTheBeth) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Try by @EllaFrank2012 because it was my first and recommended to me by a mormon.Made me see how powerful (and HOT) the genre is.
— Lucy Lennox (@lucylennoxMM) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads, Gives Light by Rose Christo for its beautiful storytelling and wonderfully real characters & setting. Great #ownvoices YA read
— Gay Romance NW (@GayRom_NW) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads SUNDAY YOU LEARN HOW TO BOX by Bil Wright bc it was the 1st book with a queer black protag that mirrored my experience
— Wes Kennedy (@heyweskennedy) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads #BadBoy by @ElliotWake (coming soon). Trans rep by a trans author. Such a good thing to see in books.
— Eli (@elknight20) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Riley Redgate’s SEVEN WAYS WE LIE will always hold a special place in my heart for the explicit pansexual rep in YA.
— Chasia Lloyd (@WriterCMLloyd) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS, for portraying a transboy as a desirable hero and showing the uh, result of that desire on the page!
— Chase Night (@TheChaseNight) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads JULIET TAKES A BREATH because it manages to be Queer 101, Intersectional Feminism 101, and a plain good book all at once.
— fae af (@alyssakeiko) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads I’m thankful for YOU KNOW ME WELL for giving us hope in a dark time
— Stephanie Autry (@autry_stephanie) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads TELL ME AGAIN by Farizan. For having a lesbian of color that tackles cultural identity, supportive but complicated family.
— Sue (@SueYAHollywood) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads not your sidekick by cb lee! bc i finally saw myself & my culture in this book 🌸
— d i e p 🌻 (@rykemeadovvs) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads #georgiapeaches by @JayeRobinBrown bc it has real queer girls & shows the struggle & compromise b/n queerness & faith
— MacYork’s (@hlmacyork) November 20, 2016
@kj_charles‘s Society of Gentlemen series, because even in the face of this election it helped me escape. #bestever
— Alicia (@zootlet2) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads I an thankful for Hold by @RDavidsonLeigh exploring grief and letting me really start to process it in my life.
— Emily Jan (@janecdotes) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Girl Mans Up by @ME_Girard for having a protagonist who looks like me.
— Gwen C. Katz (@gwenckatz) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads @avongalewrites Making Gay History – a fantastic collection of first-hand accounts from the early LGBT civil rights movement
— Winter Tashlin (@wintersong) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads my students and I loved One Man Guy by @mibarakiva – it was one of our summer reading choices this year.
— Ms. Elisabeth Yucis (@MsYucis) November 20, 2016
Tipping the Velvet bc it was the first lesbian romance I ever read that was 100% concerned w queer women’s’ experiences https://t.co/J5Y24oa8eA
— K Lucas McKay (@KLucasMcKay) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Curious Wine, because it forced me to accept that I was queer and because it’s a amazing book!!! #LaneAndDianaForever
— Crystal Dawn Roby (@Roby32888) November 21, 2016
@LGBTQReads Reading Delta of Venus by Anais Nin at sixteen mapped my understanding of nonbinary desire.
— Michelle Ruiz Keil (@MichelleRKeil) November 21, 2016
How I Paid For College. 1st book I read where friends were still friends when one came out. https://t.co/R5xKPIkKA2
— Weezie (@bookstorebae) November 21, 2016
Juliet Takes a Breath by @QuirkyRican for being all the words I needed as a teen, but still changed everything at 29. https://t.co/fYbLsy9GtO
— Tehlor Kay Mejia (@tehlorkay) November 21, 2016
@LGBTQReads True Letters from a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan bc it goes through the process of accepting being gay and it’s beautiful
— A. Ali (@jujo026) November 21, 2016
@LGBTQReads Almost Like Being in Love bc it shows how easy it is to write queer love stories without angst and is just a romcom in book form
— Tasha (@tashpaula) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Purple Prose: Bisexuality in the UK, cos there’s been nothing like it for 20+ years. Plus its a fab book, edited by @katyha
— Black Mystery Month (@applewriter) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Living the Spirit: A Gay American Indian Anthology because it allowed me to reclaim my identity as a native bisexual man
— Sahoni #NoDAPL (@Sahoni_Stuff) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads So glad I read Eli Clare’s Exile and Pride, it was one of the core books that politicized me around disability. (Thats nonfic)
— Corey Alexander (@TGStoneButch) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads The Traitor Baru Cormorant for incorporating anti-imperialism and for having such complex and memorable queer characters.
— Maya Chhabra (@mayachhabra) November 20, 2016
.@LGBTQReads The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle because sexual ID is just one of the things teens/ YAs are exploring.
— KenyaIsTheBossOfYou (@BookedUpBoss) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads Clancy of the Undertow by @furioushorses. Flawed, normal, likeable characters. SO Australian. It’s the book I needed 15yrs ago.
— Jessica Walton (@JessHealyWalton) November 20, 2016
the art of being normal by @lisa_letters. it’s the first and only book i’ve read with a trans character i could relate to https://t.co/38WiCQddo1
— miki 🙋🏾♂️ (@Ieepark) November 20, 2016
@LGBTQReads THE ABYSS SURROUNDS US bc it proves that it’s easily possible to include poc & lgbt in fantasy books without too much effort
— Avery☕️ (@bookdeviant) November 20, 2016
.@LGBTQReads ‘Tim & Pete’ by James Robert Baker. A stunning burst of rage and radicalism, the antithesis of “it gets better” homonormativity
— Snow Pulse Buoy (@nanayasleeps) November 21, 2016
Demon Road series by Derek Landy. In a year where lesbians keep dying in media they finally found a happy ending. In a horror book. https://t.co/uHWXOxyP5m
— T.D.K (@LethargicWonder) November 20, 2016
Definitely @MissDahlELama‘s UNDER THE LIGHTS because Asian rep + amazing F/F love story ❤️ https://t.co/AnYnacDzeO
— Hazel Ureta (@staybookish) November 22, 2016
Ash by Malinda Lo. I read it and was… YOU CAN DO THIS?? You can write queer girls in fantasy novels?? And I’ve been doing just that since. https://t.co/VoGicMa4Rn
— Jaylee James ✨ (@thewritingj) November 21, 2016
Annie on My Mind-really sad but is the first book that made me go OH 😮 https://t.co/AcAlYmT5U9
— Amy Michelle (@GeminiDragonAM) November 22, 2016
The God Eaters, by Jesse Hajicek. All day, every day. https://t.co/DJdnSDZ5IT
— Agatha Bitchy (@oddmonstr) November 22, 2016
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger. It was intensely relatable and eye-opening at a rather pivotal time in my life. https://t.co/NjIfBTE1tb
— Andy Pennell (@TheWarQueer) November 22, 2016
oranges are not the only fruit because it opened my brain up to new ways of being, loving and seeing!! https://t.co/yZzWvw3T2s
— internet saint (@_Lily_Luna_) November 22, 2016
SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA by @beckyalbertalli. It’s the novel I needed at 16 and am so damn happy having at 26. So happy it exists! https://t.co/x4BBDlTq6Z
— ADAM SILVERA (@AdamSilvera) November 22, 2016
@LGBTQReads #WeAreTheAnts because this book shows grief/loss in different way, but can still show people can get through it being happy.
— Israel Leon (@IsraelL26630520) November 22, 2016
@LGBTQReads THE HOUSE OF HADES BC COMING OUT STORIES NEED NOT BE TRAGIC ALL THE TIME BUT ACCEPTING AND AWKWARD
— +Sarah+ (@SarahSecret666) November 22, 2016
More Happy Than Not by @AdamSilvera because even though it devastated me, it’s expertly written and the characters are great https://t.co/ezS9ZVDoPW
— #THWg (@LeNoirAuteur) November 22, 2016
@LGBTQReads Dare, Truth or Promise – Paula Boock. The only one that got into the school library under the Section 28 radar.
— Kathleen Jowitt (@KathleenJowitt) November 22, 2016
I’m damn happy I read “I’ll Give You The Sun” and “We Are The Ants”. Lovable characters who encouraged me in any way in my life. https://t.co/k1MqOqlJ2m
— clemi 🌚 (@deafpope) November 22, 2016
@LGBTQReads MY HEARTBEAT by Garret Freymann-Weyr was my introduction to bisexuality. So honest and sweet and doesn’t pander.
— hannah moskowitz (@hannahmosk) November 22, 2016
IF I WAS YOUR GIRL (@Mer_Squared) bc it’s the kind of book that’s going to save lives thru validation and empathy. https://t.co/ZTgiM5s6nl
— Preeti Chhibber (@runwithskizzers) November 22, 2016
@LGBTQReads The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd ❤️💛💚💙💜
— Khoshekh (@AJerund) November 22, 2016
@LGBTQReads HowToBeANormalPerson @tjklune. Friend recently came out as Ace. Having read the book, I could talk to, support & understand them
— Di Lancaster (@Di_Lanc) November 22, 2016
Continuing on with the theme of helping you find solid LGBTQIAP+ lit on a budget, check out these ten books with trans MCs that are under five bucks:
Endless Forever by E.M. Lindsey ($0.99)
Eitan’s Chord by Shira Glassman ($0.99)
Portside by Elyan Smith ($0.99)
Long Macchiatos and Monsters by Alison Evans ($1.99)
A Matter of Disagreement by E.E. Ottoman ($2.99)
Defying Convention by Cecil Wilde ($2.99)
Roller Girl by Vanessa North ($3.99)
Coffee Boy by Austin Chant ($3.99)*
Bumbling into Body Hair: Tales of an Accident-Prone Transsexual by Everett Maroon ($4.00)
Documenting Light by E.E. Ottoman ($4.99)
The Queer and the Restless by Kris Ripper ($4.99)*
Finding Your Feet by Cass Lennox ($4.99)*
The Unintentional Time Traveler by Everett Maroon ($5.00)
Bonus (Trans LI): The City War by Sam Starbuck ($2.99)
Bonus (LGBT and Two-Spirit Anthology): Love Beyond, Body, Space, and Time ed. by Hope Nicholson ($5.00)
*Priced for preorder; links are to publisher’s site
If you shop for f/f Romance a decent amount, you’ve probably noticed that it tends to be waaaay pricier than m/m or m/f, so, in yet another round of helping you queer up your shelves (or your Kindle) on a budget, here are ten f/f Romances (NA and up; you can find YA here) that are all under five bucks (with thanks to Vanessa North for the help and the inspiration!):
The Belle vs. the BDOC by Amy Jo Cousins ($2.99)
Roller Girl by Vanessa North ($3.99)
The Final Rose by Eliza Lentzki ($3.99)
Out on Good Behavior by Dahlia Adler ($3.99)
The Gravity Between Us by Kristen Zimmer ($3.99)
Something True by Karelia Stetz-Waters ($3.99)
Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon ($4.99)
The Butch and the Beautiful by Kris Ripper ($4.99)
Such a Pretty Face by Gabrielle Goldsby ($4.99)
Top to Bottom by Delphine Dryden ($4.99)
I have to open this post with my utter shame that Roller Girl (releasing July 25, 2016) is my first Vanessa North novel, but it definitely won’t be my last. (Though that should confirm for you that despite being the third in a series, this book can totally be read on its own.) I just simply could not resist the lure of f/f centered around roller derby and featuring a trans protag. I mean, hi, I’m only human. Anyway, the book turned out to be super cute and also feature some quality dirty talk, which is approximately my favorite thing in Romance, and I’m dying to have more trans books follow in its fluffy footsteps. (And, PS, it also happens to have a starred review from Publishers Weekly.)
Recently divorced Tina Durham is trying to be self-sufficient, but her personal-training career is floundering, her closest friends are swept up in new relationships, and her washing machine has just flooded her kitchen. It’s enough to make a girl cry.
Instead, she calls a plumbing service, and Joanne “Joe Mama”
Delario comes to the rescue. Joe is sweet, funny, and good at fixing things. She also sees something special in Tina and invites her to try out for the roller derby team she coaches.
Derby offers Tina an outlet for her frustrations, a chance to excel, and the female friendships she’s never had before. And as Tina starts to thrive at derby, the tension between her and Joe cranks up. Despite their player/coach relationship, they give in to their mutual attraction. Sex in secret is hot, but Tina can’t help but want more.
With work still on the rocks and her relationship in the closet, Tina is forced to reevaluate her life. Can she be content with a secret lover? Or with being dependent on someone else again? It’s time for Tina to tackle her fears, both on and off the track.
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 three reasons why you should know them. Here are a few coming up in 2016! (Title links to Goodreads; Author links to book pages for preorder.)
Title: Roller Girl (July 25)
Author: Vanessa North
Genre/Category: Contemporary Romance
Rainbow details: f/f, trans woman and cis woman
Why put it on your radar?
1. Ummm roller derby? Did you not catch that?
2. This is actually gonna be my first Vanessa North read, but far as I can tell she’s pretty great!
3. Mainstream f/f Romance is still reasonably rare, and including at least one trans woman even more so.
Title: Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit (August 30)
Author: Jaye Robin Brown
Genre/Category: Contemporary YA
Rainbow details: f/f, both MC and LI are lesbian and cis
Why put it on your radar?
1. Super fun, cute, and hot f/f YA with an HEA; all the things I almost never find together in one space.
2. Really great exploration of the intersection between queerness and religion.
3. It’s set in the south, where queer teens could especially stand to see their stories in happy contexts right now.
Title: As I Descended (September 6)
Author: Robin Talley
Genre/Category: Paranormal YA
Rainbow details: f/f, bi MC
Why put it on your radar?
1. This is a freaking Macbeth retelling. In boarding school. With ghosts. I MEAN.
2. I haven’t read this one yet but I’ve heard rumblings of a much A+ representation in this book, in addition to queerness.
3. Robin Talley is maybe the author most frequently and consistently publishing LGBTQ YA with a big house right now, and always does so with an eye on intersectionality; she’s just generally a fabulous person to support.
Title: Last Seen Leaving (October 4)
Author: Caleb Roehrig
Genre/Category: YA Thriller
Rainbow details: Questioning/Gay boy
Why put it on your radar? 1. Thrillers are my crack. Willing to bet I’m not alone there.
2. Debut author! Love getting in on the ground floor of a potential great new voice in LGBTQIAP+ YA, and all signs (and reviews)(and, if I’m being honest, his tweets) point to him being someone to watch
3. It’s just so…interesting. And resonant. And the representation is every bit as beautiful as the writing.
Title: When the Moon Was Ours (October 4)
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore
Genre/Category: Magical Realism YA
Rainbow details: m/f, queer cis girl and straight trans boy
Why put it on your radar?
1. The writing is melt-your-brain beautiful.
2. QPoC are incredibly rare in YA, as are romances between PoC (and especially interracial romances between PoC), and this is between a Latina girl and a Desi boy.
3. It’s just so…interesting. And resonant. And the representation is every bit as beautiful as the writing.
Stay tuned for the next TBR Alert, coming soon; in the meantime, please spread the word about these!
