Bonus: Tumbling by Caela Carter has a lesbian POV (YA, Olympic gymnastics), although there is no romance, and theYou 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.
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
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
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
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
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
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!):
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!