These are primary settings for the novels listed on a thematic level, though they may not be the lone settings. For setting by state/province, click here. For all books set outside the US/UK/Can/AUS, click here.
Abroad
- The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee – B
- A Darkly Beating Heart by Lindsay Smith – B+
- As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper
- Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley – B+
- The Summer of Us by Cecilia Vinesse~
At Sea
- In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens
- The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
- The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Boarding School
Contemporary
- Girlhood by Cat Clarke
- Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
- Openly Straight and Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg
- Without Annette by Jane B. Mason
- People Like Us by Dana Mele – B
- The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian – G, L
- *And They Were Roommates by Page Powars – T
- Empress of the World by Sara Ryan
- Any Place But Here by Sarah Van Name
- If We Were Us by K.L. Walther
SFF
- My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham
- *The Forest Demands its Due by Kosoko Jackson
- A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
- Fraternity by Andy Mientus
- Livingston Girls by Briana Morgan
- The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl
- Simon Snow by Rainbow Rowell
- As I Descended by Robin Talley
Catholic School
- The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
College
- *Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli (visit)
- The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
- She Gets the Girl by Alyson Derrick and Rachael Lippincott
- The Pledge by Cale Dietrich
- I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn and Alison Raskin
- Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei
- Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
- Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann – A+
- We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
- By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery
- And They Lived by Steven Salvatore – NB
- *Just Max by Aiden Thomas – T
- Carmilla by Kim Turrisi
- Fresh by Margot Wood – B
Convention
- The Pros of Cons by Alison Cherry, Lindsay Ribar, and Michelle Schusterman
- Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan
- The One True Me and You by Remi K. England
- Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala
- How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by JC Lillis
- Ship It by Britta Lundin
- The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
- Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
Conversion Camp
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily l. danforth
- Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass
- The Summer I Wasn’t Me by Jessica Verdi
High School (Private/Prep)
Female Protag
- Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
- Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan
- Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough
Male Protag
- Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
- The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
- The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons – T
- Act Cool by Tobly McSmith – T (Performing Arts)
High School (Public)
Female Protag
- Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler
- Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler
- Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli – B
- The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum
- Practically Ever After by Isabel Bandeira
- Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake – B
- Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown
- Belly Up by Eva Darrows – Q
- Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
- Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard
- Perfect On Paper by Sophia Gonzales
- Freshman Year by Annameekee Hesik – L
- The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
- You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
- Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin
- Dating Sarah Cooper by Siera Maley
- Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie (Amz)
- The Prom by Saundra Mitchell
- Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters
- Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen
- Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen
- She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
- Final Draft by Riley Redgate
- The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed – L
- Cherry by Lindsey Rosin – B
- If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo – T
- Birthday by Meredith Russo – T
- Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi – L
- The Last to Let Go by Amber Smith – L
- Dirty London by Kelley York
Male Protag
- Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – G
- The Wicker King by K. Ancrum
- This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender – Q
- Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
- May the Best Man Win by ZR Ellor
- Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
- Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
- Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and Carlyn Greenwald
- Autoboyography by Christina Lauren – B+
- Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith
- Perfect Ten by L. Philips
- *The Borrow a Boyfriend Club by Page Powars – T
- Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate – P+, A (Amz)~
- Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen – G
- Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve – T
- Date Me, Bryson Keller! by Kevin van Whye
Non-Binary Protag
- I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver – B
- Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore – GQ
Magic School
- *Lovely Dark and Deep by Elisa A. Bonnin
- *Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione
- It Ends in Fire by Andrew Shvarts
Magnet School
- Take Her Down by Lauren Emily Whalen
- As You Walk on By by Julian Winters
Nature/Camping Trip
- Even if We Break by Marieke Nijkamp
- The Liar’s Guide to the Night Sky by Brianna Shrum
- Switchback by Danika Stone
Online
- I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn and Alison Raskin
- Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson
Pride
- You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan
- When You Get the Chance by Tom Ryan and Robin Stevenson
Rehab
- Paperweight by Meg Haston
Road Trip/On Tour
- Looking for Group by Rory Harrison
- Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram
- When You Get the Chance by Tom Ryan and Robin Stevenson
Small Town
- Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler (Florida Panhandle)
- We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds (Georgia)
- If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann
- Pumpkin by Julie Murphy
- Like Water by Rebecca Podos – B+ (New Mexico)
- Like Dust, a Flame by Rebecca Podos
- Beulah Land by Nancy Stewart (Missouri Ozarks)
- Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale
Space
- Unstoppable by Charlie Jane Anders
- Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
- Sound by Alexandra Duncan
- The Disasters by M.K. England – B+
- A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson
- The Star Host by F.T. Lukens – B
- Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston~
- The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
- Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie – A+
Summer Camp
- *Wish You Were(n’t) Here by Erin Baldwin
- *You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
- Nothing Happened by Molly Booth – B/P+,~
- Flamer by Mike Curato
- Lunaside by J.L. Douglas
- *The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan
- Keeping Her Secret by Sarah Nicolas (Amz)
- Camp by L.C. Rosen
Wartime
- The Spy With the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke – B,D (WWII)
- Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
- The Shadow War by Lindsay Smith (WWII)
Work/Internship
- Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler – B+/Q
- How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow
- Hot Dog Girl by Jen Dugan – B+
- Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan – B+
- Lizzie by Dawn Ius
- If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann
- The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg
- Like Water by Rebecca Podos – B+
- The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding