LGBTQ+ Young Adult Romance Books

Reading age - 13 years and up.

It's 200 years since Cinderella found her prince, but the fairytale is over.

Sophia knows the story though, off by heart. Because every girl has to recite it daily, from when she's tiny until the night she's sent to the royal ball for choosing. And every girl knows that she has only one chance. For the lives of those not chosen by a man at the ball . are forfeit.

But Sophia doesn't want to be chosen - she's in love with her best friend, Erin, and hates the idea of being traded like cattle. And when Sophia's night at the ball goes horribly wrong, she must run for her life. Alone and terrified, she finds herself hiding in Cinderella's tomb. And there she meets someone who will show her that she has the power to remake her world .

An electrifying twist on the classic fairytale that will inspire girls to break out of limiting stereotypes and follow their dreams!

“Kalynn Bayron does more than re-write a fairytale ... She breaks it apart and rebuilds it into a wholly original and captivating story where girls finally decide for themselves who lives happily ever after” –  New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer

“A richly diverse and lovely read ... relevant, modern and inclusive” –  NetGalley Reviewer

“This was gay, romantic and perfectly set, with a mixture of traditional fairy tale elements that were flipped on their head and new elements that made it seem less susceptible to tropes and problems. It was a really enjoyable read and really put an exciting, original spin on the Cinderella tale” –  NetGalley Reviewer

“Did somebody say feminist? As someone who was raised on fairy tales and Disney, practically conditioned to believe the woman was supposed to be rescued by the man, I ADORED this book. I was captivated from the start and the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ themes warmed my heart. I can't wait to see what Bayron does next” –  NetGalley Reviewer

“Cinderella Is Dead is an incredible feminist retelling of the classic tale I never knew I needed in my life, but I'm so glad it exists” –  NetGalley Reviewer

“Full of power, humour, strength and love, "Cinderella Is Dead" shows itself to be one of the most engaging novels I've encountered this year. With a powerful story that is about doing what is right and a host of characters you come to care for deeply, I can find so few faults with this. It will be one I recommend to everyone over the next few months” –  NetGalley Reviewer

Reading level - 12 to 18 years.

The mesmerising New York Times bestseller!

Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honour they could hope for . . . and the most demeaning. This year, there's a ninth.

And instead of paper, she's made of fire.

'A timely reminder that, in the right hands, the fantasy genre has things to say about injustice and abuse of power in the real world' Guardian

Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. Ten years ago, her mother was snatched by the royal guards, and her fate remains unknown. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei they are after - the girl with the golden eyes, whose rumoured beauty has piqued the king's interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, Lei does the unthinkable - she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world's entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.

Reading level - 11 to 14 years. 

A tender, witty ghost story – and an exciting new direction for the internationally bestselling author of Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.

Celeste and Sorrel, Reuben and Orlando: high school friends who hang out together all the time. When Sorrel gets hit by a car one rainy night, it’s not surprising the others fall apart in various ways.

But it’s not just grief they’re struggling with – it’s parents.

Unfair, demanding, challenging parents who are, quite frankly, making their lives a misery. That’s why Sorrel decides she’s not going to be properly dead till she’s sorted out her friends' lives and can leave them with a clearer sense of what they want out of life.

From the bestselling author of Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, this is a tender comedic ghost story which touches on some important issues, like bullying, coming out, and the life-denying way the old want to live through the young and impose their failures on them. It’s about the importance of being the person you want to be – or else, being miserable.

Reading level - 12 to 17 years.

Millie Quint is devastated when she discovers that her sort-of-best friend/sort-of-girlfriend has been kissing someone else. Heartbroken and ready for a change of pace, Millie decides to apply for scholarships to boarding schools...the farther from Houston the better.

Soon, Millie is accepted into one of the world's most exclusive schools, located in the rolling highlands of Scotland. Here, the country is dreamy and green; the school is covered in ivy, and the students think her American-ness is adorable. The only problem: Mille's roommate Flora is a total princess.

She's also an actual princess. Of Scotland. At first, the girls can't stand each other, but before Millie knows it, she has another sort-of-best-friend/sort-of-girlfriend.

Princess Flora could be a new chapter in her love life, but Millie knows the chances of happily-ever-afters are slim...after all, real life isn't a fairy tale...or is it?

Reading level - 13 to 16 years.

FINALIST FOR THE PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE 2019-20

Sail away this summer with the unexpected romance of Scotland's most determined teenager...

Lily couldn't have planned life better herself. She lives in the best house in town and she's dating the most popular boy in school. Everything else she can fix. Mum's apathy? On it! The stuffy gala committee? Watch this space!

Tom has enough on his plate without trying to drag Newton St Cuthbert into the 21st Century. His sister is sick and there's nothing anyone can do. Not doctors, not his parents, and certainly not Lily Hildebrand.

This novel covers everything from mental health issues and chronic illnesses to LGBTQ rights in a small town.

The perfect summer romance for fans of Morgan Matson's Since You've Been Gone, Stephanie Perkins' Anna and the French Kiss, and Jennifer E Smith's novels.

Suitable for 14 - 18 years.

The fourth novel from the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman – one of the most authentic and talked-about voices in contemporary YA.

It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean?

Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.

As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.

But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.

Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?

This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance.

Author: Alice Oseman
Format: Paperback
Pages: 448
ISBN: 9780008244125

Reading level - 12 years and up.

Melt My Heart is a hilarious and inspiring coming-of-age YA novel from Bethany Rutter: influencer, editor and a fierce UK voice in the debate around body positivity.

Lily Rose is used to people paying attention to her gorgeous twin sister, Daisy. But even though Lily loves her own fat body, she can't shake the idea that no one would ever choose her over Daisy – not when they could have the thin twin.

That is, until she meets Cal, the gorgeous, sweet guy from New Zealand who can't seem to stay away. The gorgeous, sweet guy who also happens to be Daisy's summer crush.

Lily can't seem to figure out why she isn't as into him as she should be. She should be head-over-heels in love, not missing time at the ice-cream shack with her life-long best friend, Cassie. Not wondering what Cassie is getting up to with Cal's friend Jack, or what she's thinking about when they're alone . . .

With University threatening to tear Cassie and Lily apart at the end of summer and Lily desperately trying to keep Cal a secret from Daisy, summer is set to be far from relaxing.

Suitable for 12 - 14 years.

’...this poignant and disarming story is full of heart and its crescendo will give you tingles’ Attitude Magazine

‘Outstanding’ Irish Examiner

Sam has known his sister Jessica all his life. Tonight is the first time they’re going to meet.

Sam Waver has always been a loner: bullied, struggling at school, with parents who have very little time for him. The one person he has always been able to rely on is his beloved older sibling – but when they announce that they are transitioning, Sam’s life is thrown upside down. He’s convinced nothing will ever be the same again – but as Sam is about to discover, nothing is more constant than love.

A moving and heartfelt portrait of one family’s journey to acceptance, from a master storyteller.

‘A story with so much heart that the pages practically pulse. Both funny and moving… this is a must-read for all ages’ Irish Independent

Author: John Boyne
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
ISBN: 9780241376164

Reading level - 13 years and up.

Two women connected across generations through the power of words.

In 1955 eighteen-year-old Janet Jones must keep the love she shares with her best friend a secret. As in the age of McCarthyism to be gay is to sin. But when Janet discovers a series of books about women falling in love with other women, it awakens something in her. As she juggles a romance she must keep hidden and a new-found ambition to write and publish her own story, she risks exposing herself – and Marie – to a danger all too real.

Sixty-two years later, Abby Cohen can’t stop thinking about her senior project – classic 1950s lesbian pulp fiction. She feels especially connected to one author, ‘Marian Love’, and becomes determined to track her down and discover her true identity. Is Abby prepared for what she will find?

A stunning story of bravery, love, how far we’ve come and how much farther we have to go.

Reading level - 14 years and up. 

The most personal and tender novel yet from Patrick Ness, the twice Carnegie Medal-winning author of A Monster Calls.

A startling and tender novel about how to let yourself love and set yourself free

“Spellbinding.” Attitude Magazine.

It's Saturday, it's summer and, although he doesn't know it yet, everything in Adam Thorn's life is going to fall apart. But maybe, just maybe, he'll find freedom from the release.

Time is running out though, because way across town, a ghost has risen from the lake...

This uplifting coming-of-age novel will remind you what it's like to fall in love.

Reading level - 14 - 17 years.

"The queer teen historical you didn't know was missing from your life." - Teen Vogue, on The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

In this funny and frothy novella that picks up where the New York Times bestselling The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue leaves off, freshly minted couple Monty and Percy fumble through their first time together.

Monty's epic grand tour may be over, but now that he and Percy are finally a couple, he realises there is something more nerve-wracking than being chased across Europe: getting together with the person you love.

Will the romantic allure of Santorini make his first time with Percy magical, or will all the anticipation and build-up completely spoil the mood?

Author: Mackenzi Lee
Format: Hardback
Pages: 114
ISBN: 9780062967169

Reading level - 14 years and up.

“A rising star of fantasy fiction.” The Times

"Zoë Marriott has created something truly special.” Lauren James, author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe

"Richly imagined yet sharply topical. You’ll fall in love with Zhi.” L. A. Weatherly, author of the Angel trilogy

Zhilan was assigned female at birth. Despite a gift for illusions, they know they are destined to live out their life within the confines of the women’s quarter. But when civil war sets the empire aflame, Zhilan is determined save their disabled father from the battlefield.

By taking his place. Surviving brutal army training as a boy – Zhi – is only the first challenge. In the glittering court of the Land of Dragons, love and betrayal are two sides of the same smile, and soon the fate of a nation rests on Zhi’s shoulders.

But to win, they must decide where their heart truly belongs…

Reading level - 12 years and up. 

"A hugely rewarding read." SFX Magazine

“James is one to watch.“ Kirkus Reviews

A smart, fast- paced, filmic sci-fi adventure with an inclusive list of characters and a killer twist.

How far would you go to save those you love? Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking and looking for treasure – until a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence.

Now Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide what to sacrifice to save the whole human race...

Reading level 12 years and up.

From the New York Times best-selling author of Every Day, another thoughtful and original perspective on relationships.

Lambda literary award winner and Stonewall Honour Book, Two Boys Kissing explores how people fall in and out of love, and what is means to discover yourself.

The two boys kissing are Craig and Harry. They’re hoping to set the world record for the longest kiss. They're not a couple, but they used to be.

Peter and Neil are a couple. Their kisses are different. Avery and Ryan have only just met and are trying to figure out what happens next. Cooper is alone. He's not sure how he feels.

As the marathon progresses, these boys, their friends and families evaluate the changing nature of feelings, behaviour and this crazy thing called love under the watchful eyes of a Greek chorus of a generation of men lost to AIDS. David Levithan connects recent history with the present moment in a novel that is both a celebration of equality and a memorial to a lost generation.

David is the New York Times best-selling author of Boy Meets Boy and Marly’s Ghost. While among his many collaborations are Will Grayson, Will Grayson with Fault in Our Stars author John Green, and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist with Rachel Cohn, which became a major film. Tiny Cooper from Will Grayson, Will Grayson, now has his own novel: Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story. David is also a highly respected children’s book editor, whose list includes many luminaries of children’s literature, including Garth Nix, Libba Bray and Suzanne Collins. He lives and works in New York.

Reading level - 12 to 17 years.

In this tender-hearted debut, set against the tumultuous backdrop of life in 1973, when homosexuality is still considered a mental illness, two boys defy all the odds and fall in love.

The year is 1973. The Watergate hearings are in full swing. The Vietnam War is still raging. And homosexuality is still officially considered a mental illness. In the midst of these trying times is sixteen-year-old Jonathan Collins, a bullied, anxious, asthmatic kid, who aside from an alcoholic father and his sympathetic neighbour and friend Starla, is completely alone. To cope, Jonathan escapes to the safe haven of his imagination, where his hero David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and dead relatives, including his mother, guide him through the rough terrain of his life. In his alternate reality, Jonathan can be anything: a superhero, an astronaut, Ziggy Stardust, himself, or completely normal and not a boy who likes other boys. When he completes his treatments, he will be normal--at least he hopes. But before that can happen, Web stumbles into his life. Web is everything Jonathan wishes he could be: fearless, fearsome and, most importantly, not ashamed of being gay.

Jonathan doesn't want to like brooding Web, who has secrets all his own. Jonathan wants nothing more than to be fixed once and for all. But he's drawn to Web anyway. Web is the first person in the real world to see Jonathan completely and think he's perfect. Web is a kind of escape Jonathan has never known. For the first time in his life, he may finally feel free enough to love and accept himself as he is.

A poignant coming-of-age tale, Ziggy, Stardust and Me heralds the arrival of a stunning and important new voice in Young Adult.