If You Like That Popular Queer Book, Try These Under-the-Radar Ones
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I love reading and recommending queer books. It’s kind of my whole deal. I’ve run a sapphic book blog for more than a decade, I write three queer books newsletters every week for Our Queerest Shelves, and most of the books I talk about on All the Books are queer.
As I’ve been in the queer book world for many years, I’ve seen just how much it’s expanded and popularized, even in the face of book bans. There are more queer books than ever, making it hard to keep track of all the new releases, never mind actually read them. I counted at least 43 new queer books out in the first week of June alone!
Despite all this abundance, though, and despite how much more diverse in so many ways queer books have become in recent years, one problem persists: people tend to read and recommend the same handful of queer books over and over again. It’s not that these books are bad, but there are so many more queer books out there to explore!
That’s why today I’ve put together a list of five of the most popular LGBTQ books and the lesser-known queer book gems that pair nicely with them. Of course, no two books are the same, so there’s never going to be a one-to-one match for your favorite book. Instead, these recommendations explore aspects of these beloved books for a complementary pairing. Now, let’s get into the books!
If you like Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, try…
The King is Dead by Benjamin Dean
I’m starting off with a curveball, because while Red, White, and Royal Blue is an adult M/M romance, The King is Dead is a YA thriller. Let me explain myself. Both books have a queer prince main character who is dealing with the complexities of being born into this position, and both have an M/M romance plot — it’s just more of a subplot in The King is Dead. For James, being prince is made more complicated because he’s the first Black heir to the British throne. When his father dies, James finds comfort in his secret boyfriend…who then disappears, just as James’s secrets hit the tabloids. He’ll have to root out who is working against him and decide how much he’s willing to sacrifice for love.
If you’d like a readalike more firmly in romance territory, try the royal rivals-to-lovers F/F YA romance Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins.
If you like The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, try…
The Palace of Eros by Caro De Robertis (August 13, 2024)
If you’re looking for another beautifully written queer take on Greek mythology, place your preorder for The Palace of Eros now. Caro De Robertis is well respected for their queer literary novel Cantoras among many others, and now they’re taking on the story of Psyche and Eros. In this version, nonbinary Eros sweeps Psyche off to a hidden palace to protect them from vengeful gods. Every night, they experience unparalleled passion and romance with each other, but Eros always has to fly away before the first light of dawn. But isolated Psyche begins to doubt Eros…
If you’re looking for something to read right away, also check out the asexual/aromantic mythology retelling Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel.
If you like Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, try…
Matchmaker by Cam Marshall
If you love Heartstopper but would like to read a story about queer love and friendship following characters in their twenties instead of teens, you need to pick up Matchmaker. It follows Kimmy, a genderfluid trans lesbian, and their roommate Mason, a cis gay guy. Kimmy is an unforgettable character: they’re bubbly and supportive, trying to set up Mason after his boyfriend dumps him. This is a slice-of-life comic that has such a great queer friendship group, as well as a cute friends-to-lovers romance. Content warnings for depression and one acephobic comment.
If you like Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, try…
The Witch King by H. E. Edgmon
I have to assume that if you loved Cemetery Boys, you’ve already read Aiden Thomas’s other queer and trans YA fantasy book, The Sunbearer Trial duology. After that, though, pick up this trans YA fantasy duology. Wyatt is a witch who was betrothed to the fae prince Emyr — but instead, he decided to run away to the human world, where he’s also transitioned. Now, Emyr has tracked him down, and to Wyatt’s surprise, he still wants to go through with the marriage. Wyatt attempts to make a deal with the enemy to escape again, but he’ll have to weigh his freedom against the safety of all witches, as conditions continue to worsen in the fae kingdom.
If you like The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, try…
The Dawnhounds (Against the Quiet #1) by Sascha Stronach
The easy answer to what to read after The Priory of the Orange Tree is the sapphic fantasy trifecta: The Unbroken by C. L. Clark, She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, and The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. Those are all great reads, and The Jasmine Throne makes a particularly good pairing as a romantic sapphic epic fantasy — but I wouldn’t categorize those as under-the-radar. So, if you’re up for a queer fantasy with enough worldbuilding to make your head spin, try The Dawnhounds. This is a Maori-inspired biopunk fantasy following Yat, a bisexual cop who is being punished for being caught in a gay bar and is now working the night shift. One night, she’s shot, killed, falls into the harbor…and wakes up, resurrected by gods with strange powers. Some of the worldbuilding in this went over my head, but it was well worth it for the queer pirate found family element, and I’m looking forward to picking up book two, out in August!
You might also be interested in Heartwarming Queer YA Books Like Heartstopper and 15 WLW Romance Books Like One Last Stop.
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