Which books are worth reading...

Most of these books include queer 

representation, and many are written by own voices &/or indie authors. All of them are absolute gems that everyone should read!

 

(Click on each cover to check out each book on Amazon, or click on Learn More to see other books by the author).

Genre: LGBTQIA+, Romance, YA, Contemporary.

Overall Rating: 4.4/5

Hayley Anderton is an author, reader, baker and crazy cat lady, born and raised in the North West of England. She strives for diversity in her writing, and believes that books can change the world. She graduated from John Moores University in 2017, and is now searching for her next adventure.

Anderton, Hayley

The Wicker King, book 1 of 2

A psychological young adult thriller that follows two friends struggling as one spirals into madness. 

Genre: Magical Realism, Queer, YA, Mental Illness, Fantasy, Romance.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

Ankrum, K.

K. Ancrum, is an author of award winning speculative contemporary YA notably THE WICKER KING, DARLING and most recently the critically acclaimed ICARUS. 

 

K. is a Chicago native passionate about diversity and representation in young adult fiction. She currently writes most of her work in the lush gardens of the Chicago Art Institute.

Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Retellings, Transgender, YA, Romance.

Overall Rating: 4.4/5

Chant, Austin

S. A. (Austin) Chant is a novelist, prize-winning pie baker, and ardent tabletop gaming enthusiast. 

 

They are the author of three novels: Peter Darling, Coffee Boy, and Caroline's Heart. 

 

They live in Seattle with a frightening amount of books and a cat who was recently described as a 'gooey cryptid'.

 

Find them at austinchant.com or at their Twitter, @essaychant.

Can two broken boys find their perfect home?

Genre: Contemporary, YA, Romance, ASD, Disability, Mental Health, Found Family, Realistic Fiction.

Overall Rating: 4.4/5

Drew, C.G.

CG Drews is the award-winning author of The Boy Who Steals Houses and NYT Bestseller Don’t Let The Forest In, which is also a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, Indie Next Pick, and Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Pick. 

 

Their next YA horror, Hazelthorn, is out October 28th, 2025, with debut adult horror, You Did Nothing Wrong, coming in 2026. Their work has been translated into six languages, received a nomination for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal, and won the 2020 CBCA Honour Award. 

 

CG lives in Australia, never sleeps, and is forever buried under a pile of unread books. 

 

Find on Instagram as @paperfury, TikTok as @cgdrews, and at cgdrews.com.

 

Iron Breakers, book 1 of 3

Genre: Fantasy, Queer, YA, Adventure, NA, MM Romance, Historical.

Overall Rating: 3.8/5

Feli, Zaya

The Ice Fjord Saga, book 1 of 2

Fantasy, Queer, YA, Mythology, MM Romance, Historical, Magical Realism.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

Genre: MM Romance, YA, Friends-to-Lovers, Contemporary, Abuse, Queer, Disability.

Overall Rating: 4.3/5

Fleet, Suki

Suki Fleet is an award winning author, a prolific Reader (though less prolific than they'd like), and a lover of angst, romance and unexpected love stories.


They write lyrical stories about memorable characters and believe everyone should have a chance at a happy ending.


Their first novel This is Not a Love Story won Best Gay Debut in the 2014 Rainbow Awards, and was a finalist in the 2015 Lambda Awards. Their novel Foxes won Best Gay Young Adult in the 2016 Rainbow Awards.

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Queer, Fae, Friends-to-Lovers, MM Romance.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5 

London Calling, book 1 of 2

Named a best book of the year by Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Goodreads, The Washington Post, and more!

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Queer, Fake Dating, Adult Fiction.

Overall Rating: 4.3/5

 Hall, Alexis

One of those intricate British queers.

Spires Universe, book 1 of 4

A deeply emotional romance about heartbreak, hope, and learning to love against all the odds.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Queer, Mental Health, Adult Fiction, Humour.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

Rail Riders, book 1 of 4

When a boy who has everything meets a boy who has nothing, life will never be the same again.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA+, Crime, Abuse, NA, Found Family.

Overall Rating: 4.4/5
 

James, Nicky

Nicky James live in the small town of Petrolia, Ontario, Canada and is mother to a wonderful teenage boy and wife to a truly supportive and understanding husband, who thankfully doesn't think she is crazy.

 

Nicky has always had two profound dreams in life; to fall back hundreds of years in time and live in a simpler world, not bogged down by technology and to write novels. Since one of those dreams is impossible, she decided to make the other come alive on paper.

 

Nicky writes mm romance novels that take place in fantastical, medieval type settings and loves to use the challenges of the times to give her stories and characters life.

 

Nicky has also ventured into writing other sub genres of mm romance including contemporary, historical and Mythological. Look for new titles coming soon.

#Love Him, book 1 of 9

Genre: YA, Queer, Contemporary, MM Romance, Celebrity, Slow Burn.

Overall Rating: 4.1/5

James, S.M.

SM James writes books for teens about squishy sweet characters.

While not writing, SM is a readaholic and netflix addict who regularly lives on a sustainable diet of chocolate and coffee.

Member of SCBWI.

Unapologetically dishing out HEAs for LGBT+ characters.

Lillis, J.C.

J.C. Lillis lives in Baltimore with her patient family and a ragtag band of tropical fish, some of which will be dead by the time you read this. 

 

She loves thrift store art, dollhouses, koi ponds, retrofuturism, and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. 

 

She hates writing bios.

Mechanical Hearts, book 1 of 2

Genre: YA, Contemporary, MM Romance, Friends-to-Lovers, LGBTQIA+, Coming-of-age, Humour.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

Mechanical Hearts, book 2 of 2

Genre: Contemporary, FF Romance, Enemies-to-Lovers, LGBTQIA+, Sapphic, Humour.

Overall Rating: 4.4/5 

Summerhill Supers, book 1 of 2

Genre: Fantasy, MM Romance, Paranormal, Queer, Superheroes.

Overall Ratings: 4.4/5 

Genre: YA, MF Romance, Coming-of-age, Humour, Friends-to-Lovers, Standalone, Sci-Fi, Magic-Realism.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5 

The Constellation Saga, book 1 of 3: An Epic Fantasy Adventure

Those gifted with power don’t get to choose a normal life.

Genre: Fantasy 

Overall Rating: 4.3/5

MacLeod, Kay

Authentic characters, innovative abilities, serious snark!

Kay MacLeod is a fantasy addict from Nottinghamshire in England. She loves magical worlds and spends much more time in them than that boring real one.

If Kay isn’t writing, or thinking about writing, she’ll be immersed in reading, gaming, playing bass at church, or painting miniatures. She grew up addicted to Terry Pratchett books, Magic: The Gathering, and lording it over her fellow nerds as the DM in Dungeons & Dragons games. Fortunately, this gave her plenty of storytelling practice and made her grateful that all the characters do as they’re told now other people aren’t controlling them.

Kay’s gaming experience shines through in her works, from the Pokemon-inspired Maiyamon books to her epic fantasy, which readers say has a hint of a Dragon Age tale.

With character development at the heart of each story, they’re backed up by distinctive magic systems and a dash of sarcastic humour that gives Kay MacLeod her unique voice.
 


 

Maiyamon, book 1 of 2: A monster Catching Gamelit Adventure

Monsters don’t exist. At least, they didn’t until we created them.

Genre: Fantasy 

Overall Rating: 4.3/5

All For The Game Series, book 1 of 5.

Genre: Contemporary, YA, Queer, Sports, Crime, Dark Romance, LGBTQIA+

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Sakavic, Nora

Best of #BookTok

Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He's short, he's fast, he's got a ton of potential—and he's the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.

Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.

But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for.

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Magical Realism, Dark Fiction, Vampires, Historical, Fantasy.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Silverfoot

“Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged.” Samuel Johnson, circa 1750.

Offered a chance at vengeance, dying Pandia readily accepted.

After a horrendous and brutal attack, star student and good girl Dia awakens in a grave to find herself changed, her sheltered and safe life gone forever. Shocked to learn her mother begged a vampire to transform her, she remembers asking for vengeance. She's gained surprising new powers, astonishing strength and speed, but she has new vulnerabilities and new enemies.
As she learns to navigate her changed world, she must exercise caution. A single mistake can kill her all over again. Vampire life is not what she envisioned and comes with a unique moral code limiting how she can use her newfound abilities. The consequences of failure are catastrophic.
It is 1961, and the country has a charismatic new president, the civil rights movement is gathering strength, beatniks are becoming hippies, communal living and free love are making noise. Homosexuality is finding its way out of the closet. Sex and drugs and rock’n’roll, baby!
Against this backdrop, she and her creator hunt her killers so she can find justice. Along the way, she finds new friends and allies and awakens to the social issues of the day, struggling with them right along with the rest of society.
On top of this, she must resolve her personal issues about what she has become and how it has affected her moral code. Is she a monster or not? What can she say—it’s complicated!

York, Kelley

Kelley resides off the coast of Northern California with her wife, dogs, cats, and birds. 

 

In addition to writing, she has her A.S. in Anthropology, and is a graphic designer with a successful book cover design business called Sleepy Fox Studio. She spends her spare time playing video games and tabletop games like the nerd she is. 

 

Her specialty is LGBT+ fiction, usually with a dark twist.

Even the stars are lies.

Genre: Contemporary, Queer, YA, Mystery, MM Romance, Realistic Fiction.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Everyone needs a light at the end of the tunnel.

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Dark Fiction, YA, MM Romance.

Overall Rating: 4.3/5

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Standalone, YA, NA, Mystery, LGBTQIA+, Dark Romance, Thriller.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

Dark is the Night, book 1 of 3

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Historical, Queer, YA, Mystery, Dark Academia, MM Romance.

Overall Rating: 4.3/5 

Ghost-hunting and forbidden romance in Victorian England. Death is only the beginning.

#2: A Hymn in the Silence.

#3: The Wrath of Wolves

Related to this series:

#2.5: A Shimmer in the Night.

#2.8: A Calm Before the Storm.

Genre: Contemporary, YA, Queer, FF Romance, Sapphic, Realistic Fiction, Standalone.

Overall Rating: 4.1/5

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