To celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community this Pride Month, I’ve gathered thirty-eight of my favorite queer stories. Whether you’re longing for a heist in the Faerie realm with your roommate (whom you may or may not have feelings for), yearning for an unforgettable adventure at a magic school in a queer-normative world, or searching for a quirky, cozy, and mossy spaceship to call home, I’ve got the story for you.
And They Were Roommates by Page Powars
Touching, thoughtful, and incredibly fun, And They Were Roommates is a delightful YA light academia romance.
Brewed with Love by Shelly Page
Sweet, cozy, and mysterious, Brewed with Love is a thrilling YA fantasy with witches, an immersive small-town setting, and a tender romance.
By Any Other Name by Erin Cotter
Blending the history of 1500s London with swoon-worthy romantic tension, By Any Other Name is an unforgettable YA historical fiction novel.
Call Forth a Fox by Markelle Grabo
With faerie curses and a cozy fairytale atmosphere, Call Forth a Fox beautifully retells the Brothers’ Grimm’s “Snow White and Rose Red.”
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Spellbinding and powerful, Cemetery Boys is a simultaneously heart-wrenching and heartwarming YA contemporary fantasy with mythology, ghosts, and brujx set during Día de Los Muertos.
Coming Out Perfect by Richard Mercado
Uplifting, hopeful, and funny, Coming Out Perfect is a beautiful YA graphic novel of familial expectations, fitting in, queer community, and coming out.
Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye
Set in a queer-normative world with a sentient forest, a magic school, shapeshifting, witches, and romance, Daughter of the Bone Forest is a sweeping YA fantasy.
Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban
Witty, comforting, and swoony, Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend is a Victorian romance with hijinks, matchmaking, and love.
Exquisite Things by Abdi Nazemian
Empowering, thought-provoking, and romantic, Exquisite Things is a propulsive YA historical fantasy of art, storytelling, immortality, resistance, community, grief, belonging, and, ultimately, hope.
Furious by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos
Wildly entertaining and achingly beautiful, Furious is a swoon-worthy YA contemporary romance that’s perfect for fans of Fast & Furious.
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher
Swoony, hilarious, and riveting, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a heartwarming medieval romcom filled with found family, love, and witty banter galore.
Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews
With a bloodthirsty garden, gritty botanical horror, and lingering love story, Hazelthorn is an enrapturing YA gothic.
Just Between Us by Adeline Kon
Romantic, fierce, and heartwarming, Just Between Us is an unputdownable YA graphic novel with figure skating, romance, and stunning imagery.
Moss’d in Space by Rebecca Thorne
Quirky, vibrant, and wonderfully mossy, Moss’d in Space is a creative and hilarious cozy sci-fi novel.
Queen of Faces by Petra Lord
Set in a dystopian society with a dark academia atmosphere, body-swapping, assassins, and magic, Queen of Faces is a sharp and lyrical YA fantasy.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Laugh-out-loud funny with found family and forbidden romance, Red, White & Royal Blue is a cinematic and irresistible contemporary romance.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
Monstrous and splendidly strange, Someone You Can Build a Nest In is a quirky, vicious, and surprisingly cozy fantasy.
Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy
Brimming with wit, whimsy, romance, and magical creatures, Sorcery and Small Magics is an enchanting cozy fantasy.
Soul of a Gentleman Witch by David Ferraro
Sweeping and threaded with magic, Soul of a Gentleman Witch is an addictive YA cozy fantasy that’s perfect for fans of Howl’s Moving Castle and The Girl Who Drank the Moon.
Tenderly, I am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone
With a breathtaking romance, lyrical prose, and an eerie atmosphere, Tenderly, I am Devoured is a magical YA fantasy.
The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton
Brimming with friends-to-lovers yearning, Fae, and a riveting heist, The Absinthe Underground is a captivating YA fantasy perfect for fans of Moulin Rouge! and The Cruel Prince.
The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Raasch
Funny, vibrant, and magical, The Entanglement of Rival Wizards is an addictive fantasy romcom with academic rivals-to-lovers tension.
The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray by Christine Calella
With a maritime adventure, a beautiful sibling bond, and a compelling cast, The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray is a gritty, emotional, and exhilarating YA fantasy.
The House of Now and Then by Edward Underhill
Heartfelt and hopeful, The House of Now and Then is a sweeping summer romance with an undertone of magic set in Cape Cod.
The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
With witches, a dark academia atmosphere, demons, and a murder mystery, The Invocations is a gripping and haunting YA thriller.
The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens
Magical, adventurous, and hilarious, The Last Best Quest Ever is a delightful YA fantasy romp with found family and fantastical creatures.
The Leaving Room by Amber McBride
Spellbinding and achingly beautiful, The Leaving Room is a tender YA novel-in-verse brimming with emotion, memories, family recipes, love, and hope.
The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J.R. Dawson
Set in modern-day Chicago and threaded with Greek mythology, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World is a poignant and touching urban fantasy perfect for fans of Hadestown.
The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson
Infused with horror, art, and romance, The Macabre is an adventurous and inventive contemporary fantasy.
The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska
With adventure, magic, and rivals-to-lovers tension, The Midnight Girls is a cinematic and whimsical YA fantasy.
With Fire in Their Blood by Kat Delacorte
Set in Italy with witches, a love square, and warring mafia clans, With Fire in Their Blood is a romantic and thrilling YA paranormal romance.
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
Vicious, sharp, and brilliantly unsettling, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is a YA historical fantasy set in London, 1883.
This Must Be the Place by Kelly Quindlen
Welcoming, emotional, and tender, This Must Be the Place is a captivating YA contemporary novel with found family set in small-town Alabama.
This Raging Sea by De Elizabeth
Sea-soaked, haunting, and lush, This Raging Sea is a YA dark fantasy with romance, eldritch secrets, horror, witches, and time travel.
Time After Time by Mikki Daughtry
Vivid and romantic, Time After Time is a breathtaking YA romance following two love stories set one hundred years apart.
Vile Lady Villains by Danai Christopoulou
Sharp, lyrical, and twisty, Vile Lady Villains is a fierce and creative fantasy threaded with Greek mythology and Shakespeare.
We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune
Heavy yet full of life, We Burned So Bright is a heart-wrenching but unexpectedly comforting fantasy of humans at the end of the world facing love, loss, and life itself.
What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch
Twisty, immersive, and magical, What Wakes the Bells is a gripping YA fantasy with a gothic atmosphere inspired by a Prague legend.
