Looking for a different kind of romance? Love comes in all forms. Check out these books featuring gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer characters. Many of these authors have written other books featuring LGBTQ young people. There are so many great books like these in our collection - this is a Best of the Best list.
Luna: A Novel by Julie Anne Peters
Regan's brother Liam can't stand the person he is during the day. Like the moon from whom Liam has chosen his female namesake, his true self, Luna, only reveals herself at night-in the secrecy of his basement bedroom Liam transforms himself into the beautiful girl he longs to be, with help from his sister's clothes and makeup. Now, everything is about to change-Luna is preparing to emerge from her cocoon. But are Liam's family and friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives? Compelling and provocative, this is an unforgettable novel about a transgender teen's struggle for self-identity and acceptance.
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
Liza tries to put aside her feelings for Annie after the disaster at Foster Academy, but eventually she allows love to triumph over the ignorance of others.
Hero by Perry Moore
Thom Creed, the gay son of a disowned superhero, finds that he, too, has special powers and is asked to join the very League that rejected his father, and it is there that Thom finds other misfits whom he can finally trust.
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
When Cameron Post's parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they'll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief doesn't last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different.
Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle
Sixteen-year-old Lissa's relationship with her best friend changes after they kiss at a party and Lissa does not know what to do, until she gets help from an unexpected new friend.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie is navigating through the strange worlds of love, drugs, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and dealing with the loss of a good friend and his favorite aunt.
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Although they have been friends and neighbors all their lives, straight Naomi and gay Ely find their relationship severely strained during their freshman year at New York University.
The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina
This hilarious debut novel chronicles the misadventures of out-and-proud high school senior Jonathan, whose quest to see his celebrity obsession--Kylie Minogue--in person leads him into a place he definitely doesn't want to be.
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
Eighteen-year-old James living in New York City with his older sister and divorced mother struggles to find a direction for his life.
What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson
Sixteen-year-old Alex feels so disconnected from his friends that he starts his junior year at a Tuscaloosa, Alabama, high school by attempting suicide, but soon, a friend of his older brother draws him into cross-country running and a new understanding of himself.
Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
Three high school seniors, a jock with a girlfriend and an alcoholic father, a closeted gay, and a flamboyant gay rights advocate, struggle with family issues, gay bashers, first sex, and conflicting feelings about each other. There is also a sequel: Rainbow High.
One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva
When Alek's high-achieving, Armenian-American parents send him to summer school, he thinks his summer is ruined. But then he meets Ethan, who opens his world in a series of truly unexpected ways.
Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters
When her girlfriend dies suddenly at age seventeen, Colorado teenager Alix struggles with grief as painful secrets are revealed.
Proxy by Alex London
Privileged Syd and and his proxy, Knox, are thrown together to overthrow the system. There is a sequel to this: Guardian.
Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour
While working as a film production designer in Los Angeles, Emi Price finds a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend which leads her to Ava, who is about to expand Emi's understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.
Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis
A seventeen-year-old boy finds that every time he closes his eyes, he's drawn into the body of a mute servant girl from another world--a world that's growing increasingly more dangerous, and where many things are not as they seem.
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
Tired of being known as "the gay kid", Rafe Goldberg decides to assume a new persona when he comes east and enters an elite Massachusetts prep school--but trying to deny his identity has both complications and unexpected consequences.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship -- the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
