The 36 Best Books by LGBTQ+ Authors You Need to Read

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published 3 June 2024

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My "to read" list on Goodreads is never-ending, it seems. I'm always on the hunt for the next new book that I can snag, read, and rave about before anyone else gets their hands on it. This may be in part of my obsession with aesthetically-pleasing covers or a plot that sounds so intriguing I have to stop whatever I'm doing to read it. Lucky for you, these books by LGBTQ+ authors hold all of these qualities.

If I asked you to take a look at your bookshelf to see how many spots were filled with a book not written by a straight white dude, most people wouldn't be counting for long. So, yes, we have a long way to go toward diversifying the publishing industry, but thankfully more stories featuring diverse authors like these ones are getting the space to be told. Ahead, here are 22 (mostly new-ish!) books by LGBTQ+ authors spanning genres from romance, mystery, science fiction, and more.

'100 Boyfriends' by Brontez Purnell

Brontez Purnell had long been a hero of the indie lit world before he published the short story collection 100 Boyfriends, but this work made him even more of a name to watch. The collection explores vignettes about the lives of gay men in the various worlds they inhabit, from secretive subcultures to community havens. It’s erotic, provocative, and full of wit.

'All My Mother's Lovers' by Ilana Masad

When Maggie Krause returns home after her mom's sudden death, she finds a detached dad and a grieving, enraged brother. She doesn't expect to find five sealed envelopes from her mother, each addressed to a mysterious man she's never heard of. To find some closure, Maggie embarks on a road trip to hand-deliver her mother's letters to learn more about the men of her past. It's like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but better.

'Boy Meets Boy' by David Levithan

Boy Meets Boy is a classic queer YA novel that’s sure to warm your heart, whether you fashion yourself an avid YA fan or not. It was years ahead of its time when it was published in 2003 and set in a progressive high school, where it documents the lives of several queer teenagers, and surely touched many young readers' lives.

'Cactus Country' by Zoë Bossiere

Zoë Bossiere, who now identifies as gender-fluid, writes in this memoir of their childhood experiencing life as a transgender boy upon moving to the Cactus Country RV Park in the Sonoran Desert region of Tucson, Arizona. The desert environment is described in stunning detail as Zoë discovers gender identity through both its harshness and beauty. It becomes a moving tale of stepping into one’s sense of self, as Zoë adopts androgynous pronouns during adolescence, and learns to confront binaries.

'Detransition, Baby' by Torrey Peters

If you haven't read Torrey Peters's Detransition, Baby, do yourself a favor and order it stat. The book centers on three people—Reese, Ames, and Katrina—whose lives become intertwined when Ames decides to detransition and his boss-slash-lover becomes pregnant.

'Exciting Times' by Naoise Dolan

Naoise Dolan's debut novel Exciting Times is about an Irish millennial named Ava who has moved to Hong Kong to teach children English. She soon finds herself in a love triangle with a British banker, Julian, and a Hong Kong-born lawyer named Edith. One side is filled with familiarity, and the other tempts the path of the unknown, what will she choose?

'Fairest' by Meredith Talusan

In this moving memoir, Meredith Talusan shares her journey as a white-passing Filipino immigrant who grows up to become a woman in America.

'First Love: Essays on Friendship' by Lilly Dancyger

For many of us, our first love—and sometimes our deepest—ends up being with our female friends and the various women in our lives. Lilly Dancyger's collection of essays reflects on those closest to her, from childhood BFFs to her mother to sexual awakenings, and what their bonds say about the spaces women create for themselves and their identities.

'Helen House' by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

If you love queer horror stories, Helen House should be at the top of your stack. The nightmarish scenario of meeting your partner's parents for the first time proves to be outright terrifying for the unnamed narrator of this novel. Before their trip, she begins to wonder what her girlfriend has been hiding, upon realizing that they both have sisters who have died—and then eeriness abounds.

'Here for It' by R. Eric Thomas

With his comedy newsletter, advice column, and former pop culture series on ELLE, R. Eric Thomas has become one of the most hilarious people on the internet. His sense of humor seamlessly translates to his book, Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, which features essays on reclaiming his identity and ultimately finding self-acceptance.

'Homebodies' by Tembe Denton-Hurst

Hometowns can be complicated for many of us, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. In Homebodies, Mickey finds herself returning to the place that raised her when she’s replaced at her media job and attempts to shine light on the challenges Black women face in the workplace, but is ultimately ignored. What results is a touching story turning away from the places that wronged you, examining where you came from, and stepping into your own power.

'Honor Girl' by Maggie Thrash

Maggie Thrash’s debut graphic novel, which she wrote and illustrated, will take you right back to the feeling of your first heartbreak. Set at an all-girls summer camp in Kentucky in 2000, it documents her experience developing a crush on another girl for the first time. Featuring adorable illustrations that look right out of your high school notebook, it’ll make you feel all of those coming-of-age feelings in a lovely, sentimental way.

'Housemates' by Emma Copley Eisenberg

Housemates is like a contemporary, queerer take on the American dream. A road novel, it follows two young artists who form a deep connection as roommates and set out on a road trip when one is left with a hefty inheritance. Traveling from Philadelphia to rural Pennsylvania, they become even closer through discussions of art and in their embrace of America through the open road.

'I Wish You All the Best' by Mason Deaver

Ben De Backer has come out to their parents as nonbinary, and instead of accepting it, their parents kicked them out of the house. Now, living with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, they're forced to go to a new school. Everything looks bleak until they form a friendship with Nathan Allan, which changes everything. You think you know this trope, but just you wait.

'If I Was Your Girl' by Meredith Russ

This is a love story you'll be passionately rooting for. Amanda's the new girl in town with a big secret she wants to take to the grave. She soon finds refuge in an easygoing guy named Grant. While she wants to put down her guard for him, but that means her secret will have to come out in the open, and if that happens, she's worried it could change everything.

'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde

If you haven't read O.G. LGBTQ+ author Oscar Wilde, there's always time. Why not start with his classic play The Importance of Being Earnest? Set in 1890s London, the story focuses on two men who use the same pseudonym, Ernest. This is all fine and dandy until they both fall in love with women using that same name. It's incredibly witty and has stood the test of time.

'In the Dream House' by Carmen Maria Machado

Not many books have been published about domestic abuse within the queer community, but Carmen Maria Machado addresses the topic deftly in her memoir. She utilizes tropes from folklore and reflects on the moments in her life that led her to be "in the dream house," or where she once lived with an emotionally abusive, manipulative partner, as if they were dreams and nightmares.

'Juliet Takes a Breath' by Gabby Rivera

This coming-of-age story hits all the right marks. After finding out she gets to intern for the author of her favorite book, Juliet Milagros Palante sets her sights on her new community in Portland, Oregon. As she moves across the country, she can't stop thinking about how her family took her coming out as gay and wonders if this one summer will change everything for the better—or only make it worse.

'Leave the World Behind' by Rumaan Alam

Rumaan Alam's Leave the World Behind topped the New York Times bestseller list and was adapted into a Netflix movie for good reason. In the novel, Alam writes about a white family on vacation whose weekend getaway gets interrupted late one night by an older Black couple who owns the home they are renting. What follows is a story about race, class, and family that will leave you analyzing our world.

'Milk Fed' by Melissa Broder

Milk Fed has the kind of premise that will stop you in your tracks: a woman with disordered eating habits and a poor relationship with her mother meets and falls for an Orthodox Jewish woman who works at a frozen yogurt shop. But with author Melissa Broder’s sense of humor and thorough understanding of female relationships, it’s the kind of book that will keep you well-fed in more ways than one.

'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' by Ocean Vuong

Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong’s memoir is gorgeous through and through. In his debut novel, he tells the story of a boy, known as Little Dog, and his family trauma. Framed as a letter from Little Dog to his mother, he reflects on their complicated relationship, her and her mother’s immigrant story, and his journey discovering his sexuality. It’s tragic in its telling of coming to terms with having faced abuse and sacrifice but finds beauty in our fight for survival.

'Oye' by Melissa Mogollon

While Luciana would rather be out meeting girls and enjoying her senior year of high school, she faces traditionalism and frustration at home when her grandmother must move into her bedroom when she’s forced to evacuate a hurricane. Formatted between Luciana’s phone conversations with her older sister Mari, it’s a sweet story of how she faces challenges, learns from her elders, and embraces being a leader.

'Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl' by Andrea Lawlor

Let's go back to 1993. Paul Polydoris is thriving in his university town, but he hides one thing about himself. He's a shapeshifter who's sometimes Paul, sometimes Polly, and only his best friend Jane knows. Polydoris takes these identities with him from Iowa City, Boystown, Provincetown, and San Francisco in hopes of finding self-discovery. You'll wish you knew him IRL.

'People Collide' by Isle McElroy

People Collide presents a Kafka-like metamorphosis, but one about gender: One day a man named Eli wakes up and realizes he’s swapped bodies with his wife Elizabeth, who seems to have disappeared without a trace. Searching for her in a journey spanning Europe and America, he questions his identity in a moving exploration of coming to terms with who we are.

'Perfume and Pain' by Anna Dorn

This sexy and humorous novel is an homage to lesbian pulp fiction. Centered around a struggling L.A.-based author and perfume bottle collector named Astrid, it follows the mess she creates for herself when she becomes romantically involved with her neighbor and an opportunity presents itself to revive her career that has plateaued due to controversy. It’s a SoCal sapphic spiral of melodrama; let the seductive notes and intoxicating fumes take over.

'The Prophets' by Robert Jones, Jr.

Robert Jones, Jr.'s debut novel, The Prophets, is a story centered on two enslaved men, Isaiah and Samuel, who live together on a plantation in the Deep South. Together, they're forced to confront their oppression, loyalty, and love when one of their own turns on them.

'The Purpose of Power' by Alicia Garza

In The Purpose of Power, Alicia Garza, cofounder of Black Lives Matter, provides readers with informative lessons on how to start a movement and the lessons she's learned to create meaningful change.

'Red, White & Royal Blue' by Casey McQuiston

On one side of the Atlantic, you have Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the president of the United States, and on the other, Prince Henry of the British royal family. Shockingly, they don't like each other. So when they're photographed fighting at a royal wedding, both parties are forced into a fake friendship to keep the tabloids at bay. Soon the friendship blossoms into something more that could put both of their countries at risk. Casey McQuiston's debut is like a warm hug you never want to break away from (and its rom-com adaptation on Prime Video is equally as delightful).

'Something to Talk About' by Meryl Wilsner

This sweet romantic comedy set in the entertainment world tells the tale of top dog Jo and her assistant Emma. When the co-workers are photographed giggling on the red carpet together, the tabloids take it as a sign they have something going on. Flashing lights soon won't stop following them as they both try to keep dodging rumors, but what if the speculation is correct?

'Stray City' by Chelsey Johnson

In Portland, artist Andrea Morales is thriving in her local lesbian community, until she has a one-night stand with a man and gets pregnant. Despite her friends' thoughts, she has the baby. Now, 10 years later, her daughter Lucia is desperate to know anything about her father, forcing Andrea to dive into the past she was happy to leave behind.

'Under the Rainbow' by Celia Laskey

The small town of Big Burr, Kansas, has just been named "the most homophobic town in the U.S." by a national nonprofit. To help them out, a task force of queer volunteers decided to move and live in the Midwestern town for two years. The educational experiment doesn't exactly go as planned, but brings everyone together more than they ever would've thought.

'We Were the Universe' by Kimberly King Parsons

When Kit takes a weekend vacay with her friend after his boyfriend breaks up with him and she’s grieving her sister’s death, she returns home to mom duties in the Dallas suburbs fixating on the wild child she used to be and fantasizing about turns her life could take. Both funny and meditative on loss, it’s a reminder that you always hold onto the youthful person you once were and still can be.

'An Unkindness of Ghosts' by Rivers Solomon

Aster lives in the slums of the HSS Matilda, a spaceship that escaped a dying Earth centuries ago. She's stuck as a sharecropper on the vessel doing un-meaningful work. Things quickly change when an autopsy of the ship's sovereign reveals a surprising link between his death and her mother's death by suicide from the past. Aster, with the help of some friends, retraces her mother's footsteps and learns of a life beyond the ship.

'Wilder Girls' by Rory Power

Holy mother of science fiction, this is the jackpot. Hetty's under quarantine at the Raxter School for Girls for 18 months due to a plague called the tox. It's taken everyone in its path except a handful of students. When Hetty's best friend Byatt goes missing, she'll do anything to find her, even if that means going beyond the school's grounds. Heads up: This isn't for the weak-stomached.

'With Teeth' by Kristen Arnett

Kristen Arnett brings her signature wit to With Teeth—a story about one queer woman's desperation to keep her family together while her son becomes increasingly hostile. It's a quintessential Florida book.

'The Wonder' by Emma Donoghue

This work of historical fiction from the author of The Room is set in the Irish midlands in 1859. Lib Wright, a British nurse, is sent to a tiny village to observe the wonder of 11-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who has survived without food for months (Cue eyebrow raise.) Part mystery and romance, this book is the ultimate page-turner.

Bianca Rodriguez is the Fashion & Luxury Commerce Manager at Hearst Magazines, covering fashion, beauty, and more for Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Town & Country. In addition to spearheading commerce content across brands—from writing about wardrobe must-haves and sales at major retailers to strategizing—she is also an avid reader with a deep love and knowledge for books of all genres. More often than not, you can find her lounging with a good book on the weekend.

With contributions from