YA LGBT Books discussion

thanks, I'll do that. I only posted it here since I'm pretty sure it was an lgbt book.

Noxriver wrote: "Need help finding title !!
Looking for a book that began with a high school boy who was on a school field trip at a museum, I think it was an art museum, and he goes to the gift shop to steal somet..."

That sounds familiar; I'll check my shelves, see if I can remember the title.

Doesn't ring a bell. Sounds good though. Let us know if you find it.

Rez wrote: "Noxriver wrote: "Need help finding title !!
Looking for a book that began with a high school boy who was on a school field trip at a museum, I think it was an art museum, and he goes to the gift sh..."

Wow, this sounds pretty unique! Very interested if anyone comes up with the title. :D

I'm super interested in reading this, too. I've tried searching, but I've had no luck.

Someone must know. Please?

Dannika wrote: "Hey! I'm looking for more YA fantasy books with great LGBT characters...I've read most I can get my hands on, but I'm still looking for a fun, exciting book with magic and kickass girls where the L..."

Have you read Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller? Fantastic genderfluid protagonist and a really strong female love interest. Lots of adventure and danger.

Jamie wrote: "Have you read Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller? Fantastic genderfluid protagonist and a really strong female love interest. Lots of adventure and danger. ."

I'll have to check that one out. I'm always looking for books with nonbinary protagonists.

I added it to the group bookshelf with shelf-tags of fantasy, genderfluid, action, magic, transgender-genderqueer; I didn't add romance but could. Also lesbian if the love interest so identifies?

Kaje wrote: "Jamie wrote: "Have you read Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller? Fantastic genderfluid protagonist and a really strong female love interest. Lots of adventure and danger. ."

I'll have to check that o..."

Yeah, there's definitely a romance element. Can't remember if we find out how the love interest identifies, though.

Anybody have any recommendations for mlm books with the one bed trope? I just finished Conventionally Yours and absolutely loved it! Looking for a similar read to fall in love with. I've already read Red White & Royal Blue. Thanks!

Blake wrote: "Anybody have any recommendations for mlm books with the one bed trope? I just finished Conventionally Yours and absolutely loved it! Looking for a similar read to fall in love with. I've already re..."

Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green features a little bit of this.

Blake wrote: "Anybody have any recommendations for mlm books with the one bed trope? I just finished Conventionally Yours and absolutely loved it! Looking for a similar read to fall in love with. I've already re..."

This is a bit tricky in YA because it puts sex front and center which is more of an adult romance approach. (There are plenty of this trope on the adult side.)

In YA this shows up more as roommates-to-boyfriends stories.

Blake wrote: "Anybody have any recommendations for mlm books with the one bed trope? I just finished Conventionally Yours and absolutely loved it! Looking for a similar read to fall in love with. I've already re..."

I have a YA Fantasy with a MM romance, but before they become more than friends, they have a night where they share a bed platonically (mostly) and awkwardly. Of Heart and Wings

Debbie wrote: "Blake wrote: "Anybody have any recommendations for mlm books with the one bed trope? I just finished Conventionally Yours and absolutely loved it! Looking for a similar read to fall in love with. I..."

Of Heart and Wings

Kaje wrote: "Blake wrote: "Anybody have any recommendations for mlm books with the one bed trope? I just finished Conventionally Yours and absolutely loved it! Looking for a similar read to fall in love with. I..."

I didn't think about that but it makes a lot of sense. Would college-aged still be considered YA or adult? Thanks for the help!

Blake wrote: "Would college-aged still be considered YA or adult?"

Depends on what you mean by college. College in the UK is different from college in the US. UK college starts around age 16 and might be compared to a hybrid of US grade-12 combined with a community college with dormitories. Some of those college-aged stories might* be YA.

College in the US, or Uni elsewhere in the world… characters who are typically age 18-24, frequently fall into the genre known as New-Adult and are not appropriate for the YA group. You might want to seek out the M/M Romance group if that's the genre you're looking for.


*because the age of consent is different, some college-age books set in the UK have more explicit sex scenes and are not appropriate for this group.

Blake wrote: "I didn't think about that but it makes a lot of sense. Would college-aged still be considered YA or adult? Thanks for the help!..."

YA is both about the age of the protagonists and the story style and content. So college age (esp first year) can be YA (especially as Rez says, like the UK system, where the protag may be 16.) And it can contain a bit of positive sex-as-plot (eg. Shut Your Face, Anthony Pace! which walks the edge of that line.)

But books that are YA need to be books you'd be okay handing to under-18 teenagers outside your family and would expect them to have a specific interest in, with a plot that relates to their own lives.

So any sex needs to be non-erotic, plot-based and emotion-based and life-consequences-based, but not written to generate heat. Really, for sex, the question is intent and style of presentation - if it's written to feel arousing or erotic, describing body parts and sensations in a sensual way, it's NA (New Adult) not YA (Young Adult) and considered 18+ material in this context.

And violence needs to be non-gory and non-gratuitous. And the plots need to be things that a 16 year old could relate to, not focused in either erotic sex (which is a good thing, but not an under-18 topic) or in life events that teens do not yet have to cope with (eg. getting a divorce.)

If you're not yet a member of the Adult M/M romance group, that's the place to talk about New Adult stories with a stronger erotic content.

Debbie wrote: "I have a YA Fantasy with a MM romance, but before they become more than friends, they have a night where they share a bed platonically (mostly) and awkwardly. Of Heart and Wings..."

Sounds fun. And it's a plot line that could work in YA - it's really all about how it's presented.

Kaje wrote: "Debbie wrote: "I have a YA Fantasy with a MM romance, but before they become more than friends, they have a night where they share a bed platonically (mostly) and awkwardly. Of Heart and Wings..."
..."

thanks, it's a sweet moment, the night before a trip, and there may be some- woke up unintentionally cuddling ;)

Kaje wrote: "Blake wrote: "I didn't think about that but it makes a lot of sense. Would college-aged still be considered YA or adult? Thanks for the help!..."

YA is both about the age of the protagonists and t..."

Thank you for the detailed explanation!

Hi guys. Been very long time but I'm trying find a series I read long time ago back when I used to be active. All I remember is it's MM, kind of like a coming of age that followed same two characters. I think one was Ben. I want to say the titles were seasons but I'm really not sure. Please help

Angel, you may be thinking of Jay Bell's Something Like series.

Yes KIm@ ty ty ty! That's it!

Rainbowheart wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Does anyone know any books where the MC is cheated on by his boyfriend and catches him in the act?"

I don't know about catching him in the act, but Hold My Hand has..."

Loved this novel!

Angel wrote: "Yes KIm@ ty ty ty! That's it!"

You're welcome. I'm glad I could help. =)

For folks interested in speculative fiction, I just heard about and wanted to share this searchable Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Database. You can limit your search results to the Young Adult age group, and add extra search tags for "no romance," "no sexual content," "non-explicit sexual content," "world without homophobia," etc.

Kim wrote: "For folks interested in speculative fiction…"

Book Riot does have some good links sometimes.

Luciana wrote: "I read very recently The Place Between which there's a scene where the bed sharing trope happens, hope that's what your looking for!"

Hi, Luciana. Just a reminder that this is a YA group and the thread is even titled "Looking for a YA book about..." so your recommendation that is described in its GR blurb as a "steamy, m/m romance novel" between mature adults is not appropriate here. The LGBT+ themed books we focus on here almost always feature teenage characters and aren't very steamy.

Had a request for recommendations in NON-FICTION for School libraries.

I came up with
A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns
GLBTQ*: The Survival Guide for Queer & Questioning Teens (some resources may be outdated now though esp online ones - 2011 date)
The ABC's of LGBT+
The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk
Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
The Every Body Book: The Lgbtq+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families (~ middle grade)
The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality

memoirs: (note some content warning about suicidal ideation in general for queer memoirs)

Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman - not the best writing but a book about intersectionality
Shaun David Hutchinson's memoir Brave Face
My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me, and Ended Up Saving My Life
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family
Beyond the Gender Binary

I'd love to have you folks add anything you recommend (or if one of those I mentioned you have real problems with.)

Spotted this one but haven't read it -
For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Still Not Enough: Coming of Age, Coming Out, and Coming Home

I added it to our shelves, as speaking to a much-underrepresented population, though I'm not sure if it's entirely YA - appropriate.

Hi! I would love to read a book that is for a bit younger YA audience (maybe even NA?) I would love a book where queer male character is expressing his sexuality and maybe having his first time? Nothing too explicit just something ligh-hearted and sweet!

Red, White & Royal Blue seems to be pretty mild from reviews. I haven't read it, but really want to.

Parker wrote: "Red, White & Royal Blue seems to be pretty mild from reviews. I haven't read it, but really want to."

I enjoyed it - sweet and warm. It sits right on the edge of YA and NA for explicitness - I'd say fine for most teens but a school library might not stock it.

Other gay YA to consider
Know Not Why
Autoboyography
The Music of What Happens (Some darker themes but over all a sweet story)
The Suicidal Peanut (light despite the title)
Elephant Shoe
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (the romance is perhaps secondary to growing up/coming of age themes)(
Jordan vs. All the Boys
Up!
Shut Your Face, Anthony Pace! (another with the sex right on the edge of YA)
Looking For Group
Knight Errant (some darker themes but a light touch - SciFi)

Parker wrote: "Red, White & Royal Blue seems to be pretty mild from reviews. I haven't read it, but really want to."

I wouldn't say that Red, White & Royal Blue is mild. I thought it was had some of the most explicit sex scenes I've ever read. Granted, that may say more about my reading habits that the book itself. I checked it out from my high school library, but our library is pretty liberal and I know the librarian didn't read it. (I asked)

I'm not here to say it should be banned and I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it. I think most high school kids are mature enough to stop reading if they are uncomfortable with the subject matter. But if a parent is looking for something tame, I'd hate for them to be misled.

Scott wrote: "Parker wrote: "Red, White & Royal Blue seems to be pretty mild from reviews. I haven't read it, but really want to."

I wouldn't say that Red, White & Royal Blue is mild. I thought ..."

Yeah, it's right on that edge of okay for YA for me (but believe me, very mild for New Adult or adult gay romance.)

Hello! I'm writing a master's thesis about homosexuality in YA science-fiction literature.

I'm looking for books that would include single-gender worlds or lesbian utopias, for instance, and where the main characters would be gay or lesbian.

Ideally, I'm looking for US books that would have been published after 2000, and where the main character is somewhat young.

I thought about Laurie R. King's Califia's Daughters, and Elizabeth Bear's Carnival, but they seem to be written for a more adult audience.

If you guys have any recommendations, it would be so helpful! Thank you so much!

Might want to check these lists....

Where'd the Men Go?
What Happened to All the Women?

Rainbowheart wrote: "Might want to check these lists....

Where'd the Men Go?
What Happened to All the Women?"

Thank you! I did check them, but most of the time it's more geared towards adults-I'll check again...

Muintel wrote: "Hello! I'm writing a master's thesis about homosexuality in YA science-fiction literature.

I'm looking for books that would include single-gender worlds or lesbian utopias, for instance, and wher..."

There is not a ton of YA LGBTQ SciFi - you might check our bookshelf but sadly, much of it has echoes of homophobia in it. (Our SciFi shelf - https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...)

I don't recall if there was any homophobia in Knight Errant but there was not single gender societies.

Of course, Ethan of Athos is teen-appropriate and has a gay-only world in it (but released 1986, well before what you're looking for.)

Queer Books for Teens has a searchable database that includes SciFi as an option - http://queerbooksforteens.com/find-bo...

Kaje wrote: "Muintel wrote: "Hello! I'm writing a master's thesis about homosexuality in YA science-fiction literature.

I'm looking for books that would include single-gender worlds or lesbian utopias, for in..."

Thank you so much for your recommendations! I'll check it out!

I'm looking for gay friends to lovers book, where gay mc pines over his best friend.

I would suggest TJ Kline, if no one else already has. The House in the Cerulean Sea<\i> fits all your criteria and is a fun read.

Thank you

On my bookshelf wrote: "I'm looking for gay friends to lovers book, where gay mc pines over his best friend."

Maybe Our Last Summer - I don't recall how much pining is in it.

A member wrote : re. The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

" I read this book a while ago and have failed to find anything like it. It’s about jewish immigrants, murder, mystery, and it’s m/m. It was such a beautiful and well written book and I would love to find something like it, if anyone has any recs :) "

I haven't read this one - anyone have any specific recs for them?

There is a Ben in the Openly Straight books by Bill Konigsberg.

On my bookshelf wrote: "I'm looking for gay friends to lovers book, where gay mc pines over his best friend."

Heartstopper: Volume One
The Song of Achilles (I guess this would fit?)
Cemetery Boys
Darius the Great Is Not Okay
Go For It, Nakamura!

Does anyone have any recs for a genderfluid MC?

Izabella ✨ wrote: "Does anyone have any recs for a genderfluid MC?"

I don't have a specific recommendation for a genderfluid character, but I have a List of Non-Binary Main Characters in YA Books (My main enby list is slightly longer but it has a few new adult entries that I can't share here.)

Izabella ✨ wrote: "Does anyone have any recs for a genderfluid MC?"

The MC in Can't Take That Away is genderfluid.

I wanna read something with a wlw grumpy x sunshine trope. Any recs?