Wow, it’s been a minute since I sat down and wrote one of these, hasn’t it? I can’t believe that it’s June and and I haven’t uploaded anything since April! In my defence, the past few months have been unbelievably busy for me, and when you’re trying to juggle writing a book, uni work, an Etsy shop, a full time job AND still have some kind of functioning social life, some things start to slip, and unfortunately - this was one of them!
But enough about that, it’s pride month and I am here, I am queer, and I am ready to ….write? (I couldn’t think of another word that rhymes with ‘here’ and made sense, let it go). As it’s June, I obviously wanted my first post back to be pride, and also book themed. Because while I’ve been busy, I’ve also been busy reading, and I have got some new queer books to shout about. So I thought, why not do a “fave queer books” post - and so here I am.
I had to narrow the list down to five or I’d never shut up, so I decided to try and pick only books that I have read this year so far, and for the most part I succeeded, but I have snuck one of my all time favourites in at the end to finish it up nicely. So get comfortable, grab a snack, grab a drink, and have a look through some of my favourite queer fiction books below:
The Inverts by Crystal Jeans
Kicking us off is a really fun story of queer friendship, love, laughter, heartbreak, and a big dollop of filth. This book genuinely made me laugh out loud a good few times, but at others it felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest and I felt myself ache for the characters.
Best friends Bettina and Bart grew up together and would be the perfect ‘childhood romance’ couple if it wasn’t for one huge issue - both of them are gay. Set in the roaring fifties, the duo find a way to avoid suspicion, but also continue to live their lives as themselves - and did I mention it’s also a murder mystery?
If you want something that is funny, raunchy and a celebration of queer struggles and friendship, this one is for you! (Also isn't the cover just stunning?)
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
This one was gifted to me for Christmas by a very good friend of mine, and I had never heard of it before, so it could have gone completely under my radar. This one isn’t a wholly queer story, but it does have a lovely gay side character, and an important storyline to go with it, so I’ve included it in this list!
When I read the first chapter I knew immediately that I was going to fall in love with it. An exciting story about love, loss and most importantly, the magic of books. It skips between tender moments of friendship, terrifying characters skulking in the dark and plot twists that keep you guessing the entire way through.
Daniel is taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten books by his father and is told that he can claim one of the books for himself. He finds comfort in the book he chooses, and sets out to find other books by the same author, but instead he finds out that somebody has been collecting and destroying the other books and he is determined to find out who it is, and why they’re doing it. It doesn’t take long for Daniel's questions to begin uncovering a much darker story.
If you get the chance to read this - do it. I can't recommend it highly enough.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Read
This book simultaneously managed to heal and break my heart over and over again. I finished it in the early hours of the morning and am not ashamed to say that I lay crying for a good while after I had closed it. I dove into this book knowing nothing about the book other than that everybody and their mothers were raving about it. I’m not too sure what I expected, but it was extremely far off what I got.
Evelyn Hugo is an old Hollywood Actress, Monique is a reporter trying to make a name for herself, so when Hugo asks her to interview her, how could she possibly say no? But nothing is ever as simple as it seems on the surface and Monique ends up with much more information than she bargained for.
I don’t want to say too much about this one because it has a lot of exciting plot twists in it, so all I will say is this - read it. You absolutely won’t regret it!
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
There is a quote on the back of my copy from V. E. Schwab that says ‘I loved it…like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket’ and I think that sums it up perfectly.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a wonderful story about love, friendship, hope and how being different is one or the best things you can be.
Linus Baker is a quiet man, who lives a quiet life. He works for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, and when he is sent to inspect an orphanage home to extraordinary children, and their equally extraordinary guardians, he must choose between his duty, or his heart.
I laughed. I cried. I fell in love. Full of life lessons that remind you that it is never too late to follow the dream and that anybody can be a hero, this is a book of hope that everybody could do with reading.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This is it. Not only one of my favourite queer books, it is one of my favourite books full stop. I don’t think a book has ever broken my heart the way that this one did.
Patroclus is exiled to the court of King Peleus, where he meets his son, Achilles. The pair quickly become good friends which then turns into something more. Achilles is a skilled warrior, and when he has to go to war, Patroclus decides to go with him rather than be left behind. So together they train, they fight, they love.
This is an incredible retelling of the Trojan war which will have your heart aching with every page.
If you read only one book from this list, I hope it’s this one. A breath taking love story that left me in a puddle of my own tears.
So there we are, five of my fav queer reads to add to your TBR list, if they’re not on there already!
Have you read any of the titles mentioned? What are your own favourite queer reads? As always, I would love to know, so shoot me a message either via the contact page, or through one of the social media links - I never tire of talking about books!
If you’re interested in more of my book opinions, I have a dedicated book account on Instagram which you can follow here, and I post (and occasionally review) every book I’ve read on my Goodreads page which you can follow here.
Until next time,