SOPHIE LI

Author-illustrator

My Top 8 LGBTQ Reads

Hi everyone!

Happy Pride Month! This year the pride parade is cancelled here where I live, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t celebrate pride and what it represents. I’ve listed some of my favourite books with LGBTQ representation below! Let me know what are some of your favourites?

Not Your Sidekick was a fun and thrilling YA sci-fi with lots of focus on characters which I loved. I also enjoyed the really cute and sweet f/f romance in this book!

I loved the f/f romance in Girls of Paper and Fire. This Asian-inspired fantasy reminded me of all the Chinese period drama I used to enjoy, which was a bonus for me!

I feel like I could stop talking about Red White & Royal Blue haha. It’s sooooo cute and sweet and such a fun read. Have you ever wondered what would happen if the American president’s son got together with a British prince? Well… read to find out!

Carry On must be a classic by now! Despite this book being out for ages, Simon Snow and Baz are still one of my favourite pairs!

Heartstopper is such a sweet and addictive graphic novel series, perfect for a lazy weekend! I loved the m/m pair who had such amazing chemistry.

What If It’s Us is another fun romantic YA contemporary for all those who love Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera! I loved the irresistable m/m romance in this book as well.

I would also rank Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda up there as a classic by now haha. It was one of the first YA books I’d read that featured a m/m romance and still one of my favourites. I also enjoyed the sequel, Leah On the Offbeat, which featured a bisexual female character and a diverse cast.

Have you read any of the books above? What are some of your favourite books with LGBTQ representation?

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Sophie Li

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20 responses to “My Top 8 LGBTQ Reads”

  1. Charlotte Avatar
    Charlotte

    I think I’ve already mentioned this to you (I definitely have to a few people) but whenever my library reopens I’ll be reading Red, White & Royal Blue as my copy of it was in transit when they closed. I’m also hoping to get a copy of Carry On from them and possibly Simon Vs as someone shared the first line recently and it intrigued me 😂 ooh and I actually own Girls Of Paper & Fire so hopefully I can get to that soon too, I love the sound of the setting for that one 😍

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Awesome!! Hope that you’ll enjoy these books. Red White & Royal Blue, Simon Vs and Carry On were such fun and effortless reads for me. GOPAF was awesome too 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Charlotte Avatar
        Charlotte

        Thank you (: Hopefully I will as they’re all pretty hyped up too. They sound fantastic though (:

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Annie Earnshaw Avatar
    Annie Earnshaw

    Love this list!! Red, White, & Royal Blue and Simon vs. are two of my all-time favorites and I’m so glad they made this list 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Yes those are two great books! Thanks Annie!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. Margaret @ Weird Zeal Avatar
    Margaret @ Weird Zeal

    Happy pride to you! 😊 So many great books on this list – RWRB, Heartstopper, and Simon vs are some of my all time faves, and I’m very excited to read Not Your Sidekick 😄 Thanks for sharing this list, Sophie!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Happy pride Margaret!! Glad that we share some of the same favourites 🙂 Hope that you’ll like Not Your Sidekick!

      Like

      Reply
  4. Malka @ Paper Procrastinators Avatar
    Malka @ Paper Procrastinators

    Carry On and Red, White, & Royal Blue are some of my favorite books! I’m so happy to see them on this list! I think some of my other LGBTQ+ books include Everything Leads to You and Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

    I also have a whole bunch of LQBGTQ+ books that I’m really excited to read and hope that they become new favorites. At the top of my list are You Should See Me in a Crown, The Black Flamingo, and Felix Ever After! I really hope I can get to all 3 this month and that I love them all!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Hi Malka! I am glad to hear we share some of the same favourites. Everything Leads to You is on my TBR. I loved the last Nina LaCour book that I read (We Are Okay) but it was a bit of a heavier book. I’m wondering if this one is also on the heavy side? If that’s the case I’ll have to wait for the right mood haha 🙂
      I’ve heard lots about Aristotle & Dante and that one is on my TBR too! That’s awesome that you have some more LGBTQ+ books on your TBR this month. Hope you’ll enjoy them!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Malka @ Paper Procrastinators Avatar
        Malka @ Paper Procrastinators

        From what I remember Everything Leads to You is not very heavy. I don’t tend to enjoy heavy books and I remember really enjoying this one! I read this book at least 5 years ago though, so I’m not 100% sure.

        I hope you enjoy both Everything Leads to You and Aristotle & Dante once you read them!

        Thank you! 💕

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Sophie Li Avatar
        Sophie Li

        Cool 🙂 good to know! I’ll save this book for the right mood then. Thank you Malka!

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Sieran Lane Avatar
    Sieran Lane

    Sophie, I finally read Not Your Sidekick and Not Your Villain! Well I have to admit that while the latter was interesting, I felt that the plot was more compelling in the first book. Also, Abby and Jess are my favorite FF couple ever. 😁

    I’m reading The Wayward Son right now! Don’t spoil it for me please, lol. I like how we get to see Baz and Simon’s relationship after they became a pair in Carry On. As exciting as it is to see two characters get together, it can be even more satisfying to watch them deal with relationship issues together and grow as people. Haha I’m starting to find Agatha charming, too. She’s so no-nonsense and down-to-earth compared to many of the other characters! It’s refreshing.

    Almost everything I read is a gay romance nowadays, that I can’t choose. XD Not Your Sidekick, Carry On, and Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda would be there, definitely. Oh I also adored Dare, Truth, or Promise by Paula Boock and Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan (both are FF romances). Alessandra Hazard’s That Irresistible Poison is another favorite of mine, an MM romance.

    For trans romances, I love Bran Lindy Ayres’ The Jeweled Dagger. Also, Long Macchiatos and Monsters by Alison Evans is delightful too.

    There are so many other great ones that I haven’t listed here! LGBTQ+ romances are wonderful!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Hi Sieran!! That’s great that you finished Not Your Sidekick and Not Your Villain. I also enjoyed the first book more 🙂
      Hope that you’ll like the rest of Wayward Son! Yes I liked that we see more of Simon and Baz’s relationship (beyond the first kiss!) Even though many books highlight how characters get together as a couple, in reality there are many more challenges that happen after the initial spark haha 🙂
      That’s awesome that we share some favourites and I’m glad to see that there are more LGBTQ+ books that you enjoy 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  6. Caro @ bookcheshirecat Avatar
    Caro @ bookcheshirecat

    Many of my favorites are on your list as well 🥰 I loved reading the Sidekick Squad books, they were so entertaining and I honestly loved the friendship dynamics as well as the romantic ones! I also love Carry On and Red, White & Royal Blue for their great banter, that’s always a thing that I like most in books 😊

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      That’s great that we share some of the same favourites 🙂 Yes great banter is one of the things that attract me to a book and keep me reading!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  7. Marie Avatar
    Marie

    Oh this is a lovely list, Sophie! I loved Red, White and Royal Blue, this book made me laugh and swoon and ahhh I adored it. I can’t wait to read more from the author 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Thank you Marie!! Yes Red White and Royal Blue was such a fun and heartwarming read 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  8. theorangutanlibrarian Avatar
    theorangutanlibrarian

    Carry On is definitely my top LGBT read! And I also really liked heartstopper and Simon 😀 Really looking forward to reading red white and royal blue too 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Glad that you enjoyed some of these books Orangutan Librarian! I think if you enjoyed Carry On and Heartstopper, you’ll like Red White and Royal Blue 🙂

      Like

      Reply
  9. What I’ve been up to in June 💐 Prideathon & A Difficult Mental Health Time – The Bookcheshire Cat Avatar
    What I’ve been up to in June 💐 Prideathon & A Difficult Mental Health Time – The Bookcheshire Cat

    […] My Top 8 LGBTQ Reads (Sophie @ sophiexli) […]

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