Below are four of my favorite upcoming queer YA romance novels that I’ve recently had a chance to pick up and enjoy. Make sure to make room in your bookshelf for these novels, and also, a space in your heart. What other LGBTQ romantic novels have you picked up and loved? Are there any that you’re looking for or recommend? Let me know on Twitter at @AuroraMiami and let us know your thoughts at @BookRiot as well. Happy reading! Yet, what started as the fantasies of a trans boy afraid to step out of the closet has grown into a blog with an avid fan base, seeking solace and inspiring stories that they can relate to. Yet, when a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah’s world turns upside down. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn’t have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah’s life, and the pieces fall into place: Drew is willing to fake-date Noah to save the Diary and have the fans believe in it again. Yet, when what’s supposed to be “fake” feelings turn real, things get a little more complicated. This is a definitely cute book filled with relatable themes and touching moments. In the novel, Lara’s had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school, and that is the handsome Chase Harding, a football star. When Chase starts flirting with her, Lara is super excited and hopeful for her high school romantic future. Yet, Lara is deeply haunted by a memory. This memory is of a confusing, romantic and quite perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine. To her huge surprise, this memory becomes more of a present reality when Jasmine herself walks through the front doors of the school to see Lara and Chase chatting it up in front of the lockers. Lara has everything she ever wanted, including Chase’s attention and perfect group of friends. But why can’t she stop thinking about Jasmine? This book was one of my recent favorites and I’m sure it’ll become one of yours, too. Inspired, he compiles a romance to-do list of all the things he hopes to one day experience and calls it his “Gay Agenda,” meant to inspire him to seek adventures in a place that feels foreign to his characteristics and feelings. But, he gets thrown a curveball when his family moves to Seattle and he starts his senior year at a new high school with a thriving LGBTQ community. For the first time ever, Jay feels like he’s found a place where he truly belongs. But as Jay begins crossing items off his special list, he starts to learn how to balance his old and new friends, romance and all the surprises that come with finding oneself. This book is an adorable, feel good, book that will surely have you rooting for Jay and his plans. Then, after one impulsive tweet, his plans for a lowkey nine months of keeping his identity and feelings a secret are tossed out the window. The downside is that now the whole world knows, and Jules has to prepare for rejection, yet on the positive side he can now truly be himself. Then enters Mat, a cute, empathetic Twitter crush from Los Angeles, who begins sending DMs to Jules. Jules feels like he can tell him anything, and at the same time Mat makes the world seem less scary and more approachable. But when Jules’s fears about coming out come true, the person he needs most is fifteen hundred miles away and he is fearfully facing the backlash alone. Now, how does he manifest the life of his dreams without fear? In the end, the choice is up to him. Filled with relatable topics and heart-tugging moments, I’m sure this is one book that you will truly enjoy.
