Within the last couple of years, YA has seen a great progression of LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Many of the YA books that I read now include characters that fit this description. The following books fall under this category in one way or another.
Disclaimer: Please note that I have organized these novels into this list so that people specifically looking for books including LGBTQ+ characters are easily accessible. That being said, please note that these novels are comprised of more than just these elements and should be taken as literary achievements in their own right like any other book in their category.
Loveless
Title: Loveless
Author: Alice Oseman
Review: 8/10
Synopsis: It was all sinking in. Id never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush, but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure shell find her person one day.
As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her teenage dream is in sight.
But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her.
With new terms thrown at her asexual, aromantic, Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever. Is she destined to remain loveless or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?
Only Mostly Devastated
Title: Only Mostly Devastated
Author: Sophie Gonzales
Review: 5/10
Synopsis: Will Tavares is the dream summer fling―he's fun, affectionate, kind―but just when Ollie thinks he's found his Happily Ever After, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairytale ending, and to complicate the fairytale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. Which he minds a little less when he realizes it's the same school Will goes to...except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn't the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted―and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk.
Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn't ready for a relationship, especially since this new, bro-y jock version of Will seems to go from hot to cold every other week. But then Will starts "coincidentally" popping up in every area of Ollie's life, from music class to the lunch table, and Ollie finds his resolve weakening.
The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.
Right? Right
How to Repair a Mechanical Heart
Title: How to Repair a Mechanical Heart
Author: J.C. Lillis
Review: 6/10
Synopsis: The summer after high school graduation, two cute and snarky boys hit the road in an RV. Their mission: follow the traveling fan convention for Castaway Planet, the cult sci-fi show they’re both obsessed with.
BRANDON irons his t-shirts, loves the dapper and reserved Castaway android Sim, and hides his pesky Catholic guilt from his out-and-proud roadtrip partner, Abel.
ABEL collects funny belt buckles, loves Castaway's brave and dashing Captain Cadmus, has a hot boyfriend with a phoenix tattoo, and has nothing to hide—except his epic crush on Brandon.
During their six-week cross-country adventure, Brandon and Abel post new entries on their Castaway Planet fan vlog, spar with an online community of slash fiction writers, meet their TV idols, play with their action figures, uncover big secrets, and maybe possibly fall in love. Can two fanboys face down their obstacles and write themselves a real-life romance—or is fiction the only thing bringing them together?