Five Diverse Book Recommendations This LGBT+ History Month

This month is LGBT+ History Month and I thought what better way to mark the occasion than by celebrating my love for reading and highlighting and celebrating some diverse LGBTQ+ books that I’ve read recently and that I think you’d all enjoy too!

‘Cinderella is Dead’ by Kalynn Bayron

First up is this utterly gorgeous book by Kalynn Bayron and the best way to sell it to you is to tell you that it essentially centres around a Black, queer girl fighting to dismantle the patriarchy. What could be better, right? It’s full of diversity, romance, adventure, empowerment and is a fresh new take on the story of Cinderella. The story centres around Sophia who, 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, does not want to be ‘chosen’ by a man at the annual ball. Sophia is determined to take matters into her own hands and fight for the right of her own life as well as for every other girl in town. And she is adamant to prove that you don’t need a ‘prince charming’ to get your happy ending.

‘You Should See Me in a Crown’ by Leah Johnson

This heart-warming, YA novel focuses on a young Black teen who finds herself in the battle for the title of Prom queen and it follows her journey on fighting and breaking stereotypes, a budding romance and friendship and family dilemmas all whilst trying to navigate through her last months in school life in a small town. Johnson’s novel is fun, emotional, cosy and everything you’d expect from a young adult, rom-com esque book with the added bonus that it is diverse and shows the discrimination a young, sapphic, Black girl may deal with in school.

‘Juliet Takes a Breath’ by Gabby Rivera

‘Juliet Takes a Breath’ is a coming-of-age novel that follows 19-year-old Juliet, who is a lesbian Puerto Rican from the Bronx. Juliet goes on a summer adventure to intern for her favourite author and we get to witness her journey of self, of coming out, of discovering the painful realities rooted in white feminism, of the beauty of embracing one’s culture and of the usual mess life presents you with; especially when you’re a teenager. It’s an important read that I couldn’t recommend more – and will definitely leave you with the feeling of having a fire in your belly after reading it.

The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali’ by Sabina Khan

This YA contemporary novel follows Rukhsana as she tries to find the right balance between wanting to maintain the relationship she has with her parents and her culture as well as embracing a side of her that she keeps hidden – she’s a lesbian. Things soon change drastically for Rukhsana when she is caught kissing her girlfriend and everything Rukhsana knew and trusted seems to be up in flames. We see as she is whisked away to Bangladesh and the story unfolds into a journey of identity, culture, family, love and the complications that come along with it. This book really does everything to emphasise the importance of culture whilst also calling out some of the toxic, sometimes dark parts cultures can have. It challenges old ideals and shows that change can happen.

‘Loveless’ by Alice Oseman

Asexuality/Aromantic are still terms that are widely unknown by many people and that’s also the case for Georgia, the main character in Alice Oseman’s ‘Loveless’. The idea of romance and love has been something that Georgia has always been obsessed with – she loves romance movies and loves to read fanfiction with all the usual tropes. However, Georgia has never herself been in love or even had a crush. As she sets off on her university journey with her best friends, she’s determined to change that. However, university is a completely different playing field than she’s used to and suddenly she finds her head spinning with terms like asexual and aromantic. This novel takes you on a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance as well as usual dilemmas of friendship and university life.