LGBTQ+ Books I Wish I Had Read - Now would I have? That's a completely different story.

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Not that I would have read any of these in high school because I was very much in the closet and dealing with some internalized homophobia, but that's a story for another day. So, let's dive right in. The first book I want to talk about is The Rebels Guide to Pride by Matthew Hubard. Now, I love this book so much. I think Matthew Huard is a great writer. His first book is the um The Last Boyfriend's Rules for Revenge and it's a spin on The First Wives Club.

[00:00:35]That was my introduction to him. And if you love that book, um this book sort of builds on the queer anthem that he put together with that first. Um and it's set in the same world, but you don't have to read that one first. So, The Rebels Guide to BR to I can't speak today. The Rebels Guide to Pride uh follows Zeke, who um has recently come out as gay. He's in high school. And him along with some other members of the Queer Straight Alliance at their school, put together um this Pride event. And what ends up happening is that the mayor of the town cancels all pride events because they don't um fit in with family values. the family values that uh are reflective of the community. So, what ends up happening is that Zeke and his friends sort of put on like speak easys, like pride speak easys, like they're trying to hide from the um the government uh of the small town. It's set in Alabama and um I say government, but like people are trying to shut down their their Pride events. And so Zeke kind of has fallen into this role of like rebel and he wants to lean into that to to make pride happen. I think the thing for me that I really loved about this book is that in the queer community there's this idea of at least I know for me there was a time when I didn't really know like where I fit in.

[00:02:11]Like what does it mean to be a good gay?

[00:02:14]And that really comes through in this.

[00:02:17]Zeke struggles figuring out like how to be proud, how to be proud of who he is.

[00:02:23]And and I just loved this idea that pride can mean different things depending on who you are. And it's an individual journey to discover your pride. And that is why I love this book so much.

[00:02:38]um it would have helped me out a lot in high school because um I was not proud of who I was and it took me a long time to to be to have pride in um being comfortable with who I am. But this book is so great. Uh and sorry for my dog if you hear her barking, but um I love this book. I love this book so much. Uh it's great. The next book I want to talk about is Amelia If Only by Becky Albertali. This is actually the only Becky Albertali book that I've read. I know I need to read Simon Versus the Homo Sapien Agenda, but um I went to an event in New Jersey where Becky Albertali was um and so I got this book when when I saw her. But it this book to me, first of all, it follows a group of teens. Amelia is the like leader of this group and she loves this like famous YouTuber and so she convinces her friends to go on this road trip to see him um at an event. And one of the things this touches on is this idea of parasocial relationships and how when you see someone on the internet like what does that relationship really mean to you and and is it real? And um sometimes we put more into those relationships than is really there and we think we have relationships with these people that we see every day on our phones and yet we don't really know what they're going through or um we only see what they show us. And so I really liked Amelia's journey in this book because she discovers this this parasocial relationship isn't everything that she thought it would be. And she put a lot of emphasis in in meeting this YouTuber and what that would mean for her. But for me, this is like very big on found family. There's a really wonderful friend group and it's it's funny. And now it's funny for me. me, I have a weird sense of humor and Amelia is quirky and she's she's has a weird sense of humor, but I vibed with this. I read this last summer and I just thought that Amelia's growth and her characterization was so well done and she has this support system with her friends who are there for her through thick and thin and who go on this journey with her. But it it really was like such a fun book. And if you like Becky Albertali's writing, then I think you're going to love this one. The next book I want to talk about is The Language of Seabirds by Will Taylor. Now, this book actually isn't considered young adult. It's more middle-rade because the main character is 12. Um, but this book I y'all it I should do a separate middle-rade post so I can talk about this book again. So, this book follows Jeremy, whose parents are going through a divorce. And so, he has to spend the summer um in Oregon with his dad, and he doesn't really want to. And so, while he's there, he ends up developing um a a relationship, a friendship with a boy that he sees running on the beach. And um through that summer, he realizes that he has feelings for this boy. And what does that mean? And I I you could easily read this in a day. I mean, middle-rade novels are written like I mean, it depends on how uh, you know, dedicated you are to your reading, but I think for me, this book captures that feeling of being at a transition point in your life. And, you know, Jeremy is stuck in the middle of his parents' divorce. He doesn't know where he's going to school next summer.

[00:06:35]Is he going to live with his mom? Is he going to live with his dad? what is that going to mean for his future? But he's also stuck trying to figure out what these feelings mean and what that means for him moving forward. And I think that this book just captures the spirit of that transition period and like growing up and moving into adolescence and young feelings and how to navigate them.

[00:07:04]Jeremy obviously goes through an incredible amount of growth. His friendship blossoms into maybe something more, but that obviously looks different when you're 12 than when you're even 18 or 19 or as an adult. And I just felt like it was so well done. I I love this book so much. And I can't I if you even have like friends who are teachers in middle school or high school, like this book captures like what those feelings are like for someone who's trying to navigate um samesex attraction, uh feelings for maybe best friends or friendships, and then like discovering your sexuality and what that might mean for the future.

[00:07:55]like this book is is great. Definitely recommend. The next book I want to talk about is the breakup lists by Adib Karam. And for me I so I the next two books are theater related. I was a theater kid in high school um and in college but in high school definitely. And so there's there's a running theme between these next two books. This book follows Jackson who is a stage manager and um he has a friendship with Liam, but he's trying to navigate like what that friendship means and how that impacts his like role as a stage manager. And then Liam also gets caught in between Jackson and his sister, which creates an even more the larger mess. and Jackson's like, "I don't know what I'm doing." The reason why I love this book so much is that the there's a nostalgic element that made me feel like I was back in high school thinking about how Jackson navigates the world and his life as like a theater kid and how that impacts like his friend group, his relationship with his sister, and even how he approaches his friendship with Liam.

[00:09:12]So, one thing I really loved about this book that the author chose to do with the writing style is that Jackson is known for making lists. And anytime his sister breaks up with someone, he makes lists about why, you know, why they needed to break up. And um I mean, as a stage manager, you write everything down. You log everything. You have to document everything. And so, Jackson does. And so, one of the really cool things with the writing is that it is from Jackson's POV. And as you go through the book, you know, um, as he writes, there might be like sentences crossed out and then rewritten as if Jackson is writing like something and he realizes he doesn't like how that sounds, so he crosses through. Um, the other thing is that um, Jackson wears hearing aids. So, there's really great um, disability rep and there are moments in the book where something happens to his hearing aids and in his POV he can't understand what someone else is saying and that's reflected in the writing. I just I just thought Jackson as a character and the writing itself was really well done in depicting like navigating friendships, being heart of hearing and you know dealing with your sister who has feelings for the same guy that you do. Like it just is like a perfect combination of being being gay in high school and um having to deal with the drama that that entails. I really I really like this one. The last book I want to talk about is My Fair Brady by Brian D. Kennedy.

[00:10:51]And now the thing about this book is it's a queer retelling of um My Fair Lady, kind of like She's All That.

[00:11:01]There's um fake dating going on. And I I definitely got She's All That vibes. But one of the things I love about this book is that it is theater. It's high school again. So, it gives me the nostalgic vibes, but I find when you do a queer retelling of a story or a different source material, you have to really make it your own. And Brian D. Kennedy really did a fantastic job with that. Now, this book follows Wade, who is a senior, and Elijah, who's a sophomore. And so Wade breaks up with his boyfriend and in order to try to get him back, he's going to try to like do something good and and give back to um other people. And so he decides he's going to make over this sophomore Elijah into being more confident and um more comfortable with himself and help him socially. Now, Elijah's POV, he is very quiet, reserved, shy. He doesn't do well in large social settings. He has a hard time navigating um high school. And so, he agrees to this plan and goes along with Wade. Now, one of the things I loved about this book is that Elijah's growth from beginning to end is awesome. like he really comes into his own. And for me in high school, I wish I had someone showing me the ropes. Sometimes I still think that I have trouble navigating um social settings, and I don't like people. So, I do like people. I just don't like a lot of people, especially a lot of people that I don't know in one setting. But that's beside the point. This book is is fun. It's nostalgic. It reminded me um of why I liked being a theater kid in high school and what that feeling was like for me. This book was delightful and charming. It's a wonderful queer spin on a pretty established story, but I just thought Wade and Elijah really complimented each other and Elijah's growth was was was really amazing to see. So, I know that was quick. Um, those are just five YA books that I've really enjoyed recently. I know I need to make more um, videos with YA books in general because I feel like I don't talk about them enough. And for me, one of the reasons why I love YA, especially YA LGBTQ plus books, is because I would not have read them in high school. I was very in the closet. And um it it just thinking about the impact that books like this probably have now on queer teens. Um I read these because the younger version of myself would have loved every second of them. and they would have gone a long way to help me kind of figure out who I am, who I who I was then, and who I was going to become.

[00:14:14]And I think that's the power of ya queer lit because I don't know, I'm just being reflective now and rambling on. But that's that's why I love queer YA because it reminds me of the support that I probably needed back then and gives me hope for the future.

[00:14:37]So, if you have any queer YA books that you love, please let me know below in the comments and um maybe I'll put together a a YouTube video of all the wrecks that I get uh below. But thank you for stopping by. Thank you for showing up to my channel or returning if you're a returner. I appreciate all the love and support and I hope you're having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.