Gay YA Recs

I read a lot of LGBTQIA+ ya books and I wanna talk about them.

[gayyarecs]

Welcome

I’ve read a lot of gay YA books over the years and decided I really want to talk about them. So, I’ll be making posts here about books I have read. 

Basically I just want to give an idea of what you can expect from that book if you want to read it. So I’ll try to cover what kind of relationship is portrayed, how much the romance factors into the story, if it’s a happy story or a sad story, and whether or not I personally liked it. 

This is sort of just for me but I hope that if you find this, these recs help you find something goo to read.

[gayyarecs]

The Both Die at the End

By Adam Silvera

Uh spoiler alert, they both die at the end.

Everyone gets a phone call the day they are going to die to let them know its their last day. Two young boys get that call and, since they don’t want to spend their last day alone, meet and become friends. As they get to know eachother they start to fall in love and create a real connection.

So I liked the premise a lot (and I’ll read any book that says some one dies at the end cause I gotta know if it’s true!) but for obvious reasons this is a sad book.

The main characters are really interesting and realistic which adds a lot of charm to the story. Silvera does a really good job of making you care about these characters eventhough he literally tells you how their story ends before you even pick up the book.

Personally, I struggled to get through this book because I knew how bad things were going to go. The more I started to like the characters and see them fall in love the less I wanted to finish the story. 

I’d recommend checking it, just make sure you understand what you’re getting into.

[gayyarecs]

Carry On

By Rainbow Rowell

Basically if Harry Potter was gay. This is going to be a trilogy but only books 1 and 2 are out so far. However they are both a lot of fun.

Book 1 follows the life of Simon Snow as he tries to get through wizard school and simultaneously fight the evil bad wizard who has been plaguing his school. At the same time, he is slowly realizing he is in love with his roommate/ arch enemy. 

Book 2 follows the aftermath of the first story, essentially exploring what happens to heroes after they save the day. It’s about a fun little road trip across America where a lot goes wrong. 

These books are a lot of fun. The story (while being kinda similar to Harry Potter) is actually really unique. There are a lot of interesting twists throughout the story, and the main characters are so likable you can’t help but care about them.

The romance is pretty nicely done and is a pretty important part of both books. It’s got a really enjoyable enemies to lovers arc that is just a blast to read and is full of a lot of cute moments.

Personally, I really loved the first book and enjoyed the second book. It’s a really fun and easy read and generally leaves you with good feelings.

[gayyarecs]

Wilder Girls

By Rory Power

This book is about an all-girls school on an island. After some kind of illness breaks out, the island is shut down and all of the girls are trapped for months. Things progressively get worse and the need to survive takes over. Our three main leads fight to keep themselves alive through a dangerous situation.

If you don’t like body horror and gore, definitely skip this one. However, the story and characters are all extremely interesting. Power is an interesting writer because she tends to write characters as deeply realistic even if that makes them harder to like. Her three leads are messy people, but that’s why I love them.

The romance is more of a side plot, as you are focused more on the mystery of what is happening and the high stakes of their situation. However, I still felt pretty invested in their relationship.

Personally, I adored this book. The characters are amazing, Power is a fantastic writer, and I enjoyed the way the main character’s sexualities didn’t define them.