Finally finished summer sons and I can’t stop thinking about it. Thank you for introducing me to it. You read like 1000 books per second- would you recommend something that will give me similar wonderful vibes of unhinged gays that doesn’t end in missery?
For those who haven't checked it out, Summer Sons is one of my top 10 reads of 2021 and is a queer love story written by a trans author.
Suggesting queer love stories with an appropriate measure of angst that contain an intelligent, thrilling plot and DON'T end in tragedy is a tough order to fill.
That said, I think The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is my top rec for this. The series has a second, great book (The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Pirates) and a third book that came out recently but I have not read it yet and therefore cannot vouch for.
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
The year is 17?? and Monty, a bisexual disaster, spends his time alternately getting drunk, gambling, being beaten black and blue by his father, and pining over his best friend Percy, with whom he has fallen madly in love. Having been kicked out of Eton for a romance with another boy the previous year, his father has arranged for him to go on a Grand Tour of the continent. He is accompanied by Percy, who will be attending law school in the fall, and his 15-year-old sister, who the will drop off at a boarding school halfway through the trip. But what Monty considered a last hurrah before he had to take over his father's position as a lord turns into a run for his life when he pockets something he shouldn't have at a party in Versailles. Black main character, bisexual main character, asexual secondary character.
Trigger Warnings: Alcohol abuse, era-typical racism, era-typical homophobia, suggested domestic abuse, ableism, gun violence.
I also wrote a modern au oneshot about this book so if you want to read it, send me an ask
