books for baby gays
gather round queer kiddos, for this book rec of stories featuring wlw of all designations, where happy things happen and bad things do not (nearly as much). I’ve aimed for happy endings and not too much tragedy or pain over the course of these stories, but (unfortunately) haven’t read all of them so do let me know if any mistakes slipped through.
This list is heavy on the fiction because I’m mainly aiming to provide some solace and warmth. Where there is some overlap between categories (e.g. coming out after uni and the what comes next section, or if you’re looking for escapism then the background-to-no romance section might also be useful) I have only included a book under one or the other, not duplicated.
All links direct through to the Storygraph, which includes reader-sourced content warnings on all titles so do make sure to check those out as well (and if you want you can follow me here). Now, have at it!
Coming out and of age
At middle school / primary school / roughly under age 12
Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter To The World by Ashley Herring Blake
The House You Pass On The Way by Jacqueline Woodson
Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill (graphic novel)
At high school
You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson
Keeping You A Secret by Julie Anne Peters
Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden
The Gallery Of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz
Georgia Peaches And Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown
Leah On The Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
Style by Chelsea M. Cameron
Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan
Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan
Amelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough
Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley
At uni
Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi
Learning Curves by Ceillie Simkiss
Outside / after school
Like Water by Rebecca Podos
The Princess And The Fangirl by Ashey Poston
Ship It by Britta Lundin
Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera
Coming out after uni
The London Of Us by Clare Lydon
Breaking Character by Lee Winter
Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman
Out And Proud by Lisa Young (directs to Bella Books)
What comes after the big come out
Everything Leads To You by Nina LeCour
Double Exposure by Chelsea Cameron
A Hidden Hope by Laura Ambrose
Seriously... I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres (non fiction)
Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch (non fiction)
Escapism (i.e. genre fiction where queerphobia isn’t a thing)
Of Fire And Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker with Wendy Xu (graphic novel)
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages
The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta
Ash by Malinda Lo
Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden
Crier’s War by Nina Varela
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
An Accident Of Stars by Foz Meadows
The Art Of Saving The World by Corinne Duyvis
Water Witch: The Deceiver’s Grave by Nene Adams
Romance & identity take a back seat
The Black Veins by Ashia Monet
Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
Lumberjanes by Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Walters with Brooklyn A. Allen (graphic novel)
Princeless: Raven The Pirate Princess by Rosy Higgins (graphic novel)
Classics
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu, edited by Carmen Maria Machado
Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden
Villette by Charlotte Bronte
The how tos and histories
How We Get Free: Black Feminism And The Combahee River Collective, edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
Sapphistries: A Global History Of Love Between Women by Leila J. Rupp
Overshare: Love, Laughs, Sexuality And Secrets by Rosie Spaughton and Rose Wllen Dix
Rewriting The Rules: An Anti-Self Help Guide To Love, Sex And Relationships by Meg-John Barker
Coming Out Stories: Personal Experiences Of Coming Out From Across The LGBTQ+ Spectrum, edited by Emma Goswell and Sam Walker
Further reading
Definitely make sure to check out @bellabooks, publisher of wlw stories!
@bookriot‘s Queer Women’s History Reads and Books About LGBT History, but make sure to poke around the whole website
Gay’s The Word bookshop: based in London but ships worldwide, I’m mainly including it here because it has an excellent filter system with settings for category and identity to help you find the books you want to read
All of @biandlesbianliterature really, but especially the Coming Out Later In Life book list
The books section over at Autostraddle is really everything I ever wanted
All of the LAMBDA nominees ever, and you can filter them by various aspects!
