Best Teen & Young Adult LGBT Fiction

A #1 New York Times best seller for more than a year, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2000) and Best Book for Reluctant Readers (2000), and with millions of copies in print, this novel for teen readers (or “wallflowers” of more-advanced age) will make you laugh, cry, and perhaps feel nostalgic for those moments when you, too, tiptoed onto the dance floor of life. What is most notable about this funny, touching, memorable first novel from Stephen Chbosky is the resounding accuracy with which the author captures the voice of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood. We learn about Charlie through the letters he writes to someone of undisclosed name, age, and gender, a stylistic technique that adds to the heart-wrenching earnestness saturating this teen's story. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that. With the help of a teacher who recognizes his wisdom and intuition, and his two friends, seniors Samantha and Patrick, Charlie mostly manages to avoid the depression he feels creeping up like kudzu. --Brangien Davis A trite coming-of-age novel that could easily appeal to a YA readership, filmmaker Chbosky's debut broadcasts its intentions with the publisher's announcement that ads will run on MTV. In the end we learn the root of Charlie's psychological problems, and we confront, with him, the coming rigors of 11th grade, ever hopeful that he'll find a suitable girlfriend and increase his vocabulary.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In those days homework was accompanied by radio with Rock and Roll music thanks to Alan Fried, Ranger hockey against Maurice Richard, and Gene Shepard,the best story teller of all time."
"So many brilliant minds do not fit into the mainstream so they are bullied, picked on or considered slower than their peers when in fact they are light years beyond."
"The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, will make you laugh hysterically, cry uncontrollably, and go through a rollercoaster ride full of emotions as young teenager Charlie Kelmeckis searches for where he belongs in the world and figures out how to deal with his mental illness."
"Amazing movie for all ages, I can't believe I hadn't seen this movie until now."
"Charlie is a troubled kid and we find out he is rightfully so."
"The acting was great."
"Third, that it is set in the nineties, and the author does an amazing job of capturing the feel of this decade throughout the writing. It's not so much that it's a difficult decade as that it's not often done. In so many ways this is the story of the life of a fourteen-year-old high school freshman, his struggles, the things that he goes through an that he deals with, but the underlying storyline is huge, and the author does an amazing job of revealing it slowly, the way that a teenager might do in a series of letters to a stranger. He struggles with immature love for an older girl, with uncontrollable rage, with frustration, with his relationships with his sister and brother and with his parents."

An 18th-century romantic adventure for the modern age written by This Monstrous Thing author Mackenzi Lee — Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets the 1700s. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores. Witty, dazzling, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is an irresistible romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love. ★Mackenzi Lee (This Monstrous Thing) combines her knowledge of European history with a contemporary, comic sensibility to create an over-the-top romantic adventure complete with cliff-hanging chapter endings and sometimes outrageous narration. “Careening from fete to fiasco on a Grand Tour of 18th century Europe, THE GENTLEMEN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE is a dizzying, dazzling, and roguishly romantic romp. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I adore the relationship between Monty and his sister Felicity, but the romantic story in this book is that of Monty and his best friend Percy, whom he has loved from afar for years."
"I finally opened it on Friday and almost read straight through."
"Ah, Monty, Percy, and Felicity."
"A most unusual book."
"This was a wonderfully sweet storyline and wonderfully sweet characters."
"This book has a hefty price tag for an ebook and I was discouraged at first."
"To quote Tigger: this book is "bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, fun fun fun fun fun!""
"I was expecting this to be a fluffy contemporary about a boy who goes on a tour of Europe and confess love, but good lord was I wrong!"

Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met. Incredibly funny and poignant, this twenty-first-century coming-of-age, coming out story—wrapped in a geek romance—is a knockout of a debut novel by Becky Albertalli. He has been emailing a boy in his grade anonymously ever since a poetic waxing on his high school's gossip Tumblr caught his eye, and now Martin Addison has taken a screenshot and has a powerful way to blackmail Simon into getting his friend, Abby, to date him. Rife with realistic, high school relationships and drama, with a laugh or two at every turn, this is a coming-of-age, coming-out, and defying-the-odds story with which many teens will identify. (2014, both S. & S.) and will find a familiar, slightly more mature home with Simon.—Brittany Staszak, St. Charles Public Library, IL Albertalli paints a stunningly three-dimensional, cliche-free world for Simon that bursts with unforgettable characters. Rife with realistic, high school relationships and drama, with a laugh or two at every turn, this is a coming-of-age, coming-out, and defying-the-odds story with which many teens will identify. Readers will ache for Simon s awkwardness, cheer his small triumphs, but, most of all, fall in love with this kid and with this remarkable gift of a novel.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"4.5 stars on my blog. I wish every teen would read this story."
"Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is the most wonderfully adorable book that's just hearts and rainbows and just gloriously perfect. Things start to get complicated when Simon's emails are read by another kid in his class, Martin, who takes screenshots of the emails and uses them to blackmail Simon into hooking him up with a girl he likes. Simon has a wonderful group of friends that are going through their own relationship issues and everything is a very nice balance of school life and teenage relationships that takes place in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda."
"(Crying cause I lost the updated review cause my computer died...). TO THE ACTUAL REVIEW: It's been about six months since I originally read SIMON.... and... after all this time... it is still one of my favorite contemporaries and books of all time. (Speaking of which, the romance is so adorable I. My original review (which you will see in a second...) was just me flailing about how phenomenal this book is, and that's mostly what this is going to be as well. Never had I felt like a character was thinking exactly what I was about humanity and everything else until I read this book. Reason being is I feel like I have met people in my life that represent each and every one of these characters before. Everything was familiar, and that made this book so super duper special to me. squealed like a baby pig... or someone opening up a present they didn't expect but really wanted.... or going to Disneyland for the first time... or eating an entire thing of Oreos (Double Stuf, of course.). This book makes you want to dance, to play around, to do everything fun in the world. Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda is quite possibly my favourite book I read in 2015. it was adorable, and cute, and heartbreaking in a strange sort of way. This book deals with many aspects of LGBTQ life that I feel is extremely important that everyone is aware of and understands because without understanding, there is no way to fix issues that are ever present in todays society (and slowly lessening, but it still needs to be discussed). This book in general, is.just so beautiful, and it surprised me in the best ways... Becky Albertalli is a phenomenal writer, and I will read anything she writes because if it is anything close to as amazing as this novel was, I am sure to love it. <3. so thankful I finally bought this, and read it completing it just 50 minutes before the new year."
"I think this book is a great book to recommend to someone who might be struggling; it's a great escape into a story about a boy trying to be himself, while dealing with blackmail, his secret identity, and anonymously writing to and relating to someone while falling in love with them."
"I don't normally read YA, but when my friends couldn't say enough good things about it, I caved, I'm so happy I did, it was worth my lack of sleep."
Best Teen & Young Adult Dating & Intimacy eBooks

The coming out story that will completely change the way you look at love, now available for free on Kindle Unlimited. Lena Newman is 17, her best friend’s a cheerleader, her boyfriend’s a football player, and as far as everyone is concerned, her life is sorted. "Smitten as a kitten, I was enamored from the very first paragraph--READ this poignant tale of teen angst, hope and LOVE." "The dialogue among the teens depicted in this story is spot-on and so realistic that when I finished the novel I felt as though I had visited real people."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It just makes me really uncomfortable when I read it and yet it’s in just about every single book I read. It’s not often we see LGBTQ+ characters have a safe place in books and this book definitely creates a safe place without sacrificing the struggles the people in this community goes through. Although it was DEFINITELY tipped towards the fluffy end of the scale, I felt the author did a good job balancing the description of the struggles the characters went through and creating that safe space. Even if they aren’t bisexual, there’s something that just about every LGBTQ+ scale can take away from this book."
"The writing flows naturally and the reader has a full idea of the teen universe and daily life."
"While this doesn't bother Lena, it does make her question her feelings toward Juliet and she realizes that she's bisexual and what she feels for Juliet is love and not the friendship kind of love. This is a very well written story and captures different feelings from both sides of the fence very accurately regarding this topic. This is a young adult book and captures the vibrant language and thought process of today's teens perfectly in my opinion."
Best Teen & Young Adult LGBT Nonfiction eBooks

In the last few years the overturning of DOMA, the SCOTUS ruling in favor of the Marriage Equality Act, American transgender politicians elected to office, and landmark moments such as Apple becoming the most valuable company in the world under the leadership of an openly gay CEO have advanced LGBT awareness and understanding. Along with in-depth definitions, personal anecdotes, helpful infographics, resources, and more; Mardell’s LGBT book is proof it does get better every day in a world where people are empowered by information and understanding. Ashley Mardell's The ABC's of LGBT serves as a powerful tool for those that might be questioning their own identity, as well as for those seeking a deeper knowledge of the many, varied identities that exist in relation to our attractions, desires, and personal understandings of self." Her insight and honest approach to LGBTQIA+ education has helped millions of kids and adults understand who they are.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I plan on also gifting his school library a copy of this book as well - our state finally has LGBT inclusive sex education and this book would be a great resource for curious and questioning teens."
"As ususal Ash Mardell is amazing, informative and exceedingly funny."
"Ash is absolutely perfect."
"My daughter loved the book..she got some usefull knowledge and more of an understanding of things in a sometimes humourus way..and from different points of view."
"i love Ash's book!"
"I really like this book, I think it really helped some of my friends learn more about the LGBT+ community, and it's actually helping me discover my gender identity cuz I've been questioning myself for awhile."
"It will be good to have for future children i have that want to know more about people around them or themselves."
"This book is the most comprehensive LGBTQ+ identity piece of media I've seen yet!"