25 of the Greatest Queer YA Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List

Noah Ramirez runs the Meet Cute Diary, a popular blog filled with adorable stories of trans happily ever afters. But there's just one problem: none of them are true. When the blog's secret is revealed to readers, Noah has to try to salvage his passion project. Fortunately, Drew agrees to fake-date Noah if it will save the Diary — but what happens when fake-dating isn't the cut-and-dry answer Noah thought it would be? Emery Lee's delightful novel The Meet Cute Diary is a perfect beach read for those lazy summer days.

Camryn Garrett's book Full Disclosure tells the story of Simone Garcia-Hampton, an HIV-positive teen starting over at a new high school. When Simone starts dating Miles, she knows she'll have to tell him her secret . . . eventually. But after someone leaves a note in her locker threatening to reveal her diagnosis to the entire school, Simone must decide whether to keep hiding or to hold her head up high.

If you haven't read Benjamin Alire Sáenz's YA classic Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, what are you waiting for? Aristotle and Dante are lonely outsiders who, at first, don't seem to have much in common. But once they grow closer, there's no stopping them. A widely beloved book and the first in a two-part series, this page-turner will grip you until the last chapter.

Julia Ember's Ruinsong is a queer fantasy novel about Cadence, a young mage who is tasked with torturing the country's disgraced nobility by her heartless queen. When Cadence crosses paths with her childhood friend, a noblewoman connected to the underground rebellion, she must decide whether to become the hero her country needs or a callous patriot, like her queen.

Claire Kahn's coming-of-age novel If It Makes You Happy follows Winnie, a girl trying to enjoy her summer and working at her granny's diner in a tiny town called Misty Haven. Winnie has everything under control; she's got a queerplatonic "un-girlfriend," Kara, and college on the horizon. The last thing she's expecting is to be crowned Misty Haven's Summer Queen — which means participating in some ancient matchmaking tradition Winnie wants nothing to do with. Follow along as Winnie navigates what might be the most difficult summer ever.

Alice Oseman's fourth book tells the story of Georgia, a college freshman coming to terms with the realization that she's never been in love or had a crush on anyone. With the help of her new friends Pip and Jason, Georgia sets out to find herself some romance — which doesn't go as planned. She encounters new terms like asexual and aromantic but can't decide if they're really for her or if she just hasn't met the right person yet. Loveless is a story of identity, self-acceptance, and finding love in other places.

Dean's mother is running for president, which doesn't shock anyone, least of all Dean. But he's not interested in anything related to the race, until he meets Dre. There's just one thing: Dre's the son of the Democratic candidate. As the campaign trail drags on, the two grow close, but a conniving third-party candidate could drive them apart. Shaun David Hutchinson's The State of Us is the modern, political romance you never knew you needed.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow is a sci-fi novel set on an Earth inhabited by humans and Ilori, alien invaders who landed two years ago. Now, Ellie Baker hides her prized collection of books in a society that considers music, art, and books to be illegal. When her secret is discovered by a young Ilori commander, Ellie fears the worst, but all he wants is to listen to human music. As the two connect over their passions, they embark on a journey to save humanity — if their far-fetched plan will work.

Andre Cobb received a liver transplant weeks ago, but something seems off. One night, he passes out, only to wake up in 1969, where he meets Michael. When Andre arrives back in present-day Boston, the family of his liver donor, Blake, explains that the new liver came with a side effect: time travel. It's Blake's job to teach Andre how to use his new ability, but as he bounces back and forth between the two boys, Andre must figure out who he is and where he wants to be. Kosoko Jackson's Yesterday Is History is a romantic story about letting go of the past, finding your place, and embracing the future.

Ashia Monet's The Black Veins is a fantasy found-family novel set in a world where powerful magic hides in the people you least expect it to. Blythe is one such person, a Guardian capable of throwing the entire world into chaos with a snap of her fingers. But Blythe has no interest in pursuing her abilities, until a group of magicians kidnaps her family. Devastated, Blythe knows she has to do everything in her power to save them, so she sets off with the other six Guardians to get her loved ones back before it's too late. With a whole cast of LGBTQ+ characters, The Black Veins kicks off an exciting series with excellent representation.

Meredith Russo's award-winning novel If I Was Your Girl follows Amanda Hardy, a transgender girl determined to fit in at her new school. She wants to make friends but is terrified about what people will think if she opens up to them. When Amanda meets charming, laid-back Grant, she can't help but want to tell him everything. Can she get past her fears and live the life she's been dreaming of?

In I Wish You All the Best, author Mason Deaver tells the story of Ben DeBacker, who is thrown out of their house after coming out to their parents as nonbinary. Now, living with their estranged older sister, starting over at a new school, and dealing with an anxiety disorder, Ben must try to survive just long enough to graduate. But all of that could change when Ben meets Nathan, a new friend who could become something much more.

A powerful twist on Cinderella, Kalynn Bayron's Cinderella Is Dead follows Sophia, a girl in love with her childhood best friend who wants nothing to do with the annual ball. But if she can't find a suitor, she'll never be heard from again — that is, if they can find her. When Sophia escapes to Cinderella's mausoleum, she meets Cinderella's last known descendant, Constance. Together, they decide to overthrow the king and, along the way, discover the real Cinderella's much darker story.

Darius Kellner is on his way to visit Iran for the first time, where he's hoping he'll fit in better than he does at home. When he meets the boy next door, Sohrab, he finally finds someone he can be himself around. In Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Adib Khorram writes a touching story about mental health and finding your person in a country thousands of miles away.

Fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before will adore The Falling in Love Montage by Clara Smyth. Saorise Clarke isn't looking for a serious summer relationship, until she meets Ruby. Ruby has a brilliant plan: one summer filled with picturesque movie dates, no strings attached. It's perfect, until the girls remember that after the movie montages comes falling in love for real.

Akwaeke Emezi's genre-defying novel Pet follows trans girl Jam and her best friend, Redemption, who live in the city of Lucille. Pet is a monster-hunting creature created when a drop of Jam's blood meets one of her mother's paintings. As Pet tracks down the thing hiding in the shadows of Redemption's house, Jam must be brave in order to protect her best friend and reveal the truth. Written by a nonbinary author, Pet is an award-winning book that breaks convention to tell a gripping story.

Nic Stone's Odd One Out is told from the point of view of three teenagers trying to navigate a love triangle, except it's way messier than that. Courtney Cooper, Jupiter Sanchez, and Rae Chin paint an honest picture of what it's like to question your sexuality when everything else seems so straightforward. If you've ever felt like you couldn't pick a label, this is the book for you.

Period-romance and mystery fans alike will love The Boy in the Red Dress by Kristin Lambert. Millie is running a speakeasy in New Orleans while the owner, her aunt, is out of town. The boy in the red dress, Marion, is the club's star performer, with a massive crowd of adoring fans behind him. A young socialite comes to Millie holding a picture of Marion and asking questions, which Millie doesn't think much of until the girl turns up dead in the courtyard. As all signs point to Marion, Millie must tear her focus away from the club's alluring waitress and dashing bootlegger in order to solve the case.

Rukhsana Ali has everything under control. She's keeping her girlfriend a secret from her conservative Muslim parents and looking forward to starting over at Caltech in the fall. But when Rukhsana's mom catches the pair together, she is carted off to stay with her extended family in Bangladesh, where she is surrounded by arranged marriages and strict traditions. As she finds comfort in her grandmother's old diary, Rukhsana learns to fight for herself and for love. Sabina Khan's The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali is a gripping tale about what it's like to grow up feeling like an outsider in your own culture.

Kim Fu's For Today I Am a Boy is an honest story about the son of Chinese immigrants who knows, deep down, that he is really a girl. With the heavy burden of being an only son in a family of daughters, Peter Huang has a lot to live up to. But with the help of his sisters and the friends he collects along the way, Peter slowly makes his own way in the world, toward the life he knows he was meant to live.

Sophie Gonzales's Only Mostly Devastated is a delightful boy-meets-boy take on the classic '50s love story Grease. Will and Ollie have the perfect summer fling, until Will stops texting Ollie back and Ollie moves across the country to start at a new school. Lucky for Ollie, it's the same school Will goes to — except in the hallways, Will turns into a mean, closeted jock. Ollie is determined not to waste his year pining after some boy who obviously wants nothing to do with him . . . but boy, is that Will persistent.

Anna-Marie McLemore's magical-realism novel, Wild Beauty, describes the world of the Nomeolvides women, who tend the beautiful gardens of La Pradera. Unfortunately, anyone the women fall in love with will vanish. One day, a boy mysteriously appears in the gardens, with no memory of who he is or where he came from. Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, offers to help him discover more about his past. In the process, the two discover dangerous secrets hiding in the lush wilderness Estrella calls home.

Nishat is caught between staying closeted to make her family happy and following her heart to make herself happy. But when an old childhood friend, Flávia, resurfaces, Nishat's instant crush makes everything a little harder. As Nishat and Flávia compete in a school contest to see whose henna business is better, Nishat must choose between her family and a new, could-be-something relationship. Adiba Jaigirdar's The Henna Wars is a charming story you'll go back to time and time again.

Felix has never been in love. A Black, queer, transgender teen, Felix is afraid he's just too complicated to find a compatible partner. When an anonymous student sends Felix transphobic messages and posts his deadname publicly, he crafts a revenge plot that he's sure will turn things around. But he doesn't see the love triangle coming. Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After is an award-winning novel about discovering your identity and finding the love you deserve.

It's the summer of 1977, and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson doesn't fit in at her Christian high school, her conservative church, or her strict household. But when Tammy starts writing to a pen pal, she finally finds someone she can be herself around. Sharon and Tammy love the same music and share secrets they can't tell anyone else. But as antigay movements grow stronger nationwide, the two will have to discover what they're willing to fight for in their letters to each other. Robin Talley does it again with Music From Another World, yet another of her award-winning queer historical-fiction novels.