9 Awesome Novels That Feature Same-Sex Love

Set in England at the tail end of the 19th century, Tipping the Velvet tells the story of Nan King, who falls in love with male impersonator Kitty Butler. One Amazon reviewer described it as "an excellent example of lesbian literature."

College romance is complicated. The Rules of Attraction documents the love triangle of Lauren, who writes anonymous love letters to Sean, who only has eyes for Lauren. And then there's passionate Paul, Lauren's bisexual ex. Together, the three do what college students do exceptionally well — party.

What happens when two teenagers with the same name meet on the streets of Chicago? Will Grayson, Will Grayson is the dual-narrative picture of messy adolescence. One rather depressed Will Grayson grapples with his same-sex desires, while the other struggles with a changing friendship and taking risks.

Two high school girls fall in love in Annie on My Mind, which was first published in the early 1980s. Will love win despite certain forces working against the young lovebirds?

Set in Victorian Britain, Fingersmith is a page-turning thriller centering on Sue Trinder, an orphan who agrees to help a thief named Gentleman overthrow a rich young lady in order to seize her inheritance. Sue is thrown for a loop, however, when she develops unexpected feelings for the girl. "A great read, but not for the faint of heart," one Goodreads user warns.

I'll Give You the Sun is a YA take on sudden death, art, the ties of family, and complex romance. Jude and Noah are twins who deal with life and love in very different ways after the tragic passing of their mother. Jude fights her attraction to the handsome, mysterious photographer with his own set of struggles; Noah's changed forever after having loved the boy next door.

Therese Belivet works a mundane job at a department store in The Price of Salt. And then one day, suburban housewife Carol Aird walks in and sweeps Therese off her feet. The two travel across the country as a private investigator pounces on the trail and jeopardizes their romance with a high-stakes threat.

Considered a classic of gay literature, Giovanni's Room illustrates the treacherous affairs of 1950s Paris, in which an American longs for a conventional lifestyle . . . even as he falls in love with an Italian bartender. One Amazon reviewer described it as "a fictional masterpiece."

How far does filmmaker Sophie Stark go to perfect her craft? The answer: very far. Using pieces of her husband, girlfriend, and obsession — a college basketball star named Daniel — the titular character makes critically acclaimed movies in The Life and Death of Sophie Stark. The price, however, is sky high.