YA LGBT Books discussion

Have you read a book where just about everyone on the page is LGBTQIAP+ ? Do you have a favorite? Is it believable, or happy hopeful, contemporary or SciFi or fantasy?

Gosh, I'm trying hard to think of one for this, but I'm struggling to think of published work. Now, fan fiction, I could name a bunch...

Drag Teen has a pretty queer-heavy cast, but there's some pivotal secondary characters who definitely aren't queer.

How queer is the cast of Not Your Sidekick/Not Your Villain? There are a few amongst the core kid characters, but I think all the parents, etc. are coded hetero.

It is a fanfic trope.

There is The Door Into Fire series, in which just about everybody is assumed to be some degree of bisexual. I really liked these, back in the day. I liked a fantasy world where orientation wasn't fraught with rules and expectations and limits. Haven't done a recent reread.

Kaje wrote: "It is a fanfic trope.

There is The Door Into Fire series, in which just about everybody is assumed to be some degree of bisexual. I really liked these, back in the day."

Diane Duane is one of those authors I've always meant to read. I bought digital copies of her Young Wizards series several months back, when she was tight for money and calling for support. All I know is that one of them has an autistic protag, one of the first positive portrayals in fiction. My best friend from high school has been poking me to read them for about twenty years. I haven't heard of The Door Into Fire, though. I've added them to the to-read list!

@Iamshadow, The Sidekick Squad’s mostly queer. I haven’t read Not Your Villain completely so idk what Emma’s ID is. But Bells, Abby, and Jessica are all varying degrees of queer.

As for a book where everyone’s queer: Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore. The Nomeolvides Girls are all bisexual! And there’s a genderqueer/Non-Binary character who’s with one of the girls.

Adriana wrote: "As for a book where everyone’s queer: Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore. The Nomeolvides Girls are all bisexual! And there’s a genderqueer/Non-Binary character who’s with one of the girls."

I haven't read that one yet! I loved When The Moon Was Ours.

This one is hard. I can only think of Jay Bell's Loka Legends series where everyone is queer.

I think Juliet Takes a Breath has a pretty big queer cast. I think most of the main characters besides her parents are some flavour of queer.

Not strictly YA, but the The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse and the other Nancy Clue books by Mabel Maney are parodies of Nancy Drew where most of the cast is queer and the MCs are all young adults. To answer Kaje's question, I'd call them happy hopeful. They might not be to everyone's taste, but they're light and fun.

Skye wrote: "Not strictly YA, but the The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse and the other Nancy Clue books by Mabel Maney are parodies of Nancy Drew where most of the cast is queer and the MCs are all..."

That sounds like fun :)

I can think of several decidedly non-YA science fiction novels with all-female, all-gay settings (The Stars Are Legion is the most recent one I've read) but thinking of YA books is trickier.

I'll second Wild Beauty - not all the characters are LGBTQIA+, but about 80% of them are - and it's a beautifully-written, hopeful book.

I just realised. I should have been thinking COMICS. Young Avengers Omnibus.

Iamshadow wrote: "I just realised. I should have been thinking COMICS. Young Avengers Omnibus."

OMG you're right, COMICS!
A + E 4ever

Rez wrote: "Iamshadow wrote: "I just realised. I should have been thinking COMICS. Young Avengers Omnibus."

OMG you're right, COMICS!
A + E 4ever"

Also, always worth a mention of Runaways Omnibus. I haven't read the whole run the way I have of Young Avengers, yet, but it's on my TBR list.

Iamshadow wrote: "Rez wrote: "Iamshadow wrote: "I just realised. I should have been thinking COMICS. Young Avengers Omnibus."

OMG you're right, COMICS!
A + E 4ever"

Also, always wor..."

I'll throw Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening(it doesn't have an omnibus yet) onto the comics pile as well.

Benjamin wrote: "I'll throw Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening(it doesn't have an omnibus yet) onto the comics pile as well."

Ooh, that one's new to me. Thanks!

I LOVED The Lightning-Struck Heart audiobook!
Nearly all the characters are gay.

Brittany wrote: "I LOVED The Lightning-Struck Heart audiobook!
Nearly all the characters are gay."

Yes. Although I think the subsequent books are adult reading.

I really loved Once and Future. It is a King Arthur retelling and the whole cast is queer.

Azfa wrote: "I really loved Once and Future. It is a King Arthur retelling and the whole cast is queer."
Just wanted to confirm you are referring to this book by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy? Thanks.

Azfa wrote: "I really loved Once and Future. It is a King Arthur retelling and the whole cast is queer."
This one of my favorites.

I'll have to check it out.

Iamshadow wrote: "Benjamin wrote: "I'll throw Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening(it doesn't have an omnibus yet) onto the comics pile as well."

Ooh, that one's new to me. Thanks!"

Monstress is awesome!

There's Sing the Four Quarters, The Fifth Quarter, No Quarter, and The Quartered Sea by Tanya Huff. There's also The Stone Prince, The Painter Knight, The Granite Shield, and The Golden Sword by Fiona Patton. Both are fantasy and the worlds in which the stories take place have their problems, but it's presumed you can be attracted to anyone, regardless of gender.

Here's a couple of my faves:

Andy wrote: "Here's a couple of my faves:
Once & Future, Camp , Anger Is a Gift , The Fever King"

Thanks for the additional titles <3

Criminal Intentions or maybe the Green Creek series

A recent book I really liked in which nearly everyone identifies in some way as queer is Almost Flying , by Jake Maia Arlow. It's a great summer read too, centering on a road trip to different amusement parks across the U.S.

Nimona is a good one (there's only like three characters, but still.)

Felix Ever After
for sure!