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This list is for 2018 books with LGBTQIA+ characters or themes. Books on this list must be published for the YA or middle grade market.
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Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
| 1 |
Leah on the Offbeat (Simonverse, #3)
by
Becky Albertalli (Goodreads Author)
3.79 avg rating — 77,066 ratings
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| 2 |
What If It's Us (What If It's Us, #1)
by
Becky Albertalli (Goodreads Author)
3.80 avg rating — 167,640 ratings
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| 3 |
The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings, #2)
by
Mackenzi Lee (Goodreads Author)
4.04 avg rating — 39,322 ratings
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| 4 |
The Prince and the Dressmaker
by
Jen Wang (Goodreads Author)
4.33 avg rating — 121,161 ratings
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| 5 |
Let's Talk About Love
by
Claire Kann (Goodreads Author)
3.70 avg rating — 11,543 ratings
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| 6 |
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages
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3.92 avg rating — 6,429 ratings
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| 7 |
Girl Made of Stars
by
4.19 avg rating — 29,542 ratings
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| 8 |
The Disasters
by
M.K. England (Goodreads Author)
3.69 avg rating — 6,990 ratings
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| 9 |
The Summer of Jordi Perez
by
Amy Spalding (Goodreads Author)
3.83 avg rating — 5,275 ratings
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| 10 |
Reign of the Fallen (Reign of the Fallen, #1)
by
Sarah Glenn Marsh (Goodreads Author)
3.40 avg rating — 4,315 ratings
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| 11 |
People Like Us
by
Dana Mele (Goodreads Author)
3.51 avg rating — 19,428 ratings
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| 12 |
Ship It
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3.17 avg rating — 4,070 ratings
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| 13 |
I Was Born for This (I Was Born for This, #1)
by
Alice Oseman (Goodreads Author)
4.01 avg rating — 49,984 ratings
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| 14 |
The Brightsiders
by
Jen Wilde (Goodreads Author)
3.57 avg rating — 1,883 ratings
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| 15 |
The Dangerous Art of Blending In
by
3.99 avg rating — 9,364 ratings
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| 16 |
Inkmistress (Of Fire and Stars, #0.5)
by
Audrey Coulthurst (Goodreads Author)
3.72 avg rating — 2,039 ratings
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| 17 |
Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire, #1)
by
Natasha Ngan (Goodreads Author)
3.80 avg rating — 58,617 ratings
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| 18 |
Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet
by
Jennifer L. Armentrout (Goodreads Author)
3.57 avg rating — 14,486 ratings
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| 19 |
Anger Is a Gift
by
Mark Oshiro (Goodreads Author)
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6,443 ratings
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| 20 |
Chainbreaker (Timekeeper, #2)
by
Tara Sim (Goodreads Author)
4.05 avg rating — 2,809 ratings
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| 21 |
The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)
by
Holly Black (Goodreads Author)
4.01 avg rating — 1,684,397 ratings
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| 22 |
These Rebel Waves (Stream Raiders, #1)
by
Sara Raasch (Goodreads Author)
3.71 avg rating — 5,519 ratings
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| 23 |
Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World
by
4.37 avg rating — 7,938 ratings
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| 24 |
Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game, #1)
by
Amanda Foody (Goodreads Author)
3.83 avg rating — 21,286 ratings
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| 25 |
Darius the Great Is Not Okay (Darius The Great, #1)
by
Adib Khorram (Goodreads Author)
4.23 avg rating — 36,692 ratings
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| 26 |
Heartstopper: Volume One (Heartstopper, #1)
by
Alice Oseman (Goodreads Author)
4.42 avg rating — 870,636 ratings
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| 27 |
The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza
by
Shaun David Hutchinson (Goodreads Author)
3.64 avg rating — 3,933 ratings
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| 28 |
Blanca & Roja
by
Anna-Marie McLemore (Goodreads Author)
3.75 avg rating — 3,931 ratings
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| 29 |
Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft
by
3.66 avg rating — 4,919 ratings
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| 30 |
The Poet X
by
Elizabeth Acevedo (Goodreads Author)
4.37 avg rating — 140,630 ratings
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| 31 |
Running with Lions
by
Julian Winters (Goodreads Author)
3.66 avg rating — 9,470 ratings
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| 32 |
Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices, #3)
by
Cassandra Clare (Goodreads Author)
4.32 avg rating — 124,776 ratings
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| 33 |
Picture Us in the Light
by
Kelly Loy Gilbert (Goodreads Author)
4.09 avg rating — 5,168 ratings
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| 34 |
This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story
by
3.37 avg rating — 8,436 ratings
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| 35 |
Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey (Check, Please!, #1-2)
by
4.21 avg rating — 28,219 ratings
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| 36 |
The Brilliant Death (The Brilliant Death, #1)
by
3.66 avg rating — 2,882 ratings
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| 37 |
Moonstruck, Vol. 1: Magic to Brew (Moonstruck, #1)
by
3.59 avg rating — 8,624 ratings
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| 38 |
Heart of Iron (Heart of Iron, #1)
by
Ashley Poston (Goodreads Author)
3.75 avg rating — 7,327 ratings
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| 39 |
Pulp
by
Robin Talley (Goodreads Author)
3.81 avg rating — 3,717 ratings
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| 40 |
White Rabbit
by
Caleb Roehrig (Goodreads Author)
3.78 avg rating — 2,601 ratings
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| 41 |
The Art of Escaping
by
Erin Callahan (Goodreads Author)
3.83 avg rating — 316 ratings
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| 42 |
Lizzie
by
Dawn Ius (Goodreads Author)
3.10 avg rating — 545 ratings
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| 43 |
Nice Try, Jane Sinner
by
Lianne Oelke (Goodreads Author)
3.89 avg rating — 3,564 ratings
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| 44 |
Dear Rachel Maddow
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3.83 avg rating — 1,869 ratings
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| 45 |
Runaways, Vol. 1: Find Your Way Home
by
Rainbow Rowell (Goodreads Author)
3.93 avg rating — 5,762 ratings
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| 46 |
Bright We Burn (The Conqueror's Saga, #3)
by
Kiersten White (Goodreads Author)
4.28 avg rating — 13,921 ratings
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| 47 |
Sawkill Girls
by
Claire Legrand (Goodreads Author)
3.66 avg rating — 19,176 ratings
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| 48 |
Lumberjanes, Vol. 8: Stone Cold
by
Shannon Watters (Creator)
4.19 avg rating — 4,576 ratings
|
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| 49 |
The Unbinding of Mary Reade
by
Miriam McNamara (Goodreads Author)
3.42 avg rating — 780 ratings
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| 50 |
Summer Bird Blue
by
Akemi Dawn Bowman (Goodreads Author)
3.95 avg rating — 5,114 ratings
|
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| 51 |
Black Wings Beating (Skybound, #1)
by
3.57 avg rating — 2,995 ratings
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| 52 |
The Belles (The Belles, #1)
by
Dhonielle Clayton (Goodreads Author)
3.82 avg rating — 25,181 ratings
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| 53 |
Bingo Love
by
3.92 avg rating — 9,829 ratings
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| 54 |
The Backstagers, Vol. 2: The Show Must Go On
by
4.10 avg rating — 2,987 ratings
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| 55 |
Out of the Blue
by
Sophie Cameron (Goodreads Author)
3.69 avg rating — 1,765 ratings
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| 56 |
Social Intercourse
by
Greg Howard (Goodreads Author)
3.72 avg rating — 1,572 ratings
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| 57 |
Opal (The Raven Cycle, #4.5)
by
Maggie Stiefvater (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 22,372 ratings
score: 868,
and
9 people voted
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| 58 |
Sometime After Midnight
by
3.73 avg rating — 1,749 ratings
score: 866,
and
9 people voted
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| 59 |
Miles Away from You
by
A.B. Rutledge (Goodreads Author)
3.38 avg rating — 520 ratings
score: 830,
and
9 people voted
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| 60 |
The Burning Maze (The Trials of Apollo, #3)
by
Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)
4.26 avg rating — 112,671 ratings
score: 783,
and
8 people voted
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| 61 |
The Spy with the Red Balloon (The Balloonmakers, #2)
by
Katherine Locke (Goodreads Author)
3.91 avg rating — 801 ratings
score: 772,
and
9 people voted
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| 62 |
The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky (Montague Siblings, #1.5)
by
Mackenzi Lee (Goodreads Author)
4.04 avg rating — 21,556 ratings
score: 765,
and
8 people voted
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| 63 |
This Is What It Feels Like
by
Rebecca Barrow (Goodreads Author)
4.01 avg rating — 713 ratings
score: 726,
and
9 people voted
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| 64 |
Bruja Born (Brooklyn Brujas, #2)
by
Zoraida Córdova (Goodreads Author)
3.95 avg rating — 3,969 ratings
score: 717,
and
8 people voted
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| 65 |
The Radical Element (A Tyranny of Petticoats, #2)
by
3.75 avg rating — 1,032 ratings
score: 714,
and
8 people voted
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| 66 |
Beneath the Citadel
by
Destiny Soria (Goodreads Author)
3.64 avg rating — 1,912 ratings
score: 713,
and
9 people voted
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| 67 |
Heretics Anonymous
by
Katie Henry (Goodreads Author)
3.83 avg rating — 12,334 ratings
score: 709,
and
8 people voted
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| 68 |
Outrun the Wind
by
Elizabeth Tammi (Goodreads Author)
3.56 avg rating — 952 ratings
score: 693,
and
8 people voted
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| 69 |
Hurricane Child
by
3.78 avg rating — 4,460 ratings
score: 683,
and
8 people voted
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| 70 |
Lumberjanes, Vol. 9: On a Roll
by
4.07 avg rating — 3,836 ratings
score: 654,
and
7 people voted
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| 71 |
Fire Song
by
3.53 avg rating — 717 ratings
score: 646,
and
7 people voted
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| 72 |
The Diminished (The Alskad Empire Chronicles, 1)
by
Kaitlyn Sage Patterson (Goodreads Author)
3.63 avg rating — 713 ratings
score: 642,
and
7 people voted
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| 73 |
Before I Let Go
by
Marieke Nijkamp (Goodreads Author)
3.32 avg rating — 9,979 ratings
score: 629,
and
7 people voted
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| 74 |
The Last to Let Go
by
Amber Smith (Goodreads Author)
3.70 avg rating — 5,066 ratings
score: 609,
and
7 people voted
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| 75 |
Chaotic Good
by
Whitney Gardner (Goodreads Author)
3.83 avg rating — 2,242 ratings
score: 598,
and
7 people voted
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| 76 |
Burro Hills
by
Julia Lynn Rubin (Goodreads Author)
4.04 avg rating — 119 ratings
score: 594,
and
6 people voted
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| 77 |
Seafire (Seafire, #1)
by
Natalie C. Parker (Goodreads Author)
3.82 avg rating — 10,683 ratings
score: 590,
and
7 people voted
|
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| 77 |
Summer of Salt
by
Katrina Leno (Goodreads Author)
3.99 avg rating — 9,826 ratings
score: 590,
and
7 people voted
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| 79 |
Elephant Shoe
by
J.S. Edge (Goodreads Author)
4.28 avg rating — 118 ratings
score: 583,
and
6 people voted
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| 80 |
Ruin of Stars (Mask of Shadows, #2)
by
Linsey Miller (Goodreads Author)
3.74 avg rating — 1,644 ratings
score: 551,
and
6 people voted
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| 81 |
The Last Beginning (The Next Together, #2)
by
Lauren James (Goodreads Author)
3.98 avg rating — 1,887 ratings
score: 548,
and
6 people voted
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| 82 |
Furyborn (Empirium, #1)
by
Claire Legrand (Goodreads Author)
3.78 avg rating — 55,837 ratings
score: 544,
and
7 people voted
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| 83 |
Noah Could Never (Noah Can't Even, #2)
by
Simon James Green (Goodreads Author)
3.78 avg rating — 1,744 ratings
score: 519,
and
6 people voted
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| 84 |
Nothing Happened
by
Molly Horton Booth (Goodreads Author)
3.44 avg rating — 431 ratings
score: 492,
and
6 people voted
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| 84 |
Changing Ways (Changing Ways, #1)
by
Julia Tannenbaum (Goodreads Author)
4.29 avg rating — 110 ratings
score: 492,
and
5 people voted
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| 86 |
Big Man
by
Matthew J. Metzger (Goodreads Author)
3.79 avg rating — 121 ratings
score: 489,
and
5 people voted
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| 87 |
That Feeling When (#lovehim, #1)
by
S.M. James (Goodreads Author)
3.93 avg rating — 387 ratings
score: 480,
and
5 people voted
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| 88 |
Lumberjanes: Bonus Tracks
by
Shannon Watters (Creator)
3.91 avg rating — 1,344 ratings
score: 478,
and
5 people voted
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| 89 |
Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens
by
3.70 avg rating — 1,379 ratings
score: 469,
and
6 people voted
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| 90 |
King Geordi the Great
by
Gene Gant (Goodreads Author)
3.19 avg rating — 119 ratings
score: 462,
and
5 people voted
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| 91 |
Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)
by
Lev A.C. Rosen (Goodreads Author)
3.84 avg rating — 5,024 ratings
score: 454,
and
5 people voted
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| 92 |
And She Was
by
Jessica Verdi (Goodreads Author)
3.64 avg rating — 811 ratings
score: 448,
and
5 people voted
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| 93 |
The True Queen (The Impostor Queen, #3)
by
Sarah Fine (Goodreads Author)
3.69 avg rating — 458 ratings
score: 425,
and
5 people voted
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| 94 |
Dread Nation (Dread Nation, #1)
by
Justina Ireland (Goodreads Author)
4.13 avg rating — 35,780 ratings
score: 412,
and
5 people voted
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| 95 |
Emergence (Kindred Ties, #2)
by
Marita Smith (Goodreads Author)
4.22 avg rating — 18 ratings
score: 400,
and
4 people voted
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| 96 |
The Navigator's Touch (The Seafarer's Kiss, #2)
by
Julia Ember (Goodreads Author)
3.87 avg rating — 260 ratings
score: 394,
and
4 people voted
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| 97 |
There Goes Sunday School (There Goes Sunday School #1)
by
Alexander C. Eberhart (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 1,395 ratings
score: 387,
and
4 people voted
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| 98 |
Love & Other Carnivorous Plants
by
3.36 avg rating — 1,153 ratings
score: 386,
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5 people voted
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| 99 |
Lost Soul, Be at Peace
by
Maggie Thrash (Goodreads Author)
3.64 avg rating — 1,429 ratings
score: 385,
and
4 people voted
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| 100 |
Long Steady Distance
by
Helena Hill (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 83 ratings
score: 356,
and
4 people voted
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300 books ·
596 voters ·
list created March 18th, 2016
by Rainbowheart (votes) .
Tags:
2018, ace, aro, aromantic, asexual, asexuality, bisexual, fiction, gay, gender-identity, genderfluid, genderqueer, glbt, glbtq, homosexuality, intersex, lesbian, lgbt, lgbtq, middle-grade, nonbinary, pansexual, pansexuality, queer, sexual-orientation, sexuality, transgender, upcoming, young-adult
Rainbowheart
2036 books
155 friends
155 friends
Kyle
1364 books
181 friends
181 friends
Marta
3969 books
41 friends
41 friends
Melinda
1524 books
41 friends
41 friends
Dahlia
5634 books
478 friends
478 friends
Marianne
680 books
353 friends
353 friends
Elle
3096 books
1708 friends
1708 friends
Elodie
571 books
32 friends
32 friends
More voters…
Comments Showing 1-50 of 53 (53 new)
message 1:
by
Rainbowheart
(new)
May 05, 2016 07:02PM
Removed The Queen of Air and Darkness. Release date seems to have been pushed to 2019.
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Could you please include asexuality in the description and tags (as asexual characters are neither gay/lesbian, nor bisexual) ? Otherwise it could be hard to understand, if asexual characters are not welcome here (doesn't look so) or there are no books with them in order to be recognized (there are at least some). Thanks.
I would appreciate not altering the description of my list without asking first, since I am the list creator. I don't mind including asexual characters, but the primary focus of this list should be LGBT.
For Kristine and others who are interested, there is a list just for asexual characters here....Asexuality in YA Fiction
@rainbowheart: sorry for taking over but i guess i just couldn't fathom why a list celebrating lgbt releases would be exclusive of those also on the spectrum.
No worries. I do think it should be inclusive of all, but for example a straight asexual relationship with no mention of being a sexual minority perhaps wouldn't be quite appropriate. In any case, we do have Let's Talk About Love on the list, and it has an asexual MC. There may be a few others with side characters. too.
@rainbowheart: i kinda understand what you are saying - and it is your list so i apologise for interfering - but asexual/aromantic people are part of the lgbtqia+ spectrum, no matter their partners/lis gender or sexuality. saying the only get to be included if their partner is lgbt+ seems a little demeaning. but i am genuinely sorry that i responded on your behalf. i'll leave those sorts of things to the oc from now on.
Again, no worries. I didn't necessarily mean it had to be a same-sex relationship, but say there was a relationship between a boy and a girl that simply didn't mention sexual attraction, for example, many old school teen romances or younger middle grade books today. I don't think any of those would be appropriate for the list if they did not have self-identified asexual characters. There are many books without sex or romance. I just wanted to avoid muddying the waters there.
@rainbowheart: oh, okay. i see what you mean now! if there is no mention of asexuality or it isn't made abundantly clear in the text, it shouldn't be added. i thought you meant you weren't including asexual/pansexual/nonbinary or other not L.G.B.T. but still lgbt+ characters on the list and was confused why. sorry.
Removed Troublemakers, which was originally released in 2017, and The Cerulean, which got pushed to 2019.
Removed: You're You. 2017.
Rise as One. 2019.
What She Does Next Will Astound You. 2016.
Jokes About Dead Girls. 2019.
The Disappearing Boy.2019.
Hi Rainbowheart - just finished The Parker Inheritance and although it doesn't focus on LGBT issues, it deals with homophobia and a character comes out. Thnx.
Hi again, I just finished Tattered Planet by Kate Blair and one of the supporting character's parents are men. This info is only mentioned or appears a few times, but it's integral to who that character is. I highly recommend the book - murder/mystery, sci-fi future, evolution, space travel! - Todd
Removed Firestarter, which got pushed to 2019.Feel free to vote for Tangled Planet, Todd! Sounds like it would also be a good addition to the YA Books with LGBT Parents list.
Removed True Romantics and A Queer History of the United States for Young People, which both got pushed to 2019. Also deleted the Marlon Bundo picture book and several titles released prior to 2018.
Fresh Ink, Lamar Giles (ed) has several stories with LGBTQ+ stories and other marginalized identities.
Removed Starworld, Not Your Backup, and Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: Little Women, which all got pushed to 2019.
Removed Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, which got pushed to 2019.Also removed two adult novels and one pre-2018 release.
Someone inexplicably deleted Hullmetal Girls from this list. Please do not remove 2018 YA or middle grade releases with LGBT characters!
I didn't flag because I thought it could have been an honest mistake. It's happened to me a few times where I deleted something in error. I didn't recognize the person who did it, but it doesn't seem to be someone associated with the censorship brigade, so I'm giving the benefit of the doubt. There's way too much craziness over on the main YA list!
fair enough. there is so much drama about it. it's gone beyond ridiculous. did you see they were trying to get the whole list flagged? 🙄
I saw that! I messaged Jasmine to let her know in case she wasn't following the comments on her list. I doubt there's anything to worry about, but some people are indeed ridiculous.
Removed Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, and You Know Me Well. None of these are 2018 releases.
The Time Traveler's Guide to Modern Romance #42 is not a 2018 release as it comes out at March 4th 2019
Thanks for the heads up. I removed that one along with Flamer, still no release date, and Sarah. According to readers, this has adult characters.
Here is my YA book published in 2018 with a prominent gay character:No Doubt In My Mind by Sheila Solomon Shotwell
I read Darius The Great is Not Okay recently, and the only canon LGBT characters are Darius's two paternal grandmas (who are not shown on page).
Rainbowheart wrote: "Darius never comes out, but it seems clear in the story that he is, indeed, gay."But does implied homosexuality really count as representation? Though Darius and Sohrab's friendship sometimes borders on romantic seeming, there is no actual on-page confirmation of either of their sexualities, nor confirmation by the author for that matter. Though I loved the book, I feel like I enjoyed it less due to the expectations I had based on the fact that the book was on this list. Ultimately, it is your decision but I strongly encourage you to remove it.
I would say things have progressed culturally to the point where an obviously gay character written by a gay author does qualify for inclusion on the list. It's not like it was in days of old when people had to search to find hidden homoerotic subtext in various works of literature. A dramatic coming out scene may no longer be be necessary. Plus, the two gay grandmothers are mentioned. I interpret "LGBT themes" rather loosely.
After some Internet Research, I discovered you were right! I did not realized Adib Khorram was gay, but he has said publicly multiple times that Darius was intended to be questioning and, in his mind, would eventually grow to be comfortable identifying as gay. Though I have some issues with authorial intent as representation—*cough* JK Rowling *cough*—knowing the representation in this case is own voices appeases me. LGBT themes indeed!
Grace wrote: "After some Internet Research, I discovered you were right! I did not realized Adib Khorram was gay, but he has said publicly multiple times that Darius was intended to be questioning and, in his mi..."oh this was interesting to me. When I read the book I knew the author was gay... and I read Darius as definitely experiencing same-sex attraction! Now I'm wondering if I projected that because I knew the author's orientation.
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