50+ OwnVoices Queer Books To Read This Pride Month

It’s important to read queer books, especially OwnVoices ones, all the time. But it’s even more important this month, because it’s Pride Month. This month, you should be making a conscious effort to mainly read books about queer characters, and by queer authors.

(Yes, I realize this post is…late. But there is still time! And you should be reading OwnVoices books year round, so it’s still helpful.)

If you’ve never heard of OwnVoices, here is exactly what it means:

#OwnVoices is a hashtag for sharing book recommendations which I first suggested using in September 2015. To be specific, it’s for recommending books with characters from a marginalised group written by an author from that same marginalised group. The topic of diversity has been getting more and more attention in past years, including within the book community, with all kinds of initiatives to promote diverse titles and all kinds of blogs to discuss them. The #OwnVoices hashtag is an extension of that, talking not only about diverse titles, but also authors who can speak from their own experiences.

-Corinne Duyvis, author of On the Edge of Gone and Otherbound

It’s been becoming a bigger and bigger deal lately for many reasons, and that is such a good thing. I have a post coming about that sometime in the future – I just need to finish it first.

A little while ago, I wrote a Twitter thread about this subject, so you can check that out here if you’re interested. Writing that thread spurred me on to create this post of recommendations. It includes both books I have read, and haven’t read, all to create the most comprehensive list as possible. 

Obviously, it’s not in any way complete, so if you have recommendations, leave them in the comments for others to see!

Now, without further ado, let’s get onto this list. The books are from all genres, and mainly YA titles, since that’s my specialty. They are organized by the representation they contain, and if they fall under multiple OwnVoices identities, they are listed under all the headings they apply to. Clicking on the title will lead you to the book’s Goodreads page.

(Note: There are more queer identities than the ones I have listed here. That’s where the plus in LGBTQIAP+ comes from. These are the most commonly (ha!) represented in books, so that’s why they are included.)

Lesbian

Everything Leads To You by Nina LaCour

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

Ash by Malinda Lo

Huntress by Malinda Lo

Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera

10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac

 

You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

Gay

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

At The Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutcherson

We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutcherson

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

Proxy by Alex London

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

Bisexual/Biromantic

How To Make A Wish by Ashley Herring Blake

Not Your Sidekick by C. B. Lee

27 Hours by Tristina Wright

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis

Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

Like Water by Rebecca Podos

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

Pansexual/Panromantic

The Traitor’s Tunnel by C. M. Spivey

I couldn’t find any other OwnVoices pansexual/panromantic books. This makes me beyond sad, but hopefully, we will get more in the future. 

Transgender

George by Alex Gino

Dreadnought by April Daniels

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

Coffee Boy by Austin Chant

Peter Darling by Austin Chant

Spy Stuff by Matthew J. Metzger

Bad Boy by Elliot Wake

Nonbinary/Genderqueer

Lizard Radio by Pat Schmatz

Ida by Alison Evans

The Lifeline Signal by RoAnna Sylver

No More Heroes by Michelle Kan

I couldn’t find any other OwnVoices nonbinary/genderqueer books. This makes me beyond sad, but hopefully, we will get more in the future. 

Asexual/Asexual Spectrum

Every Heart A Doorway by Seannan McGuire

The Traitor’s Tunnel by Cal Spivey

Hello World by Tiffany Rose and Alexandra Tauber

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

The Last Chronomancer by Reilyn J. Hardy

City of Strife by Claudie Arseneault

We Awaken by Calista Lynne

Aromantic/Aromantic Spectrum

City of Strife by Claudie Arseneault

The Last Chronomancer by Reilyn J. Hardy

No More Heroes by Michelle Kan

I couldn’t find any other OwnVoices aromantic/aromantic spectrum books. This makes me beyond sad, but hopefully, we will get more in the future. 

I hope this list helps adds to your TBR – either for the rest of Pride Month, or for the year! Remember: Seek out #OwnVoices books, and enjoy them! They’re incredible, and deserve your support.

Want more queer recommendations? Check out these resources:

The Gay YA

LGBTQ Reads

My Patreon: By pledging just 1$ per month, you could receive a weekly list of book recommendations created by me (as well as other rewards)! Many of these lists will be of queer books. This is a new project for me, so I would love your support. 

What queer books have you read, or plan to read, this month? Are any of them OwnVoices? What recommendations do you have for me, and for all others searching for queer OV books? Which of the books on this list have you read and enjoyed, and which do you want to read most?

Thanks for reading,

Ava