34 Books That Make LGBTQ+ Teens Feel Seen

In They Both Die at the End, Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio both receive some bad news on the same day: that it's their last day alive. The pair are total strangers, but are looking to make a new friend on their "End Day." Mateo and Rufus meet on an app called The Last Friend and endure a new adventure of living a lifetime in a single day... all while falling for each other.

Two star-crossed girls of color fall in love in this magical and easy-to-love young adult novel. Told through the lens of 16-year-old Sana, whose family moves to California as her parents go through their own trials, this coming-of-age story is impossible to put down.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is the latest release by Red, White, and Royal Blue author Casey McQuiston. It follows Chloe Green, a star student who's on her way to becoming her high school’s valedictorian. Popular girl Shara Wheeler is major competition for the top spot, and one month before graduation, she kisses Chloe and suddenly vanishes. Along with Shara's quarterback BF, Smith, and bad-boy neighbor, Rory, Chloe begins a search for Shara after receiving a cryptic letter from her.

The inspiration behind the Tony Award-winning musical Fun Home, this graphic memoir revisits Alison Bechdel's adolescence, culminating in her coming out to her parents just before her father's death. Grappling with themes of acceptance and self-discovery, this tragicomic is not just telling a story, it's taking us on an emotional and psychological journey.

Another LGBTQ classic, "Rubyfruit Jungle" was published in 1973, making it pretty remarkable in its time for its portrayal of lesbian characters. Brown takes us through the middle school and high school years of Molly Bolt, who explores her own identity through a slew of hook-ups and relationships that will feel both familiar and exciting to fellow queer readers.

Dive into LGBTQ history with Sarah Prager's profiles on 23 people who helped further the fight for the community. The range of icons spans from politicians you know well to singers and performers whose stories haven't been told in most history books. If you're interested in learning how the gay rights struggle started — and where we are now — this is the perfect place to start.

The Trials of Apollo is a continuation of the bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians saga that has queer representation through various characters. The first book, The Hidden Oracle, follows the Greek God Apollo when he angers his dad, Zeus, and is sent to New York City as a normal teenage boy. He's left without his powers, which means he has to learn to survive as a mere mortal before getting back on Zeus' good side. So, he visits the one place he can find other Gods and demigods for help: Camp Half-Blood.

John Green and David Levithan join forces to write Will Grayson, Will Grayson, a dual-perspective novel that follows two Illinois teens with the same name. Will Grayson 1 (written by John Green) has a "very big and very gay" best friend, Tiny Cooper, and while he's been there for Tiny through every heartbreak he's endured, he's on the fence about their friendship. Meanwhile, Will Grayson 2 (written by David Levithan) is closeted and in an online relationship with another teen named Isaac, but his best friend Maura has feelings for him. Eventually, the Wills cross paths and both narratives braid together to tell a coming-of-age story. Plus, there's a musical production based on Tiny's life involved.

16-year-old Simon's coming out story is not too far from what a lot of LGBTQ teens experience. Out to only a very select few, his secret ends up in the wrong hands and he has to face the idea of being outed instead of being allowed to decide who to tell and when. This award-winning novel is already quintessential YA reading, and its film adaptation, Love, Simon inspired a spin-off Hulu series, Love, Victor.

Speaking of the Simonverse, Leah on the Offbeat is a sequel that follows Simon's bestie, Leah, as she navigates her senior year with changing friendships, her first love, and lots of teen angst. Leah's usually on beat when it comes to drumming, but she's the opposite when it comes to other areas of her life. And, while Leah's mom knows she's bisexual, she's having trouble telling her friends — including Simon, who is openly gay after the events of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

Aspiring screenplay writer Quinn is on the perfect path to Hollywood when tragedy strikes in his home life. His BFF helps him heal by dragging him to his first college party, where he meets a guy he starts falling for, leading to his own coming out and self-discovery, and making for a super-relatable and action-packed tale.

Spinning is a graphic memoir that you'll want to read in one sitting. Tillie Walden takes us through her childhood as a competitive ice skater, and she paints the world of her practices and competitions in such vivid detail, even spelling out the twists and tricks she learned throughout the years. But what happens off the ice — her first relationship, her forced coming-out, and her middle school friend drama — is even more gripping.

Already iconic in the queer community, this 2012 coming-of-age novel tells the story of a young LGBTQ girl in Montana. The protagonist, Cameron Post, loses her parents in a car crash just as she's beginning to discover her own sexuality, which propels her into an entirely different narrative of queer adolescence. The moving novel is now a movie starring Chlöe Grace Moretz that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2018.

The Art of Being Normal tells the story of two transgender teens, Leo and Kate, at pivotal times in their lives. Kate, introduced to us at first as 'David,' is in the beginning stages of coming out and transitioning when Leo stands up for her against school bullies. Leo is further along in his transition, and the two help each other find community and balance in the face of adversity and transphobia.

A Stonewall Book Award-winning novel, I'll Give You The Sun is a story in two parts: half is told by Noah, and half is by Noah's twin sister, Jude. The once-close siblings have a sudden and mysterious falling out, and it's up to the narrators and the strange people they meet along the way to bring them back together.

Puerto Rican lesbian Juliet has just come out to her mother — and it didn't go so well. Now, she's leaving the Bronx for an internship with her favorite activist in Portland, Oregon, and the new people and places she discovers lead her on a long, twisted road to coming of age.

Published in 1985, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit features a young lesbian growing up in a Pentecostal community. LGBTQ people raised in super religious communities will be able to relate to the trials and tribulations of protagonist Jeanette.

This Stonewall Book Award winner follow Aristotle and Dante. They are polar opposites. Dante is fair-skinned, self-assured, and knows how to swim. On the other hand, Aristotle has dark skin, problems forming his thoughts into words, and doesn't know how to swim. When the pair meet at a swimming pool, they discover who they are and what kind of people they want to be. There are obstacles along the way, but by believing in each other, they come out stronger in the end.

Princess Dennaleia is arranged to marry a prince to seal the alliance between her homeland and his country, Mynaria. But she possesses magical fire powers, which is a huge secret since magic is forbidden in Mynaria. On top of that, she also has to learn how to ride Mynaria's warhorses before her coronation — and her teacher is the intimidating sister of her husband-to-be, Princess Amaranthine. When an assassination leaves the kingdom in shock, Dennaleia and Amaranthine team up to find the culprit and their relationship takes the enemies-to-lovers course we all know and love.

In this angsty coming-of-age novel, Riley Cavanaugh is a snarky and rebellious teen who's gender fluid. While Riley identifies as a boy some days and a girl other days, they aren't out yet. The pressure is on as Riley's dad is a congressman running for re-election in their conservative town. When Riley's therapist suggests starting an anonymous blog to vent their pent-up feelings, it goes viral and changes the course of their high school experience. An anonymous commenter discovers Riley's real identity and threatens to expose it. Riley is then faced with a tough choice: leaving the blog and their new friendships behind for good or coming out.