Andraste

Here are five of my favorite Young Adult books with queer protagonists to be published within the last ten years. I am very lucky to live in a world where I had a hard time choosing.

1. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera (2016)

After coming out to her close-knit Puerto Rican family, Juliet travels across the country for an internship with a feminist writer whom she idolizes, leading to a transformative summer that shatters some of her illusions but gives her a better understanding of her own identity, creativity, and strength.

As far as this book is concerned, I echo pretty much everything that skygiants said in this 2017 review. Juliet is a wonderful narrator, and her experiences with white hippie feminism and with the kindred spirits that she finds among her fellow queers of color read as very authentic even to someone with only secondhand understanding of a lot of those communities and philosophies. Rivera is just that good at conjuring settings and subcultures. I love how complicated all of the relationships in this book are, and the sense of possibility with which the story ultimately leaves both heroine and audience.

2. Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (2018)

Young women have been vanishing from the island of Sawkill Rock for many years. Zoey’s best friend was one of them. New girl Marion’s sister might be next. Popular Val and her family have played their own horrifying role in the disappearances. But these three girls, working together despite their pain and secrets and distrust, might be the only ones who can stop them.

The only speculative fiction work on this list, Sawkill Girls is a wonderfully atmospheric horror story with memorably complex relationships between the three main characters. Zoey’s asexuality is only one of the reasons why she feels like a perpetual outsider, while the attraction between Marion and Val is shadowed by Val’s connection to the island’s supernatural secrets. If you like scary stories set in close-knit communities, and books about super-powered teen girls who fight evil forces, you might want to give this one a try.

3. Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli (2023)

A chronic people-pleaser, Imogen often finds herself scrambling to be the perfect straight ally to her queer sister and closest friends, even when her efforts (such as the time that she spends online, reading strangers’ arguments in order to figure out whether she’s “allowed” to enjoy a movie like But I’m A Cheerleader) cause her excessive amounts of stress. When a college visit leads to an unexpected flirtation with another girl, Imogen has to overcome her insecurities for a chance at real happiness, not only with Tessa but with herself.

I liked Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Leah on the Offbeat, but Imogen’s journey resonated with me even more deeply as someone who still second-guesses her own identity – and tends to interpret online discourse in the most self-critical way possible – even in adulthood. Also, the dialogue and characterizations pop off the page, and Imogen’s relationships with her family and friends are given as much weight and texture as the romance. (I also found her yearning for inclusion in a potential friend group to be Extremely Relatable Content.) In particular, her longtime friend turned antagonist, Gretchen, could come across as a mean-spirited caricature of a smug Tumblr-poisoned social justice warrior, but Albertalli is careful to present valid reasons for why Gretchen is the way she that she is, and also why she and Imogen have remained friends up until this point, without suggesting that Imogen owes her forgiveness.

At the time of writing, I’ve just finished reading the new companion novel, Amelia, If Only, and I am happy to report that it is equally delightful.

4. Emmett by L.C. Rosen (2023)

Emmett isn’t interested in a romantic relationship before he turns twenty-five (and has convinced himself that his reluctance has nothing to do with the fear of having his heart broken), but that won’t stop him from trying to find a boyfriend for Harrison, his friend and occasional hookup. What begins as a matchmaking mission, with all of the humor and angst and misunderstanding that implies, leads Emmett to question what he really wants and what he’s willing to risk for love.

Having never read Jane Austen’s Emma (or seen Clueless), I still enjoyed this modern take on the story, although if you’re not interested in reading about relationship drama among glaringly privileged teens, this might not be the book for you. Emmett might be insufferable, but the narrative recognizes that he’s insufferable, and his character arc involves a reconciliation between the “nice” persona that he projects and the genuinely kind and decent man that he’s capable of becoming. The slow-burn romance is lovely, and will probably appeal to readers who enjoy watching a protagonist slowly figure out what they themselves have known for many chapters, but – similarly to Imogen – I was equally charmed by the relationships among Emmett’s social circle, as well as his loving but fraught relationship with his father and their close bond with his late mother’s best friends. It’s the kind of intertwined family experience that I remember very fondly from my own formative years.

5. The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall (2024)

When Hollis’s boyfriend excludes her from his Dungeons & Dragons Secrets & Sorcery campaign, she joins a diverse all-girl gaming group in order to experience the activity that means so much to him and his friends. She doesn’t expect to find true friends of her own, to enjoy the love story that develops between her paladin character and Aini’s bard, or to discover a spark between herself and Aini outside their imaginary world.

I’ve never gotten involved in tabletop role-playing, but I’ve done some LARP, and dabbled in online role-play, and I have friends with plenty of experience in all three. Randall fully captures the creative and emotional synergy and excitement that friends can create when they’re telling a story together (and the confusion that can arise when the lines blur between in-character and out-of-character relationships). It’s aspirational in all the best ways.