My Goal Is To Read 100 Books In 2024, So Here Are 10 LGBTQ+ Books I've Loved & 10 I'm Excited For
By Kristen Harris,
3 days ago
This year, my goal is to read 100 books (which I'm tracking on StoryGraph ). I'm about 40 percent of the way there, and along the way, I've read some really incredible LGBTQ+ books that I think way more people should check out! Likewise, there are plenty more on my TBR!
All these books contain LGBTQ+ romances, characters, and/or are written by LGBTQ+ authors.
Here are 10 LGBTQ+ books I've loved in 2024 so far:
Some of these books are new or upcoming releases, but others are backlist books that are new to me!
Also, a note: My taste leans toward Young Adult, fantasy, horror, and thrillers, but if that's not your jam, you can share your recs for other LGBTQ+ books you love in the comments!
1. The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
What it's about: After his twin sister Caroline's sudden and mysterious death, Mars returns to the prestigious summer academy she dedicated herself to in search of answers and her old friends — an enigmatic group of girls known as the Honeys.
Why I enjoyed it: For me, this book was one of those that makes you think, "Oh, this is why I love reading so much." It's one of the most realistic depictions of grief I've encountered in fiction, and the mystery was so complex and layered that I couldn't put it down. I also love Ryan La Sala's work on a prose level. The Honeys has been my favorite book of 2024 so far.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Push / Via bookshop.org2. Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng
What it's about: Two years after the death of their costar/bandmate Mina, Sunny and Candie couldn't be further apart. Still searching for answers about Mina's death, Sunny follows Candie to a new K-pop training program. Sunny discovers that the secrets Candie shared with their girl group only scratched the surface — and the truth about her and the program is so much darker.
Why I enjoyed it: It combines two of my favorite genres — K-pop books and horror. I read a lot of YA thriller/horror, and this is one of the most unique books I've encountered. I'd describe my favorite kind of book as "pink glitter in the blood splatters," and this was a five-star read for me.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Roaring Book Press / Via bookshop.org3. So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
What it's about: Faron Vincent is the Childe Empyrean, blessed by the gods with powers to protect her homeland from the Langley Empire and its dragons. Elara Vincent wants to be more than the Childe Empyrean's sister, and she ends up bonding unexpectedly with an enemy dragon — and her co-rider. While Elara is sent to dragon rider boarding school, Faron sets out to figure out how to break the bond without having to kill her sister.
Why I enjoyed it: I'm not usually a high fantasy fan, but I could hardly put this one down! The Jamaican-inspired world-building brings new life to a genre that's dominated by European-inspired settings. I also really loved how it wasn't about Faron becoming the Childe Empyrean, but the aftermath of being the "chosen one." The sequel can't come out fast enough.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers / Via bookshop.org4. Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
What it's about: After Chiamaka Adebayo and Devon Richards are named prefects at their elite private school, a Gossip Girl -esque bully called Aces begins targeting them. Aces leaks their secrets, threatening their futures — and maybe even their lives.
Why I enjoyed it: Glittery horror is my first literary love, but dark academia thrillers are a close second. It's a tightly woven, well-paced mystery that makes you care about its protagonists deeply.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Square Fish / Via bookshop.org5. The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven
What it's about: A decade after the unsolved North Tower murders, roommates Lottie Fitzwilliam and Alice Wolfe begin their first year at Carvell Academy. Strange things are happening to Lottie, and after Alice uncovers a soul-splitting ritual in a mysterious library book, the North Tower curse rears its ugly head again. Reluctantly, the roommates work together to find the killer and reverse the ritual before the school's darkest secret claims another victim.
Why I enjoyed it: A slow-burn, sapphic Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde retelling about angry, complicated girls — need I say more?
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Delecorte Press / Via bookshop.org6. Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
What it's about: Two centuries after Cinderella's fairytale, the kingdom girls are forced to follow in her footsteps at the Annual Ball, where male suitors select their wives from a lineup of dolled-up teens. Girls who aren't chosen for marriage disappear.
In love with her best friend Erin, Sophie runs away from the ball. Taking shelter in Cinderella's mausoleum, she meets the late princess's only surviving descendent, Constance. Sophie and Constance team up to break the king's cruel cycle of mistreatment, and in the process, they discover that the fairytale their kingdom is built on is made of lies.
Why I enjoyed it: This book made me feel 12 again, in the best way possible. It's the kind of book I would've picked up during my Meg Cabot phase, and it filled The Selection -shaped hole in my heart. However, Cinderella Is Dead shouldn't just be compared to older books — it has a magic all its own, and I truly hope it becomes a YA classic people are still reading 20 years from now.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Bloomsbury YA / Via bookshop.org7. What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo
What it's about: Running away from boarding school after a horrific incident, Eleanor Zarrin returns to her estranged wolf-shifter family for the first time in years. She doesn't quite feel like she belongs, but she's desperate to keep them together, to keep them safe — and the burden falls wholly on her.
Why I enjoyed it: Rose Szabo weaves an eerie, heart-wrenching tale with their sharp twists and lush prose. The story is haunting and harrowing and everything I want a YA dark fantasy to be.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Square Fish / Via bookshop.org8. The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
What it's about: Zara Jones and Jude Wolf both have problems only a witch can solve. Zara wants to bring her sister back from the dead, and Jude needs to unchain herself from the demon she accidentally tethered herself to. Emer Bryne, invocations extraordinaire, is their solution. However, when the girls discover someone is killing Emer's past clients, they band together to find out who the murderer is before it's too late.
Why I enjoyed it: I was super excited for this book because I've read Krystal Sutherland's previous novel, House of Hollow , twice, and it definitely didn't disappoint. If you love found family, this one's for you.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Nancy Paulsen Books / Via bookshop.org9. The Lost Girls: A Vampire Revenge Story by Sonia Hartl
What it's about: Holly Liddell's ex-boyfriend, Elton, turned her into a vampire in the '80s then dumped her a few decades later. Now, along with his other exes/victims, Ida and Rose, Holly is bound to follow Elton around forever. Ida and Rose recruit her to help them kill Elton to free themselves and save Parker — his next victim and Holly's new crush.
Why I enjoyed it: It's a fun, campy read with classic teen movie energy!
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Page Street YA / Via bookshop.org10. And Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield
What it's about: Lex and four other contestants compete on a reality game show to see who can last a single night in the haunted Umber Gorge caves. The later it gets, the more they start to suspect the ghostly Puckered Maiden is real — and she's out to get them.
Why I enjoyed it: Another specific kind of book I love is "horror and thrillers with a reality show setting," so this was right up my alley. Both Lex's voice and her character development are strong, and the enclosed setting really adds to the suspense. This story was delightfully terrifying.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Sourcebooks Fire / Via bookshop.orgAnd here are 10 LGBTQ+ books I'm looking forward to reading in 2024:
11. The Loudest Silence by Sydney Langford
What it's about: Once-aspiring singer Casey Kowalski, who's a Deaf-Hard of Hearing person, tries to hide her recent hearing loss at her new school. She meets Hayden González-Rossi, a soccer captain whose Generalized Anxiety Disorder makes it challenging to reveal his Broadway dreams to his family. A friendship blossoms from their shared love of music, but they're both hiding their true selves.
Why I'm excited to read it: It's a platonic love story, which is something I've been searching for! When this came across my feed, it was an instant add-to-TBR.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Holiday House / Via bookshop.org12. I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea
What it's about: Desperate to prove her worth in the ruthless Parisian ballet world, Laure Mesny makes a pact with a blood river in the Catacombs. Her newfound power brings her immense success, but it also puts a target on her back. She can either keep destroying herself for people who will never fully accept her or fall into the darkness's monstrous embrace.
Why I'm excited to read it: It's pitched as " Ace of Spades meets House of Hollow " — aka two books I adore. Also, I love books that immerse me in a world I know nothing about, like ballet.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Henry Holt & Company / Via bookshop.org13. The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste
What it's about: After her mother is killed, illegal love potion brewer Venus is fully responsible for her little sister, Janus. She accepts the coven leader's offer to get revenge on the murderer by brewing potions that will enslave powerful politicians. However, the deeper Venus goes into DC's seedy underbelly, the less sure she is she can trust anyone — even herself.
Why I'm excited to read it: Plenty of YA heroines take on their corrupt governments, but I've never seen any of them do it with love potions! I also really like when books are set in an alternate version of our world.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Sourcebooks Fire / Via bookshop.org14. The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig
What it's about: Auggie Pfeiffer lives in Fulton Heights, a town that attracts the supernatural. The arrival of a vampire named Jude heralds the return of primeval power — which Auggie alone can stop.
Why I'm excited to read it: According to the reviews, this book is campy, twisty, and humorous!
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Square Fish / Via bookshop.org15. The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling
What it's about: Elise Beaumont is a Death Oracle. After her brother's death, she's determined to rid herself of the power that forces her to experience her loved ones' deaths when they touch her. When she predicts a teacher's death, she's determined to prevent it and reluctantly works with Claire Montgomery, a vampire who's supposed to help her train her gift and secure her loyalty to the Veil.
Why I'm excited to read it: If you haven't guessed by now, I'm in my vampire era. Add in a paranormal small town, and I'm sold.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Penguin Young Readers Group / Via bookshop.org16. Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora
What it's about: Nate was created to cure the privileged from rampant lung rot, but he was kidnapped and taken to an anarchic quarantine zone as a kid. Kept alive by an illegally obtained medicine, he finds family in a gang of scavengers and falls in love with a boy named Reed. However, after violence severs his medicine supply, Nate is faced with an impossible choice — join a shady organization and live, or stay with Nate and die.
Why I'm excited to read it: With The Hunger Games renaissance, I'm itching to read dystopian again. The premise also reminds me of one of my favorite books, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Flux / Via bookshop.org17. Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao
What it's about: Sophie Chi, an aroace college student, runs an anonymous relationship advice Instagram account for her school. Jo Ephron, a fellow aroace first-year, launches a similar account, not expecting for it be taken so seriously. Jo's account accidentally grows into a rival for Sophie's. Online, they're feuding, but IRL, they're becoming friends — but their secret accounts threaten to ruin everything.
Why I'm excited to read it: As previously mentioned, I'm looking forward to reading more friendship-centric, platonic love stories rather than typical romances. I'm also really intrigued by any story with anonymous social media accounts.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Feiwel & Friends / Via bookshop.org18. Loveless by Alice Oseman
What it's about: Fanfiction-obsessed Georgia is sure she'll find love in college, despite the fact she's never had feelings for anyone. However, as her plans go awry, she begins to discover her aromantic/asexual identity — and that love comes in many different forms.
Why I'm excited to read it: I really, really loved I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman, and I've been wanting to read more of their work.
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Scholastic Press / Via bookshop.org19. How to Die Famous by Benjamin Dean
What it's about: Abel Miller nabbed a role on the Sunset High reboot, but he's hiding the secret that his brother Adam, a PA, mysteriously died during the show's original run. His costars are armed with their own secrets — which one of them is willing to turn to murder to keep.
Why I'm excited to read it: This is my most-anticipated read of 2024. I've been waiting for it to come out in the US since reading Benjamin Dean's The King Is Dead .
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers / Via bookshop.org20. And finally, Have You Seen This Girl by Nita Tyndall
What it's about: Sid's father is serving a life sentence for murdering five girls a decade ago, so when another girl's body is found in the lake where he dumped his victims, everyone else's suspicions turn toward Sid. Only Mavis, the new girl who doesn't know about their dad, doesn't treat them like a suspect.
Haunted by the spirits of the six dead girls, Sid vows to unmask the copycat killer, but they'll have to face the realities of their dad's crimes.
Why I'm excited to read it: I can't get enough YA thrillers — I'm sure I'll devour this in two days. I'm always keen to read something from an author I haven't read from before!
Get your copy here or from your local indie bookstore or library!
Harperteen / Via bookshop.orgWhat are your favorite LGBTQ+ reads of 2024? Tell me in the comments so I can add them to my TBR!
Looking for more LGBTQ+ or Pride content? Then check out all of BuzzFeed's posts celebrating Pride 2024 .
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