Horizontal stripes in shades of blue, green, white, and teal making up the Gay Pride flag.

Other Gay Titles

Unlike the main Showcase page, this page is to celebrate any book with a gay plot or subplot. These are the books that are not my favorites, but still deserve to be highlighted nonetheless. I am trying to add Author Website but since a lot of these are older, it doesn’t appear as though a website is available.

When I add new books to this page, I will add them to the top of the list to make it easier for you to spot them. Also, please let me know if you have any recommendations that are not on this list! I am always looking to grow my collection.

Favorite Son (Provincetown) by Will Freshwater (My Review)

This is a book by an author local to my area. I picked up the whole set and have read this one already. It was a worthwhile read and I gave it 3.5 stars; however, I feel like the story could have used more depth overall to really bring out the emotions for the reader. Definitely worth the read.

Book cover titled 'Kissing Boys After Dark' by Lillian Empire featuring a black and white photo of a person with messy blonde hair and intense eyes, with pink doodles of hearts, lips, a star, and a bat surrounding the image.

Kissing Boys After Dark by Lillian Empire (My Review)

This book is okay. There was a lot to like about it, but I couldn’t find myself loving it. I enjoyed the ‘90s nostalgia, but I felt like there was too much left unsaid in the end. Overall, I would recommend reading it.

Book cover titled 'Harmonic Dissonance' by Gordon Blitz, with a pink background and black text.

Harmonic Dissonance by Gordon Blitz (My Review)

This is a book that features cognitive decline as a central plot point. We get to see it from both sides (the relative and the patient). It felt particularly relevant to me due to my current situation with my own relative. One of the main couples is gay and the patients begin their own gay relationship. It also features plus-sized representation and diverse body types.

Book cover of titled 'Transformation and Acceptance' by Gordon Blitz, featuring a caterpillar, a butterfly, and lush green leaves.

Transformation and Acceptance by Gordon Blitz (My Review)

This book reminds me of Brokeback Mountain in the style of storytelling. It follows the lives of multiple characters over the span of many years as they battle the AIDS epidemic and other struggles that go along with being in the LGBTQIA+ community, including family dynamics.

Book cover titled 'Immortal: The House of Ganymede' by Robert A. Karl, featuring a young person with short hair and a gold jacket, a large blue moon, a flying bird, and a starry night sky reflected on water.

Immortal: The House of Ganymede by Robert A. Karl (My Review)

This book took me by surprise. I didn’t expect to like it. The setting is a high school and the main character is a junior. He faces his coming out journey as a gay man while also dealing with the prejudices present in the world today. It was released in May 2025 and discusses real world issues of today, including the political climate and the usage of AI. The writing style can be hard to get into but I did enjoy the story.

Book cover featuring a person lying on grass wearing a plaid shirt, with the title 'The Vast Fields of Ordinary' and author Nick Burd.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd (My Review)

This is a book that is set during that summer after high school and before college. It features a main character who struggles with his gay identity and basically finding his place in the world. He battles a lot of other traumas as well. I didn’t particularly care for it but it is worth a read.

Book cover for "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong. Black and white photo of a person's arm and shoulder with text overlay.

On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (My Review)

This book is a novel of literary fiction featuring a gay main character. It feels reminiscent of others in the genre, though with more overt gayness, which is always a plus. The book itself wasn’t for me, but it is a perfectly well-crafted work of queer fiction.

Book cover for 'Red, White & Royal Blue' by Casey McQuiston, featuring pink background and illustrations of two men leaning against the letters, with a quote at the top reading 'True love isn't always diplomatic'.

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (My Review)

This book takes place in 2020 and follows the son of the president and his gay romance with a prince of England. Overall, the concept was intriguing to me (enemies-to-lovers romance is my favorite trope) but I feel it failed a little bit in the execution. Still, I one hundred percent recommend adding it to your reading list. It has a lot of value in the LGBTQIA+ book space. The main character is actually bisexual and there is a lot of LGBTQIA+ rep in the book as well.

Book cover for 'The Lightning Thief' by Rick Riordan featuring a young boy in a yellow shirt holding a sword, standing in front of a stormy cityscape with lightning striking the sky.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan (My Review)

I read the first four books of this series when I was younger and never finished it. It was a hard task since not all books had been out at that time. I am looking to reread this series and have since discovered that one of the later characters is gay. I’m not sure how prominent this character is or his romantic pursuits so I’ve placed this book on this page instead of the original showcase. I did see that there’s a book exclusively about the gay character so I may put that one on the main page and leave this set here.

Cover of the book titled 'Broken' by Dawn Kimberly Johnson, featuring two young men on a city sidewalk, with one standing and the other sitting.

Broken (Series by the same name) by Dawn Kimberly Johnson

I have read book one of this series but it was a while ago. I do remember that it is a contemporary gay romance featuring a character with a disability. I will be rereading this one soon as well. This may be classified as erotica, but I’m not sure.

Cover of a manga novel titled "Gentle Cage". The male has gray, spiky hair and is wearing a dark jacket, standing behind themale who has long brown hair and is sitting, leaning slightly forward. The background features soft pastel colors and floral accents, with text in both English and Japanese.

Gentle Cage by You Shiizaki

This is a Japanese boy’s love novel. It is a contemporary romance about an artist who is down on his luck and requires help from his old teacher. I read it a while ago and don’t remember much else. It is out of print in English so you may have to buy it used.

Cover of the book "Inside Out" by Lee Bante featuring two shirtless men sitting on a concrete ledge against a sunset sky, engaged in a conversation.

David Inside Out by Lee Bantle

This is a contemporary high school gay romance story. I own an advanced reader copy of the book and read it quite some time ago. This is one that I will need to reread to provide a more detailed opinion on.

Cover of the manga Eternal Love featuring two characters dressed in white and gold, one lying in the other's arms, with a patterned blue background and pink text.

Eternal Love by Mizumi Takaoka

This is a Japanese boy’s love novel. It is out of print in English so you might have to buy it used. I absolutely love this story and have read it at least twice. It takes place in a desert type setting, and I am in love with these kinds of cultures. Highly recommend.

Book cover titled 'The Boyfriend' by Keith Morrisette, featuring a photo of two young men kissing.

The Boyfriend by Keith Morrisette

I remember this being the second gay novel I ever owned. It is a contemporary romance that has a very unsatisfactory ending if I recall correctly. This will have to be another reread for me.

Book cover for 'Will Grayson, Will Grayson' by John Green and David Levithan, featuring colorful, blurred lights and abstract background.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Series by the same name) by David Levithan and John Green (My Review of book two)

I did love this book when I first picked it up. It is about two boys of the same name meeting. One is gay and starts dating the other’s best gay friend. While I enjoyed book one, I did not much care for the follow up. I will link John Green’s website below since I added Levithan’s on this page already.

Cover of the novel 'Maurice' by E.M. Forster, featuring an illustration of two people riding horses in front of a green building with stairs and windows.

Maurice by E.M.Forster

This is another classic type that has a historical setting. I read this one quite a while ago so the details are hazy, but I do remember that it takes place at a school. Interestingly, when the author wrote this book in 1914, he knew it would end his career then and so asked that it be published only after his death. The book was then published in the 1970s.

Book cover titled 'Boy Meets Boy' by David Levithan, with three small heart-shaped candies labeled 'BOY,' 'MEETS,' and 'BOY' on a blue background.

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

This was the first gay novel I ever had as a child. Therefore, it was a long time ago that I read it, so I don’t remember the details. I know it is a contemporary novel, of course featuring a gay story. It is short and so would be a quick read. One day, I will reread it so I can provide it with a review.

Close-up of a person wearing a purple T-shirt with yellow text 'The Misfits' and a pin, partially covered by a denim jacket.

The Misfits (Series of the same name) by James Howe

I actually read book two in this series (called Totally Joe), not realizing it was a series. The main character of book two is gay. I imagine he’s featured throughout the series and I will be reading the whole thing once I own the set. It is also a contemporary story.

Book cover of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde with an illustration of a man's face and a white circular overlay.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

This one is a classic. I read it a long time ago, but I do remember the story line pretty well. Because of its age, the writing style can be hard to get into, but I think it is definitely worth reading this classic.

Book cover for 'By Nightfall' by Michael Cunningam, featuring a brown flower with a dark middle on a beige background.

By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham

This one is a contemporary story about a married man and his romance with his wife’s brother. It has the same kind of feeling that I get from The Picture of Dorian Gray. It was a while ago that I read this book, but I remember it being good.

Cover of a manga titled "Desire: Dangerous Feelings" featuring two young men close together, one with dark hair and the other with light brown hair, wearing school uniforms, set against a soft pastel background.

Desire Dangerous Feelings by Maki Kazumi

This is a Japanese boy’s love novel that is connected to the manga of the same name. I don’t remember much about the story though I have read it. I do know that it is a contemporary love story. It is out of print in English so you may have to buy it used.

Illustration of two young men facing each other with the text "H. Sherman" and "H. Is Neverland" above them.

His Neverland by H. Sherman (My Review)

This is an author who is local to me. I met them at a comic con I attended. This book is a sweet story in which we see the main character struggling with coming out to family and friends.

Book cover titled 'Queer as Folk' by Joseph V. Lockton, featuring three horizontal images of two people embracing, with the subtitle 'Every Nine Seconds'.

Every Nine Second (Queer as Folk) by Joseph Brockton

This is the novelization of the TV series of the same name. I love the Queer as Folk TV series (the American version as I’ve never seen the British version). These books do have some inaccurate details that don’t line up with the series, but still worth a read.

Close-up of a person wearing a black T-shirt with white and pink text that reads, "My side of the story will Davis." The background is light green.

My Side of the Story by Will Davis

I read this one recently, and I just noticed that I didn’t give it a review. I can say that it wasn’t one that I personally enjoyed. It does feature a gay main character. It is a contemporary story. It is worth checking out.