Book Recs: Adult LGBT Books with YA Crossover Appeal

You know when you want to read a YA book, but actually you don’t want to read about teenagers, because you just got back home from your day job & you’re in a different head space? I got you!

Just so we’re clear, though, I’m not saying those books should be shelved as YA, I’m not saying those authors didn’t know what they were writing, I’m not saying those authors have no idea how to write adult books… I’m not here to infantilise anyone, I’m simply offering you books with the vibes you’re looking for.

Weak Heart

Ban Gilmartin
Goodreads
Rep: achillean mc with anxiety, Filipino achillean mc, sapphic mc, Black lesbian mc, nonbinary side character
TW: magic requiring self-harm, gore, blood, drowning

Why Should I Read It?

If I dared to make a list like this and didn’t include Weak Heart, I think Charlotte might have just changed the password to the blog… And she’d be right! This book is the pinnacle of adult (well, new adult in this case) books that make you feral the way only the best YA books do. The pining, my guys!

Abroad: Book One

Liz Jacobs
Goodreads
Rep: Russian Jewish gay mc, Black gay mc, bi mc, Indian lesbian side character, trans achillean side character, achillean side character, lesbian side characters

Why Should I Read It?

It’s one of those books where I truly don’t understand how they’re not more popular. Listen, it has everything? Basically an all-LGBT cast, a tight group of friends (found family, if you will), absolutely delicious romance, a sapphic character realising she’s into girls somewhere in the middle of the book… It all just feels so vibrant!

A Hero at the End of the World

Erin Claiborne
Goodreads
Rep: gay Chinese British mc, achillean li

Why Should I Read It?

Yes, it’s lowkey a Harry Potter fanfiction, but in a way that Carry On is a Harry Potter fanfiction: it took the dynamics we love, the cool part of the worldbuilding & it ran with it. Also, it has this plot twist where it’s the Ron Weasley of this world who kills the Voldemort of this world. So the book is actually about the aftermath of that. And the love interest is an absolute himbo.

Peter Darling

Austin Chant
Goodreads
Rep: gay trans mc, gay li

Why Should I Read It?

I almost feel like I’m recommending a classic here, and not just because it’s a retelling of Peter Pan. It’s a very gay retelling, not just in the way that the story features a gay relationship, but the very idea of pairing the enemies? The whole world where being trans is the dream coming true? The joy and the love, and the calmness? It’s all gay culture.

Reason Number One

Briston Brooks
Goodreads
Rep: gay Native American mc with a heart condition & PTSD, bi li
TW: sexual assault, physical assault, blood, talk of past rape, abuse, internalized homophobia

Why Should I Read It?

I’m fully aware this will not be a book for everyone. It’s very triggering. And it might seem over the top or unnecessarily dramatic for some. But you have to keep in mind the trauma the main character lived through & the way it shapes literally every single thing he does (and thinks). At the same time, it’s probably one of the sweetest books I know.

Something Fabulous

Alexis Hall
Goodreads
Rep: gay demi mc, gay li, sapphic side characters, genderfluid side character, achillean side characters

Why Should I Read It?

A wild gay ride, from start to finish! A lot happens here, all of it kind of ridiculous, very unexpected. A flamboyant kind of book. Which, really, sometimes is all we need in life. Plus, the romance is just A+! Those guys will make you cry happy tears, I promise.

American Hippo

Sarah Gailey
Goodreads
Rep: pan/bi male mc, bi fat female mc, nonbinary mc, aroace Latina mc

Why Should I Read It?

This is technically a historical fiction novel, but an alternative history kind. Think the Wild West, but instead of horses the cowboys ride hippos. Yes. Hippos. There’s also a heist, if that wasn’t enough of a hook for you! And a main character who flirts with basically any person he ever talks to, but somehow falls over himself when he meets his true love. I don’t wanna say an adult Six of Crows but…

Silver in the Wood

Emily Tesh
Goodreads
Rep: gay mcs

Why Should I Read It?

No plot, just vibes! (But it actually has a cool plot, I’m just looking for an angle here.) A magical dark forest in a book form. Imagine you’re four hundred years old and you fall for a guy who never shuts up about his silly hobbies & wears fashionable coats… There are like sacrifices, and drama, and some violence, but really, it’s all about the gay pining. (Which is even more visible in book part of the series!)

Know Not Why

Hannah Johnson
Goodreads
Rep: gay mc & li, bi side character

Why Should I Read It?

First things first, yes, the main character is a massive asshole at the start of the book. But listen, he’s a little lost, he hasn’t yet figured out he’s gay & he kinda lashes out at people for no reason. He grows out of it, though; he gets called out on all his rubbish behaviour & actually changes it. We also get an amazing mother-son relationship, great friendships and good humour.

Sunset Springs

Kacen Callender
Goodreads
Rep: Black trans gay mc, gay li
TW: transphobia, homophobia, racism

Why Should I Read It?

You probably already know what to expect, because this is a Kacen Callender book. Yes, it’s very wholesome. Yes, it will make you feel seen. Yes, it’s gonna challenge you as a reader & more importantly as a person. The way it talks about race and being trans is incredible. At the end of the day, it is a romance novella that’s going to sooth your gay heart.

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