Guest Post: Underrated LGBTQ Books That You Must Read

As part of our Pride month celebrations, we decided that we weren’t going to write any posts for this blog. So, instead, we decided to hand it over to you guys! This first guest post is from Emma and features her favourite underrated books, so dive right in!

Kia Ora! For my guest blog post I am going to run you through some of my favourite books that are underrated. That word gets thrown around a lot, especially for books that are relatively popular, making it hard to determine what underrated really means. For this list I have selected books that currently have under 400 reviews on Goodreads. These books are in no particular order but each of them I really enjoyed and I hope you will too!

Ashes of the Sun

Django Wexler
Goodreads
Genre: Fantasy, Adult Fiction
Rep: Lesbian MC, wlw and mlm side characters
CWs: Violence, gore, blood

Ashes of the Sun is the first book of a trilogy set in a new empire built upon the ruins of an older, destroyed one. Gyre and his sister Maya were separated as children, when Maya was taken by the Twilight Order when she exhibited symptoms of the ability to wield magic. Following this, Gyre has spent his life trying to bring down the Order while Maya has grown up within it becoming a warrior of the Twilight Order. 

This book has the sibling relationship between Gyre and Maya as the focal point, and it does this very well. If you love angsty sibling interactions then this is definitely for you. There is a f/f romance, but it isn’t as well done as it could have been, so don’t expect too much from that plotline. However, there is a lot that this book does well. The world building is fantastic and very intriguing, with remnants from the earlier empire adding a sense of mystery. The world is a fantasy world without homophobia, with wlw and mlm relationships normalized. The plot is fast paced and it makes this a hard book to put down. The final book in the series is set to be released in 2023, so now is a great time to get started!

There Is A Light

Ban Gilmartin
Goodreads
Genre: Romance, New Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Rep: Gay biracial (Scottish Indian) MC, bisexual MC, Black trans side character, nonbinary side character
CWs: Drug use, alcoholism, addiction & substance abuse, mentions of suicide & suicidal ideation, internalised homophobia

A standalone romance set in Edinburgh, There Is A Light focuses on the relationship between Jamie and Jude. Jamie has just moved to Edinburgh and is trying to leave his past behind him, another second chance at starting over. Jude is struggling with depression, stuck in the past and fearing change. They meet when Jamie gets a job at Jude’s family bookstore. This book follows these two as they get to know each other and face the parts of their lives they have been hiding from. 

This book made me feel so many emotions, it was a roller coaster from start to finish. Yet at the same time it was a really cozy read, which I think came from the setting. This is set in rainy Edinburgh and a lot of the scenes take place in a bookstore, apartment or a nearby bar/café, which really brought a comforting coziness to this book. However, it does deal with some heavy topics, which are always approached with kindness and understanding. Watching Jamie and Jude find their way through the messiness of life brought me so much joy and I couldn’t put it down. This book will forever have a special place in my heart. 

(Also Ban Gilmartin has another brilliant LGBTQ book that is free to read on her website, I highly recommend checking it out as well!)

Point of Hopes

Melissa Scott & Lisa A. Barnett
Goodreads
Genre: Fantasy, Murder Mystery, Adult Fiction
Rep: Gay MC, bisexual MC
CWs: Murder, violence, gore

Point of Hopes is the first book in a series of fantasy murder mystery novels. The books are set in a city that appears to be inspired by 16-17th Century France. The story focuses on Nicolas Rathe, a pointsman in the capital city Astreiant. Children have been going missing, and the number is only increasing. Tensions are rising and, to make matters worse, the stars signal a time of political upheaval. Rathe enlists the help of a former soldier, Philip Eslingen, to track down the missing children and bring peace back to the city.

While this is technically a fantasy book, there are not a large number of fantasy elements to the story. The Astreiant series is mostly murder mysteries set within a fantasy backdrop. However, the fantasy setting is relevant to the mysteries and enriches the story. The world building is extensive, with an interesting astrological significance to the setting and characters. The main character, Rathe, is incredibly likeable and I found myself instantly rooting for him. He had great chemistry with Philip. The mlm relationship occurs mostly in the following books, with little on page romance occurring within the first book. I would recommend sticking around for the future books as Rathe and Philip have a great, healthy relationship dynamic. If you are a fan of murder mysteries I would recommend this series.

The Split

Laura Kay
Goodreads
Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Rep: Lesbian MC, bisexual, lesbian and gay side characters

Ally has just been dumped by her girlfriend and has fled home to Sheffield to stay with her Dad. Her immediate plan is to bring the cat, Malcolm, with her to force her ex to speak with her again. At home Ally runs into Jeremy, a friend who used to be her beard when she was younger. Also suffering from a recent break up, Jeremy and Ally concoct a plan to win their exes back: running a half marathon. The only problem? Neither of them can run. To prepare they join a local running club, led by the beautiful and friendly Jo. Will their plan pay off? 

The Split is a very enjoyable adult contemporary romance. It succeeds from how well it understands the characters and the relationships between them. I have always found platonic relationships important in stories, they flesh out the main character and show us a lot about them. Sometimes when a book involves a central romance, the relationships between the MC and their friends and family can get neglected. Laura Kay definitely does not fall into this trap and juggles all of the relationships well. Another thing I liked about this book was that it did not demonize Ally’s ex, or say that Ally had done nothing wrong in her past relationship. It felt like Ally was a real person, someone who messes up and isn’t perfect, but still tries. This is a great light read and will leave you smiling at the pages despite shaking your head at some of Ally’s decisions.

A Light Amongst Shadows

Kelley York & Rowan Altwood
Goodreads
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery/Thriller, Historical Fiction, YA Lit
Rep: Gay MC, Bisexual MC
CWs: Addiction, drug use & substance abuse, murder, violence, past sexual abuse

The Whisperwood School is a strict boarding school for troubled boys. When James Spencer arrives at the school he quickly adapts and comes to enjoy his time at the school, particularly when he meets the attractive and aloof William Esher, upon whom rumours abound. When William comes to James one night, shaken and talking about ghosts, James starts investigating despite no one believing William. He has heard the mysterious and unexplained sobbing in the hallways and nails on his bedroom door. When students start going missing, James and William race to discover what is happening, before they become victims themselves. 

This novel has it all; a spooky boarding school, intriguing mystery, adorable romance. I was hooked from the first page. James was brilliant and also the least subtle at flirting that I’ve ever seen in a book. A true Gay Disaster from the start to end. His romance was great and very well developed. This book also got quite scary at times, so I would not recommend reading alone at night… Despite the book being roughly half romance, half mystery, it did not skimp on the mystery at all. I cannot hype this book up enough, it truly is an excellent read from start to finish.

Into the Blue

Pene Henson
Goodreads
Genre: Sports Fiction, New Adult Lit, Contemporary
Rep: Gay Samoan MC, Demisexual MC, wlw side characters

Since they were children, Tai Talagi and Ollie Birkstrom have been inseparable, surfing together in Oahu, Hawaii. Now they live together in an old beach house with friends and Ollie’s little brother. They’ve developed a steady routine, making everything work.  Even if that means Tai must ignore anything he feels for Ollie. Family comes first. But when Ollie gets a chance to go on a world tour and his pro surfing career starts taking off, they have to figure out what they really want. Things to stay the same, or the chance for something new and better? 

Ever since I read Into The Blue, it has been one of my all-time favourite books. Something about the characters, the setting, the romance, really engaged me and I fell in love with it. Tai and Ollie are both incredible and I loved watching them grow as people and in their relationship. Romances where both characters have known each other for a very long time are some of my favourite, because it gives them that development that can be lacking if you start a book with the main characters meeting. It also makes the stakes feel just that much higher. This is a sweet, short book that is very hard to put down.

The Councillor

E. J. Beaton
Goodreads
Genre: Fantasy, Adult Fiction
Rep: Bisexual MC, wlw and mlm side characters
CWs: Drug addiction & substance abuse

Lysande Prior, the palace scholar, is appointed councillor when her friend the Iron Queen dies. While Lysande must select the next ruler of the throne, she secretly is investigating the death of the Queen while wading through the politics of the city-rulers vying for the throne. During this process Lysande struggles with her drug addiction and begins to enjoy the power she wields. However, an old enemy is emerging and Lysande will have to find a way to fight her, while controlling her growing ambition for power. 

A politics-dominated fantasy, I really enjoyed The Councillor. It felt like a fresh take on throne related political fantasy, with the ruler not appointed via an heir. This also worked well with the lack of homophobia in the world, not needing an heir does not give a burden to a ruler in a same sex relationship. The writing in this is brilliant, with excellent prose and well-rounded flawed characters. There was a lot I liked about Lysande, particularly how real she felt. She had plenty of flaws, she felt loneliness, she lusted for power and sex. A real person who you could actually connect with. Despite the fantasy setting, everything about this book felt very grounded and realistic, which drew me into the story. For all political fantasy lovers this is a must.

Dating Sarah Cooper

Siera Maley
Goodreads
Genre: YA lit, Contemporary
Rep: Lesbian MC, mlm and wlw side characters
CWs: homophobia

Katie and Sarah have been best friends since they were little. They’re so close that they even get mistaken as a couple and end up dragged to the school GSA. However, Sarah decides to use this to her advantage to get a cute boy to notice her and convinces Katie to go along with it. Soon they find themselves joining the GSA and Katie starts to feel more during their fake kisses than she ever did with her ex-boyfriend. How will she keep Sarah from noticing her growing feelings? And how far will they go to keep up the ruse?

Admit it, we are all a little bit of a sucker for the fake dating trope. And sapphic fake dating? What more could I ask for? While this isn’t the perfect book, I enjoyed it immensely. There are a couple problematic elements, like faking being gay/bi for attention, but this is addressed within the text as being a bad thing and doesn’t go unchallenged. Dating Sarah Cooper is a short and light-hearted novel with some minor angst. This is mostly a coming-of-age story but the central romance does play a large part in the story. If you’re looking for a fun book with an adorable wlw main couple, this is it.

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again

Zen Cho
Goodreads
Rep: wlw mc, agender mc

A very, very short story that is excellent and free online here.