• Romance,  Young Adult

    What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

    Title: What If It’s Us Author: Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli Original Publication Date: October 9, 2018 Original Publisher: Harper Collins Queer Representation: 2 gay male protagonists, 1 gay male minor antagonist Page Length: 433 A Broadway musical-centric romantic comedy by two of the biggest names in the field of Queer Young Adult literature. Memorable Quote: “And by good, I mean great. I mean exquisitely perfect. I mean I’m living in a Broadway musical.  THIS IS AN ACTUAL BROADWAY MUSICAL.” Review: When two of the biggest voices in queer young adult literature come together, the result is bound to be amazing. Becky Albertalli (author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and more)and Adam Silvera (author of They Both Die at…

  • Sci-Fi,  Young Adult

    They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

    Title: They Both Die at the End Author: Adam Silvera Original Publication Date: 2017 Original Publisher: Harper Teen Queer Representation: 1 gay and 1 bisexual protagonist Page Length: 384 How would you spend your last 24 hours? Memorable Quote: “Maybe it’s better to have gotten it right and been happy for one day instead of living a lifetime of wrongs.” Review: Nobody knows how Death-Cast gets its information, but they do know that it is always right. If Death-Cast calls you shortly after midnight, one thing is certain: some time in the next twenty-four hours you are going to die. The caller from Death-Cast does not tell you when or how, but you can be…

  • Young Adult

    History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

    Title: History is All You Left Me Author: Adam Silvera Original Publication Date: 2017 Original Publisher: Soho Teen Queer Representation: 1 gay protagonist plus love interest Page Length: 292 A complex look at love and loss told from the perspective of a teenage boy grieving after the death of his first love.  Memorable Quote: “People are complicated puzzles, always trying to piece together a complete picture, but sometimes we get it wrong and sometimes we’re left unfinished. Sometimes that’s for the best. Some pieces can’t be forced into a puzzle, or at least they shouldn’t be, because they won’t make sense.” Review: Griffin always thought that he and Theo were “endgame,” that no matter what happened they…

  • Romance,  Young Adult

    Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden

        Title: Annie on My Mind Author: Nancy Garden Original Publication Date: July 1982 Original Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Queer Representation: 2 teenage lesbian protagonists, 2 secondary lesbian adults Page Length: 234 One of the first QYA novels to offer up the revolutionary idea that you don’t have to make queer characters suffer to have a good novel.   Memorable Quote: “Don’t punish yourselves for people’s ignorant reactions to what we all are. Don’t let ignorance win. Let love.” REVIEW: When Liza Winthrop first spots Annie Kenyon in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she is immediately drawn to the singing girl surrounded by quiet people. The two may have come from different backgrounds —…

  • Problem Novel,  Young Adult

    I’ll Get There. It Better be Worth the Trip by John Donovan

        Title: I’ll Get There. It Better be Worth the Trip Author: James Donovan Original Publication Date: June 1969 Original Publisher: Harper & Row Page Length: 199 Queer Representation: 2 possibly gay teenage boy protagonists   Widely regarded as the first ever novel to explicitly address themes of queerness meant for a young adult audience, I’ll Get There, is certainly worth the read, even if some of the elements now seem outdated and problematic.  Memorable Quote: “Then Father talks a lot about how hysterical people sometimes get when they discover that other people aren’t just what they are expected to be. He tells me there are Republicans who are always secretly disappointed when friends…