The Best LGBTQ+ books like Red, White and Royal Blue You Need to Read

If you’ve read Red, White and Royal Blue and you haven’t read One Last stop – I highly recommend you pick this one up. 

One Last Stop follows August. She’s a cynical 23 year old who is trying to survive in New York. But then she meets this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane.

Jane is dazzling, mysterious and charismatic. The problem is she’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s.

The YA Contemporary Graphic Novel Series is about a teen romance in high school. 

The book series follows Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson. Charlie Spring is an openly gay student in year 10. And he meets Nick Nelson a soft-hearted rugby player in year 11. They quickly become friends. But could there be something more?

Alice Oseman wrote and illustrated the graphic novel series. Oseman is a talented author who secured her first publishing deal at just 17 years old!

The graphics are beautiful. And the  friends-to-lovers romances  is adorable. 

Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel whose traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender.

Yadriel is determined to prove himself. So he performs a ritual to become a Brujo. He performs a ritual. And then he sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin.

But he actually summons Julian Diaz. The school’s resident bad boy. And he won’t go quietly. But the longer Julian stays, the less Yadriel wants him to leave.

This book is a really unique – it’s a great mix of mystery and magic. The mystery initially sells the book. But the characters are what really sells this book.

I’m confident that fans of RWRB will  love this book. 

Felix Ever After is an own voices book featuring a black, queer and transgender main character.

It follows Felix Love who has never been in love.  And he is desperate to experience it. An anonymous student starts sending him transphobic messages. And the student publicly posts Felix’s deadname.  Along with photos of him before his transition. Felix decides to plot revenge. But his catfishing lands him in a love triangle.

Kacen Callender does a particularly good job at discussing difficult topics well such as class disadvantage, transphobia and body dysmorphia.

If you enjoy the fake dating trope – I guarantee you will love Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating!

Hani is bisexual but she is having trouble getting her friends to believe her. Ishu wants to be Head Girl.  They decide to fake date so that Hani’s friends believe she is bisexual. And to help Ishu in her Head girl campaign.

This book had me laughing out loud. It has an adorable grumpy and sunshine romance. And the fake dating trope is executed perfectly. 

Her Royal Highness has serious Red, White and Royal Blue Vibes -enemies to lovers, royalty and forced proximity. All
set in the  stunning Scottish highlands.

Millie is heartbroken when she discovers that her kinda girlfriend has been kissing someone else. After getting into a super elusive boarding school, she moves to Scotland. And this is where she meets Princess Flora.

You can easily binge read this sweet, lighthearted romance in one sitting. If you haven’t read it you absolutely need to.

If you’re looking for lgbtq books about royalty then I have a whole blog post full of recommendations. You can check out my top picks for lgbtq books with royalty here

I Wish You All the Best is a powerful read about gender identity.

It follows Ben De Becker as they come out as nonbinary to their parents. Ben is then thrown out of their house and struggles with anxiety coupled with their parents’ rejection. Ben becomes friends with Nathan who takes Ben under his wing.

This beautiful debut novel he was nominated for a GoodReads Choice Award.

The depiction of mental health struggles in this book is perfect. Also, the writing style is excellent. You can really feel how this is an own voices book. It’s an honest depiction of the complexity of coming out and falling in love as a non-binary person.

The Henna Wars is incredible! It’s an own voices, YA Contemporary book featuring a Muslim, Bangladeshi, lesbian main character

The Henna Wars follows Nishat as she comes out to her parents as a lesbian. They’re happy for her to be whoever she wants to be. As long as she isn’t herself – because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians.

Her life becomes harder when she is reacquainted with a childhood friend – Flavia. Especially when in a school competition they both decide to start their own henna business.

The writing style in a Song of Achilles is very different to the other books on this list. However, many Red, White and Royal Blue fans love this book. 

The book follows Achilles and Patroclus. Achilles is handsome, strong and irristable to all who meet him. While Patroclus is an awkward young prince exiled from his homeland.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine. But they discover that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. All the heroes are called upon to lay siege to Troy. Achilles joins their cause. And Patroclus follows. But the years that follow will test everything.

Song of Achilles was an international bestseller. And I’m not surprised.  Madeline Miller depicts a passionate romance between Achilles and Patroclus. 

Boyfriend Material is a queer romance featuring the fake dating trope. The synopsis instantly reminds me of  Red, White and Royal Blue.

Boyfriend Material follows Luc O’Donnel who is reluctantly famous due to his rockstar parents. A compromising photo is released. And he is forced to clean up his image. He strikes a deal with clean-cut Oliver Blackwood. They will be fake boyfriends until everything calms down.

It’s written by Alexis Hall an English author who has been nominated for a slew of awards for his books.

The writing is excellent and it’s genuinely very funny.

I am obsessed with Alice Oseman. But with good reason! Radio silence is a incredible book about friendship and mental health.

Frances has always been focused on studying and getting into university. But then she meets Aled and they instantly become friends. But when the trust is broken Frances has to confront her past. And her guilty secret.

One thing Alice Oseman does really well is that she writes the most beautiful friendships. Aled and Frances are one of my all-time favourite fictional friendships. A bisexual girl and a demisexual boy in a m/m relationship.

Running with Lions is an underrated sports romance. It features a bisexual main character and an adorable enemies to lovers romance. 

Sebastian Hughes is going to a summer training camp. He member of an diverse, team where he can be open about his sexuality. But Emir, an old best friend who hates his guts, is also at the camp.

  Not enough books that deal explicitly with sexuality in sports. Reading about an accepting football team is refreshing.

Running with Lions won accolades for its positive depictions of diverse, relatable characters. The relationships between the football team are heartwarming.

Perfect on Paper is a cute high school ya romance. 

It follows Darcy Phillips. She runs an anonymous service giving love advice to her classmates via a locker. 

 But Alexander Brougham catches her in the act.

 And in exchange for keeping her secret, he asks her to be his dating coach.

If you like the fake dating trope,  you’ll love this book. The 'dating coach' plot is allows for excellent character growth. 

The discussions around bisexuality and bisexual girls in relationships with guys are also spot on. 

She drives me crazy is a queer enemies to lovers romance with the fake dating trope.

It follows Scottie Zajac. She loses spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up. And she then finds herself in a minor car collision with the worst possible person. Her nemesis Irene Abraham.

Irene Abraham is beautiful but also  mean. And then their nosey, do-gooder moms involve themselves. And the girls are forced to carpool together.

This book is such a cute, light-hearted read. And it makes for such escapism.

A Marvellous light is an mlm romance about magic, mystery and a secret magical society. 

It follows Robin Blyth. Due to an administrative error, he is named liaison to a secret magical society. So, he is forced to  contend with magic's dangers and a deadly curse while he searches for his missing predecessor.

To do this, he'll need the help of Edwin Courcey. Edwin Courcey is his prickly magical society counterpart but he clearly wishes Robin were anyone else.

I love the secret society of magicians. And the Edwardian setting and mlm romance sets it apart from other books including secret magical societies.

Imogen Obviously is an incredible Sapphic rom com with a cute romance. 

Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.

She even has two queer best friends.  Gretchen helps keep Imogen's biases in check. And Lili—newly out and thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.

Imogen is excited to visit Lilli on campus. But Lilli has told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero.

Albertalli poors her heart out in this book. She discusses biphobia, denial and compulsory heterosexuality.

The Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue iss a historical romance featuring a bisexual main character and an intriguing mystery. 

It follows Henry “Monty” Montague. He was born to be a gentlemen. But he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return. But Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

I've never read a historical fiction about Touring Europe. It's a unique concept and well written.

The Sunbearer Trials is an urban fantasy book featuring a transgender main character and Mexican worldbuilding. 

It's set in a world where the Mexican Gods and Goddesses are real. They had children who are semidioses. 

As each new decade begins, the Sun's power must be replenished to that Sol can keep travelling along the sky and keep the Obsidian gods at bay. Ten semidioses aged between thirteen and eighteen are chosen as the most worthy to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. 

The winner will carry light to all the temples of Reino del Sol. The loser is sacrificed to Sol. And their body is used to fuel the sun stones.

Teo is a Jade Semidiós and the trans son of Quetzal  - the goddess of birds.   As a Jade, he's unlikely to be chosen. 

This was such an addictive read. The writing style was really easy to read. There was enough worldbuilding to hook me in, without it feeling like a big chunk. The pace also  kept me hooked.

Under The Whispering Door is a funny and heartwarming mlm fantasy romance. 

It follows Wallace Price. A reaper comes to collect him from his own funeral. But instead of taking him directly to the afterlife, leads him to a tea shop in a small village.

Hugo runs the teashop but is also the ferryman to souls who need to cross over. But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived. 

This book would be perfect for someone new to the fantasy genre. The writing is easy-to-read and while it includes fantasy elements, this book reads as more of a YA Contemporary.

This book deals with so many heavy topics such as death, grief and loss. But despite such heavy topics this is such a light-hearted, comforting read. T.J. Klune uses laughter,  emotions and romance to it.

Black Flamingo is a coming of age story about a mixed-race, gay teenager finding his identity and the power of drag. It is written in beautiful verse. I've included it as it includes some really powerful quotes on coming out.

It follows Michael - a mixed-race gay teen coming to terms with his identity. When he goes to university  he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. It's a bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. 

This LGBTQ+ YA Book is an empowering and joyful read about race, identity and pride.

Ihighly recommend the audiobook. Dean Atta wrote the book and also narrates the audiobook. Atta has been writing and performing for over 10 years. .

 Silver in the Wood is a fantasy book set in a magical forest. And it has an adorable grumpy/sunshine friends to lovers mlm romance.  .

Tobias is a forest guardian tasked to look after the forest. One day Henry Silver moves into Greenhollow Hall and everything changes. Silver starts to dig up old secrets that are best left forgotten. 

If  you like the cottagecore aesthetic then you'll enjoy this book. The forest imagery is absolute gorgeous. It was filled with imagery about mythical creatures such as dryads in the forest.  And definitely made me want to live in a cottage in the woods. It's really whimsical and enchanting.