14 Insanely heartwarming lgbt books not about coming out

Searching for lgbt books not about coming out? Here are 21 insanely heartwarming and joyful lgbt books where coming out isn't the focus.

This post contains affiliate links. That said, I won’t ever recommend a book I haven’t read and loved myself.

I am a HUGE fan of LGBTQ+ books!  I'm constantly browsing the bookstore looking for new LGBTQ+  books. As a lesbian,  I think its really refreshing to see yourself reflected in a book. 

 And while books about coming out and LGBTQ+ struggles are really important. Sometimes you just want to really a light-hearted, low stakes book where the character doesn't struggle due to their sexuality. So, I've compiled a list of incredible lgbt books not about coming out.

For each book I've included the GoodReads rating, content warnings, representation, positives & negatives and my thoughts. 

Let's see the best lgbt books not about coming out

Top lgbt books not about coming out

Here are some incredible lgbt books not about coming out. These are all books I have personally read and loved 🙂

1. The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

The Falling in Love Montage is the perfect summer romance! It plays on tropes found in 90s and 00s rom coms. The title is a play on 'the falling in love montage' where you watch a selection of clips showing the main characters fall in love.

The Falling In Love Montage follows Saoirse . She is struggling to cope because her mother is in a home with dementia. Also, it’s a hereditary condition. One day she might inherit it. So she doesn’t  really see the point in a relationship. Until she meets Ruby at a party.  And they decide to have a relaxed summer fling.

Ciara Smyth wrote The Falling in Love Montage. And she previously worked as a mental health trainer. This definitely comes across in the book. And it deals with many mental health issues. It also deals with the consequences of early-onset dementia.

If you're looking for a ya book that balances romance with mental health issues -then this is a great choice. It's also incredibly funny. There were so many lines that I could relate to . And made me laugh so much. A great pick if you're looking for lgbt books not about coming out.

 2. She drives me crazy by Kelly Quindlen

I truly believe that you cannot go wrong with the enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes. She drives me crazy is a queer enemies to lovers romance with the fake dating trope. It also is a sports romance , forced proximity and it's set in a high school. 

It follows Scottie Zajac. She loses spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up. So she gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person. Her nemesis Irene Abraham.

Irene Abraham is incredibly beautiful but also incredible mean. And things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved. And the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop.

And it only gets worse the more time they spend together. But then an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her ex. And she bribes Irene into playing along.

The light-hearted romance is perfect if you're looking for lgbt books not about coming out. This would also be a great choice if you're looking for books like  One Last Stop or I kissed Shara Wheeler.  It's a cute, light-hearted read. If you're looking for  cozy, feel-good  lgbt books not about coming out then this is a great choice

I'm obsessed with the enemies to lovers trope. If you're a fan of enemies to lovers books then you're in luck. I have a whole blog post dedicated to wlw enemies to lovers books you can check out here.

3. Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Written in the Stars is an incredible, feel good wlw romance. It  features the fake dating, enemies to lovers and grumpy/sunshine tropes.

It follows Elle and Darcy. Elle is  a free-spirited social media astrologer. She agrees to a disastrous first date with uptight actuary Darcy. 

After the terrible blind date, Darcy is determined to stop her brother from setting her up again. So she lies and starts a fake relationship with Elle.

Written in the stars is incredible. It's a queer and contemporary version of Pride and Prejudice. The characters were so well-developed and well written. The fake-dating trope always allows for lots of character development.  But you could feel the chemistry through the pages  - it was written so well!

If you're looking for lgbt books not about coming out this would be a great pick. It's a New Adult wlw book with an excellent friendship group.  And it's set in an urban city - Seattle. The imagery of the city is incorporated throughout and really makes you want to visit the city. 

4. Honey girl by Morgan Rogers

Honey Girl follows Grace. She’s just completed her PhD in astronomy. She goes on a girls trip to Las Vegas and accidentally marries another woman. But she doesn’t even know her name. And this is very uncharacteristic of Grace.

Meanwhile Grace is struggling under the weight of her ex-military father’s expectations. And she starts to wonder why she doesn’t feel more fulfilled from completing her degree. So she leaves home and decides to spend the summer with the wife she barely knows.

This book has so many tropes and elements that are really relatable. The main character suffers mental health issues and burnout after tirelessly working on her degree. This is something many can probably identify with. It also features an adorable friends and the found family trope.

The writing style is more adult and so this won’t suit everyone. But many will really enjoy this Sapphic romance. It's set in a city centre with a cute friendship group.  And it has a cute wlw romance with grumpy/sunshine vibes. 

While it does discuss mental health struggles and burnout - the focus isn't on coming out. So it's a great choice if you're looking for adult lgbt books not about coming out.

5. Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

If you're looking for LGBT fantasy books not about coming out then you should check out the Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom Duology. It features a really cute slow burn mlm relationnship. It also features a city setting, found family elements and morally grey characters.

Six of Crows is like a fantasy version of Oceans Eleven. And there is so much to love about Six of Crows – magic found family and super sassy banter. The morally grey characters,  criminal mastermind and enemies to lovers romance remind me of Throne of Glass. 

It six teenagers living in Ketterdam. Kaz Brekker, a criminal prodigy, is one of the teens. He is offered a deadly heist for a huge payout.

But it’s an impossible heist. And Kaz will need all the help he can get to pull it off. So he assembles five other teens to help him.

People rave about this fantasy duology online and it's for a good reason. It features a fast paced plot, a diverse cast and hilarious banter.

No book genre offers escapism more than fantasy. If you're specifically looking for fantasy books with LGBTQ+ representation then you're in luck. I have a whole blog post dedicated to LGBTQ+ YA Fantasy books .

6. Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Not Your Sidekick is a queer middle grade novel about superheroes. It features a bisexual Chinese-Vietnamese protagonist, a trans character and a wlw enemies to lovers romance. And  it’s written by an own voices author.

It follows Jessica Tran, a bisexual high school student who is resigned to a life without superpowers and decides to start an internship to improve her college applications. However, she quickly discovers it’s for a supervillain with her crush Abby.

Not Your Sidekick is a light, fluffy and fun read. It takes superhero tropes and gives a really refreshing take on a superhero story. If you enjoy urban fantasy books or ya contemporary then you should definitely read this one. The superhero storyline is woven seamlessly into modern everyday life. 

It also manages to tackle a lot of issues while still staying fun. There is a whole series of these and I’ve already added Not Your Villain to my TBR list as I really loved Bells in Not Your Sidekick. (For more incredible queer books about superheroes and supervillains try Nimona by Noelle Stevenson or  Dreadnought by April Daniels)

7. The LumberJanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn A. Allen and Noelle Stevenson

The Lumberjanes  series is an adorable lgbtq middle grade graphic novel. It features a diverse lgbtq cast of characters. And it's set at a summer camp and is filled with beautiful forest imagery. 

The graphic comic book series follows five pals at a summer camp. They are determined to have an incredible summer and not let supernatural critters or quests get in their way.

The incredible drawings instantly gave me an emotional connection to the characters in the books. The story is well paced and I love the adventure story.

The first novel opens with a bang and the plot really engaged me. The graphic novel format and short length make them really easy to read. If you’re looking for light-hearted lgbtq books for tweens  then you should pick this up. (For more incredible lgbtq middle grade graphic novels try The Backstagers or Mooncakes.)

You can read this on Scribd.  If you haven't used it before, Scribd is a digital library with  podcasts, books, audiobooks and even sheet music. They offer a free trial for 30 days. And you can read an unlimited amount of books with their subscription - check it out here

You can't beat a good graphic novel. Especially when you're in a reading slump. If you're looking for LGBTQ+ graphic novels then  you can check out my article full of recommendations. 

8. Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Perfect on Paper is a cute high school ya romance with a bisexual main character. The bisexual representation is excellent. And while it does feature a lot of discussions about bisexuality - the plot does not focus on coming out.

Perfect on paper follows Darcy Phillips. She runs an anonymous service giving love advice to her classmates via a locker. They slip in their worries and she responds with a carefully worded response. 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, I think you’ll really enjoy this book. The ‘dating coach’ concept worked really well. And it allowed for so much character growth and development. I also really enjoyed the romance between Alexander and Darcy.

The discussions around bisexuality and biphobia in this book are excellent. You can clearly tell this is an own voices story. And the discussions around bisexual girls in relationships with guys is absolutely spot on.

Gonzales’ Writing style is excellent. There was no purple prose and it was very easy to read. The teenagers were also written really well. And they were very believable. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between all the characters.

9. Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker

This is such a cosy read! If you're looking for cozy fantasy books then this is a great choice. It's a LGBTQ+ YA graphic novel with a lighthearted romance between a witch and a non-binary werewolf.

It follows teen witch Nova. She works at her Nana's magical bookshop. And she helps them loan out spell books. But she also investigates supernatural occurrences in her local town.

One day, she is tasked to investigate reports of a white wolf in a nearby forest. She then discovers her childhood best friend,  Tam, fighting a demon werewolf.  Together they investigate the demon and rekindle their feelings towards each other.

This is such a comfort read. The artwork is insanely beautiful. I really loved the illustrations of the magic and magical creatures living in the forest. The romance is also really adorable.

The story isn't fast-paced and action packed. We also don't find out much about the characters background. But it's such a quick, cute and light-hearted read that I don't think it matters. The graphic novel format is perfect for anyone trying to get back into reading. Or if you're recovering from a reading slump.

10. Laura Dean Keeps breaking up with me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero O'Connell

Laura Dean keeps breaking up with me is a graphic novel about a toxic relationship. It follows Freddy Riley. And all Freddy wants is for Laura Dean to stop breaking up with her. 

Laura Dean is popular, funny and charming. But she can also be thoughtless. Their on-again off-again relationship has all Freddy's friends frustrated. 

I have mixed feeling about this graphic novel. So many people I know absolutely love this book. The illustrations are beautiful and the diversity is excellent. 

And I also love the exploration of toxic relationships. It was really well  done and it showed the impact a toxic relationship can have on your mental health. 

But I found the characters to lack emotional depth  and I found it hard to emotionally connect with them. The storyline was also a bit all over the place. 

Overall however, I think this is worth reading. It's a quick, easy read. While it deals with a toxic relationship - it's not about coming out. It also has lovely illustrations and a diverse cast.  A perfect choice if you're looking for lgbt books not about coming out. 

11. One last stop by Casey Mcquiston

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. It's a new adult book featuring a bisexual main character and the found family trope. It also has a cast full of amazing queer characters.

It 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 insanely charismatic. But there’s one problem. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s.

There are so many good things about this book.  The chaotic roommates and the friendships are incredible.

 The writing is also really funny with great banter. Plus the food imagery is droolworthy. ( If you enjoyed One Last Stop then read my article  full of recommendations for books like One Last Stop)

12. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Cycle is a YA Paranormal Fantasy series featuring a cursed romance. And the series has an adorable slow burn mlm romance later on in the series. 

Each year in the churchyard, Blue watches her psychic mother see those who are going to die that year. Blue never actually sees them herself. Until this year. When she speaks directly to a boy.

He is called Gansey and is a student at Aglionby school. The students there are known locally as Raven Boys.

I had so many recommendations to read this and for good reason. The characters and the relationships are what make this one of the best fantasy book.

If you love a friendship group and witty banter  in books like A Court of Mist and Fury and Heartstopper - then I highly recommend this series. It has a great friendship group!

13. Running with Lions by Julian Winters

Running with Lions is so underrated!  Running with Lions is a sports romance set at a summer camp. It features a bisexual main character and a diverse sports team. It also has an adorable enemies to lovers romance. 

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

I love how this book deals with sexuality in sports!  There are not enough books that deal explicity with sexuality and diversity within sports. It was so refreshing to read about an accepting football team.

The author is Julian Winters. He started writing because he couldn’t find any books with people like him. Running with Lions won accolades for its positive depictions of diverse, relatable characters. The relationships between the football team are insanely heartwarming. Sebastian’s team is a multi-ethnic group with many different sexual orientations and they almost become a family.

14. Ash by Malinda Lo

Ash was so ahead of it's time. It was first published in 2009 and contains a wlw romance. While the main character struggled with mental health issues- the focus isn't coming out.  Perfect if you're searching for lgbt books not about coming out.

Ash is a book I’m always torn about. But I had to include it because I love the cottagey world-building in this Sapphic retelling.

Ash is a lesbian Cinderella retelling. It follows Ash who is dealing with the grief of losing her parents. She falls in love with the king’s huntress.

I loved the descriptions of the world such as the woods and the fae. And I instantly really loved the King’s Huntress. But, I wish that the romance had been a little better developed.

However, I love that it focuses on Ash recovering from grief. Mental health is a strong theme throughout and the romance feels secondary. This is a really cosy read and offers great escapism. It’s pretty short and you could easily read this in one sitting.

This post was all about lgbt books not about coming out

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