Here Are 15 Books You'll Want To Read After You've Finished Bingeing "Heartstopper" On Netflix

If your heart is all aflutter after watching the first season of Netflix’s Heartstopper, these sweet, romantic, and delightfully queer books need to go right to the top of your To Be Read pile.

1. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Graphix

Obviously, your first stop is the graphic novel series that inspired the show. The first two follow Season 1 fairly closely, as Charlie and Nick meet, fall in love, and deal with the trials and tribulations of their shifting friend groups. As of this writing, there are four volumes, with a fifth on the way. The books and the TV show follow many of the same plot points, but there are enough differences to make reading worthwhile. Get your Charlie and Nick, Darcy and Tara, and Thao and Elle fix directly from the source.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. 

2. Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau

First Second

Ari longs to leave his hometown and live out his big-city dreams, but instead, he’s stuck working in his family’s bakery. Enter Hector, a new hire eager to put his culinary student skills to good use. Both have family drama hanging over their heads, but that doesn’t stop their summer romance from, well, blooming.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here.

3. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell

First Second

Freddy and Laura have a tumultuous high school romance. Laura is cool and pretty, but careless and cruel when she wants to be. Freddy can’t seem to let her go, no matter how much her friends try to help her walk away. Perfect for readers who want to wallow in the toxic relationship that is Charlie and Ben. 

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here.

4. Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier and Val Wise

Oni Press

BeBe and Annie haven’t been friends for a while, but are pushed back into each other’s orbits when Annie joins the cheerleading team. While Annie only wants to add an extracurricular to make her college apps shine, BeBe wishes she wasn’t constantly being singled out as the school’s only out trans person. Darcy and Tara fans, this one’s for you.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here.

5. So This Is Ever After by F. T. Lukens

Margaret K. McElderry Books

You want sugary sweet, slow-burn m/m romance? You got it! After Arek and his friends defeat the evil king, he suddenly and inextricably winds up king himself. But in order to keep the crown — and his life — he must find his soulmate by his 18th birthday. Arek only has eyes for Matt, his best friend and wizard companion, but because he’s too afraid of even the hint of rejection, Arek picks option two: make passes at literally everyone else. 

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

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

Harperteen

Two YA author powerhouses deliver a swoon-worthy “missed connections” romance between theater-loving Arthur and heartbroken Ben. Their post office meet-cute turns into a dramatic New York City summer fling, and the only thing standing in the way of forever is themselves. Their love story continues in the just-as-sweet sequel, Here’s to Us.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

7. The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

Dial Books

Spencer transfers to a new school after being bullied for coming out as trans. Justice, the school’s star soccer player, convinces Spencer to join the team. A secret romance kindling between the boys could be snuffed out, if not by Justice’s super conservative family then by a transphobic law that benches Spencer.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

8. Pumpkin by Julie Murphy

Harperteen

The third standalone novel in the Dumplin’ series features Waylon, a fat gay Texas drag queen teen who turns his classmates’ homophobic joke into an act of fierce defiance. Waylon may have been nominated for prom queen — yes, queen — but he’s going to take that crown if it’s the last thing he does. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll get the cute football player, too. 

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

9. Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala

Sourcebooks Fire

Cosplayer extraordinaire, Raffy, has just broken up with his bisexual soccer star boyfriend who wasn’t ready to come out of the closet. Now he and Luca are going toe to toe for the top prize at a geek con cosplay competition. Like Nick, Luca takes his sweet time figuring out his queerness and fretting over how his family and friends will handle him coming out.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

10. The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters

Interlude Press

It’s the summer between high school graduation and the first semester of college, and Wes and Nico are determined to make the most of it. Wes wants nothing more than to save the bookstore he works for from impending doom…nothing except to tell Nico he’s madly in love with him. This book is stuffed with teenage angst, quirky queer friends, and the kind of summer romance that will make your heart melt.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here.

11. The Heartbreak Bakery by A. R. Capetta

Candlewick Press

After accidentally baking a batch of magic brownies that break up queer couples all over Austin, Texas, Syd teams up with the delivery person, Harley, to make things right. Syd, no pronouns, and Harley, he or they pronouns, circle around each other in an adorable slow-burn. Life lessons are learned, queer journeys are taken, and magical pastries are devoured.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

12. Ready When You Are by Gary Lonesborough

Scholastic Inc.

Two Australian Aboriginal boys meet on the Mish, a rural community in New South Wales. Jackson is going through the motions of dating girls, but can’t seem to get comfortable in that role. Then Tomas arrives, fresh out of juvie and alone in the world. The pull is instant. At first, they keep their relationship on the DL for fear of their homophobic acquaintances, but the closer they get, the less they want to hide. This is a moving, romantic, slice-of-life YA.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here.

13. Coffee Boy by Austin Chant

Austin Chant

And now for a little adult romance. Kieran, a trans twentysomething who recently graduated from college, gets an internship in a politician’s campaign office. There, he keeps ending up on the wrong side of the gruff campaign strategist, Seth, a bisexual man with a heartbreaking crush on his straight boss. The more he and Seth get to know each other, the more Kieran starts to harbor his own secret crush.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here.

14. A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

Forever

If you want more of Tao and Elle’s epic slow-burn pine-a-thon, this forthcoming trans-Regency romance should tide you over. Viola Caroll faked her death in war so she could become her truest self. When she is reunited with Justin de Vere, her brooding best friend, something sparks between them. Will the overlooked lady’s companion and the dashing Duke of Gracewood let their fears keep them apart or will they get over their angst and kiss already?

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

15. That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert

Nixon House

Divorcée Rae moves to the small English village of Ravenswood to come to terms with the scars, metaphorical and literal, her terrible marriage left her with. There she meets Zach Davis, a hunky former playboy who has recently figured out he’s actually demisexual and isn’t quite sure what to do about it. This novel has some heat to it, so get ready for a lovely combo of sexy times and emotional conversations.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here.