We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender is a classic rom-com for the ages. Nathan doesn't believe in happy endings but then his childhood best friend Ollie moves back to town and compels him to confront his fear of heartbreak.
2. I Felt A Funeral In My Brain by Will Walton, written in verse and prose, follows the journey of 16-year-old Avery as he deals with his grandfather's death and his mother's alcoholism, and comes to terms with his sexuality as he falls in love with his best friend.
3. The Boyfriend by R. Raj Rao takes you to the deep end of Mumbai's gay subculture in the 1990s through a passionate fling between a journalist and a Dalit boy, amidst scalding critiques of casteism and homophobia.
4. The Price Of Salt by Patricia Highsmith is a 1952 lesbian cult classic that follows Therese and Carol – two lonely women unhappy in their marriages – who after a chance meeting at a department store forge a deep friendship. They decide to abandon their oppressive daily lives for the open road and have to make difficult life choices along the way.
5. Madeline Miller's debut novel The Song Of Achilles is a queer re-telling of Homer's The Illiad, charting Achilles and Patroclus' friendship, eventual relationship and their tragic end in the Trojan War.
6. Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a coming-of-age young adult novel about two young boys – Aristotle and Dante – who meet at a swimming pool and through their friendship, discover the truths of life and their sexualities.
7. In They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera, Mateo and Rufus are going to die in 24 hours. They meet through the 'Last Friend' and gear up for one last adventure - to live a lifetime in a single day.
8. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston follows the love story between Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the American president, and Henry, the Prince of Wales. I can confirm that if you enjoy reading fan fiction, this book is just for you!
9. Advice I Ignored by Ruby Walker is a self-help book for teenagers, written by a teenager. Not only does Walker talk about her own struggles with school, depression, and sexuality but also lists methods that helped her create her own path out of that sadness.
10. In his memoir Boy Erased, Garrad Conley writes about having to choose between a Church-mandated conversion therapy programme to cure him of his homosexuality; or risk losing his friends, family, and the only God he has ever known.
11. The Carpet Weaver by Nemat Sadat follows the journey of a carpet weaver who falls in love with his friend and how the two men navigate their life together in war-torn Afghanistan where love like theirs only culminates in death.
12. When The Stars Wrote Back by Trista Mateer is her latest poetry collection that explores love in all its forms, growing up, losing love and coping. If you enjoy tight-knit poetry that kicks you right in the gut, this book is for you.
13. Zane Frederick's poetry collection I Am Tired Of Being A Dandelion is a robust dose of hope. From fortune cookies to shooting stars, from four-leaf clovers to wishbones, from 11:11s to blowing dandelions - Frederick captures brilliantly, in short, powerful poetry, how our lives are filled with hoping, falling and hoping again anyway.
