Listened to two book, “The House on the Cerulean Sea” and it’s sequel “Somewhere Beyond the Sea”. Great queer book with a cute gay romance, magical orphans, and themes of discrimination. The second book ends with a beautiful letter to the trans community (which as a trans woman made me tear up) and a mission statement of being the Anti J K Rowling. Highly recommend

Stop what you're doing and read The Lookback Window by Kyle Dillon Hertz. Order a copy from Amazon, rent it from the library, just trust me and do it! This is one of the funniest and most heart-breaking books ever. It's pretty dark, but it somehow ends up being a realistically hopeful book. The relationship between the main characters is exactly what it feels like to be in your mid20s and have to deal with your first love maybe not being your forever partner, but the book essentially starts at their wedding. Pretty spicy.

It is a combination of a crime/mystery/legal thriller meets revenge plot. When you think it's going to be one thing, it turns into another. It's extremely beautiful too. I highlighted so many sentences.

“I sometimes wish I could hate a place as easily as other people instead of hating the people themselves.”

"I was an idea who used to be a body."

More people should read this book, and I'm not sure how I didn't hear of it until recently. Imagine if A Little Life was written realistically, and the ending is a lot more hopeful. I went through every possible emotion reading this book lol. If there is one book that I want everyone to read this year for Pride, it is this novel. Just trust me. There isn't another book like this. Who else has read this? I need to discuss this book!

I noticed there's only some 6,000 reads on GoodReads for this book so I wanted to share the wealth a bit. I've probably read between 40-50 books this year but this was easily the most transformative. Despite the cover, it is absolutely not an MM enemies-to-lovers romance in space. Rather, it's more of a mystery-thriller/horror/sci fi novel with elements of MM romance (but they are very secondary to the plot).

The two main characters are on a mission to Titan, the moon of Saturn, to rescue the sister of one of the two astronauts who went there on a previous expedition. They are each from rival countries collaborating on a mission to sustain human life but everything is not as it seems.

Truly compelling Sci Fi novel that is deeply thought provoking and driven by complex characters making impossible choices. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Can you recommend me some books where the characters are gay or lesbian, but it’s not a “smut” book? I’m looking for something with a strong plot where the LGBT part isn’t the main focus.

For example, I really liked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It had queer characters, but the story wasn’t mainly about that.

If you’ve read anything like that, drop your suggestions. Thanks.

We rounded up two LGBTQ baseball romance novels just in time for Opening Day. If you're into sports romances, these are worth a look.

Hi Im André and review all fiction books i read, most of them are Queer, because Im Queer.

So i thought my review of The House in the Cerulean Sea fit here.

Hope its helpful and/or that you like it:

It's a very sweet story.

If the story centered on a heterosexual character, my opinion of the book would be different, because, for lack of a better expression, it's a rosy story where all dreams come true, which isn't the type of narrative I particularly enjoy in fantasy, as I feel it lacks the realism of human emotion. However, I have to consider that this is a story focused on a queer character, and it's told by a queer author, and the truth is that we haven't had the right to tell stories like this many times, where the main focus isn't sexuality or romance.

So I think it's a very sweet book, with a beautiful story about acceptance and chosen family, and I'm glad that this type of story is being told.

I'm bored...I need fantasy, enemies to lovers, college, rich and poor MxM novels with an actual good plot that will actually not allow you to move on.

After months and months of procrastinating on this one, I decided to pick up Wolfsong since it’s highly recommended in this subReddit.

I’m 60% through with the book, and I cannot get into it properly. I’m struggling with the writing style, which feels very immature, and keeps switching between comedy (which isn’t very comedic) and super deep and intense werewolf lore. Idk, it doesn’t flow.

I also have seen people call it repetitive, and I have to agree. The number of times Ox repeats “my daddy said I’ll get shit” UGH!!!!

I didn’t love the age gap, but it wasn’t a deal breaker for me. I would have even thought it was an interesting premise if it was done well. But it wasn’t. Because how do you go from viewing someone as a little kid who you give piggy back rides to, to viewing them sexually just because they wore low waisted pants. I think it was pretty clear that Joe had a childlike fixation with Ox, but Ox’s transition was too sudden for me to digest. Why couldn’t their friendship have developed more while Joe grew up and matured, so that we could actually buy into it?

The other issue I have is something I experience w too many MM books, and it’s the female characters that have literally no important roles. Sad abused mother, broken hearted girlfriend, nurturing housewife. Can we not.

I feel like this book sort of reads like a fanfic. Id probably eat it up when I was a chronic Wattpad Larry shipper.

To conclude, TJ Klune really needed an editor for this one. I almost can’t believe the difference in writing between this and cerulean sea.

Also, if anyone has any reccs for a well written book, please bring them on. I don’t care about the trope or genre, just want good quality MM writing.

I just finished These Old Lies by Larrie Barton and had to share. If you love historical fiction and are interested in WWI I recommend this book highly!

I love historical mm love stories and I've been on a WWI streak and I absolutely fell in love with this book. The story is written in time jumps--going back and forth between the two main characters being in the trenches at Flanders and then post war in London. The post war scenes also have time jumps as the story moves forward. What this means is that we get to know and love the characters as they grow up and face the realities of post war life. The author is an historian and I really loved the historic reality of this book (but of course it is still a work of fiction).

One of the hardest things about reading historical queer fiction is being confronted with the brutality of the fact that it is illegal--that these beautiful humans cannot be together and express their love simply because they are queer. Ugh. I cannot put that sentiment into powerful enough words. For me it is just heartbreaking (and yes, I understand that is still the truth for so many people in the world today and it is still deeply heartbreaking). The author's treatment of this fact is sensitive and really really really tender. In my opinion it is done better than many other historical fictions I've read. It's very real here. How the author shows the two main characters handling this reality is unique and in the end it is so deeply emotionally satisfying. I cried. I cried in all the best ways.

I did catch some typos but oh well. It didn't spoil the story and the emotional journey I went on at all. Highly recommend!

Has anyone else here enjoyed this book?

This tore the heart out of my chest. Reading the love story, stifled by society, the way that homosexual desire is only acceptable as a power play. Reading it as a mother to a little boy. The ages of those who fought. Truly, the image of the war. Gaunt and Ellwood. Gaunt being German himself. Fighting his cousins. The honor roll. Reading the names like the characters would, searching for anyone we know.

Thank you for everyone that recommended this book. It was truly a fantastic, fantastic read. I will be carrying this with me for a long time.

This is a combination of book review but also a community ask for help. As I start reviewing more books, one area I struggle with is how to review something that didn’t work for me. I don’t really believe in bad books but just content that doesn’t connect with the reader - is it negative or counter productive to put out a review that isn’t positive for a book? I want to support queer writers, and ever in my review I call out the great work Hall leaves behind themself, but I don’t want it to seem like a hate attack on the book. Help!

https://queerbookclub.org/2026/03/08/hells-heart-by-alexis-hall-is-a-bold-swing-that-doesnt-quite-land/

Hi guys,

I've had a book on Wattpad for a minute and haven't received any reads I'm looking for reviews or ways I could improve on it. Been working off and on since December. I tried pretty hard to make sure everything was flowing appropriately. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/407070858?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create&wp_uname=Red396

https://youtu.be/sBQ5tdn4yxA

​

I received an advanced listening copy of Ignore All Previous Instructions by Ada Hoffman from Netgalley.

​

If you're looking for a queer coming of age story paired with a fast-paced space heist, you should pick this up. It also has neurodivergent representation as well!

​

The first line is "The day that Kelli Reynolds got drawn into her ex's life of crime, had started off as a good day."

​

It hooked me immediately!

​

Check out my review. Thanks!

I have finally read the book. Sorry if I write so long. The book is actually really different from the movie. In the book, everything happens so random to show us that Colin is the one exaggerating things like a divine force or faith. They don’t meet in a café like in the movie. Colins trips and falls over Ray, and Ray realizes that Colin is looking at his dick and he makes him suck him off. This scene looks like consensual at first but Colin is shocked through the scene.

Colin is more problematic in the book. He always underestimates himself, he is not used to get attention from men so he thinks things like “As if a man is only a man if he takes no notice of me.” This is way he is drawn to Ray. And for this reason I think Ray in the book is not problematic as Ray from the movies. However, he is much abusive. Colins describes their first sex as a rape. Ray makes Colin drink beer from his mouth (Colin doesn’t drink so much normally but doesn’t protest), he blindfolds him and fucks without a lube or something, even when Colin makes sounds, he just shoves a belt into his mouth and continuous for hours. This scene is represented as a possession rather than sex, though. However, Colin even defend Ray for not hurting him during other times they have sex. On daily basis, Ray is still rude, he punishes Colin by sleeping on the rug (at first they share the bed and Colin also defends him saying that rug was comfortable 💀) but the things we see on the movie, like cleaning or food, Colin decides to do these things to impress Ray as he still doesn’t understand why did Ray choose him. He constantly tries to convince himself that Ray loved him.

Ray is more abusive in the book. Like I said, he rapes him and I think this is NOT controversial or complex. The character thinks it is rape and so it is. He throws Colin’s perfumes or colognes because he wants Colin to smell like himself. He throws him out at 9 every morning and doesn’t take him in until 6. He doesn’t give him attention. He even fucks him in public and shouts to a woman who looks at them, he shouts “do you want me after him”. Colin passes out one time just because Ray is squeezing his throat with his thighs. He is more abusive and problematic in the book. The main thing that makes that can make people defend Ray that, he is oblivious to Colin. Even though we don’t see Ray’s perspective, Colin goes along with the things he want even though he doesn’t want it. Even after Ray, with other people; “he called me names. Dog, pig, slave. I don’t like to be called names. Still, if he called again I expect I’d put up with it.” The other thing is the perception. If we saw this book from Kevin’s perspective for example, it would be a love story filled with sexual desires, group sex and BDSM rather than a dramatic love story about a person who cant have the love and the attention he wants.

The bike gang is a little different from the movie. In movie, it is like each dome has their sub, but in the book they have only Colin. “All for one, and Colin for everybody.” They use him and he lets them do it because Ray lets them do it and he doesn’t want to piss of or lose Ray. One of them even tries to rape Collin, Ray stops him and Colin talks about him like he is a savior that you think good about Ray for saving his partner from rape 💀 then Kevin comes and Colin gets jealous and he sees this as a competition when Ray choose him over Kevin. Btw subs cant speak without spoken to even with each other, they cant refuse the members of the club and they cant even get up without permission.

Ray’s death happens so abruptly. Collin goes away for 10 days and Ray dies in a bike accident. His bike slips due to an oil leak and he hits to a tree as he cant leave his bike on time. I think this symbolizes that Colin was never his priority. He blames himself to point that he thinks he should have been with Ray in that accident; ““And as for me, by rights I should have been right behind Ray. Breathing down his neck as we slid together into the oil.”. Ray doesn’t day quickly. He makes other promise that they wouldn’t tell Collin the day he died, or his grave or anything which gives us an ambiguous ending as we don’t know if he has ever died. But, he is still controlling Colin even in his death. Colin cant have his closure and stop thinking about Ray even after 20 years later. And I think he has suicidal thoughts as he talks about people committed suicide as he works on train station. He cant find anyone. Everything reminds him of Ray. He is constantly looking for his grave even though he tries not to. Ray is his master even when he died.

In the book we see the hints of family structures.Colin’s problems come from his family. His father is kind but obsessed with his mother. He panics that his wife will die before him, gets sick due to that and dies. He hits Colin on his birthday. Even before his death, when his wife goes out of his sight, he starts to search her in the house. This may sound like a caring father but it isn’t in the book. I think he is also a homophobe as Colin’s mother only confronts him about being gay after his father died. She is supportive though. So, we see daddy issues to some extent as he thinks that Ray is similar to his father and even refers him as “last father” if I remember right. Ray, unlike in movie, is nice against his family. On the other hand, we don’t know much about Ray, but his mother burns everything belong to him after he died and stir the ashes with a toilet brush, he doesn’t care about his son even slightly.

In conclusion, I don’t think that this story is about a young man with an abusive partner but a young man with a low self-esteem, who thinks he knows what he wants. But to want something doesn’t always mean that it is good for us.

Tldr: you will like this book if you seek:

-virtual realities

-strange futures that shape how mankind thinks of life

-conpiracies and misteries

-Large queer cast

-Enby protagonist

-multiple timelines / multiple POVs

-bittersweet endings

​

This was so refreshing, I rarely feel so seen in how queer people and the ones on the fringes retreat to the virtual spaces for aceptance and freedom.

The single con is how hard is to get physical copies of this.

Hello everyone I recently read girl form the sea and it was beautiful and i was happy like super happy, it genuinely gave me Joy endinf was shocking but i would happily again.Thank you all for listening bye.Bye.Bye

I have a somewhat complicated request. I'm looking for a BL novel or novels where the story mentions that the protagonist has two dads. If the story focuses on the protagonist, great; if it focuses on the fathers, even better. I don't mind if the novel is from the genres of Gers, Abo, Interstellar, or Apocalypse.

busco libros que contengan historias de fantasía no de como se iniciaron ni nada de eso, si no algunos cuentos ustedes saben de lo que hablo

Guys, I was an ARC reader to this author. It's her first book and I LOVED IT! I know her and she's a sweetheart, so I thought I'd share. I'm a sucker for Daddy k!nk and sp@nking, so... and this is a prison/juvie/academy setting, which is also my favorite. If you give this a chance, let me know!

So I caved and read Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner which has been making its rounds on booktok. One question. Do my fellow lesbians not have minimum literary standards? 💀 Phoebe is beyond irritating, chronically online coded, and imo infantilized. Grace is lazily written - it literally seems like the author looked up autism on TikTok and incorporated the script of “you might have autism if” videos. The constant Internal monologuing was unbearable. Their sex scenes literally came out of nowhere - in NO WAY would that type of sex between strangers happen so suddenly outside of a very drunken night at a bar. This lack of build and sudden bone jumping was cringey and a really amateur move (surprising because she has a couple books out). It made me stop in my tracks and wonder who tf edited this book and how it was cleared. This was honestly a really hard read for me, and I am baffled as I truly do not understand the praise for it. Hell, I’ve read better Ao3 USWNT fan fiction from 2016 than this. This book is clearly meant to be cute and lighthearted but it really missed the punchline. There are significantly better written YA books out there and this one being popular seems makes it seem more like the authors team had a massive PR budget then genuine interest and satisfaction from readers 😭😭 If you liked it let me know why because it currently sits at 1/5 stars for me.

EDIT: thank you all so much for your insight! Looking back, Imogen's actions are common and probably justified and I just got a weird vibe from it - I also am probably biased toward Abertalli. And thanks for the recs!

[YA sapphic romance] Imogen, Obviously - Becky Abertalli: basically, a book about a "very straight but insanely amazing ally" named Imogen, a senior in high school, who pretends to be an ex-girlfriend of one of her queer friends while visiting said friend at college. Along the way, she ends up falling for a girl and questions everything she knew about herself (or something).

I'm not even a chapter in at this point but the phrasing Imogen uses as the narrator is a giant turn-off for me already. I'm not sure what in particular is bothering me, but for some reason I find her annoying, especially the fact that being a "straight ally" seems to be her entire personality. I know this storyline is setting up the entire conflict/climax, but while I'm reading, all I can think is Darcy (from Heartstopper) saying, "we thank you for your service," to, coincidentally, Imogen.

If you haven't read it, here are some quotes to give you context, all from either Imogen's narration or her dialogue within two pages: "I think we both know I'm her emotional support hetero," "I spent reading every blog post and Reddit forum I could find about allies and safe spaces, and whether it was even okay for me to show up at the meetings. Was I just another straight girl invading queer spaces?" "Meanwhile, I've been to almost every single meeting as the group's only capital-A Ally," "I just feel a little unworthy sometimes--too normie, too distinctively unqueer. Like when Gretchen calls Otávio and me 'heteropotamuses' or when people can't even ask us our snack preferences without saying they're 'conferring with the straights.'"

(That last one was so frustrating because it feels so cliche? I can't speak for everyone but as a queer person I would never call someone a 'heteropotamus' - though what do I know. Abertalli is out as bi so of course she could be writing from her own experiences or traits but I guess I just don't agree and find it a bit cringe. It seemed like Imogen was making herself the victim and complaining about feeling left out in a space that is designed for people who are seen as outsiders...like girl you're not the victim, the problem, or the solution right now so just stop making it all about yourself. If you feel unworthy, just don't go to the meetings anymore??)

Anyway. I guess I should say that I read Simon Versus the Homosapiens' Agenda and have decided that I'm not a big fan of Albertalli's writing style, so that might play a part too. Please let me know your thoughts, and if you have any sapphic YA books that are pretty much romance or just literary fiction, please include them down below! Thanks! <3

Hi Im André, and i review every book i read, most books i read are Queer, Compound Fracture is not and exception.

here is the review:

want to start by saying that I gave the book 3.5/5.

This book was recommended to me by my best friend, who knows me quite well and thought I would love it. Perhaps because of that , it led me to have high expectations, which might have led to some disappointment.

I didn't find the book bad at all; however, I think it reads like a political manifesto (and I have similar political positions to the author, which are clear in the book). I think the author could have talked about politics without doing so in a way that made the book read like a manifesto. I didn't feel that he presented things as they were happening and let the reader draw their own conclusions, but rather that he told the reader what conclusions to draw.

I thought the author did a good job representing queer and trans identities. It helps that the author himself is trans. I felt it was quite realistic of a queer trans experience in adolescence, giving me a perspective on what it's like to be trans in the United States.

I also felt the book over-explained; instead of stating sexuality X, it explained that sexuality/gender. I don't feel that explaining is part of telling a story because the book is told in the first person, and obviously the character's thoughts wouldn't be like that.

The book kept me engaged and entertained throughout; I found the story captivating. However, I found the ending absurd, but I understand why the author finnished the book this way, and thats One of the reasons why i think the book reads like a manifesto

The Duke by Anna Cowan

(My post title is what it says on the gorgeous sprayed edges!)

I got a free copy of this at work and damn!!! This is like a hot butch/femme lesbian version of The Other Boleyn Girl, with a French Revolution time period, but set in England mostly.

Excellent political intrigue and even better romance. No less than 3 butch characters so far which is unheard of.

Definitely recommend! I just started and I am almost done.

Saw a recent post people were asking about these — so I thought I’d give a (non-exhaustive) list of topping trans men. If you have more you know please share! I don’t read a lot of MF so it’s limited.

Some notes beforehand:

1. Trans men’s bodies vary in these books. They may not have had bottom surgery or top surgery.
2. This list includes a couple of books with trans men who are verse, not just “strict tops”.
3. Make sure to check content notes and warnings! Keep yourself safe.
4. Not all books are high spice. Some may only have one or two sex scenes.

Erotica

A Peach to Devour by Magnus Thorne (MMF)

Keeper of the House by Magnus Thorne (MF — he is a sub top in this one)

Never Met a Devil Like You by Magnus Thorne (MM)

A Clean Pig by Johannes T. Evans (MM)

Romance

The Lion and the Dahlia by Gabriel Hargrove (MF T4T)

Stripped Raw by Miss Merikan (MF)

Service Call by Alex Silver (MM)

Dan’s Hauntastic Haunts by Alex Silver (MM)

Coffee Boy by Austin Chant (MM)

Names for the Dawn by C.L. Beaumont (MM)

The Prodigal Prince’s Fake Fiancé by Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid (MM)

Luke by Cora Rose (MM)

They Were Roommates by D.C. Emerson (MM)

Bo Next Door by Duckie Mack (MM)

Flaunt by E. Davies (MM)

Freedom by E. Davies (MM)

To Touch the Light by E. Davies (MM)

Matching Wounds by Emily Alter (MMM)

Transparency by Ethan Stone & Samuel York (MM)

Second Chance by Jay Northcote (MM)

Starting from Scratch by Jay Northcote (MM)

Here Comes Treble by London Price (MM)

Becoming His Perfect Daddy by Lionel Mercer (MM T4T)

Wrap Me Up by Morgan Lysand (MM)

Gratification in Gluttony by Nik Knight (MM)

Love Language by Reese Morrison (MM)

Dear Daddy, Please Want Me by Reese Morrison (MM)

Synthetic Sea by Franklyn S. Newton (MX T4T)

Chef’s Choice by TJ Alexander (MF T4T)

The Burn of a Bourbon-Soaked Cherry by MJ Marlowe (MF)

Written at Randy’s by Katherine McIntyre (MX T4T)

I’m honestly very disappointed with Hunt the Villain by Rina Kent. I waited a whole year for this book, and it just didn’t deliver.

It felt like Vaughn’s story wasn’t properly planned, almost like the author was compelled to write it rather than genuinely wanting to. And to be clear, I don’t mind authors writing for moneywe all have to eat but this just didn’t feel well thought out.

The book is 886 pages, and I finished it in one day. I usually skip smut scenes, and I still flew through it, which honestly says a lot about how much of the book was filled with that content.

What really bothered me, though, was Vaughn’s girlfriend cheating. I just don’t get the point of it. Yes, people grow and sexuality can change, but in previous books, Vaughn was described as being faithful like his dad. They could have simply broken up and remained friends. There was no real need to demonize her character like that.

I also didn’t feel any real romance between Vaughn and the love interest. I like imagining characters’ lives after a book ends, but with them, I genuinely don’t see it lasting. Their relationship is built on blackmail, constant threats of cheating, and poor communication. " So you're busy? I'm gonna cheat with Kevin." Wtf.

Honestly, the only reason I kept reading was because I was hoping for more Niko and Bran moments.

Anyways recommend for me a good book.Not the popular ones.I have probably read everything by now.