I did this last year and got a ton of awesome recommendations, so I'm trying it again!
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There’s a ton, but recently I read this really cute collection of comics called Gender Pirates, it’s really clever and funny, definitely recommend. Elatsoe is also an AMAZING contemporary fantasy with an asexual main character, which I really like because it’s hard to find good YA books without romance.
Also anything by Molly Knox Ostertag, she’s a genius.
I realize I'm commenting here months later, but if you're interested in YA books without romance, try A Peculiar Peril by Jeff VanDerMeer. It's really long, like 600ish pages, incredibly weird, and has an Aromantic and Asexual protagonist.
Out Now is good. It's a collection of LGBTQ+ short stories by a bunch of different authors. There's three of them now I think? One is stories set in the modern day, and then there's stories set in the past and the future. If you look it up I think the author is credited as Saundra Mitchell.
Also Genderqueer by Maia Kobe is really good. It's a memoir told in a graphic novel form and it's about eir journey figuring out eir gender and sexuality.
- Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
- Georgia peaches and other forbidden fruit by Jaye Robin Brown
- GenderQueer by Maia Kobabe
THE SONG OF ACHILLES. ITS THE SADDEST BOOK IN THE WHOLE WORLD AND I LOVE IT SM
YES OMG IM SO GLAD U SAID SOMETHING. I absolitly love song of achilles and it literally made me sob into my pillow for 30 min.😭
Anything AJ Sass writes. He's a nonbinary (says he/him or they/them are both good on his website, sassinsf.com) neurodivergent writer. I've read Ana on the Edge, Ellen Outside the Lines and his submission to This is Our Rainbow (a queer anthology). Ellen Outside the Lines has an autistic protagonist. (He also wrote Camp Quiltbag, also mentioned here.)
And Tango Makes Three. Cute gay penguins! Also people ban it!
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Empire or The Sun and the Star if you like middle grade fiction but also don't want the queerness to be The Theme of the work.
The Lotterys Plus One is good certainly, but it might (it's kind of unclear) misgender one character repeatedly, so maybe not.
Ooh I have a list -Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe -Heartstopper -Red, White, and Royal Blue -Carry On -The Lesbian's Guide to Catholic School -Girl from The Sea -GenderQueer -Felix Forever? Something like that? Idk it was really good
Ooh I have a list -Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe -Heartstopper -Red, White, and Royal Blue -Carry On -The Lesbian's Guide to Catholic School -Girl from The Sea -GenderQueer -Felix Forever? Something like that? Idk it was really good