5 Sweet Queer Love Stories to Devour This Summer

You Know Me Well, by David Levithan and Nina LaCour
Levithan and LaCour are two powerhouses of queer YA, so you know the book they wrote a book together is going to be epic. What’s even better is that part of the novel takes place during Pride, and it’s just as joyful a celebration as you could hope for. Mark and Kate may have a class together, but outside of that they don’t think they have anything in common—until they run into each other one fateful night, and all that changes. Kate’s running from a girl she’s been pining for from afar, and Mark is in love with his best friend, Ryan. Soon they realize they’re becoming more important to each other than they ever imagined. If you’re looking for a story with good, strong queer friendships, that celebrates being out, this is one for you.

Ship It, by Britta Lundin
Comic conventions? Check. Fangirl MC? Check. Romance between her and a super cute fanartist named Tess? You betcha! Claire is obsessed with the show Demon Heart, and the chance to meet Forest, who plays her favorite character, is almost too good to be true. Until Forest vehemently denies Claire’s assertion that his character is gay—and starts a PR nightmare in the process. When video of Forest laughing off Claire goes viral, Claire is hired by his producers to help Demon Heart’s image with their LGBTQ fans. As the group tours convention after convention, Forest realizes he may have a lot to learn about sexuality. And Claire? She just wants a chance with fanartist Tess, whom she keeps running into. Lundin’s book is cute, shippy, and totally relatable for anyone who’s ever been in a fandom.

The Disasters, by M. K. England
 Space opera heist with a bisexual MC? What more do you need! When Nax Hall is kicked out of the elite Ellis Station Academy, he’s not surprised. What is surprising is the terrorist attack that occurs as he’s about to head home—leaving him and three other burnouts as the prime suspects. As they find themselves on the run and planning a heist to clear their names, they realize they’ll have to band together, because they’re the only ones left. While this super fun heist story with queer characters may not be out until December, you can preorder it now.

This is Kind of an Epic Love Story, by Kheryn Callender
Gotta be honest, I never thought I’d see an LGBTQ+ YA book with the title This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story. But it’s here and it’s every bit as fluffy and charming as promised. Nathan is a film buff who doesn’t believe in happy endings…until his childhood best friend, Oliver, moves back home. Nathan has seen romance go wrong too many times to get his hopes up over Ollie, even with his girlfriend-turned-best-friend Florence determined to find him someone. As Nathan and Ollie navigate what exactly happened to their friendship when they were children, Nathan realizes he’s falling for his former BFF—and that Ollie may even like him back.

The Summer of Jordi Perez, by Amy Spalding
With its LA setting and delightful enemies to lovers romance, Spalding’s latest is absolutely perfect for your summer. After landing an internship she has wanted since forever at her favorite boutique, Abby is thrilled to be working in her dream industry—after all, she’s spent years cultivating her own style and blogging about it. Enter her fellow intern, Jordi Perez. Not only is Abby competing against Jordi for the job at the end of the internship, but she has a massive crush on her to boot. Can her crush survive their competition? And can she really find the best burger in LA?