Recommendations: Underhyped LGBTQ+ Books #1

Hi everyone!

So, obviously, I am a book blogger disaster…I have missed 2 planned blog posts so far this month, I guess it’s catching up time! Here is a list of 15 of my favourite underhyped LGBTQ+ books.

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First off, what constitutes as “underhyped” for me? For the sake of this post, all the books I will be recommending have lower than 5,000 ratings on Goodreads. This may seem like a lot, but let’s compare it to books like Six of Crows and A Court of Thorns and Roses, which have between 200,000-350,000 ratings respectively. Hopefully, you can see what I mean. I have added a screenshot below to explain.

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This is just the first post, I will be continuing my recommendations in a second post soon!

Lastly, I have read all of these books, I will share my rating as well as a link to my reviews if applicable!

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1) The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer

My rating: 5 stars
Rep: gay MCs

This is a play that takes place around the time of the AIDS epidemic. Honestly, I would class this book as one of the few that has changed my life, or at the very least, my outlook on life. I was a total mess when I finished this. They also adapted this into a movie which I highly recommend watching.

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2) All of Shelby Eileen’s poetry!

My ratings: all between 4.5-5 stars each.
Rep: poetry collections which feature; plus size rep, mental illness and aro/ace-spectrum rep.

Link to my review of all 3 collections: click here

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3) Proper English by K.J Charles

My rating: 4 stars
Rep: F/F romance

Link to my full review: click here

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4) Grease Bats by Archie Bongiovanni

Rating: 4 stars
Rep: every single character is LGBTQ+. Genderqueer MC and lesbian MC.

Link to my full review: click here

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5) Reverb by Anna Zabo

Rating: 4 stars
Rep: Pansexual MC and trans MC. Pretty much every character in this book is LGBTQ+

Link to my full review: click here

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6) Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe 

My rating: 4 stars
Rep: Non-binary and ace main character, a range of queer and LGBTQ+ side characters.

Link to me full review: click here

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7) Play it Again by Aidan Wayne

My rating: 4 stars
Rep: blind, Jewish and bisexual main character, homoromantic ace main character and aroace side character.

Link to my full review: click here

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8) Stage Dreams by Melanie Gillman

My rating: 4 stars
Rep: F/F romance. Trans MC and queer & Latinx MC.

Link to my full review: click here

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9) Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill 

My rating: 4.5 stars
Rep: F/F romance and POC main character.

A short and very sweet webcomic about two princesses who find each other, strike up a friendship and go on a quest!

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10) Valhalla by L.A Ashton

My rating: 4 stars
Rep: M/M romance, pansexual rep.

Link to my full review: click here

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11) You Asked for Perfect by Laura Silverman 

My rating: 4 stars
Rep: mental illness rep,  Jewish & bisexual main character, Muslim & gay love interest, Korean & lesbian best friend.

Link to my full review: click here

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12) Proud by Various (compiled by Juno Dawson) 

My rating: 4 stars
Rep: all stories centred around gay, lesbian, non-binary, trans, bisexual and questioning characters

Link to my full review: click here

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13) EE Ottoman: A Matter of Disagreement & The Doctor’s Discretion

My rating: between 3-4 stars
Rep: trans MC, disability rep and POC MC.

Own voices stories with trans main characters. AMOD is a novella set in a fantasy/steampunk-inspired world and is enemies-to-lovers romance and TDD is a historical romance!

Link to my review for A Matter of Disagreement: click here
Link to my review for The Doctor’s Discretion: click here

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14) Learning Curves by Ceillie Simkiss

My rating: 3.5/4 stars
Rep: Panromantic asexual love interest with ADHD. plus size, Puerto Rican lesbian main character with anxiety.

This was such an effortlessly diverse contemporary novella which I really enjoyed! Set in America where two girls met in college and strike up a relationship.

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15) The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman 

My rating: 3.5/4 stars
Rep: 2 bisexual MCs, disability rep (MC). There are also two queer side characters (no labels mentioned)

Link to my full review: click here

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Icons from: Freepik

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Let me know in the comments some underhyped books you love!