Favourite LGBT novels.

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And I've never been able to say no to an LGBT romance or contemporary, but I didn't realise quite how many books I'd accumulated until I bundled them all together on my bookshelf.

So, I decided to come up with a list of all my favourite LGBT novels! (These are just the ones that I've enjoyed for the overall stories, not just the characters- because they're all awesome!) 

Enjoy!

1. What If It's Us, by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Of course this was going to be at the top of the list. It was the first one that I thought of when I decided to do this list. What If It's Us tells the story of Arthur and Ben; Arthur is spending the summer in New York, interning at his mum's company. He believes in the magic of New York, the kind you see in movies, in musicals, and he's looking for his magic. Ben is on his way to mail away his ex-boyfriend's things at the post office when he and Arthur share a moment. From there starts a wonderfully cute tale about two boys, trying to decide whether the universe believes in romance. Even if this didn't include musical references, I'm willing to bet it would still make this list.

2. The Heartstopper series, by Alice Oseman

I picked up the first volume of Heartstopper in June last year and I've been in love with the characters ever since. They become more realistic with each volume, especially since Volume Three, when we found out about some of Nick's past struggles (I didn't think I could relate to him before but that just opened up a whole new level.) This series is so wonderful, just read it. Because the hype is worth it.

3. Unbecoming, by Jenny Downham

This is a story that I read a long time ago, and I really think that I should give it a re-read sometime soon. It's about three generations of females, each with their own problems. It reads from the perspective of Mary, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and how just shown up in Katie's life out of the blue. Because of her crazy and wonderful life, she gave her daughter, Caroline up, so her sister could raise her. Although you don't read from Caroline's perspective she is a bit of an antagonistic character, because she wants Katie to focus on her studies. I do wish you could read from Caroline's perspective because it would be nice to read from inside her brain, but I feel like I relate to Katie & Mary more. Katie has a crush on a girl, and she's afraid to say how she's really feeling. When Mary comes in Katie's life, she turns her life upside down. Surprised by her glamourous past, will Mary inspire her enough to be honest with herself and gain the confidence to be who she really wants to be? I love the cover and I love the story, and I really need to re-read this sometime soon.  

4. Leah on the Offbeat, by Becky Albertalli

Unpopular opinion coming: I actually preferred Leah on the Offbeat more than Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda because I thought it flowed better, and I liked the story better. Aside from that, I don't really see many books with a bi rep and it was awesome to find out more about Leah. These characters are just so heart-warming and so funny and wonderful, and it's so easy to love and relate to them.

5. I'll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson

I read this for the first time nearly four years ago and it still remains one of my favourites. It's so well done, how it's so easy to keep track of everything that's going on, at both points in the story (one POV took place before a certain event, and one took place after). This is such a special book, and even though it feels like it didn't make as big a difference as maybe Twilight did for YA or The Book Thief for historical fiction but there's a part of Booktube that has an amazing love for this novel. My love for the characters, the themes, the story, are infinite.

Okay! That's my list!

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and please, stay safe! Wash your hands, and be careful not to touch you're face. Crossing fingers that this is as bad as it gets, but I'm not expecting anything!

Have a wonderful weekend full of reading, and I'll see you all next week.

Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx