10 Must-Read LGBTQ+ Books for Pride Month 2025: Top Picks Across Genres
Pride month Reading list recap
pride month romance reads
Late Bloomer by Mazy Eddings
Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
pride month FantaSy reads
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Masters of Death by Olivie Blake
pride month Sci-Fi reads
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite
The Wayfarer Series by Becky Chambers
pride month Contemporary Fiction reads
Big Swiss
pride month NON-Fiction reads
In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Sissy: A Coming to Gender Story by Jacob Tacobia
Happy Pride Month, babes. While we should be reading Queer fiction all year, I still wanted to take some time to split out a handful of suggestions. Now, more than ever, it’s important to show our support for LGBTQ+ and ensure there is representation of Queer characters in books.
This is not an exhaustive list, there are so many great books out there. I’ve split the picks by genre so you can grab one (or several) that fit your current mood. Drop your recs in the comments — I’d love to hear what you’re reading for Pride!
Pride Month LGBTQ+ Romance Book Recommendations
Oh my god it was hard to narrow this down, and yes there are two Casey McQuiston books honestly all three could have been them but, I want to give at least one spot to someone else. These 3 represent a range of couples and spice levels. The spice rating is listed in the snapshot for each book.
Some runner ups:
Here we go again by Alison Cochrun - Available on Kindle Unlimited
Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson (Dark Romance/Horror) - Available on Kindle Unlimited
Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings Review
What mood is this right for: When you’re daydreaming of winning the lottery and buying a flower farm
Length: 400 Pages
Genre: Romance
Source: Self Purchased
Where to Buy: Late Bloomer Affiliate Link | Libro.FM | Audible
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️
Summary: Opal Devlin wins the lottery and everything goes downhill from there. She thinks she’s going to turn her life around by buying a farm with those winnings only to find the farm is very much occupied by Pepper Smith. A very light enemies to lovers, can Opal and Pepper save the farm and find romance along the way?
Red, WhitE & Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston
What mood is this right for: When you need a reprieve from our current world leaders.
Length: 448 Pages
Genre: Romance
Source: Self Purchased
Where to Buy: Red, White & Royal Blue Affiliate Link | Libro.FM | Audible | Available on Kindle Unlimited
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Summary: This is one of my favorite books if 2025. First Son, Alex Claremont-Diaz’s first job is to ensure his mother gets re-elected. After a series of unfortunate events the only way he is able to help with that is a fake best friendship with his arch nemesis Prince Henry. Another light enemies to lovers, these two go from fake friends to needing to keep their very real relationship a secret. This is bright, cheery Prince Harry fan-fic esq book is everything you want out of a romance.
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
What mood is this right for: When you need a wine, a vacation, and a little spice.
Length: 448 Pages
Genre: Romance
Source: Self Purchased
Where to Buy: The Pairing - Affiliate Link (seriously love a sprayed edge) | Libro.FM | Audible | Available on Kindle Unlimited
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Summary: How can you go wrong with a European wine tour? Well for Theo, it went wrong when their childhood best-friend turned ex-lover, Kit, showed up on the same trip. What’s the best way to prove to your ex you’re not in love with them, how about a casual wager to see who can sleep with more people over the course of their trip. This book is all the spice but, not in a way that sacrifices, plot, writing, or anything else. This easily earned a spot on my favorite books list.
Pride Month LGBTQ+ Fantasy Book Recommendations
This list was a bit harder to put together than I anticipated. I really wanted to focus on only books where the main characters were Queer or books where it was central to the plot. I’ve read a lot of fantasy listed as LGBTQIA that really just means there is A queer character in the book.
Here are some runner ups that didn’t quite fit that definition:
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - Available on Kindle Unlimited
Legendborn Cycle by Tracy Deonn
Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake
The Priory of the orange tree by Samantha Shannon
What mood is this right for: When you’re ready for a real Epic tale.
Length: 845 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Self Purchased
Where to Buy: The Priory of the Orange - Affiliate Link | Audible
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary: The fate of the Inys hinges on Queen Sabran the Ninth conceiving a female child to continue the reign of the House of Berethnet. Her lady in waiting Ead Duryan, a practioner in forbidden magic, is trying to protect her queen. Meanwhile, Tané, a life-long Dragon rider, is facing unfathomable choices. All 3 stories intertwin in an epic fantasy like no other. Dragons, sapphic love, and a tale you will not forget.
Master of Death by Olivie Blake
What mood is this right for: You’re not looking for a quick poolside read, you want intricate storylines, complex character, and poetic prose like no other.
Length: 406 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Self Purchased
Where to Buy: Masters of Death - Affiliate Link | Audible | Libro.FM | Available on Kindle Unlimited
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary: There is no other book quite like an Olivie Blake book. What would you do if you were a Vampire looking to sell your house….that’s haunted. Hire a medium, of course. Viola Marek finds herself in this exact situation and hired Fox D’Mora (oh you know, the godson of Death) to help her rid her ghost and move on. Blake masterfully ties weaves together our seven characters over sass filled pages.
Pride Month LGBTQ+ SCI-FI Book Recommendations
Oh I am excited for this one because I get to talk about one of my favorite authors of all time, Becky Chambers. She has an unparalleled ability to take us to space and show us exactly how ridiculous our earthly norms are. I love that Sci-Fi in general lends itself to authors really being able to push the envelope on what’s acceptable by exploring and creating new specific, planets, and customs.
Honorable Mentions
The Tea Monk & Robot Series by Becky Chambers
Murder by Memory by olivia waite
What mood is this right for: You want cozy murder mystery but make it scifi.😏
Length: 304 Pages
Genre: Sci-Fi | Romance | Cozy
Source: Friends to Lovers Bookstore In Alexandria VA
Where to Buy: Murder By Memory - Affiliate Link |Free with a Trial of Audible
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
1 Sentence Summary: A woman wakes up in a body, not her own, just as someone else is murdered, Dorthy Gentleman must solve both mysteries to discover what’s happening on the HMS Fairweather.
The long way to a small angry planet (wayfarers, 1) by becky chambers
What mood is this right for: You’re looking for Doctor Who vibes and the best of campy sci-fi but with great writing and completely loveable characters
Length: 406 Pages
Source: Self Purchased
Where to Buy: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Affiliate Link | Audible | Libro.FM | Available on Kindle Unlimited
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary: An unlikely crew embark on a journey across the universe on the Wayfarer. It’s a ship that’s been patched up time and time again but to Rosemary Harper, it’s now home. A human on her first journey through space, she and the wayfarer crew take on incredible challenges and push the boundaries of human understanding.
Pride Month LGBTQ+ Contemporary Fiction Book Recommendations
There’s so many good books to choose from for this category. So I narrowed it down to the one I have thought about the most since I last read it.
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
What mood is this right for: You find yourself wondering if you could listen to the recordings of your therapists sessions.
Length: 336 Pages
Genre: Contemporary | Literary
Source: Self Purchased
Where to Buy: Big Swiss- Affiliate Link | Audible | Libro.FM
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary: This strange tale starts with Greta, who’s hired as a transcriptionist for a local Sex Therapist, Om. Greta meets one of these clients, Big Swiss, in town. When they meet, Greta doesn’t confess to knowing Big Swiss’s secrets. As their attraction grows, so does Greta’s guilt as she tries desperately to maintain the relationship.
Highly suggest the audio for this one. It’s a very immersive experience.
Pride Month LGBTQ+ non-Fiction Book Recommendations
Saving the best for last. I love, love, love non-fiction but I especially love non-fiction that pushes the limit on what the genre can be.
Some Honorable Mentions
Before We Were Trans
Now, more than ever, it’s important that we’re highlighting Trans history. Trans people have always existed, will always exist, and have a history worth knowing.
Sissy: A coming-of-gender story by Jacob Tacobia
What mood is this right for: You need a little hope.
Length: 336 Pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Source: Self Purchased
Where to Buy: Sissy A Coming-Of-Gender Story - Affiliate Link | Audible | Libro.FM
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary: Jacob recounts their coming out story being raised in a Southern Methodist church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Close to my heart since this is my home, the school he went to is a stone’s throw away from my current apartment. But what won me over is the wit and humor throughout their whole story.
Note: For some, this book may be challenging as Tacobia does mention they’re still active in church. For them, it’s an open community where they feel loved and supported but for some their experiences with the church may be too much to hear about a positive experience.
In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
What mood is this right for: This may be the first one, I am not really sure there is a mood for….you just need to go in
Length: 251 Pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Source: Self Purchased
Where to Buy: In the Dream House- Affiliate Link | Audible | Libro.FM | Kindle Unlimited
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary: A memoir where the author shares her experience surviving her abusive relationships. Struggling to articulate her history, Machado uses tropes, classic horror tales, and literary devices to tell her story. It is by far the most unique memoir you will read.
We don’t talk a lot about Inter Partner Violence (IPV) in Queer relationships. The HRC has an article that goes deeper into the topic and resources.
This isn’t every Queer focused book out there. these are some that have stuck with me over the last few years. There’s still a lot of work to do in publishing for more representation, do your best to buy queer written books & ones that have diverse characters.
Let me know what’s on your Pride Month TBR. And as always, love you all!
—Heather
