LGBTQ+ – The Bookish Librarian

The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

February 3, 2023January 23, 2023 The Bookish Librarian

Ages 18+

Joy is in love with her best friend Malcolm, but he doesn’t know it…yet. The two have been friends since college, and Joy almost lost him when he got engaged to Caroline, but then Caroline broke his heart. Currently, Malcolm is really interested in Summer, and is planning a trip with her, but asks Joy to come along so she can get to know Summer better. Summer’s ex Fox is also along for the ride. While trying to keep Fox at bay, Joy’s real plan is to finally tell Malcolm how she feels. What could go wrong?

Adult Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

October 16, 2022September 22, 2022 The Bookish Librarian

Ages 18+

The first in the London Calling series, Boyfriend Material follows Luc O’Donnell, who is the child of rock stars who have recently made a comeback, leaving Luc in the public eye. To clean up his image, he must present as being in a normal relationship. Soon he finds himself in a fake dating situation with Oliver Blackwood, who is as normal as they come. However, the two have nothing in common. As the two work on their fake relationship, they find themselves having a lot of real dating scenarios. Fun and romantic, Boyfriend Material is sure to put a smile on your face!

ARC Reviews, Graphic, LGBTQ+, Romance, YA Fiction

You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sanchez

July 6, 2020July 6, 2020 The Bookish Librarian

Grades 9 – 12

You Brought Me the Ocean

Jake Hyde’s father died by drowning, so he doesn’t swim. At all. In fact, he lives in a dessert and is forced by his mother to stay away from water at all costs. He wants to go to college on the coast however, and work with the ocean for a living. That is a secret he’s keeping from his mother. His other big secret? He doesn’t tell his best friend Maria that he doesn’t return her feelings; in fact, he is attracted to Kenny, a boy in his class who has shown interest in him. Can he come clean and be his true self?

Thanks to SLJ for a review copy of this book.

ARC Reviews, Children, LGBTQ+, Middle Grade Fiction, Sports

A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner

April 13, 2020October 12, 2019 The Bookish Librarian

Grades 4 – 6

A High Five for Glenn Burke

Glenn Burke was a gay baseball player in the 1970s, and also the inventor of the high five. Sixth grader Silas decides to do a school report and presentation on Glenn Burke, but it feels more personal than just a school assignment, because Silas himself is gay, and in the closet. This assignment feels like his way of gearing up to coming out to his friends and family. When he does, how will they react?

Thanks to SLJ for a review copy of this book.

Children, LGBTQ+, Middle Grade Fiction

To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan & Meg Wolitzer

May 27, 2019March 12, 2019 The Bookish Librarian

Grades 3 – 5

To Night Owl from Dogfish

Avery Bloom and Bett Devlin’s fathers fall in love and send the girls away to sleep-away camp in order for them to bond. However, they can’t be more different: Avery is bookish and shy, and Bett is fearless and outgoing. Despite this, though, they start writing each other letters and refer to themselves as Night Owl and Dogfish. Can they get over their differences and become the family their dads always wanted?

LGBTQ+, Romance, YA Fiction

What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

February 4, 2019October 23, 2018 The Bookish Librarian

Grades 9 – 12
Two boys meet at a post office where one of them is attempting to mail a box full of his ex-boyfriend’s things. However, neither ask the other’s name, and they both decide they find each other attractive enough to go on a search and meet up again. But what if they can’t find each other? What if it doesn’t work out? Or what if it’s meant to be? This is a love story of epic proportions that you’d only expect from an Abertalli-Silvera collab that’s not to be missed!

ARC Reviews, LGBTQ+, Middle Grade Fiction

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake

September 10, 2018February 11, 2020 The Bookish Librarian

Grades 4 – 6

ivy aberdeen.jpg

Twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen loves drawing in her notebook, and it is a sort of diary for her. But when a tornado rips through her town and destroys her home, her notebook goes missing. Ivy is very upset that she lost her notebook with all her drawings in it, but more than that she is terrified that someone will find out her deepest secret.

Thanks to School Library Journal for a review copy of this book.

ARC Reviews, LGBTQ+, Middle Grade Fiction

P.S. I Miss You by Jen Petro-Roy

May 28, 2018May 9, 2019 The Bookish Librarian

Grades 4-6

ps i miss you

Consisting of letters to her older sister, P.S. I Miss You is a young girl’s plea for her sister to come home. The entire novel is told through letters that eleven-year-old Evie writes to her older sister Cilla, whose Catholic parents have sent her away to live with her great-aunt after discovering her pregnancy. When Evie realizes she has romantic feelings for her friend June, Evie could really use Cilla’s advice – if only she’d write back. Can Evie navigate the world without her sister at her side?

Thanks to School Library Journal for a review copy of the book.

LGBTQ+, Romance, Series, YA Fiction

Honestly Ben by Bill Koningsberg

April 25, 2017April 25, 2017 The Bookish Librarian

Grades 9-12

honestly ben

This is the long awaited sequel to Openly Straight! The book continues the story in Ben’s point of view, and he’s doing great. He is getting stellar grades in school, is the newly-elected captain of the baseball team, and he’s recently won a giant college scholarship. He tries to keep things the way they are, but he’s distracted by Hannah, a pretty girl he has a crush on, the pressure of schoolwork, and his mother, who seems to be unhappy a lot lately. Can Ben keep the momentum up or will it all come crashing down?

LGBTQ+, Romance, Tear Jerkers, YA Fiction

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

February 19, 2017February 7, 2017 The Bookish Librarian

Grades 9-12
scars

Fifteen-year-old Kendra has been seeing a therapist since the ugly memories of being raped at the age of two began to resurface. Try as she may, though, she is unable to remember the most important detail of the abuse: her rapist’s identity. She has the utmost trust in her therapist, but she can’t shake the feeling that someone is following her. To ease her fears, she cuts, but not one person in her life knows about it; not her therapist, her art teacher, or her friend Meghan who she hopes will soon turn into something more. Will Kendra heal before it’s too late?