Campfire Chats with Morgan H. Owen – Queer Book Recs

In the lead up to Camp YA we’re chatting to some wonderful authors about their books, life and Camp spirit! Today we’ve got something a little different, because Morgan H. Owen gave us a full list of her favourite Queer book recommendations! Which ones have you read or are on your TBR?

Morgan H. Owen – Queer Book Recs

Growing up in the Section 28 era, it was difficult to find queer books written for young people. The first sapphic YA book I owned was sent to me by my American internet penpal (along with a mixtape of riot grrl music). It was Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden, which is about two girls in New York falling in love.

Annie On My Mind – Nancy Garden
Good Moon Rising – Nancy Garden
Name Me Nobody – Lois-Ann Yamanaka
Rubyfruit Jungle – Rita Mae Brown
Angels in America – Tony Kushner
Tales of the City – Amistead Maupin
The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller
The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula Le Guin
Fingersmith – Sarah Waters
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit – Jeanette Winterson
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
Orlando – Virginia Woolf

I mostly read adult queer fiction instead, which was slightly easier to get hold of. Stories about gay love, stories in which gay people were the main characters, were rare and precious. The internet was a gateway, especially that one site. I was an adult by the time by local bookshop had an LGBT section.

The End Crowns All – Bea Fitzgerald
Princess. Priestess. The most beautiful girl in Troy. Cassandra is used to being adored – and when her patron god, Apollo, offers her the power of prophecy, she sees an opportunity to rise even higher. But when she fails to uphold her end of the agreement, she discovers just how very far she has to fall. No one believes her visions. And they all seem to be of one girl – and the war she’s going to bring to Troy’s shores. Helen fled Sparta in pursuit of love, but it’s soon clear Troy is a court like any other, with all its politics and backstabbing. And one princess seems particularly intent on driving her from the city before disaster can strike… But when war finally comes, it’s more than the army at their walls they must contend with. Cassandra and Helen might hold the key to reweaving fate itself – especially with the prophetic strands drawing them ever closer together. But how do you change your future when the gods themselves are dictating your demise?

The Gentlest of Wild Things – Sarah Underwood
On the island of Zakynthos, nothing is more powerful than Desire―love itself, bottled and sold to the highest bidder by Leandros, a power-hungry descendent of the god Eros. Eirene and her beloved twin sister, Phoebe, have always managed to escape Desire’s thrall. Until Leandros’ wife dies mysteriously and he sets his sights on Phoebe. Determined to keep her sister safe, Eirene strikes a bargain with Leandros: if she can complete the four elaborate tasks he sets her, he will find another bride. But it soon becomes clear that the tasks are part of something bigger; something related to Desire and Lamia, the strange, neglected daughter Leandros keeps locked away. Lamia knows her father hides her for her own protection, though as she and Eirene grow closer, she finds herself longing for the outside world. But the price of freedom is high, and with something deadly―something hungry―stalking the night, that price must be paid in blood .

Bitterthorn – Kat Dunn
Watch our Historical panel with Kat Dunn.

Cinderella Is Dead – Kalynn Bayron
Watch our Murder Mystery panel with Kalynn Bayron.

The Jasmine Throne – Tasha Suri

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love – Lex Croucher
It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other. They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run-up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen’s childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair. Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, Gwen and Art make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight, and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen’s royal brother. Lex Croucher’s Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.

Afterlove – Tanya Byrne

The Map That Led To You – Ella McLeod
A long time ago, a witch burst into flames. A pirate and a mermaid fell in love. A map was marked with a glowing X. And a Republic was born. In the present day, two girls are given a history assignment: to try and piece together the rise and fall of the famous and corrupt pirate Republic, which once formed their island home. As Reggie and Maeve sift fact from fiction, they realise that everything they’ve been told about the Republic is wrong. That the problem with history being told by the victors is that a lot gets left out. That ancient legend might be uncomfortably close to home. As their tentative friendship deepens into something more, they realise that a magical world could be on their very doorstep – if only they could find the map…
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Phantom Hearts – Rosie Talbot
Sixteen-year-old Malia is popular, pretty and smart, but underneath her carefully crafted façade she’s struggling with anxiety. When a school bus crashes killing some of her fellow students, Malia is thrown into a further emotional spiral as she remembers the students; rebel and dropout Shepherd; volatile track star Russ; and brainy Emil. When Malia meets Keezy, the cute daughter of the local mechanic, the two begin to question the motive for the crash. As Malia and Keezy start to uncover secrets, Malia starts to see ghosts wherever she goes. How will Malia find time to flirt with Keezy when pursued by restless spirits … what don’t the dead classmates want her to discover? And will Malia ever find the courage to tell Keezy how she feels?

A Dark and Drowning Tide – Allison Saft

One of my favourite queer YA books is now sadly out of print, but it felt wrong not to mention it. Support queer authors! Buy queer books!

Say a Little Prayer – Jenna Voris

I Kissed Shara Wheeler – Casey McQuiston
Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny. But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes. On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square. Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too.

Overemotional – David Fenne

The King is Dead – Benjamin Dean
Heavy is the crown James has been born to wear, especially as the first Black heir to the British throne. But with his father’s recent passing, and with a new boyfriend to hide, James is woefully unprepared for the sudden shine of public scrutiny. When his secrets come spilling forth across tabloid pages and the man he thought he loved has suddenly disappeared, James finds himself on the precipice of ruin. As every detail of his life becomes public knowledge, his sense of safety is shattered and the people he trusts the most become the likeliest suspects. What dangers lurk behind the palace walls—and will the new king find out before it’s too late?

Welcome To St. Hell – Lewis Hancox

Happy Head – Josh Silver

The Butterfly Assassin – Finn Longman
Innocent by day, killer by night: a dark, twisting thriller about a teen assassin’s attempt to live a normal life. Trained and traumatised by a secret assassin programme for minors, Isabel Ryans wants nothing more than to be a normal civilian. After running away from home, she has a new name, a new life and a new friend, Emma, and for the first time in Isabel’s life, things are looking up. But old habits die hard, and it’s not long until she blows her cover, drawing the attention of the guilds – the two rival organisations who control the city of Espera. An unaffiliated killer like Isabel is either a potential asset . . . or a threat to be eliminated. Will the blood on her hands cost her everything?

 

Mind Walker – Kate Dylan

Wranglestone – Darren Charlton

The Outrage – William Hussey
“You know, when you live in a time of progress, it seems that progress is the only possible way. The idea that everything we’d gained, all of those hard-won rights, could be taken away from us, and that open minds could be closed again? But then the Outrage happened.” Welcome to England, where the Protectorate enforces the Public Good. Here, there are rules for everything – what to eat, what to wear, what to do, what to say, what to read, what to think, who to obey, who to hate, who to love. Your safety is assured, so long as you follow the rules. Gabriel is a natural born rule-breaker. And his biggest crime of all? Being gay. Gabriel knows his sexuality must be kept secret from all but his closest friends, not only to protect himself, but to protect his boyfriend. Because Eric isn’t just the boy who has stolen Gabriel’s heart. He’s the son of the chief inspector at Degenerate Investigations ­­­- the man who poses the single biggest threat to Gabriel’s life. And the Protectorate are experts at exposing secrets.

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The YA market is more expansive and inclusive today but there’s still room for better representation. Progress is never something we should take for granted. In the current political climate, queer life and love are once again under attack, particularly the trans community. Being queer is inherently political.

The Henna Wars – Adiba Jaigirdar
When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life. Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.

Felix Ever After – Kacen Callender

Sixteen Souls – Rosie Talbot
Sixteen-year-old Charlie Frith has problems. His crush is dating someone else, his sisters have glitter-bombed his prosthesis (again), and he’s a seer-of-spirits in York, the most haunted city in England, and all his friends are ghosts. To make matters worse, it seems that famous spirits are mysteriously vanishing from York’s haunted streets and alleys. Charlie is determined to stay out of it, but Sam, the irritating new seer in town, expects him to track down who — or what — is responsible and uncover the dark purpose behind these disappearances. But when one of Charlie’s ghostly friends vanishes, he has no choice but to face the shadows — and his growing feelings for Sam. The boys must be willing to risk it all to save York’s spirits, because this adversary will stop at nothing to complete their devastating plan. Afterlives are at stake, and Charlie is running out of time…

If You Still Recognise Me – Cynthia So
Elsie has a crush on Ada, the only person in the world who truly understands her. Unfortunately, they’ve never met in real life and Ada lives an ocean away. But Elsie has decided it’s now or never to tell Ada how she feels. That is, until her long-lost best friend Joan walks back into her life.

In a summer of repairing broken connections and building surprising new ones, Elsie realises that she isn’t nearly as alone as she thought. But now she has a choice to make…

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Boy Meets Boy – David Levithan

Boy Like Me – Simon James Green

It’s 1994 and thanks to Section 28, there can be no mention of gay relationships in schools. When a school librarian leads Jamie to a disguised novel in the library that reflects his own confused feelings towards boys, he notices that he’s not the only one who has checked the book out. In the margins of the pages, he and another student start to leave messages for each other, and Jamie starts to believe that he’s not alone … and maybe also has a shot at finding love. That is, until the secret novel is discovered by the head teacher and all hell breaks loose.

 

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda – Becky Albertelli

The Black Flamingo – Dean Atta
A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen – then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers – to show ourselves to the world in bold colour.

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Hell Followed With Us – Andrew Joseph White

Cemetery Boys – Aiden Thomas

Voyage of the Damned – Frances White
Wild and Wicked Things – Francesca May
Six Wild Crowns – Holly Race
Iron Widow – Kiran Jay Zhao
Hunger Stone – Kat Dunn
Make You Mine This Christmas – Lizzie Huxley-Jones
Under the Mistletoe With You – Lizzie Huxley-Jones
Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston
Palm Meridian – Grace Flahive
Legends & Lattes – Travis Baldree
Watch our online panel with Travis Baldree.

Gladiator Goddess is published by Simon & Schuster in the UK.

Thank you to Morgan H. Owen for these amazing book recs!