Twenty of my go-to queer romance recs

And a handful of non-romance favorites

Programming note: No newsletter next week but I’ll be back in your inboxes on the 27th to chat about the new Carley Fortune!

Happy Pride! I’ve been wanting to pull together a nice long list of my favorite queer romances for a while—eventually I’d like to have giant lists of all my romance recs across a variety of genres, updated on a regular basis, in some cross between newsletter and database but that’s a challenge for another time—and this month seemed like the perfect opportunity to celebrate queer romance. Let me know your favorites in the comments!

Contemporary

• Written in the Stars series by Alexandria Bellefleur (f/f & m/bi f, start with Written in the Stars): Set in Seattle, this sparkling series of rom-coms includes opposites-attract fake dating, best friend’s younger brother, roommates-to-lovers, plenty of heart-stoppingly romantic moments, and a wonderful friend group at its core.

• The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur (f/f): Part screwball farce, part rich people drama, and part heartfelt love story, this marriage of convenience romance showcases Bellefleur’s ability to capture the sheer force of attraction and the quieter moments of emotional connection between her main characters.

• Bright Falls series by Ashley Herring Blake (f/f, start with Delilah Green Doesn’t Care): A series set in a charming Oregon small town and centered around a set of lovably messy characters who Blake gives the space to breathe, grow, and learn from their mistakes, with impeccable chemistry and character development.

• Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun (f/f): A best friends to enemies to lovers romance about grief, coming of age, and the power of queer community as our two heroines accompany their beloved high school English teacher on a cross-country road trip.

• The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun (m/m): The lead of a lightly fictionalized version of The Bachelor falls for his producer. Sweet, earnest, and much more fun than most of the recent seasons of The Bachelor.

• Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (m/m): One of my all-time favorite fake dating romances and a book I’m literally always trying to recommend to people. It’s witty, moving, voice-y, and reads a bit like a wonderfully queer version of a classic 90’s romantic comedy.

• Nashville Love series by Anita Kelly

  • Love & Other Disasters: Two competitors on a cooking show fall for each other and yes, there are mouth-watering food descriptions. I’m pretty sure I squealed with delight multiple times while reading this—the two main characters just complement each other perfectly.

  • Something Wild and Wonderful (m/m): Two men fall in love while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in this love story that has a gorgeous portrayal of both the PCT and the work its characters have to do to get their happy ending.

  • How You Get the Girl (f/f): A deeply kind sports romance between the coach of a high school girls basketball team and the player she once idolized that includes dating lessons, thoughtful reflection on labels and identity, and a healthy love of basketball

• Can I Steal You for a Second? by Jodi McAlister: A delightful friends-to-lovers romance between two contestants on a Bachelor-esque dating show that’s funny, smart, and a perfect read-in-a-day book.

• If you’re looking for a m/f contemporary romance with a bi hero or heroine, I’d recommend

  • Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur

  • The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan

  • Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

  • Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

  • With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson

Historical

• A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (m/trans f): The yearning! The lush prose and delightful supporting characters! The central relationship between Viola and Gracewood is suffused with respect, affection, and some spectacular swoon.

• An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera: Set in Belle Epoque Paris, this romance between an heiress and an older duchess shines with its details about 19th century queer life and portrayal of two women palpably drawn together at every turn.

• The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley (f/nb): A charming romance featuring a sardonic bluestocking, a master of disguise, and plenty of hjinks as they work to reclaim the women's work that's been stolen by unscrupulous men.

• Midcentury NYC series by Cat Sebastian:

  • We Could Be So Good: Impossibly tender and achingly vulnerable, this friends-to-lovers story set at a 1950’s New York newspaper is one of those books I wish I could read and fall in love with again for the first time.

  • You Should Be So Lucky: A very New York romance that’s 2% plot, 98% feelings, and 100% perfect. Heartbreakingly hopeful, warm, witty, and one of my very, very favorites from last year.

• Solomon’s Crown by Natasha Siegel: Angsty, high-stakes, and extremely loosely based on the relationship between Richard the Lionheart and Philip II of France. Rivals to lovers feels a bit different when your kingdom is on the line.

• The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite (f/f): An astronomer, an artist, and a whole lot of longing are on offer in this tender love story that also explores the devaluation of women’s work in fields both artistic and scientific.

Fantasy/sci-fi

• Lady Eve's Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow (f/f): A screwball sci-fi romp told by a wisecracking heroine who finds herself in a cat-and-mouse game with the alluring Sol as she tries to snag Sol's brother as part of an elaborate revenge con and winds up falling for Sol instead.

• The Last Binding series by Freya Marske (books 1 and 3 are m/m, 2 is f/f): A historical fantasy series set in a magical version of Edwardian England with wonderfully inventive world-building, richly drawn characters, and gripping magical peril.

• Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell (m/m): Marriage of convenience meets interplanetary intrigue in this sweeping slow-burn romance that had me screaming at the two main characters to just kiss already.

• Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell (m/m): Both a thrilling sci-fi adventure and a deeply emotional order/chaos romance about a rich socialite and duty-bound solider who find themselves faking a mental bond. (A whole new level of fake dating!) Note that this takes place in the same universe as Winter’s Orbit but can be read as a stand-alone.

• A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft (f/f): A slow-burn romantic fantasy that shimmers with danger and enchantment and pairs a prickly folklorist with her swashbuckling, idealistic academic rival.

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Plus five of my favorite queer novels:

• The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst: A generation-spanning saga about a love triangle, a family secret, and a poem whose meaning changes with the years. Hollinghurst’s prose is some of the best line-level writing I’ve ever read.

• Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour: A beautifully done coming-of-age story about two women trying to find home and find their way towards each other. There’s a lot of grief and hard things in this story but the hope and growth that ultimately emerge are what’s stuck with me.

• Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir: A wildly creative blend of sci-fi and fantasy that’s funny, gripping, devastating, endlessly engrossing, and probably the most original thing I’ve read all year. I’m a little in awe of Muir’s mind.

• Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk: An atmospheric, bittersweet fantastical noir about a detective in 1940's Chicago hunting down a killer for the chance to win her soul back and have a future with the woman she lives.

• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: A twisty, absorbing Dickensian mystery about an orphan raised by a loving family of thieves and enlisted to help a rogue steal an heiress’ inheritance that’ll transport you straight to Victorian London.

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Currently reading: Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake, a small-town romance between a waitress and a Hollywood star.

Recommendations, miscellany, and little bits of joy:

• The Tonys, which remain my favorite award show! I was delighted to see Maybe Happy Ending win Best Musical and would highly encourage you to see it if you’re planning a trip to NYC anytime soon.

• Shorts from Thigh Society, an essential accessory for the summer.

• The Runthrough, my favorite figure skating podcast, has been doing a series of episodes about figure skating lore, starting with men’s figure skating history, and they are a fantastic time. The Olympic season is nigh and now is the time to study up!