Feel-Good Queer Stories
Rejection, illness, and tragedy. We’ve read it, we’ve lived it, we know the drill. Enough already! If the dreary present is leaving you with a craving for escapism and happy endings this list is for you. The protagonists in these stories may face some obstacles along the way, but they do so with their chosen families by their side. These titles will make you sigh with the warmth of unconditional friendship and the satisfaction of an adventure come to its close. Oh, and she definitely gets the girl in the end!
A band of lovable weirdos are on a quest to save the kingdom! Slapstick illustrations meet plenty of heart in this exciting adventure that plays with overdone archetypes. The boisterous cat and the brainy dog are inseparable, and the buffest lizard you've ever seen has unbeatable conflict resolution skills. For an hour or two of delightful banter, sword-fights, and casual queerness look no further than Dungeon Critters!
—Esmé, Firestorm Collective member
Snapdragon is a unique and perfect story about a witch in the woods, girls who live in a trailer park, and the unexpected web of connections tying everyone together. It’s a book about finding your power, in more ways than one. I laughed and cried, and you will, too!
—Molly Knox Ostertag, author of The Witch Boy series
This graphic novel is breathtaking. The ragtag found family space crew, the star-crossed wlw romance, the stunning artwork using the palette of the lesbian pride flag *chef's kiss.* I adored everything about On a Sunbeam and only wish I were still reading it for the first time!
—Esmé, Firestorm Collective Member
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan is a stand-alone portal fantasy in which the reader follows Elliot Schafer—a redheaded bisexual boy with a fantastically bad attitude and sharp tongue—through his adolescence, primarily spent in a magical land on the other side of a mostly-invisible border wall located in rural England… [A] satisfying, thoughtful, and fun read. Brennan balances politics with relationships; she handles complex ethical and moral arguments with humor and aplomb.
—Lee Mandelo, Tor.com
Tamaki explores the nuances of both romantic and platonic relationships with raw tenderness and honesty. Valero-O’Connell’s art is realistic and expressive, bringing the characters to life through dynamic grayscale illustrations featuring highlights of millennial pink… A triumphant queer coming-of-age story that will make your heart ache and soar.
—Kirkus Reviews
If you’ve ever mentally shouted ‘NOW KISS’ at a pair of fictional male best friends, this is the book for you.
—NPR
A People's History of Heaven offers a portrayal of an impoverished urban community in India which acknowledges the hardships this community faces but is not written like tragedy-porn. Instead, Subramanian's focus is the ways in which the members of the community fiercely show up for one another across difference to not only survive, but to carve out joy in their ironically (or perhaps aptly) named neighborhood called "Heaven." The book also features gender variance with loving community support!
—Esmé, Firestorm Collective member