PinkNews Book Club: The best queer reads we’re devouring this month
The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean (Gollancz), Baby Teeth by Meg Grehan (Little Island Books) and The Last Boyfriend’s Rules For Revenge by Matthew Hubbard (Random House).
Here at PinkNews, we’re big book fans so it made sense to start our very own book club so we can recommend some of our favourite LGBTQ+ books.
Every month, we’ll be bringing you a selection of books that fit our chosen theme. These will be recommended by the PinkNews team and our brilliant readers, covering a broad range of topics, characters and genres so you can find great queer books to add to your ever-expanding TBR (‘to be read’) list.
The theme for PinkNews’ November 2024 Book Club is ‘Cosy Gay’. After all, what’s better than curling up with a good book, a blanket and a hot drink while November is Novembering?
Here are our top LGBTQ+ cosy reads for this month:
Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date – Ashley Herring Blake
If you’re in the mood for swooning over sapphic romance, I’ve got you covered. Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is the third book in Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls series but can easily be read as a standalone (if you want to read the full series though, I really don’t blame you).
It’s a funny, sweet and heartfelt romance with a bit of fake dating, witty banter and a lot of will-they-won’t-they vibes that will leave you feeling as hot and bothered as the two main characters.
Carry On – Rainbow Rowell
Gay wizards, sexy vampires and an insidious dark force. Carry On is an enemies-to-lovers romance novel full of kissing, talking and a lot of magic. If you’re after a book that features goblins and ghosts and a whole lot of gay, you can’t really go wrong by picking this one up!
The book is a spin-off of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, but you don’t need to read that first to enjoy the Carry On series – unless you really want to. There are three Carry On books all together and they get better and better, so get ready to make them your new personality.
You’re The Problem, It’s You – Emma R. Alban
If you watch Bridgerton and thought “This needs to be gayer”, then I have the perfect book for you.
You’re The Problem, It’s You really is the Gay Bridgerton you definitely know you needed, featuring lots of queer sexual tension while navigating the Ton. It is the second book in Emma R. Alban’s The Mischief & Matchmaking series, but is an interconnected standalone so can be read without reading the first book (which is Bridgerton but sapphic).
The book follows Bobby and James, who can barely be in the same room as each other without things getting heated – in a bad way. That is until they get heated in a good way (insert side-eye emoji here).
It also deals with how LGBTQ+ people lived under the radar in the early 1800s and just how dangerous it was to fall in love as a queer person during this time. Even with these more serious undertones, there are lots of cosy vibes and the ending will bring you so much joy.
Swordcrossed – Freya Marske
As you might have guessed by the title, Swordcrossed is another book with Gay Bridgerton vibes but this time with an added fantasy element, including a society that is accepting of queer relationships and trans people.
Brought to you by the author of The Last Binding trilogy, Swordcrossed is a rivals-to-lovers story that sees Mattinesh Jay start to fall for the hired swordsman/best man for his wedding, Luca Piere. However, not everything is as it seems and a few mysteries need to be solved while the pair deal with a growing alliance.
It’s a perfect low-stakes, high-romance fantasy that will keep you turning pages.
The Charm Offensive – Alison Cochrun
Alison Cochrun’s swoon-worthy debut is queer rom-com-meets-trashy reality TV goodness. Taking place mostly on the set of the fictional fairy tale-inspired dating show Ever After, The Charm Offensive follows Charlie, an awkward and anxious tech millionaire pin-up looking to revamp his public image, as he begrudgingly stars as the show’s latest bachelor.
But things quickly go from dire to ‘it’s complicated’ when he grows alarmingly close to his producer Dev, who is doing all but tearing his hair out trying to make Charlie look desirable, as opposed to an absolute hot mess, on national TV. A mix of drama, tension, fluff and trash makes this dual-POV saga an instant classic for gay romance lovers.
Keep your eyes peeled for a potential Alison Cochrun Christmas romance recommendation next month…
Baby Teeth – Meg Grehan
Written in verse and all about those sapphic vibes, Baby Teeth is a vampire love story. It’s one of the most beautifully written books you’ll read this year and is full of imagery that will make you feel as if you’re living out the plot.
While it is a story about vampires, it’s also a story about loneliness, love, finding your family and grieving your past. In short, it’s cute, cosy and will make you feel all kinds of emotions. Definitely one to add to your TBR for when you need to be deep in your feelings.
The Last Boyfriend’s Rules For Revenge – Matthew Hubbard
What if you took The First Wives Club, dialled up the gay and set it in a contemporary high school? The Last Boyfriend’s Rules For Revenge is a queer coming-of-age story without the typical third-act breakup. We follow three besties as they seek revenge on the boys that have broken their hearts.
It’s so much more than a revenge story though. The three boys discover their self-worth, realise their power and band together to bring down their schools’ very own ‘don’t say gay’ initiative. It’s a really empowering book that you won’t be able to put down.
The Phoenix Keeper – S. A. MacLean
If you’re looking for a book that you can read in one sitting and forget about all the problems in the world right now, The Phoenix Keeper is exactly the book you need.
Set in a magical zoo, this cosy romantasy follows Aila and her quest to save phoenixes from the brink of extinction. There’s just one problem (ok, there are actually a few problems but this is the main one), she has to work with the griffin keeper at a neighbouring zoo who just happens to be her arch-rival from college.
This sapphic romance perfectly combines cutie fantasy elements and perfect rivals-to-lovers vibes – plus, the cover design is super pretty!
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea – Rebecca Thorne
Sapphic romance? Check. Cosy tea and book shop? Check. Dragons? Check. Honestly, what more could you want from a cosy November read?
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is all about cute sapphic romance, found family, low-stakes adventures and figuring out that sometimes all you really need is a simple life. It’s the first book in Rebecca Thorne’s Tomes & Tea series, which was originally indie-published and is now getting the traditionally published treatment – as it should!
Ideal for fans of Legends and Lattes (which you should also read if you haven’t already), the stakes are low, the vibes are fun and the entire book will give you a similar feeling to enjoying a really good cup of tea.
A Pirate’s Life For Tea – Rebecca Thorne
Just because I know you’re going to love Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, the sequel has also made it onto this list. I absolutely make the rules and that means you need to finish the first book and be ready to dive straight into A Pirate’s Life For Tea.
As the title might suggest, this book continues with the tea references but also includes a bit of sapphic piracy – which is absolutely the best kind of piracy. A new low-stakes adventure is waiting for our central couple (Kianthe and Reyna), as they join forces with a notorious river pirate to continue part of their quest from the first book.
It will leave you wanting to open your own tea/book shop but also pick out a great pirate name.
December’s Book Club
The theme for PinkNews’ December 2024 Book Club is ‘A Very Queery Christmas’, so if you’ve got a recommendation that you think deserves to be on our list, let us know in the comments below!
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