PinkNews Book Club: The best festive reads to make the Yuletide gay
PinkNews Book Club brings you some festive must-reads for a cosy Christmas. (PinkNews)
The festive season is upon us and to help get you in the mood, we’ve put together some perfect queer winter romance books that you can snuggle up and read this December.
This month is all about queery Christmas reads that get you in your feels. We’re talking Hallmark movies but, you know, gay. Is there any better way to ring in the holiday season?
Without further ado, here are the Very Queery Christmas reads we’re recommending for PinkNews’ December Book Club. Let us know which you’ll be reading in the comments!
The Nightmare Before Kissmas
If you want a touch of fantasy, spicy romance, and a Santa who’s a bit of a dick, this is the book for you. A new release from Sarah Raasch, The Nightmare Before Kissmas follows Nicholas – the Prince of Christmas and future Santa Claus – as he deals with a surprise arranged engagement, guilt from a past screw up and growing feelings for the hot Prince of Halloween.
It deals with a lot of themes, such as how overly produced Christmas can be, grief caused by different types of loss, the impact of family expectations and trying to do the best thing for the most people. It’s not all serious though, it also has plenty of fun banter, a lot of spice and a big dollop of bisexual representation.
Kiss Her Once For Me
If it’s sapphic vibes you’re looking for from your Christmas romance, Kiss Her Once For Me is the perfect option. Written by Alison Cochrun, the author of The Charm Offensive, this festive book has full on romcom vibes, including a fake engagement and a family Christmas in a cabin.
It’s a quick and fun read that will make you laugh but also delivers some heartwarming moments. It also has great and respectful neurodivergent representation, which is always a slay (or sleigh).
The Holiday Trap
Ever thought what would happen in The Holiday and Parent Trap were combined but were also very gay? Well, the answer is Roan Parrish’s The Holiday Trap.
Following Greta and Truman, the pair swap houses for a month over the festive period to gain some perspective and give a new life a try. Of course, this means that they each meet people miles away from home and have to decide whether they’re going to give it a chance or head back to what they know.
It’s basically your favourite holiday movie but gay.
You’re A Mean One, Matthew Prince
This book is made for fans of Schitt’s Creek and Red, White and Royal Blue. You’re A Mean One, Matthew Prince follows Matthew Prince (as you might have guessed), a very rich and very spoiled socialite who has one PR disaster too many and is shipped off to stay with his grandparents in a small town without the use of his credit cards.
Forced to share a bedroom with Hector Martinez and prove he can get through the holiday period without misbehaving’, Matthew soon learns the joy of found family and the odd good deed. Just like the Grinch, Matthew soon learns that there is a lot more to Christmas than he originally thought. There might also be a bit of romance in his future…
Make You Mine This Christmas
What’s this, a holiday romance book set in the UK? Make You Mine This Christmas is another bisexual fake dating story that gets complicated by a hot sibling – don’t you just hate it when that happens?
The story follows bisexual disaster Haf who decides to blow off some steam at a Christmas party after a horrible year. Enter Christopher, who she kisses under the mistletoe in front of his ex-girlfriend. Before they know it, Christopher’s family is convinced they’re in love so she agrees to go home with him for Christmas as his fake girlfriend. Nothing could possibly go wrong with this, right?
Fellow chaotic bisexuals out there, this book is absolutely for us. It’s fun, it’s cute and it will have you wondering while no one has ever thought to make you a fake partner so you can fall in love with their sister at Christmas.
Make The Season Bright
Two exes get stuck in the same house for Christmas after they’ve not seen each other in years following a particularly awful breakup. What could go wrong?
Make The Season Bright is a second-chance sapphic romance and the newest book from Ashley Herring Blake. The dual POV story follows Charlotte and Brighton as they meet again at Christmas, deal with not wanting people to know about their past and try to work out who the other is after the years apart. To make things even more complicated, their friend’s mum signs them up for a series of Christmas dating events, forcing them to spend time together.
If that doesn’t sound like the perfect lesbian festive moment, what does?
How To Excavate A Heart
Our final December recommendation is a sapphic Jewish twist on your typical Hallmark movie. Another second-chance romance, How To Excavate a Heart follows Shani who runs into her ex-girlfriend again over the holiday season.
The pair get snowed in together, forcing them to re-evaluate their past relationship and try to work out if they can give it another go, despite their painful past, or simply enjoy a winter fling and move on. There’s also a lot of corgi content, which makes this book a winner immediately.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
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