Young Adult (YA) fiction is where some of the best contemporary storytelling is happening these days and there is a lot to be excited about.

Past your teenage years? Doesn’t matter. YA fiction is also widely read by an adult audience and more than a few Boroondara Library Service staff too!

Fancy an adventure with highwaymen and pirates in 18^th century Europe? The gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue by Mackenzi Lee should satisfy you. 

Prefer a spy tale with a twist? Give The love interest by Cale Dietrich a go. 

A feisty female duo take on school sexism? Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough might fit the bill. 

What about visiting a magical matriarchal land on the other side of the wall? In other lands by Sarah Rees Brennan is the book for you.

Rainbow Reads booklist

All the fiction titles below include LGBTQ+ characters and most titles are available as ebooks or audio book as well as hard copies. 

Fiction

• Leah on the offbeat* by Becky Albertalli
• Love, Simon: SImon vs. the Homo Sapiens agenda* by Becky Albertalli
• What if it's us* by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
• One man guy* by Michael Barakiva
• Afterlove by Tanya Byrne
• I am J by Cris Beam
• Will* by Maria Boyd
• Beauty queens* by Libba Bray
• In other lands* by Sarah Rees Brennan
• Alex as well* by Alyssa Brugman
• Island of exiles* by Erica Cameron
• My lovely Frankie* by Judith Clarke
• Naomi and Ely’s no kiss list* by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
• Beautiful music for ugly children* by Kirsten Cronn-Mills
• Clancy of the undertow* by Chris Currie
• The miseducation of Cameron Post* by Emily M Danforth
• A complicated love story set in space by Shaun David
• I wish you all the best by Mason Deaver
• The love interest* by Cale Dietrich
• Hot dog girl* by Jennifer Dugan
• Kindred: 12 queer #LoveOzYA stories* by Michael Earp (ed)
• F2M: the boy within* by Hazel Edwards and Ryan Kennedy
• Euphoria kids* by Alison Evans
• Moon at nine* by Deborah Ellis
• If you could be mine* by Sara Farizan
• The great American whatever* by Tim Federle
• The passing playbook* by Isaac Fitzsimons
• Girl mans up* by M-E Girard
• Last of the braves* by Archimede Fusillo
• The boy's own manual to being a proper Jew by Eli Glasman
• Perfect on paper by Sophie Gonzales
• The flywheel* by Erin Gough
• Amelia Westlake* by Erin Gough
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson* by John Green and David Levithan
• Been here all along* by Sandy Hall
• More than maybe* by Erin Hahn
• Between the blade and the heart* by Amanda Hocking
• About a girl* by Joanne Horniman
• Jumpstart the world* by Catherine Ryan Hyde
• We are totally normal (eBook only)* by Rahul Kanakia
• Ask the passengers by A. S. King
• Openly straight* by Bill Konigsberg
• Honestly Ben* by Bill Konigsberg
• The first third* by Will Kostakis
• Sidekicks* by Will Kostakis
• The gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue* by Mackenzi Lee
• The lady's guide to petticoats and piracy* by Mackenzi Lee
• The gentleman's guide to getting lucky* by Mackenzi Lee
• 19 love songs* by David Levithan
• Boy meets boy* by David Levithan
• Two boys kissing* by David Levithan
• Meet me at the intersection* edited by Rebecca Lim and Ambelin Kwaymullina
• You know me well* by Nina La Cour and David Levithan
• Adaptation by Malinda Lo
• Inheritance by Malinda Lo
• Last night at the telegraph club by Malindo Lo
• The boy from the mish* by Gary Lonesborough
• Anything but fine by Tobias Madden
• Vanilla* by Billy Merrell
• All out* by Saundra Mitchell (ed)
• I’ll give you the sun* by Jandy Nelson
• Release* by Patrick Ness
• Meg and Linus* by Hanna Nowinski
• Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman
• Loveless* by Alice Oseman
• Fence series by C.S. Pacat
• It’s our prom (so deal with it) by Julie Anne Peters
• Luna by Julie Anne Peters
• Gracefully Grayson* by Ami Polonsky
• Carry on: the rise and fall of Simon Snow* by Rainbow Rowell
• Wayward son* by Rainbow Rowell
• Birthday* by Meredith Russo
• If I was your girl* by Meredith Russo
• Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe* by Benjamin Alire Saenz
• Aristotle and Dante dive into the waters of the world by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• Rainbow trilogy* by Alex Sanchez
• Drag teen: a tale of angst and wigs* by Jeffery Self
• The girls I’ve been by Tess Sharpe
• History is all you left me* by Adam Silvera
• They both die at the end* by Adam Silvera
• Infinity son* series by Adam Silvera
• As far as you’ll take me by Phil Stamper
• Golden boys* by Phil Stamper
• The gravity of us (audio book only)* by Phil Stamper
• The dangerous art of blending in by Angelo Surmelis
• What we left behind* by Robin Talley
• Our own private universe* by Robin Talley
• Drama* by Raina Telgemeier
• Date me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye
• Peter* by Kate Walker
• Stars in their eyes* by Jessica Walton
• Welcome to Orphancorp by Marlee Jane Ward
• Peta Lyre’s rating normal* by Anna Whateley
• Queens of geek* by Jen Wilde
• Pink* by Lili Wilkinson
• The art of being normal* by Lisa Williamson

Non-fiction

• How to be happy: a memoir of love, sex and teenage confusion* by David Burton
• Closets are for clothes by Rachel Cook
• This book is gay* by James Dawson
• Trans global: transgender then, now and around the world by Honor Head
• Being Jazz: my life as a (transgender) teen* by Jazz Jennings
• Yay! You're gay! Now what?: a gay guy's guide to life* by Riyadh Khalaf
• Before I had the words: on being a transgender young adult by Skylar Kergil
• Coming out and seeking support by Robert Rodi and Laura Ross
• Being transgender by Robert Rodi and Laura Ross
• Girl loves girl by Lucy Sutcliffe
• Finding Nevo* by Nevo Zisin

Titles with an asterisk (*) are also available from our eBook collection.

More recommended reading

To view booklists on a variety of subjects, visit our Booklists page.