Happy Pride Month readers! In honor of June, I have put together a list of the top five books for Pride! I wanted to focus on positive queer stories, ones that will inspire and show the love that the community has to give. After all, that's what Pride Month is all about: protest through celebration. And here are the books that I feel do just that:
1. The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
I have previously written about how much I love the reality TV romance trope - and The Charm Offensive is a good example of why. Where our Ever After lead Charlie is incredibly attractive, his awkwardness immediately cancels out any of his natural charm on camera. So his producer Dev comes up with a plan: they'll go on fake dates to help. Of course, this means the two of them will fall in love. In true romance story fashion, it has a happy ending for our two leads. It's an interesting look into what is real and what is pretend when it comes to the making of Reality TV - but also a beautiful story of figuring yourself out even when it's scary.
2. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
Pirates! Magic! Aro-Ace Representation! The second book in the Montague Siblings series has it all. While this is the second book in the series (and the first book is DELIGHTFULLY gay) I found that this one was my favorite. Not only because Felicity is a compelling heroine, but she is also aro-ace. It's so hard to find this kind of representation in literature - and even harder for it to be done well! It would have been so easy for Felicity to have ended up with a love interest, but instead, Mackenzi Lee went and stayed true to the character - and Felicity's emotional arc for figuring this out for herself is a realistic core to a story that deals in the magical madness of the setting.
3. Renegades by Marissa Meyer
This is the only recommended book where the main characters do not fall under the rainbow umbrella - but there is a reason for that! Adrian, one of our main characters, has two Dads: the superheroes Captain Chromium and The Gray Warden, or as he knows them Hugh Everheart and Simon Westwood. Hugh and Simon's marriage is one of the absolute highlights of the book: they love each other, they support each other, and they love both of their sons. And while they each have strengths and weaknesses, none of them have to do with their sexuality. Simon and Hugh had no time for homophobic haters, they were too busy trying to save the world (even if sometimes they were misguided on how they were doing so). And I found that as a breath of fresh air, this was just considered normal, with a very firm love-is-love message that's never questioned in the entirety of the trilogy.
4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Inspired by Rita Hayworth and Elizabeth Taylor, the character of Evelyn Hugo is larger than life. Between being the pinnacle of Old Hollywood glamour and the Queen of the Gossip Pages, she's the woman everyone loves - or loves to hate. But she's got a secret: she's bisexual and the love of her life is a woman, and she's finally ready to tell her story. I loved the way the book portrayed queer love in a historical context - with them knowing that if they were caught it would mean terrible consequences, but still being able to celebrate their love nonetheless. Despite the need for secrecy and discretion, we also see queer love and joy - and the juxtaposition reminds readers that this community has not only always been here, but is here to stay.
5. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Come for the female rage, and stay for the polyamory! Xiran Jay Zhao truly saw how many people wondered if a love triangle could be resolved by becoming a poly relationship and said yes, it absolutely could. The dynamics for each relationship are loving and different, as each character needs different things from their partners. It's a thoughtful way of showing a healthy poly-triad, all while keeping the story following Zetian's vengeful character arc.