It’s Goodreads Choice Awards season once again, and as per usual it has already done its best to be un-inclusive and problematic. In a stroke of creative antagonism, Goodreads removed the Poetry, Middle Grade, and Children’s categories from contention, meaning that three entire genres of books cannot be recognized. At the same time it added “romantasy”, a trend sub-genre that is already encompassed by “fantasy” or “romance” generally.

Aside from getting rid of these genre categories, the Romance category has no Black or LBGTQ+ couples. This is, quite frankly, appalling! There are so many Romance books written by and about Black women and queer people that deserve their chance in the spotlight. I am going to be sharing a few of my favorite LGBTQ+ Romance books with you that deserved to be nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award.

Girls Like Girls

Author: Hayley Kiyoko

Representation: Lesbian, Japanese author

Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph | Bookshop  | Review

I wasn’t sure how well songwriting legend Hayley Kiyoko would be as a longform writer, but I absolutely loved it! Girls Like Girls is an adorable Young Adult novel that made me both laugh and cry! The story is emotional and certainly has its fair share of homophobia, but the relationship was accurate to so many high school kind-of-relationships.

Cleat Cute

Author: Meryl Wilsner

Representation: Lesbian, Nonbinary author

Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph | Bookshop | Review

Cleat Cute is the absolutely adorable dual perspective story of two soccer players, Grace Henderson and Phoebe Matthews, as they compete for the same professional team and vie for a spot on the national team roster—all while falling in love. The most famous soccer couple may have broken up recently, but there’s still so many more and this book does a great job of capturing the dynamic of dating someone on your sports team.

Ryan and Avery

Author: David Levithan

Representation: Gay, 1 transgender main character

Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph | Bookshop | Review

This was the adorable story of two high schoolers falling in love as they navigated their friends, parents, and getting to know each other. Ryan is a cis gay teenager whose parents are toxic and not all that accepting. Avery is a trans gay teen whose parents are kind and loving, although at times a tad bit overbearing. When Avery and Ryan meet for the first time at a gay prom, sparks fly instantly and they can’t help but become a central part of each other’s lives.

Friday I’m in Love

Author: Camryn Garrett

Representation: Lesbian, Black characters + author

Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph | Bookshop

This was the second Camry Garrett novel I’ve read, and it was even better than the last. Friday, I’m in Love is that adorable YA romance between a young Black girl and the new girl in town who captures her heart. It’s incredibly endearing, and Garrett handles tough issues like coming out and having less money than your friends deftly.

Behind the Scenes

Author: Karelia Stetz-Waters

Representation: Lesbian

Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph | Bookshop | Review

Rose and Ash have undeniable chemistry, and the scenes where they’re together crackle with electricity. From the very first chapter, they had an easy banter that felt real, and hearing the emotions from both of their perspectives only amplified that. This was the first book I read that was released in 2023, and it has stuck with me.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date

Author: Ashley Herring Blake

Representation: Lesbian

Find the Book:  Goodreads | StoryGraph | Bookshop | Review

It’s been so fun watching each member of the original friend group trio couple up and expand their circle to fit their new girlfriends (and Jordan’s brother). This book expands the circle once again, this time taking us into an entirely new group of friends. There are some problems with representation, but Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is cute and does exactly what it set out to do.

What LGBTQ+ Romance books were your favorite this year?