Queer Books to Read During Pride Month and All Year Long

Last updated: June 2026

Looking for LGBTQ+ books to read during Pride Month? Whether you want queer romance, YA coming-of-age stories, fantasy with found family, memoirs that stay with you, or books that feel like a warm little “you belong here,” this list is a good place to start.

And yes, these books are available at The Charmed Page in Lake Charles, because your Pride TBR deserves to be dramatic, heartfelt, magical, messy, swoony, and fully supported by your local indie bookstore.

What are the best queer books to read during Pride Month?

The best queer books to read during Pride Month are the ones that make you feel seen, curious, comforted, challenged, or completely feral in the group chat. Pride reading does not have to be limited to one genre, one identity, or one month of the year.

At The Charmed Page, we love building Pride displays that include a little bit of everything: queer romance, LGBTQ+ YA, fantasy, memoir, poetry, horror, graphic novels, and books by queer authors who deserve a permanent spot on your shelf.

Why should I read LGBTQ+ books all year long?

Because queer stories do not disappear when June ends, and neither should your support for them.

Reading LGBTQ+ books all year long helps support queer authors, keeps diverse stories visible, and reminds readers that queer joy, queer grief, queer magic, queer survival, and queer happily-ever-afters belong in every season. Pride Month is a great time to start, but your bookshelf can absolutely stay gay year-round. As it should.

What kinds of queer books can I find at The Charmed Page?

Our Pride and LGBTQ+ book displays may include:

• Queer romance with swoony happily-ever-afters

• YA books about identity, friendship, first love, and becoming yourself

• Fantasy books with magic, monsters, chosen family, and delicious chaos

• Memoirs by LGBTQ+ authors

• Poetry, essays, and literary fiction

• Horror, paranormal, and gothic books with queer characters

• Bookish gifts, stickers, bookmarks, and other Pride-friendly treats

Basically, if it makes your little reader heart go, “Oh no, I need this immediately,” it belongs here.

Queer books to add to your Pride Month TBR

Use this list to find your next LGBTQ+ read, then shop the titles locally at The Charmed Page in Lake Charles.

1. The Maiden and Her Monster

Author: Maddie Martinez
Genre: Fantasy
Vibe: Magical, gothic
Who it’s for: The Maiden and Her Monster is a gorgeous, atmospheric debut fantasy rooted in history, folklore, and sapphic romance―perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten, and Naomi Novik.

Description: The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark. As the healer’s daughter, Malka has seen how the wood’s curse has plagued her village, but the Ozmini Church only comes to collect its tithe, not to protect heretics with false stories of monsters in the trees. So when a clergy girl wanders too close to the forest and Malka’s mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes an impossible bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings the monster out, he will spare her mother from execution.
Buy link: https://www.charmedpagebooks.com/products/the-maiden-and-her-monster

2. Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo & Juliet Remix

Author: Caleb Roehrig
Genre: Classical Romance
Vibe: Enemies to Lovers, Star-Crossed Lovers
Who it’s for: Perfect for fans of classical literature but with a twist.

Description: Seventeen-year-old aspiring artist Romeo dreams of a quiet life with someone who loves him just as he is. But as the heir to the Montague family, he is expected to give up his "womanly" artistic pursuits and uphold the family honor―particularly in their centuries-old blood feud with a rival family, the Capulets. Worse still, he is also expected to marry a well-bred girl approved by his parents and produce heirs. But the more Romeo is forced to mingle with eligible maidens, the harder it is to keep his deepest secret: He only feels attracted to other boys.

In an attempt to forget his troubles for just one night, Romeo joins his cousin in sneaking into a Capulet party. During a fateful encounter in the garden, he meets the kindest, most beautiful boy he's ever met, and is shocked to learn he's Valentine, the younger brother of one of his closest friends. He is even more shocked to discover that Valentine is just as enamored with Romeo as Romeo is with him.

So begins a tender romance that the boys must hide from their families and friends, each of them longing for a world where they could be together without fear. And as the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets escalates out of control, Romeo and Valentine find themselves in danger of losing each other forever―if not by society's scorn, then by the edge of a blade.

Buy link: https://www.charmedpagebooks.com/products/teach-the-torches-to-burn-a-romeo-juliet-remix-remixed-classics-7

3. Lavender House

Author: Lev AC Rosen
Genre: Historical Mystery 
Vibe: [Vibe]
Who it’s for: For fans of Knives Out who want a queer historical twist.

Description: Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene’s recipes for her signature scents are a well-guarded secret―but it's not the only one behind these gates. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they've needed to keep others out. And now they're worried they're keeping a murderer in.

Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept―his calendar is wide open. And his secret is the kind of secret the Lamontaines understand.

Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He's seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn't extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy―and Irene’s death is only the beginning.

When your existence is a crime, everything you do is criminal, and the gates of Lavender House can’t lock out the real world forever. Running a soap empire can be a dirty business.

Buy link: https://www.charmedpagebooks.com/products/lavender-house-evander-mills-1

4. Year of the Mer

Author: L.D. Lewis
Genre: Sapphic Fantasy
Vibe: Dark Fantasy 
Who it’s for: The perfect read for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and Circe.

Description: The fairy tale mermaid Arielle might have gotten her happily-ever-after, but her granddaughter Yemi is having a much harder time. Her father, the king of Ixia, was assassinated years ago, her mother is slowly dying of a poisoned wound, and she faces whispers and slights from her own people. Yemi has been raised as the shield of the kingdom and is soon to inherit the throne, but she cannot shake her fury at how Ixia has treated her family after all they’ve sacrificed. Only her patient mother and steadfast personal bodyguard (and fiancée), Nova, help Yemi rein in that fury...most of the time.

When the kingdom’s discontented rumblings reach a fever pitch, a coup erupts and Yemi’s throne is usurped, stripping her of her family and forcing her into exile. Now, only one being has the power to help her: Ursla.

Like her grandmother before her, Yemi is tempted by a deal with the sea-witch. With powerful and ancient magic behind her, Yemi could avenge her family, take back her throne, and protect the love of her life. But she should know more than anyone that there is always a price. As much as Yemi wants vengeance, Ursla has been waiting a very, very long time for her own—and it may take more fortune than Yemi possesses to keep her from losing everything all over again.

Buy link: https://www.charmedpagebooks.com/products/year-of-the-mer

5.  Don't Be a Drag

Author: Skye Quinlan
Genre: Romance
Vibe: Enemies to Lovers
Who it’s for: Fans of RuPaul's Drag Race

Description: When eighteen-year-old Briar Vincent's mental health takes a turn for the worst, her parents send her to spend the summer in New York City with her older brother, Beau, also known as the drag queen Bow Regard.

Backstage at the gay bar where Beau performs, Briar just wants to be a fly on the wall, but she can't stand by when the cute but conceited drag king Spencer Read tries to put down another up-and-coming performer. To prove to him that even a brand-new performer could knock him off his pedestal, Briar signs up for the annual drag king competition.

There's just one flaw in her plan: Briar has never done drag before.

With the help of her brother and a few new friends, Briar becomes Edgar Allan Foe, a drag king hellbent on taking Spencer down. But unless she can learn how to shake her anxiety and perform, she doesn't stand a chance of winning Drag King of the Year, overcoming her depression and inner demons, or avoiding falling for her enemy, who might not be so bad after all.

Buy link: https://www.charmedpagebooks.com/products/dont-be-a-drag-1

What queer romance books should I read?

Queer romance is for readers who want longing, banter, yearning, kissing, chaos, and the deep emotional satisfaction of watching characters get the love story they deserve.

Look for queer romance if you love:

• Friends-to-lovers

• Enemies-to-lovers

• Second chance romance

• Small-town romance

• Fantasy romance

• Rom-coms with emotional depth

• Characters who make questionable decisions but eventually get it together

Your Pride TBR can be tender, spicy, dramatic, cozy, or all of the above. We support your romantic nonsense.

What LGBTQ+ YA books should I read?

LGBTQ+ YA books are perfect for teens and adults who love stories about identity, friendship, first love, family, courage, and becoming the person you were always meant to be.

These books are great for readers who want emotional coming-of-age stories, heartfelt romance, school drama, magical adventures, or characters trying to figure out life while everything feels very loud and very important. Which, honestly, relatable.

What queer fantasy books should I read?

Queer fantasy is for readers who want magic, monsters, curses, kingdoms, portals, dragons, witches, vampires, found family, and probably at least one character making a wildly dramatic choice in a cloak.

If you love fantasy books with LGBTQ+ characters, keep an eye out for stories with:

• Found family

• Chosen ones

• Magical schools

• Sapphic witches

• Queer knights

• Monster romance

• Court intrigue

• Dark academia

• Gods, ghosts, and morally gray disasters

The limit does not exist.

What LGBTQ+ memoirs should I read?

LGBTQ+ memoirs give readers a chance to connect with real stories from queer authors, activists, artists, performers, thinkers, and everyday people who have lived through love, loss, self-discovery, survival, joy, and change.

Memoirs are a great place to start if you want a book that feels personal, powerful, and deeply human. They are also perfect for readers who want to better understand experiences outside their own.

Where can I buy queer books in Lake Charles?

You can shop LGBTQ+ books, Pride displays, queer romance, YA, fantasy, memoirs, and bookish gifts at The Charmed Page in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

We’re a cozy indie bookstore dedicated to local stories, community, and helping readers find books that feel like they were waiting for them. Whether you’re shopping for yourself, a friend, a teen reader, your book club, or your “I deserve a little treat” era, we’d love to help you find your next queer read.

Shop this list at The Charmed Page in Lake Charles

Ready to build your Pride Month TBR?

Shop this list at The Charmed Page in Lake Charles and check out our Pride displays, queer books, bookish gifts, and local author shelves while you’re here.

Because Pride belongs on the shelf in June, July, October, and every random Tuesday, when you need a book that says, “You are not too much. You are exactly enough.”

Available at The Charmed Page 📍2927 Hodges St. Lake Charles, LA 70601