This year the ME team are honouring Pride Month by sharing some of our recent favourite books written by LGBTQIA+ authors. As you can probably guess, the office loves a queer romance, but we hope our recommendations offer up some inspiration for your own reading!

Liza recommends…

I recently finished listening to the audiobook of ME by Elton John. It was hilarious, heart-breaking, heart-warming, insightful, and fun all at the same time. I discovered so much about Elton John that I never knew and felt as though I wanted him to keep telling his story forever.

Rachel recommends…

Following a brutal break up, Ally flees to her dad's house in Sheffield with her ex's cat. When she realises Emily isn't coming to win back either her or the cat, Ally reconnects with her old friend and first beard, Jeremy. Reunited, the two find solace in each other's heartbreak. THE SPLIT by Laura Kay is a super cute, laugh-out-loud rom-com about friendship and love. It reads like Louise Rennison for grown-ups!

Kiya recommends…

LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB by Malinda Lo was recommended to me by Juliet, and I read it in two sittings! Set in 1950s San Francisco during the Red Scare, it follows the immensely loveable Lily Hu, the teenage daughter of Chinese immigrants, as she and her classmate Kathleen secretly frequent an underground lesbian bar called The Telegraph Club and begin to fall in love.

It's lovingly written, the romance is sweet and ultimately hopeful, and the historical setting is incredibly vivid. I wish I had something like this to read when I was growing up! 

Alba recommends…

Alyssa Cole’s HOW TO FIND A PRINCESS is a modern retelling of Anastasia, which should be enough for anyone to want to read this romance, but it also has a fake marriage, which is a trope I really enjoy. Makeda and Bez are so charming – Makeda is kindness itself and Bez is the chaotic knight in shining armour – and their chemistry is so good. Chemistry between the leads is so important to me as a romance reader, and I find that Cole really delivers. This is book 2 of Runaway Royals, but can be read as a standalone without any problems.

Catriona recommends…

I read Carmen Maria Machado’s IN THE DREAM HOUSE in a day because it is that good. It follows the author’s experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship in the form of a lyrical, at times darkly comic, memoir. Machado writes against the “archival silence” in histories of queer domestic violence and through her personal account of the abuse she faced, offers queer victims of DV a voice. It’s essential reading in my opinion.