The Big List of LGBTQ YA

Creator

My name is Archie (he/him)! I am an aroace trans person with a passion for LGBTQ literature and a hatred for book banning. I am also autistic and find it fun to organize and list things, which certainly contributed to my idea for this project.

I believe archiving and community are very important, so I hope to uplift both of those with this list! I am always happy to answer questions and help anyone with what they need, so if you are seeking a specific type of book, feel free to DM me or send an ask.

I work at a library and work on the list as I can, so progress may not be linear at times.

If you want to contact me or sign up for the mailing list for when the list is finished, my email is [email protected] !

The List

Currently I am just referring to this as "the list" as a shorthand, I don't have a cool name or anything!

If you're wondering what the list is or what it entails, the title is pretty self explanatory! It is an archive of every single queer young adult book that I (or others) can find. The only parameters are that the book is young adult or upper middle grade and has explicitly queer characters or themes, and either I need to be able to find the representation in the goodreads page or reviews or someone trustworthy tells me it is queer.

Here is a screenshot of what an entry in the list currently looks like; some formatting details may change. (Sorry it's so wide!)

How to Help + Asks

As of right now (8/11/2025) I am still working on the list, so it is not yet available to the public. If you are interested in volunteering your help for the list before it's released - through finding new books to add, offering feedback, and giving suggestions, among other things, please DM me! I am in need of feedback to make sure this list is the best it can be before I release Version One.

That is also where asks come in! My askbox functions for both book requests and book suggestions, meaning:

Seeking specific types of books; for example, "Can you find me fantasy books with transmasc protagonists?". I will try my hardest to meet your request! This is my way of supplementing demand or curiosity until the list officially releases.

Sending in books that might not be in the list! While I most likely have already added the more popular queer YA books, it never hurts to send them in just in case. If it's already in the list, I'll just say so! I am grateful for any contributions!

Any other questions about the project, about me, my personal reccomendations, or anything you're curious about! All I ask is that it's kept respectful and non-invasive. I will not share personal information about myself or my job.

Blog & List Rules

I would like to keep an open and safe environment, so these rules are only to regulate that:

The blog and list are inclusive; please do not engage in discourse about the contents. The nature of the list is an archive. Due to that, I put all books that fit the criteria in it. Certain books with more triggering content will be marked so it can be avoided, but it will still be present.

Adding onto that, do not speak ill of any queer identities (aside from ones that are NOT queer and incredibly harmful, such as "MAP"). I don't want to see anyone using this as an opportunity to speak ill of polyamory or aromanticism or any other identity. All are welcome.

Overly negative or hateful comments will be deleted.

Feel free to use this list for whatever you need (as long as it is kind and constructive!). Whether you're looking for new books for a book club, finding your next e-read, or setting up a mini-list of your own, this list is for you and whatever you want to use it for.

On another note, while I do hope that my name will remain attached to the list and I receive credit for my work, I know that things on the internet tend to run away from their creators. There's only so much I can do when I'm sending a file to people, after all. All I want for this project is for it to bring people together and maybe put a spotlight on some queer books that have been buried over the years! After all, 80% of this list are books that are under 500 Goodreads reviews, and I know that every single book has someone out there who would love it if they just knew it existed.

I will never monetize this project or use it as a way to gain popularity. I am simply doing doing this for a love of books, queer books, and young adult books, and I hope that other people can also share that love with me!

Other Stuff

This blog would be pretty boring if all I did was updates on list progress, so while I work on it, I'll be talking about books here! I'm not sure how regular it'll be, but I would like to talk about books that I love, do spotlights of books with less reviews, or take part in book discussions with other people! Although, I would like to keep this blog positive, so I won't engage in negative reviews of books. I do certainly have books that did not jive with me, but I'll keep that to myself! You never know when you'll be yucking someone's yum.

If you aren't interested in my blog-style posts, and just want to keep up with list progress, feel free to filter those tags! I will make sure to tag my posts appropriately. And speaking of tags, here is a guide to them!

#archie's queer ya list - Specifically talking about the list; updates on progress, sharing screenshots and snippets, etc.

More tags will probably be added in the future, but that's about it! I hope you, reader, can find this list useful and this blog at least a little fun to keep up with. Have a fantastic day!

#archie's reccomendations - My personal book recs! These are books I have read and liked or even loved.

#archie's book spotlight - Spotlights on books I may or may not have read, usually some sort of category- like spotlighting books with BIPOC authors and characters, for example! I will also take submissions from other people for books as long as it's in the list or can be added. Feel free to send those submissions in ask form.