3 Underrated LGBTQ+ Books I’ve Loved Recently

Hoohoo, friends of the blade!

We’re already halfway through Pride and I managed not to post much about it, wether on the blog or on instagram. Normally, I love this month and giving recommendations left and right but this year I’m just… exhausted and not motivated to do anything really. But I still wanted to show you three underrated (< 5.000 ratings on goodreads) LGBTQ +books I’ve read recently and really liked. And a fourth for the German speakers among you since the book only came out in Germany last month!

Without further ado, let’s have a closer look at them all!

My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows
The Lady Janies #3

Welcome ​to 1876 and a rootin’-tootin’ America bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and garou.
JANE (a genuine hero-eene)
Calamity’s her name, and garou hunting’s her game—when she’s not starring in Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, that is. She reckons that if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one.
FRANK (*wolf whistle*)
Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler is the Wild West’s #1 bachelor. He’s also the best sharpshooter on both sides of the Mississippi, but he’s about to meet his match. . . .
ANNIE (get your gun!)
Annie Oakley (yep, that Annie) is lookin’ for a job, not a romance, but she can’t deny there’s something about Frank she likes. Really likes. Still, she’s pretty sure that anything he can do, she can do better.
A HAIRY SITUATION
After a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm, she turns tail for Deadwood, where there’s been talk of a garou cure. But things ain’t always what they seem—meaning the gang better hightail it after her before they’re a day late and a Jane short.

Even though this isn’t the best book in the series, I still loved it! I love The Lady Janies’ concept of taking history, throwing half of it over board and filling the gaps with ridiculous fantasy additions. I usually loath that but something about this series works so well. I loved the girls and their guns and the unexpected sapphic content I received!
Read this book for…

• werewolves!
• Frank going all moony (lol) over a girl at first shot
• the girls getting the shit done
• a really cool friend group
• learning a little bit of history (but pls check your facts later)
• humor that’s so dumb it’s funny again
• unexpected sapphic content you just want to work out!

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes: her best friends, Cuban food, rose-gardening, and boys – way too many boys. Her friends and parents make fun of her endless stream of crushes, but Ophelia is a romantic at heart. She couldn’t change, even if she wanted to.
So when she finds herself thinking more about cute, quiet Talia Sanchez than the loss of a perfect prom with her ex-boyfriend, seeds of doubt take root in Ophelia’s firm image of herself. Add to that the impending end of high school and the fracturing of her once-solid friend group, and things are spiraling a little out of control. But the course of love–and sexuality–never did run smooth. As her secrets begin to unravel, Ophelia must make a choice between clinging to the fantasy version of herself she’s always imagined or upending everyone’s expectations to rediscover who she really is, after all.

I absolutely fell in love with this book and I want everyone to read it. I loved it from page one and it’s such a beautiful queer book that made me feel so warm and loved and accepted. Ophelia After All is definitely one of my highlights this year!
Read this book for

• queer friend group
• a big focus on friendships and their importance
• a protagonist finding out who she is and who she wants to be
• flowers, and especially roses
• a very wholesome atmosphere
• all the food descriptions

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim

The Four Realms – Life, Death, Light, and Darkness – all converge on the city of dusk. For each realm there is a god, and for each god there is an heir.
But the gods have withdrawn their favour from the once vibrant and thriving city. And without it, all the realms are dying.
Unwilling to stand by and watch the destruction, the four heirs-Risha, a necromancer struggling to keep the peace; Angelica, an elementalist with her eyes set on the throne; Taesia, a shadow-wielding rogue with rebellion in her heart; and Nik, a soldier who struggles to see the light- will sacrifice everything to save the city.
But their defiance will cost them dearly.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book but the more I think about it, the more I like it. It’s such a dark, complex story with a big cast of characters and while it is confusing, I adore the concept and the characters! (read my full review)
Read this book for…

• a queernormative world with a many queer characters
• dark magic
• girls going batshit crazy and wreaking havoc (but you’ll cheer for them)
• lovers to allies to friends ?? maybe?
• complex group dynamics
• different magic systems that are interwoven

The bonus book…

In den buntesten Farben von Marius Schaefers

Philipps Herz ist gebrochen, wieder einmal. Er scheint einfach kein Händchen für die Liebe zu haben – oder klappt es nur nie, weil er trans* ist? Vielleicht liegt es aber auch an Ali, dem Jungen, an den er seit Jahren immer wieder denkt. Kurzerhand beschließt Philipp, die Geschichte mit seinem mysteriösen Internet-Freund von damals endlich abzuhaken. Dazu muss er bloß herausfinden, wieso dieser plötzlich wie vom Erdboden verschwunden ist. Bei seiner Suche im sächsischen Pirna begegnet Philipp dem rebellischen Timon mit den bunten Haaren, der ihn nicht nur sofort in seinen Bann zieht, sondern außerdem eine Verbindung zu Ali zu haben schein.

Auch wenn ich ein paar Kapitel gebraucht habe, um in das Buch hineinzukommen, hat es mir wirklich sehr gut gefallen! Die Geschichte ist emotional, hoffnungsvoll und warmherzig.
Lies das Buch für…

• eine queere Geschichte, die in Sachsen spielt
• Trauer und wie Leute verschieden mit ihr umgehen
• richtig coole Freundschaften & Dynamiken
• eine sommerliche Atmosphäre
• Leute, die ihren Weg erst mal finden müssen

Which underrated LGBTQ+ books would you recommend? What was the last queer book you’ve read and how did you like it? Which queer books not set in the US or UK do you know?

Until next time,