The best queer books whose love stories defy all odds

This book was a wonderful queer reimagining of the story of Peter Pan.

A friend lent me this book years ago and I devoured it. Many of Disney’s villains are queer-coded, and Hook in particular seems to embrace femininity—but his cultured dandyism only hides his evil.

Moreover, the original story of Peter Pan grapples with the desire for childhood immortality and the lack of adult responsibility, but Chant’s Peter is a trans man: not only is he avoiding his adulthood, but also the expectations of his gender.

The rivalry between Hook and Peter becomes something more, blurring into sensuality. But both Hook and Peter have to figure out what they mean to one another outside of the roles of Neverland. Such a gripping story!

This is a book I saw cropping up every so often, but I was worried it would be too history-heavy (which can be a massive plus, but I was looking for something more heavy on the romance side!)

But when an artist friend of mine painted a very beautiful man, I had to know where he was from—and this was that book! It’s set in 1333, England is at war with Scotland, and already we have a beautiful tension set up.

Harry is a young untested knight eager for glory who is roped into a mission in Scotland where a massacre occurs, all to retrieve a young man, wild and angry, who is then put into Harry’s care. There’s so much mystery around this young man and his and Harry’s relationship has to overcome first their heritages, then the expectations of their societies.

It’s beautiful, hot, and one I’ll remember for a long time. 

Okay, this recently blew up on Twitter thanks to someone called Bigolas Dickolas Wolfward.

He recommended it and it shot to number #1! I read this book somewhat stupefied. It’s a novella, written through back-and-forth letters between Red and Blue, two rivals in warring factions determined to secure their best possible futures.

Battlefield taunts turn into something more, but if they’re caught in this romance, it could mean death.

This novella is lyrical and fascinating, and very, very hard to describe, as I’m figuring out. But it’s incredibly romantic, and about defying all the odds. 

I found this book through TikTok after a surge of booktokers started to recommend it.

I was instantly intrigued by the premise: presumed dead at Waterloo, a soldier decides to live as herself—trans woman Viola loses her wealth, her title, and her childhood friend Gracewood. But years later, fate draws them together again, and they must contend with their desires and their past together.

This book! I cried, I laughed, I had so many emotions reading this tale. Against all odds, they find each other, they communicate through the unique challenge of attraction after years and Viola’s new womanhood.

There are some incredibly hot scenes which feel all the more tantalizing for the novel’s historical setting. I’ve lent this book to several friends just hoping they experience the same joy I did. 

I read this after inhaling the Netflix adaptation, The Untamed (which my boyfriend sped through just to have something to talk about on our second date).

It’s such a beautiful story. When Wei Wuxian is brought back to life, he must work to understand the mystery surrounding his revival. Wei Wuxian is irreverent where Lan Wangji is reserved, which is already a wonderful dynamic, but they also have a history and I couldn’t get enough of it. Very fun story.