There can be no doubt that 2020 has been a strange and challenging year, and for many, life will never be quite the same. As always during difficult times, I’ve found escape and comfort in stories. I’ve discovered some fantastic novels this year, spanning multiple genres and featuring characters across the LGBT+ spectrum. As 2020 draws to a close, I’ve rounded up my top seven queer YA titles of the past twelve months in the order I reviewed them. I’m always on the lookout for something new to read, so if you’d like to share your own favourites in the comments, I’d love to hear them!
Category: Fun Stuff
9 YA LGBT+ Novels Published in 2019 on My TBR Pile
2019 has been another fantastic year for queer ya fiction, much of which I’ve read and enjoyed. However, there just aren’t enough free hours in the day to get through as many as I would have liked, and below are the nine ya lgbt+ novels published during 2019 still on my to-be-read pile. If you’ve read any of these, or if there are any others you can recommend, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’m so looking forward to reading these and many more amazing books in the New Year!
Wishing you all a wonderful 2020 full of love, happiness, and a ton of new books!
My Top 5 YA LGBT+ Reads of 2019
As 2019 draws to a close, I thought I’d round up the best books in queer YA and NA fiction I’ve read over the past twelve months. I’ve discovered some fantastic novels this year, spanning multiple genres and featuring characters across the LGBT+ spectrum, but these are my top five in the order I reviewed them. I’m always on the lookout for something new to read, so if you’d like to share your own favourites in the comments, I’d love to hear them!
10 YA LGBT+ Novels to Read for Mental Health Awareness Week
Today in the UK marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, 2019 hosted every year by the Mental Health Foundation. Mental illness is more prevalent than ever, and due to a number of factors, members of the LGBT community are at higher risk of experiencing mental health problems. As someone who suffers from depression myself, I know how vital it is that we, as a society, become better educated and so develop a greater understanding of the enormous impact mental illness can have on a person’s life.
5 Things I Love About Christmas
With the holidays well and truly upon us, I thought I’d take a moment to share the 5 things I love most about Christmas. It’s always wonderful to receive your comments, so if you’d like to share your favourite part of the festive season, whichever holiday you celebrate, I’d love to hear from you!
Character Interview: Theo from Caught Inside
I’m up extra early this morning to stop by the Scott-Palmers holiday cottage on the Cornish coast, in the hope of snatching a private word with Theo, the novel’s nineteen-year-old love interest. I find him seated alone at a table on the terrace, pencil in hand, a sketchpad open in front of him. I pull out the chair beside his and sit down.
Character Interview: Luke from Caught Inside
I’m on a private beach on the Cornish coast, catching up with Luke, the novel’s seventeen-year-old hero, to find out how his holiday’s going so far. He’s huddled on the sand, knees drawn up to his chest, head in his hands. I drop down to sit beside him.
These Are My Guilty Pleasures… Let’s Here Yours!
As anyone who has read Caught Inside will know, guilt and pleasure go hand-in-hand . My heroes, seventeen-year-old Luke, and Theo who is two years older, know what they’re doing is wrong, seeing each other in secret. Luke has a girlfriend, Zara, who also happens to be Theo’s cousin. Their relationship, when discovered, has the power to hurt people and destroy friendships. But they’re young and in love, and the attraction they feel for one another is too strong. They simply can’t help themselves.
Caught Inside: Luke’s Summer in Songs
One of the things that made Luke, the hero of Caught Inside, such a fun character to write was his refusal to conform to any stereotype. First and foremost, he’s a surfing fanatic, and is every bit as cool and laidback as you might expect the stereotypical surfer to be. Yet, beyond the shaggy hair, he doesn’t exactly look the part. As well as being a wave junkie, he’s massively into heavy metal music, so instead of the typical board shorts and tank tops you might imagine him to wear, can usually be seen sporting ripped jeans and band T-shirts.
5 Fun Facts About My Muse
Whilst working on my debut novel Caught Inside, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to get up close and personal with my muse. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever spent so much one-to-one time with anyone before without them driving me completely insane. Then again, perhaps I’m already insane by now and so can’t tell the difference. Ah well. Here are five things I’ve learned about my muse: the good, the bad, and the downright irritating . . .