February marks LGBT History Month in the UK. It represents a month-long celebration honouring the heritage, accomplishments, and equality campaigns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people.

While this historical commemoration typically takes place in October across nations, including the US, Canada, and Australia, Britain observes it in February to align with the 2003 repeal of Section 28, which had formerly prohibited local authorities from “promoting” LGBT content or including it in school curricula.

Today, 23 years after Section 28’s abolition and an incredible 59 years since homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales, the LGBTQ+ community continues to encounter prejudice on a daily basis. While it’s now illegal to refuse us employment and other opportunities purely because of our sexuality or gender identity, social media abuse remains widespread, and discourse surrounding transgender people particularly is reaching alarming proportions.

However, if, like me, you wish to spend the coming month immersing yourself in and championing LGBTQ+ narratives without hearing how furious online trolls feel about it, then search no more. There are numerous remarkable and informative non-fiction works on the subject you can explore if you’re keen to learn this month, but if you simply fancy fiction featuring LGBTQ+ themes, here are seven of my personal favourites you can include in your collection.

I am non-binary and a lesbian, and while I don’t necessarily seek out LGBTQ+ storylines when I need a fresh book to read, it certainly does make me feel much more at ease when the romantic subplot is something I can connect with. Whether you’re a member of the community seeking an escape or an ally wanting to learn, hopefully one of these books will suit you.

1. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (1956)

If I’m going to be talking about queer fiction, I have to start with Giovanni’s Room. Set in 1950s Paris, Giovanni’s Room tells the story of David, a man from the US attempting to find himself. His girlfriend, Hella, is in Spain taking some time to think about whether she wants to marry David, and then he meets Giovanni – a man who completely flips his world view.

The book is less than 200 pages long, and if you’ve never read it, I highly recommend it, if not only as a piece of queer media history that everyone should read at least once. The author, James Baldwin, was even told not to publish it out of fear that it would alienate him from his readers. He ignored this advice, obviously, and we’re very lucky that he did.

I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone, but this is one of the most heart-wrenching novels I have ever read. Baldwin tells us love between two members of the same sex is still love, and that’s all it needs to be to be real.

2. Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews (2024)

Don’t Let the Forest In is a young adult (YA) fiction novel, targeted at readers between 12 and 18. YA books tend to focus on themes like coming-of-age, identity, and intense emotional experiences, and while they’re suitable for teenagers, over 50% of consumers of YA books are actually adults aged between 30 and 44.

All that is to say that if you think you might be too old for this book, don’t worry. I raced through this entire book in one sitting on a two-hour coach journey back from London in early 2025, and it had me actively sobbing next to a stranger. Thankfully, it was an evening in January, so it was dark, but even if it had been broad daylight, I don’t think I would have been able to stop reading to save myself the embarrassment of crying in public.

The story follows sixth-form pupil Andrew Perrault, who writes twisted fairytales based on the things his best friend, Thomas Rye, draws. Andrew has clear feelings for Thomas, and the book beautifully explores Andrew coming to terms with that, while also trying to solve the mystery of Thomas’ sudden desire to stop drawing and distance himself from his friend.

Don’t Let the Forest In isn’t just a queer romance story; it’s also a horror book and a fantasy novel blended into one. At its core, it tells a beautiful love story, but it’s wrapped in a thrilling gothic horror tale that had me hooked from start to finish.

3. Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle (2024)

I didn’t shed tears reading Bury Your Gays half as much as I did with some of the other books on this list. In fact, it’s probably one of the most uplifting novels I’ve read in regard to how it handles the queer love story. As the title suggests, the book is all about tackling the “bury your gays” trope in media, which is the idea that any queer characters in a story must be killed off tragically, usually just after revealing their feelings for their straight friend.

We follow a scriptwriter named Misha who has found fame as a writer of horror films and a TV show about two lesbian detectives. His executives tell him he must kill off one of the detectives in the upcoming season finale, and when he refuses, he finds there are more sinister forces at work.

Bury Your Gays is another horror book with an LGBTQ+ theme, but it’s a very fun read. If you like horror film tropes, this book is full of them, and it both plays into stereotypes and subverts expectations beautifully. The main character, Misha, is also a gay man himself, and his touching coming-out scene did bring a tear to my eye.

4. My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen (2024)

Among my top reads of 2024, and probably the last decade, My Darling Dreadful Thing is yet another horror story (can you tell that’s my favourite genre yet?) with a delightful sapphic romance spread throughout. It tells the story of Roos Beckman, a woman who can see and communicate with ghosts – or one ghost in particular.

She has been communicating with this spirit companion, Ruth, since she was a child, and the pair have formed a relationship. But when Roos is whisked away from her abusive mother by an alluring woman named Agnes Knoop, the foundation of her bond with her spirit companion will be changed forever.

I can’t say I’ve read many love triangle books featuring two women and a female ghost, but it works wonderfully. As with most of the books on this list, the romance really is a sub-plot in this novel (I’m not overly fond of steamy books), but reading a sapphic story for a change really felt like something I could connect with – even if I’ve never tried to romance a ghost.

5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (2011)

LGBTQ+ Greek mythology, anyone? We’ve all heard the story of the Trojan War, either through learning about Homer’s Iliad at school or watching the 2004 Brad Pitt film, Troy. But this novel tells the story from a different perspective. The book follows Patroclus, the son of King Menoetius, who is presented as a potential suitor to Helen of Troy.

After Patroclus is exiled for accidentally killing the son of one of his father’s nobles, he meets Achilles. The two become close friends, and Patroclus develops feelings for Achilles. He eventually decides to follow Achilles into battle when the Trojan War begins, and (spoiler warning for a 2,800-year-old story) is killed. The story is heartbreaking and puts a queer spin on a classic tale most of us have heard before.

Interestingly, author Madeline Miller didn’t completely make up the love between Patroclus and Achilles. While none of us even know if the two characters ever really existed, many Greco-Roman authors have read their relationship as a romantic one in the past, and it was a common and accepted interpretation in the ancient world.

6. The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum (2025)

If reading the description of My Darling Dreadful Thing interested you, then The Corruption of Hollis Brown is likely right up your street, too. Another horror-esque story, this novel is actually lighter on the scary elements than some others I’ve mentioned. But it does involve ghosts.

Hollis Brown is our main character for this one, and after unknowingly making a deal at a crossroads, he becomes possessed by a boy named Walt. Now sharing his body with a spirit, Hollis must work out how to lay Walt to rest, while simultaneously trying not to form a co-dependent relationship with the ghost.

Writing a love story where the two parties share the same body is no easy feat, but Ancrum pulls it off superbly. It’s an interesting concept that I don’t feel gets enough love, and I would jump at the chance to read another book like it.

7. A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock (2024)

A Botanical Daughter represents what emerges when queer literature encounters Frankenstein. This contemporary reimagining of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece features a distinctive twist, chronicling a horticulturist and a taxidermist cohabiting within a botanical garden in Victorian England.

Upon the gardener’s discovery of an unusually conscious plant, he collaborates with his taxidermist companion to transplant it into a deceased woman’s corpse, enabling the pair to construct the family they believed impossible.

Oddly, I’m endorsing this novel despite not particularly relishing it. The queer romantic aspects struck me as rather lovely, and even Frankenstein’s botanical creature acquires a sapphic romantic partner, ensuring abundant representation! My sole reservation stems from anticipating horror content, while the frightening components prove remarkably mild.

If you favour literature with a vintage atmosphere (though published in 2024, the Victorian backdrop lends it the quality of a timeless classic) that emphasises character development and relationship dynamics over spine-chilling moments, this title might suit you perfectly.

So there you have it! Seven volumes to launch your LGBT History Month magnificently.