Endearing YA Romances for Fans of 'Heartstopper'
Updated 7/31/2023
Heartstopper, a Netlfix series based on Alice Oseman's webcomic and graphic novels, has found a wide audience of both teens and adults touched by the charming coming-of-age love story between "proper little nerd," Charlie, and rugby star with golden retriever vibes, Nick. What starts as a sweet friendship and crush evolves into a tender romance with a shared love language primarily consisting of the simple word "hi." Viewers are enamored by the story's portrayal of joy with many expressing on social media how moved they are by the representation of LGBTQIA characters including trans girl, Elle, aromantic asexual, Issac, girlfriends Tara and Darcy, and supportive art teacher, Mr Ajayi.
If you were smitten by Heartstopper, we have recommendations for more heartfelt and affirming YA novels and graphic novels with LGBTQIA characters that don't ignore the pain and isolation of queer adolescence but also highlight the sweetness of all young love and the happiness that connection with another person brings.
Heartstopper
Heartstopper series
by Alice Oseman
Volumes 1-4
Graphic Novels
Belle of the Ball
by Mari Costa
Wallflower and high school mascot Belle Hawkins, who will do anything to get closer to her crush Regina, agrees to tutor Regina’s girlfriend Chloe, but soon finds herself caught in the middle of a love triangle when she catches unexpected feelings for Chloe as well.
Doughnuts and Doom
by Balazs Lorinczi
Margot, a witch, and Elena, a rock musician, are both having a bad day and emotions run high during their first encounter, which could either become the start of a new relationship or curse them both to certain doom.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me
by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell
Laura Dean was Frederica Riley's dream girl. There's just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend. Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy's best friend introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium, who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it's really Laura Dean that's the problem. Maybe it's Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends who needs her now more than ever. Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnists like Anna Vice to help her through being a teenager in love.
Check, Please
by Ngozi Ukazu
A former junior figure skating champion and dedicated vlogger lands on his co-ed college hockey team, where he is challenged to overcome his fear of getting hit at the same time he falls desperately in love with his captain.
Bloom
written by Kevin Panetta; artwork by Savanna Ganucheau
Dreaming of leaving his family's bakery to become a musician in the city, Ari unexpectedly falls for the easy-going young baker, Hector, who has been hired to replace him and begins to reevaluate his dreams and the consequences of his choices.
Novels
Heartbreak Boys
by Simon Green
Taking to Instagram to prove to their exes they’re just fine, Jack and Nate take a road trip with Nate’s midlife crisis-bound parents and end up in one hilarious situation after another, leading to an unexpected realization for the pair.
Home Field Advantage
by Dahlia Adler
When it is discovered that the new quarterback Jack Walsh is actually Jaclyn, chaos breaks loose, and cheerleader Amber must take a stand for this girl with whom she is falling head over heels in love.
Always the Almost
by Edward Underhill
Sixteen-year-old trans boy Miles Jacobson's New Year resolutions include winning back his ex-boyfriend and winning the Midwest's biggest classical piano competition, but when a new, proudly queer boy moves to town, Miles reconsiders who he was and who he is now.
Meet Cute Diary
by Emery Lee
Noah Ramirez thinks he's an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There's just one problem; all the stories are fake...When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah's world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn't have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah's life, and the pieces fall into place
Stay Gold
by Toby McSmith
A coming-of-age teen love story about a transgender boy who's going stealth at his new Texas high school and a cisgender girl who is drawn to him, even as she's counting down the days until graduation.
This is Kind of an Epic Love Story
by Kacen Callender
A teen film buff and aspiring screenwriter, jaded after seeing too many real-life relationships go sour, questions his beliefs about the impossibility of happy endings when his former best friend moves back to town.
Tell Me How You Really Feel
by Aminah Mae Safi
Tell Me How You Really Feel is an ode to romantic comedies, following two girls on opposite sides of the social scale as they work together to make a movie and try very hard not to fall in love.
Boy Meets Boy
by David Levithan
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
You Should See Me in a Crown
by Leah Johnson
Liz Lighty has a plan to get out of her small town forever: attend Pennington College. When her financial aid falls through, she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. Despite her fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington. The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams or make them come true?
Date Me, Bryson Keller
by Kevin van Whye
Accepting a dare to date a new person every week, a popular teen is unexpectedly asked out by a boy and agrees to a secret five-day relationship that quickly becomes more real than he anticipated.
Girl Crushed
by Katie Heaney
Before Quinn Ryan was in love with Jamie Rudawski, she loved Jamie Rudawski, who was her best friend. But when Jamie dumps Quinn a month before their senior year, Quinn is suddenly girlfriend-less and best friend-less. Enter a new crush: Ruby Ocampo, the gorgeous and rich lead singer of the popular band Sweets. Quinn's always only wanted to be with Jamie, but if Jamie no longer wants to be with her, why can't Quinn go all in on Ruby? But the closer Quinn grows to Ruby, the more she misses Jamie, and the more (she thinks) Jamie misses her. Who says your first love can't be your second love, too?
Only Mostly Devastated
by Sophie Gonzales
When his aunt's illness keeps Ollie in North Carolina, he hopes his summer fling with Will can grow into something more, but at school Will proves to be a completely different—and firmly closeted—man.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
by Becky Albertalli
When an email falls into the wrong hands, sixteen-year-old, not-so-openly gay Simon is blackmailed into playing wingman for a classmate or risk having his sexual identity revealed and the privacy of the boy he's been emailing compromised.
Love and Other Natural Disasters
by Misa Sugiura
When the gorgeous and glamorous Willow enlists her to pose as her new girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Nozomi Nagai plans to show Willow that she’s better than a stand-in and turn their fauxmance into something real.
Running with Lions
by Julian Winters
When his estranged childhood best friend Emir Shah joins his team, star goalie Sebastian Hughes must reconnect with the one guy who hates him. But to Sebastian’s surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the town, and bonding on the weekends sparks more than just friendship between them.
The Sky Blues
by Robbie Couch
Seventeen-year-old Sky, openly gay but under the radar, decides to make a splashy Promposal—but his plans are leaked by an anonymous, homophobic hacker. This moves his classmates to help him expose the perpetrator.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.