Category: UK

Out of the Blue

By Sophie Cameron

When angels start falling from the sky, it seems like the world is ending. Smashing down to earth at extraordinary speeds, wings bent, faces contorted, not a single one has survived.

As the world goes wild for angels, Jaya’s father uproots the family to Edinburgh intent on catching one alive. But Jaya can’t stand this obsession and, still reeling from her mother’s recent death and the sudden disappearance of her ex-girlfriend, she’s determined to stay out of it.

Then something incredible happens: an angel lands right at Jaya’s feet – and it’s alive …

Representation:

Sexual orientation: Jaya is lesbian, Allie is bisexual.

Race: Jaya is mixed race (Sri Lankan/white).

Ownvoices: Author is queer.

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy

By Mackenzi Lee

Sequel to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.

Publisher’s description:

A year after an accidentally whirlwind grand tour with her brother Monty, Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.

But then a window of opportunity opens—a doctor she idolizes is marrying an old friend of hers in Germany. Felicity believes if she could meet this man he could change her future, but she has no money of her own to make the trip. Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid.

In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that leads them from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.

Representation:

Sexuality:
Asexual and aromantic: Felicity
Lesbian: Sim

Sim is Black and Muslim.

Ownvoices: Queer

Her Royal Highness (Royals #2)

By Rachel Hawkins

Millie Quint is devastated when she discovers that her sort-of-best friend/sort-of-girlfriend has been kissing someone else. And because Millie cannot stand the thought of confronting her ex every day, she decides to apply for scholarships to boarding schools . . . the farther from Houston the better.

Millie can’t believe her luck when she’s accepted into one of the world’s most exclusive schools, located in the rolling highlands of Scotland. Everything about Scotland is different: the country is misty and green; the school is gorgeous, and the students think Americans are cute.

The only problem: Mille’s roommate Flora is a total princess.

She’s also an actual princess. Of Scotland.

At first, the girls can barely stand each other–Flora is both high-class and high-key–but before Millie knows it, she has another sort-of-best-friend/sort-of-girlfriend. Even though Princess Flora could be a new chapter in her love life, Millie knows the chances of happily ever afters are slim . . . after all, real life isn’t a fairy tale . . . or is it? 

Representation: bisexual MC; lesbian love interest.

Loveless

By Alice Oseman

It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean?

Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.

As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.

But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.

Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?

Representation: aromantic asexual MC; side characters include aromantic, asexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual and non-binary representation. Latinx and Indian characters.

Boy Meets Hamster

By Birdie Milano

Fourteen-year-old Dylan Kershaw’s idea of a dream holiday includes at least three things: beaches to bask on, cosmopolitan culture, and a chance for romance (or at least his first kiss) with another boy. Unluckily for Dylan, this year his mum’s treating the family to the least dreamy holiday ever: a £9.50 break at Starcross Sands, Cornwall’s Crummiest Caravan Park.

But Starcross Sands might not be so bad after all, especially if Dylan can win the heart of Jayden-Lee, the gorgeous boy in the caravan next-door. There’s only one thing standing in true love’s way: the park’s massive hamster mascot, Nibbles, who seems to have it in for both Dylan and his romantic chances. Dylan’s best friend, Kayla, claims that appearances can be deceptive: so is Jayden-Lee just as lovely beneath the surface, and what could be lurking under Nibbles’ furry face? 

Representation: gay MC; mixed race bisexual side character.

The Boxer

By Nikesh Shukla

Told over the course of the ten rounds of his first fight, this is the story of amateur boxer Sunny. A seventeen-year-old feeling isolated and disconnected in the city he’s just moved to, Sunny joins a boxing club to learn to protect himself after a racist attack. He finds the community he’s been desperately seeking at the club, and a mentor in trainer Shona, who helps him find his place in the world. But racial tensions are rising in the city, and when a Far Right march through Bristol turns violent, Sunny is faced with losing his new best friend Keir to radicalisation.

Representation: Pakistani gay MC.

Ownvoices: Pakistani representation.

An Assassin’s Guide to Love and Treason

By Virginia Boecker

When Lady Katherine’s father is killed for being an illegally practicing Catholic, she discovers treason wasn’t the only secret he’s been hiding: he was also involved in a murder plot against the reigning Queen Elizabeth I. With nothing left to lose, Katherine disguises herself as a boy and travels to London to fulfill her father’s mission, and to take it one step further — kill the queen herself.

Katherine’s opportunity comes in the form of William Shakespeare’s newest play, which is to be performed in front of Her Majesty. But what she doesn’t know is that the play is not just a play. It’s a plot to root out insurrectionists and destroy the rebellion once and for all.

The mastermind behind this ruse is Toby Ellis, a young spy for the queen with secrets of his own. When Toby and Katherine are cast opposite each other as the play’s leads, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another. But the closer they grow, the more precarious their positions become. And soon they learn that star-crossed love, mistaken identity, and betrayal are far more dangerous off the stage than on.

Representation: Toby is bisexual.

Giant Days vol. 2

By John Allison

Giant Days Volume 2

The first semester at university is always rough, but Daisy, Esther and Susan at least have each other. Susan is having some boy trouble and can’t seem to stay away from McGraw; Esther appears to have forgetter she was at university to study and not party and Daisy is just trying to figure herself and her sexuality out.
Publisher’s Description:

Continuing their first semester at university, fast friends Susan, Esther, and Daisy want to find their footing in life. But in the face of hand-wringing boys, holiday balls, hometown rivals, and the willful, unwanted intrusion of “academia,” they may be lucky just to make it to spring alive.

Genre: Slice of Life

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Esther, Susan, Daisy
Cis boys: Ed, McGraw

Sexuality:
Lesbian: Daisy
Heterosexual: Esther, Susan, McGraw, Ed

Romantic Orientation:
Not mentioned in the book.

Race/Ethnicity:
White: Esther, Susan, McGraw, Ed
Multiracial: Daisy

Location: United Kingdom
Trigger Warnings: Drinking (not underage though as 18 is the legal age in the UK), hooking up, smoking, hallucinations,

Additional Notes: This is set in the United Kingdom and their Universities function a little differently than ours.

Giant Days Volume 3

By John Allison

Giant Days Volume 3

Before Christmas break Susan, Esther and Daisy have a few more adventures in their first semester. Susan and Ed get involved in University politics, a disastrous idea for all involved. Esther still needs to get her education back on track, while having an old friend visit. Daisy also insists on taking her friends on a very ill advised camping trip.

Publisher’s Description:

Best friends Susan, Esther, and Daisy are rounding out their first semester at university. The girls, along with their male hall-mates Ed and McGraw, find that college is more than academics and bad microwavable meals. Add some pub-hopping, hookups, breakups, and political scandal and this might just be the most eventful first semester ever.

Genre: Slice of Life

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Esther, Susan, Daisy
Cis boys: Ed, McGraw

Sexuality:
Lesbian: Daisy
Heterosexual: Esther, Susan, McGraw, Ed

Romantic Orientation:
Not mentioned in the book.

Race/Ethnicity:
White: Esther, Susan, McGraw, Ed
Multiracial: Daisy

Location: United Kingdom
Trigger Warnings: Drinking (not underage though as 18 is the legal age in the UK), hooking up, smoking, hallucinations,

Additional Notes: This is set in the United Kingdom and their Universities function a little differently than ours.

Courting Light

By A. Zukowski

Our days were numbered but precious.

Courting Light is the story of Josie, an eighteen-year-old about to leave home to start university in London. She volunteers at a summer camp for disabled children. When Josie is paired with the autistic teenager Lucian, she faces intense experiences that are truly eye-opening. To her surprise, Lucian is not the only one who captures her attention. Over the weeks, Josie develops powerful desires evoked by the camp’s enigmatic young leader with a shaved head and tattoo on her skull.

Part of Seasons of Love Anthology.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Josie (narrator), Sam
Cis boys: Lucian, Tim

Sexuality:
Gay: Tim
Lesbian: Josie, Sam

Romantic Orientation:
Not mentioned in the book.

Race/Ethnicity:
White: Lucian, Tim
Multiracial: Josie, Sam

Disability:
 Lucian (ASD)

Location: North of England/Derbyshire, Manchester

Ownvoices: Author is a bi cis woman