Category: Australia

Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal

By Anna Whateley

At sixteen, neurodivergent Peta Lyre is the success story of social training. That is, until she finds herself on a school ski trip – and falling in love with the new girl. Peta will need to decide which rules to keep, and which rules to break…

‘I’m Peta Lyre,’ I mumble. Look people in the eye if you can, at least when you greet them. I try, but it’s hard when she is smiling so big, and leaning in.

Peta Lyre is far from typical. The world she lives in isn’t designed for the way her mind works, but when she follows her therapist’s rules for ‘normal’ behaviour, she can almost fit in without attracting attention.

When a new girl, Sam, starts at school, Peta’s carefully structured routines start to crack. But on the school ski trip, with romance blooming and a newfound confidence, she starts to wonder if maybe she can have a normal life after all.

When things fall apart, Peta must decide whether all the old rules still matter. Does she want a life less ordinary, or should she keep her rating normal?

Representation: MC is in an f/f relationship.

Ownvoices: for neurodivergent representation.

Highway Bodies

By Alison Evans

Who will you rely on in the zombie apocalypse?

Bodies on the TV, explosions, barriers, and people fleeing. No access to social media. And a dad who’ll suddenly bite your head off – literally. These teens have to learn a new resilience…

Members of a band wield weapons instead of instruments.

A pair of siblings find there’s only so much you can joke about, when the menace is this strong.

And a couple find depth among the chaos.

Highway Bodies is a unique zombie apocalypse story featuring a range of queer and gender non-conforming teens who have lost their families and friends and can only rely upon each other. 

Representation: trans, nonbinary, and bisexual MCs.

Ownvoices: author is bisexual and nonbinary.

Monuments

By Will Kostakis

All 16-year-old Connor is trying to do is avoid his ex-best friend when he stumbles upon a trapdoor to a secret chamber under his school. But when Sally Rodgers breaks into the same secret chamber looking for an ancient being, things take an unexpected turn . . . and Connor’s life will never be the same again.

Along with the mysterious Sally and, later on, his new friend Locky, Connor discovers the Monuments – gods who have been buried for generations – who created the world and hid themselves away from humanity to keep everyone safe. But now they’re exposed and vulnerable, and Connor isn’t sure who, himself included, can be trusted with the knowledge and the power these gods have.

Representation: gay MC.

Ownvoices: gay representation.

Always Human

By Ari North

In the near-future, people use technology to give the illusion of all kinds of body modifications—but some people have “Egan’s Syndrome,” a highly sensitive immune system that rejects these “mods” and are unable to use them. Those who are affected maintain a “natural” appearance, reliant on cosmetics and hair dye at most to help them play with their looks. 

Sunati is attracted to Austen the first time she sees her and is drawn to what she assumes is Austen’s bravery and confidence to live life unmodded. When Sunati learns the truth, she’s still attracted to Austen and asks her on a date. Gradually, their relationship unfolds as they deal with friends, family, and the emotional conflicts that come with every romance. Together, they will learn and grow in a story that reminds us no matter how technology evolves, we will remain . . . always human.

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Austen, Sunati, Rae
Genderqueer/Nonbinary: Yasel

Sexuality:
Lesbian: Austen, Sunati
Asexual: Rae

Romantic Orientation:
Aromantic: Rae

Race/Ethnicity:
Black: Rae
Indian and Indonesian: Sunati
Chilean and Australian: Austen, Yasel

Disability:
Austin has a genetic disorder.

Location: Australia

Trigger Warnings: Eating disorders, anxiety, and depression

Additional Notes: Austen has two fathers and a gender-nonconforming little brother Yasel. Sunati’s parents are in a polyamorous relationship with a man.
Originally a webcomic.

Ownvoices: Creator is bisexual.

Coming Out Catholic

By Alex Dunkin

A Catholic schoolboy matures in his understanding of his sexuality and his faith.

Publisher’s Description:

Like all good Catholic boys I care what Jesus thinks. Jesus–both the man and the faith. Following him makes me happy. There’s just one issue… I think I’m gay. Well, it’s hard to be sure while going to an all-boys school. It could be a matter of simply liking what I know, and really, oh so very much liking what I see all day—guys. Being gay and Catholic can’t possible work together. Can it? Coming Out Catholic follows a year in the life of a private Catholic school student as he comes to terms with his sexuality and the dreaded loss of his faith. Armed with sarcasm and his best friend Mark, he prepares to take on the school thug and the awkward social encounters plaguing his late teenage years.

Genre: Contemporary

Representation:
Gender:
Cis boys: Unnamed narrator

Sexuality:
Gay: Unnamed narrator

Romantic Orientation:
Not mentioned in the book.

Race/Ethnicity:
Not mentioned: Unnamed narrator

Religion:
Christianity: Unnamed narrator

Location: Australia

Additional Notes: Hints at a secondary character being asexual, but it’s never explicitly stated.

Ownvoices: Gay

Solve for i

By AE Dooland
Publisher’s Description:
Maths wiz Gemma Rowe has found the one problem her maths can’t solve: she’s fallen for her female & very heterosexual best friend.
Genre: Drama/Romance, Lesbian Fiction

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Gemma Rowe, Sarah Presti, Mikey Fitzgerald, Natalie Heiser
Cis boys: Rob, Henry Lee
Genderqueer/Nonbinary: Min Lee

Sexuality:
Lesbian: Gemma Rowe, Mikey Fitzgerald
Bisexual: Natalie Heiser
Heterosexual: Sarah Presti, Bree Dejanovic
Queer: Min Lee

Romantic Orientation:
Not mentioned in the book.

Race/Ethnicity:
White: Gemma Rowe, Mikey Fitzgerald
East Asian: Min Lee, Henry Lee
Multiracial: Sarah Presti

Disability: Mental Illness: Social Anxiety

Location: Sydney, Australia

Ending: Happy!

 

Flesh & Blood (Sequel to Under My Skin)

By AE Dooland
Publisher’s Description:
To anyone else, being unemployed in your mid-20s, living in your ex co-worker’s house and dating a schoolgirl who’s flunking all her classes might not seem ideal. But to Min Lee, it’s the perfect fresh start. A chance to do-over her life and reinvent herself as the man she was always supposed to be… if she’s actually supposed to be a man, that is. Min still has lots of unanswered questions about her gender, but none of them can stop her from looking forward to her bright future as a boyfriend, student and artist.
There’s just one thing that can: her conservative mother in South Korea doesn’t know about any of it, and is sick of waiting for her ‘daughter’ to get married.
With the looming threat of her mother finding out, Min would rather focus on living her brand new life and supporting her girlfriend and friends through their family dramas than deal with her own. But the clock is ticking on her big secret, and one thing is for sure: she can’t keep her meddling mother in the dark forever.
Genre: Drama

 

Representation:
Gender: 
Cis girls: Sarah Presti, Bree Dejanovic
Cis boys: Rob, Henry Lee,
Genderqueer/Nonbinary: Min Lee

 

Sexuality:
Pansexual: Bree Dejanovic
Heterosexual: Henry Lee, Sarah Presti, Rob
Queer: Min Lee

 

Romantic Orientation:
Not mentioned in the book.

 

Race/Ethnicity:
White: Bree Dejanovic
East Asian: Min Lee, Henry Lee
Multiracial: Sarah Presti

 

Disability: Mental Illness: Anxiety

 

Location: Sydney, Australia

 

Trigger Warnings: Emotional abuse, family abuse

 

Ending: Happy!

Under My Skin

By AE Dooland
Publisher’s Description:
Min Lee is a workaholic who can’t say no. She substitutes sleep with Red Bull and, through a combination of repression and bad habits, has managed to score herself a luxury apartment, a fabulous boyfriend and the approval of her billionaire CEO. Things are looking pretty awesome… well, apart from those body image issues that constantly plague her.
But Min thinks she’s got everything worked out. She’s arranged her comfort zone and has zero desire to look outside of it… or, so she tells herself.
It’s not until a troubled schoolgirl tracks her down from the Internet, stalks her to her home and noses her way into life that Min begins to admit that something is wrong in her perfect world. Something that she’s never thought about before, and doesn’t even want to think about. Something that has the power to ruin all her relationships and dismantle everything in her life she’s worked so very hard for.
What if ‘she’ isn’t the right word for Min at all?
Genre: Romance

 

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Bree Dejanovic, Sarah Presti
Cis boys: Henry Lee
Genderqueer/Nonbinary: Min Lee (transmasculine)

 

Sexuality:
Pansexual: Bree Dejanovic
Heterosexual: Sarah Presti, Henry Lee
Queer: Min Lee

 

Romantic Orientation:
Not mentioned in the book.

 

Race/Ethnicity:
White: Bree Dejanovic
East Asian: Min Lee, Henry Lee
Multiracial: Sarah Presti

 

Disability: Mental Illness: Anxiety

 

Location: Sydney, Australia

 

Trigger Warnings: Suicidal Ideation, substance abuse

 

Ending: Happy ending!!!

An Accident of Stars

By Foz Meadows

Publisher’s Description:

Saffron Coulter steps through a hole in reality and finds herself trapped in Kena, a magical realm on the brink of war. There, her fate becomes intertwined with that of three very different women: Zech, the fast-thinking acolyte of a cunning, powerful exile; Viya, the spoiled, runaway consort of the empire-building ruler, Vex Leoden; and Gwen, an Earth-born worldwalker whose greatest regret is putting Leoden on the throne. Saffron is out of her world and depth, yet soon finds herself to be the heart and key of Kena’s bloody conflict.

Check out this book and more on our best of list for books with aromantic characters.

Genre: Fantasy

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Saffron, Gwen

Sexual and Romantic Orientation:
Gwen is aromantic, polyamorous and queer. Saffron is bisexual and biromantic.

Race/Ethnicity:
White: Saffron
Black: Gwen

Trigger Warnings:

Additional Notes: Many reviews describe this book is “super-queer.”  Sequel is A Tyranny of Queens.

Ownvoices: Genderqueer, bisexuality

We Go Forward

By Alison Evans

Publisher’s Description:

Christie travels to run, to forget. She has no place to call home, but desperately wishes she did.

Roslyn has never been overseas and fears getting stuck in one place. If she’s never left Melbourne, how does she know that’s home?

A crossing of paths in Berlin, wine, and wifi leads to the two traveling together, and as they travel the two find some things they were looking for, and maybe something they weren’t…

Genre: Contemporary

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Christie, Roslyn

Sexual and Romantic Orientation:
Christie is asexual and aromantic
Roslyn is bisexual and biromantic

Race/Ethnicity:
White: Christie
PoC: Roslyn

Trigger Warnings:

Additional Notes: Roslyn is identified as a PoC but no more specificity is given.  If you have more info please let us know! Roslyn has a twin who we never meet who identifies as non-binary.

Ownvoices: