Books like We Are Totally Normal

This book is written in verse, so the whole thing is like one long poem. The audiobook is read by the author, which I think captures the intent of the book beautifully.

Xiomara, or X, is a young girl living in Harlem who feels suffocated by her overbearing religious mother and her brilliant twin brother’s academic accomplishments. X writes poetry for her school assignments, but she also uses it as a form of diary to express the feelings she can’t otherwise. She challenges religion, her mother’s opinions, and the friends she makes at school.

One thing I really liked was how she’d write one poem for her assignment, and then the following poem would be titled “what I actually turned in.” The book uses different styles of poetry to convey different feelings and to set different scenes, and it explores a wide range of topics—from religion to dating and sex… show more.

This book tells the story of Noah, a trans teenager with a big secret—he’s the author of a popular Tumblr blog, the Meet Cute Diary. The only problem is the stories are all fake.

Noah reimagines random interactions he has with strangers into relationship meet-cutes to keep the blog alive. But when online haters begin to poke holes in his stories, Noah does whatever it takes to keep his blog safe—including inventing a fake relationship with a new friend. Over the course of the story, Noah makes many mistakes, confronts his own flaws, and discovers what it really means to fall in love.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the fake-dating premise and the Tumblr online setting. As someone who grew up on the Tumblr platform, this aspect was really fun to read about, and maybe a bit too relatable. But what really stuck with me was… show more.

The book follows the story of Astrid, a closeted lesbian living in a small town.

Originally from New York City, she feels a disconnect between herself and the people around her, even her best friends. The only people she can be open with are the passengers of the planes that fly above her house. She imagines their lives and sends out her deepest thoughts to them.

The whimsical premise is what originally drew me to the story, but what I ended up loving about it was the complexities of Astrid’s relationships with her friends and family. Her parents, being active in New York in the arts scene, would likely be supportive of her identity, but she feels so disconnected from them that she doesn’t want to open up.

Both of Astrid’s friends are queer; despite this, Astrid feels incapable of telling them her deepest secret. Astrid also has a girlfriend… show more.

This tells the story of Sana, a closeted lesbian who’s considering coming out.

Her family moves states, she meets a cute girl named Jamie, and all the signs seem to be pointing to finally giving the people in her life a little honesty. But nothing’s as simple as that. Sana’s friends don’t really like Jamie, and Jamie’s friends don’t seem to care for Sana. Her home life is strained; her dad is a cheater. And then, there’s her friend Caleb, who clearly has a crush on her. Turns out honesty is hard, no matter where you go.

I initially picked up the book because of the cute cover, thinking it would be a fun and lighthearted read. What I discovered was a much more complicated story about identity, family, friendships, and love. What really struck me about this book was how it showed the lengths a person may go to… show more.

This YA novel, despite taking place during the AIDS crisis, is ultimately filled with hope.

With three diverse perspectives, it draws us into a messy world of teenage exploration and discovery.

Before you ask, yes, it is humorous and heartbreaking, and it always reminds me that we are never alone in how we feel.

This book is engaging and brilliant, with a lot of humor but also real honesty and raw truth. A coming of age story for all ages. The story follows Ben, as he confronts of pressures of school and home, and his passion and attraction for two separate, and very different people.

This one’s a bit different: not a novel, but a collection of short stories. And what a collection! Featuring short stories by a wonderfully talented group of authors (including two who are also on this list!), it covers hundreds of years of history, spans the globe, and dives into multiple genres. It is a great way for readers to explore queer history—the real thing and some fantasy versions--and discover new authors.

Drawing on his own experiences Sheppard has written about three invisible boys who are dealing with being gay in an unforgiving country town that reminds me of the culture I grew up in with the lack of understanding and support for LGBTQI youth.

This is a page turner that deals with everything real: identity, belonging, family dysfunction, and masculinity. It is a book that will be a beacon of light to young people who are dealing with their own coming out journey, and a handbook to those who are allies and wish to support LGBTQI youth on their journey. It broke my heart and healed it again and Sheppard is an author that is on my must read list.

I love a soft sci-fi and Adam Silvera knows how to deliver.

What makes his world different from ours is a technology that can let people know the day they are going to die, on that day, so they have a chance to say goodbye. It provides such potential for deep introspection (for his readers as much as his characters) and heartbreak. 

This whimsical and wonderful book is a modern classic of gay literature, one of the first upbeat gay novels with a happy ending, no less. It imagines a delightful, offbeat world where two boys can walk down the street hand in hand and no one cares; where the homecoming queen is the cross-dressing captain of the football team; where – well, you get the picture. It’s an offbeat and, well, sanguine one. I love the innocence and generous-spirited nature of the book that sets it apart and delights readers while demonstrating that love is sometimes not smooth but always comes right in the end. Who could ask for anything better?