Hello everyone! Today’s prompt is top 5 books with rainbows on the cover. I was surprised by how much I struggled with this one given how gay my reading is. lol. So, I had to switch to covers with rainbow colors in order to make it to five this time. The covers all link to the book’s Goodreads page, and I’ve included the official covers and synopsis when available. Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, and is now being hosted at Meeghan Reads!
Straight Expectations by Calum McSwiggan
This was a cute alt universe life swap about what would happen if a gay boy woke up straight one morning. He learned some valuable lessons and it was a fun read. Check out my review for more details.
The brilliant debut novel from author, presenter and LGBTQ+ advocate Calum McSwiggan!
Seventeen-year-old Max has always been out, proud and just a little spoiled. Frustrated by the lack of romantic options in his small-town high school, during an argument with his lifelong best friend Dean, Max lashes out and says he wishes he had never been born gay.
Max gets more than he bargained for when he wakes up to find his wish has come true – not only have his feelings for boys vanished, but so has Dean.
With his school life turned upside down and his relationship with his family in tatters, Max sets out on a journey of rediscovery to find a way back to the life he took for granted, and the romance he thought he’d never have.
A deliciously romantic YA debut that’s What If It’s Us and One Last Stop!
Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell
I don’t often read short story compilations, but I really enjoyed this one. It has lots of cute stories and one I especially loved about Simon and Baz.
Rainbow Rowell has won fans all over the world by writing about love and life in a way that feels true.
In her first collection, she gives us nine beautifully crafted love stories. Girl meets boy camping outside a movie theater. Best friends debate the merits of high school dances. A prince romances a troll. A girl romances an imaginary boy. And Simon Snow himself returns for a holiday adventure.
It’s a feast of irresistible characters, hilarious dialogue, and masterful storytelling—in short, everything you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell book.
Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall
I’m a huge fan of Alexis Hall because there’s just always so much wit in the writing. This book was no exception. The setting was cute, and the book did a good job with the mental health rep. However, the mental health of the characters sidelined the romance a bit too much for me in this one. See my review for all my thoughts!
From the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material comes a sweet and scrumptious romantic comedy about facing your insecurities, finding love, and baking it off, no matter what people say.
Paris Daillencourt is a recipe for disaster. Despite his passion for baking, his cat, and his classics degree, constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a curdled, directionless mess. So when his roommate enters him in Bake Expectations, the nation’s favourite baking show, Paris is sure he’ll be the first one sent home.
But not only does he win week one’s challenge—he meets fellow contestant Tariq Hassan. Sure, he’s the competition, but he’s also cute and kind, with more confidence than Paris could ever hope to have. Still, neither his growing romance with Tariq nor his own impressive bakes can keep Paris’s fear of failure from spoiling his happiness. And when the show’s vicious fanbase confirms his worst anxieties, Paris’s confidence is torn apart quicker than tear-and-share bread.
But if Paris can find the strength to face his past, his future, and the chorus of hecklers that live in his brain, he’ll realize it’s the sweet things in life that he really deserves.
This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson
This nonfiction book is often the target of book bans, but it is exactly the book I wish I had in my hands as a teen. It delivers important information about sexual/romantic identity, gender identity, and sex in general in a way that is both entertaining and educational. It wasn’t very comprehensive of the whole community, though, but it does shallowly cover a wide breadth of issues. I think it would serve as a good jumping off point, especially for cis boys attracted to other boys.
The bestselling young adult non-fiction book on sexuality and gender!
Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. Intersex. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who’s ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU.
This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it’s like to grow up LGBTQ also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations.
Inside this revised and updated edition, you’ll find the answers to all the questions you ever wanted to ask, with topics like:
Stereotypes―the facts and fiction
Coming out as LGBT
Where to meet people like you
The ins and outs of gay sex
How to flirt
And so much more!
You will be entertained. You will be informed. But most importantly, you will know that however you identify (or don’t) and whomever you love, you are exceptional. You matter. And so does this book.
This book is for:
LGBTQIA+ teens, tweens, and adults
Readers looking to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community
Parents of gay kids and other LGBT youth
Educators looking for advice about the LGBTQIA+ community
Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman
I mean… It is a Heartstopper novella. Need I say more? 🥰
From the mega-bestselling creator of Heartstopper, a must-have novella in which Heartstopper’s lead characters, Nick and Charlie, face one of their biggest challenges yet.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder… right?
Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie love their nearly inseparable life together. But soon Nick will be leaving for university, and Charlie, a year younger, will be left behind. Everyone’s asking if they’re staying together, which is a stupid question… or at least that’s what Nick and Charlie assume at first.
As the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie start to question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Charlie is sure he’s holding Nick back… and Nick can’t tell what Charlie’s thinking.
Things spiral from there.
Everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever. What will it take for Nick and Charlie to defy the odds?
So, there you have it. My top 5 books with rainbow colors on the cover. Do you have any favorites with rainbows on them? Let me know down in the comments!
Scattered Showers is one that I’ve had on my TBR for a while!
I got it from the library a while back. It was a good collection. I was just happy to be back with Simon and Baz even if it was only for one of the stories. The others were good too, though.
I really want to read Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble and I’ve had Nick and Charlie on my TBR since release but my libraries seem to never have a copy available. I need it in my hands soon!!!
Paris Daillencourt was good as long as you don’t go into it expecting a romcom. It has some pretty heavy mental health stuff that took up more space in the story than the romance. It was a good depiction of severe anxiety, though. I hope you’re able to get a copy of Nick and Charlie soon. It was a cute story.