5 BISEXUAL Books That Helped Me Come Out!

Happy Pride Month! The month of June has brought many things with it- great weather, more mosquitoes, but most importantly it gave me the courage to finally come out as bisexual to my family and friends. For a long time, whenever I talked about relationships with my friends, I realized that a part of me felt like something was missing. It wasn't until I immersed myself into the world of queer lit, did I begin to feel like I could really understand and accept my own queer identity. Here a list of BEAUTIFUL books with bisexual main characters that inspired me to love myself. I hope I can share some more LGBTQIA+ recs for now and for forever. 

1. Noteworthy by Riley Redgate 

Still one of my favorite books of all time. Noteworthy follows Jordan Sun, who after getting rejected to be cast in her school's musical because of her low voice,  pretends to be a boy to join an all-male identifying acapella group. This book is absolutely hilarious and incredibly endearing as Jordan navigates her sexuality and friendship in this new reality she has created. With a cast of incredibly diverse characters, this book confronts the gender norms that are so often perpetuated in most YA lit. Our main character is coming to terms with her own identity as a bisexual and it's amazing to go through this journey with her. I'd also recommend giving Riley Redgate's Final Draft a read if you enjoy this one. 

2. Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

YA fantasy is not the first genre you think of when you want to read queer lit. Reign of the Fallen changed my mind on how well queer characters can be written in YA fantasy books since it is own voices and really normalized being queer. In this book, the fantasy elements, and the world-building are merely a background for this amazing story with a bisexual main character. I mean the book literally follows a bisexual necromancer. What else could you possibly ask for? Here is an interesting article that the author wrote for Penguin Teen about bisexual visibility in literature. 

3. The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde

This was the first Jen Wilde book I read when my friend Belinda and I chose it to be our book of the month for Diversify the Verse. The Brightsiders features characters who are bisexual, genderfluid, lesbian and also biracial. The rep is sooooo good. For me, the most important thing that this book taught me is that anyone can face issues of coming to terms with their sexuality, even if you are a famous rockstar in a band who has seemingly the most perfect life. It was a quick read and it was the first time I EVER saw they/them pronouns used in a book. Isn't that crazy? 

4. Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde 

Not only is Jen Wilde a lover of colored hair on her books, but she is also a fantastic YA author of queer lit. I had to recommend another book from her because  I think she excels at writing about fame! Compared to The Brightsiders, I think this one specifically talked a lot about bisexuality through the main character's inner monologues. We heard all of her feelings and thoughts, and it was so great to read. Along with that it confronted stereotypes about bisexuality and biphobia! I absolutely loved this book and whatever Jen Wilde book you end up picking up will literally chnage your life. 

5. Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert 

Props to you if you've made it this far and you get to hear why Little & Lion is one of the best books written in YA Lit. If you'd like to read my full review, I'll leave it here. This book follows a Black, Jewish, Bisexual main character whose brother has bipolar disorder. As I wrote in that review, this book discusses a lot of the social stigmas of bisexuality and mental illness. One of my favorite things about this book was how it didn't necessarily have a set plot, but it felt real and in the moment. And if you enjoy this one, feel free to read ANY other Brandy Colbert book because they are equally as amazing. 

Even though June is on its way out, don't forget to share the love and treat everyone with respect, regardless of who they love. Please leave any recommendations for queer books in the comments, whether it's bisexual rep or any other queer rep!