As a bisexual woman, representation isn’t always easy to come by in literature. A lot of queer fiction tended to stray towards MLM (men loving men) representation – amazing that it existed, but I couldn’t relate all that much to it. However, LGBTQ+ representation in books is becoming more diverse, and I’m finding a lot more books where I feel seen.
My go-to always used to be Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli. Leah is a plus-sized bisexual with a secret heart of gold. It was my all-time favourite book for a while, but now I have a new favourite.
Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales is too incredible for words. I read it in a space of 24 hours, and I even had to ask my mam to hide it so I could do some uni work. The main character, Darcy, is bisexual with a crush on her best friend, Brooke. However, as she begins to spend more time with the mysterious Brougham, she begins fall for him – sending her into an identity crisis. She turns to the LGBTQ+ support group at her school and gets talked out of her internalised biphobia spiral in a beautiful way. This scene, where she expressed all of her worries about ‘not seeming queer enough’ had me in tears, as it’s so utterly relatable. It’s such an important scene – a one for bi people to feel recognised, and a one where biphobic people can actually learn. It’s so special for so many reasons. There’s representation of all kinds in this book, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Honourable Mentions: Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth, You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon.
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