Be Queer, Do Sports: 10 LGBTQ+ YA Sports Books To Read ASAP
⚓ Books 📅 2026-01-20 👤 surdeus 👁️ 4There’s some show on streaming that’s caused quite a commotion in the book world. Something about hockey and gay men?
That’s, of course, being silly to be silly on purpose. Heated Rivalry, adapted from the book series by Rachel Reid, has been a smash hit. There have been some great book lists put together, too, from readers who are still waiting to get their hands on the source material and those who are looking for more queer hockey romances.
It’s not only a moment for sports with Heated Rivalry, though. We’re just weeks away from the winter Olympics as well.
Running–or should I say skating–with that, it seems like there’s an opportunity to both go a little bit broader and a little more specific. Last year, we covered queer YA sports romances, with a focus on those books with a guaranteed happily ever after. While this list includes plenty of queer YA sports romances, it goes even wider to include other LGBTQ+ sports books. You’ll get to bop around between capital-R romances and books that tackle (ahem) meaty topics as they relate to high school and college sports and the queer experience. Some of the non-Romance titles might include bonus kissing, too.
None of these are repeats from the above-linked list, meaning you’ve got a lot of options for great queer YA sports books. You’ll also get a sneak peek at a couple of titles hitting shelves in May.
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Queer YA Sports Fiction
![]() Chasing Pacquiao by Rod PulidoWhat happens when someone you look up to lets you down by declaring people like you are less than human? That’s a big part of this story, which follows a queer teen named Bobby who wants nothing more than to graduate high school safely. Bobby’s school is notoriously violent, and he knows that being openly queer would make him the perfect target. This is made more true by the fact is Filipino community does not easily accept people like him. But when he’s outed without permission, Bobby realizes being quiet and unprepared is no longer an option. He turns to take up boxing in order to prepare himself were he to be in a fight. Bobby looks up to champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao is his inspiration in all ways: he helps Bobby keep going when things get too hard and he’s an inspiration for Bobby to pick up boxing. But then Pacquiao publicly declares that he does not support queer people, leaving Bobby wounded beyond words. So where does he turn now? |
![]() Furious by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca PodosJojo is ready for a successful racing career, but it’s been sidelined following the tragic death of her NASCAR legendary mother in a racing accident. Now, she’s back in the tiny town of Dell’s Hollow, working at her grandma’s auto repair shop. In walks Eliana “El” Blum. El is tough and she loves her motorcycle. El grew up idolizing Maxine, the older sister of a friend who tore it up on the motocross scene. But Maxine suddenly disappeared and El is determined to find out what happened. With adventure boiling in both of their blood, Jojo and El team up to find out what happened to Maxine. Of course, they’re going to develop a Lot Of Feelings…and enjoy a lot of time in cars and on bikes. |
All Access members, find eight more LGBTQ+ YA sports books below, plus a list of this week’s new queer book releases.
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