Given that I made a post of f/f romance recs, it's only right that I also rec some m/m romances. I've made a point of only including ownvoices books here, because I don't really trust straight women to write LGBT characters, as much as I might enjoy some of them. Ownvoices m/m romances will always be somewhat better than non-ownvoices for that reason only. And it means I'm not always on edge expecting something iffy. So here are five of my favourite ownvoices m/m romances.
Release by Patrick Ness
Content Warnings: homophobia, sexual harrassment
Synopsis: Inspired by Mrs Dalloway and Judy Blume's Forever, Release is one day in the life of Adam Thorn, 17. It's a big day. Things go wrong. It's intense, and all the while, weirdness approaches...
Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It's a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won't come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course.
Comments: OK, so this is a little bit of a cheat, because it's not really a romance. But I really loved it, and you know how there are some books which really make you appreciate how different ownvoices is from non-ownvoices? This is one of those ones for me.
Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger
Synopsis: A high school jock and nerd fall in love senior year, only to part after an amazing summer of discovery to attend their respective colleges. They keep in touch at first, but then slowly drift apart.
Flash forward twenty years.
Travis and Craig both have great lives, careers, and loves. But something is missing .... Travis is the first to figure it out. He's still in love with Craig, and come what may, he's going after the boy who captured his heart, even if it means forsaking his job, making a fool of himself, and entering the great unknown.
Told in narrative, letters, checklists, and more, this is the must-read novel for anyone who's wondered what ever happened to that first great love.
Comments: Don't you just love second chance romances? This one is about two boys who fall in love aged 18 and then slowly drift apart, before one realises that the only person he's ever loved is his childhood best friend. It's also really cute, and I did love how, at the end, the awful thing that could have happened didn't (I have low standards for these things, okay).
Coffee Boy by Austin Chant
Synopsis: After graduation, Kieran expected to go straight into a career of flipping burgers — only to be offered the internship of his dreams at a political campaign. But the pressure of being an out trans man in the workplace quickly sucks the joy out of things, as does Seth, the humorless campaign strategist who watches his every move.
Soon, the only upside to the job is that Seth has a painful crush on their painfully straight boss, and Kieran has a front row seat to the drama. But when Seth proves to be as respectful and supportive as he is prickly, Kieran develops an awkward crush of his own — one which Seth is far too prim and proper to ever reciprocate.
Comments: A cute NA romance, with a trans mc (also ownvoices rep), between an intern and his not-quite boss who has a crush on their real (straight) boss. It's one of those I keep going back to read over and over.
Avi Cantor has Six Months to Live by Sacha Lamb
Synopsis: Avi Cantor Has Six Months To Live
Avi comes across these foreboding words scrawled on the bathroom mirror, but what do they mean? Is this a curse, a prediction, or a threat from Avi's emboldened bullies? And how to they know his real name when he hasn't even told his mother yet?
Then there is Ian — the cool new guy at school, who is suddenly paying attention to Avi. Ian is just like Avi, but he is also all sunshine, optimism, and magic. All the things that Avi doesn't know how to deal with... yet.
Comments: Another short story, with a cute relationship, and also a bit of witchcraft thrown in there.
Running With Lions by Julian Winters
Content Warnings: body image issues
Synopsis: Bloomington High School Lions' star goalie, Sebastian Hughes, should be excited about his senior year: His teammates are amazing and he's got a coach who doesn't ask anyone to hide their sexuality. But when his estranged childhood best friend Emir Shah shows up to summer training camp, Sebastian realizes the team's success may end up in the hands of the one guy who hates him. Determined to reconnect with Emir for the sake of the Lions, he sets out to regain Emir's trust. But to Sebastian's surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the town's streets, and bonding on the weekends sparks more than just friendship between them.
Comments: The softest found family and childhood best friends to enemies (ish) to lovers I have ever read. I loved every single one of the characters, and especially the romance.
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