Bisexual Awareness Week is the perfect excuse to dive into these twenty books featuring bi+ characters and stories. However, there’s so much to love in this list that you’ll want to read these books all year long. From rakish bisexual lords to lovelorn accountants to real-life tales of exploration and discovery, there’s something for everyone.
“Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster” by Andrea Mosqueda
Bisexual teen Magdalena “Maggie” Gonzalez needs a date for her younger sister’s quinceañera. The problem is Maggie has a crush on three different people – her longtime best friend Amanda, her ex-boyfriend Mathew and new girl Danie. Maggie turns her dilemma into a semester-long art project as a way to navigate her complicated feelings and journey of self-discovery.
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” delves into the glamorous (and tumultuous life) of fictional Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo. Evelyn hires struggling journalist Monique to write her biography. Through a series of interviews, Evelyn recounts her rise to fame in the 1950s, her seven marriages and the secret love affair she’s carefully guarded for decades.
“They Both Die at the End” by Adam Silvera
In a world where people receive a call on the day they’re going to die, teen strangers Mateo and Rufus meet through an app called Last Friend and decide to spend their last day together. The two deckers (the name given to those who receive the damning call from Death-Cast) forge a deep connection as they face their impending deaths and a final chance at love.
“How to Find a Princess” by Alyssa Cole
After losing her job and her girlfriend in one week, Makeda Hicks is in no mood for any other life disruptions. However, when you are the long-lost princess of Ibarania, life has a way of throwing you curveballs. When charming investigator Beznaria Chetchevaliere shows up to bring Makeda to Ibarania to fulfill her royal duties, Makeda encounters much more than she expected along the way.
“One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston
McQuiston, of “Red, White, and Royal Blue” fame, nails it again with this time-traveling love affair. August, a 20-something bisexual woman living in Brooklyn with a ragtag group of roommates, stumbles across an enchanting stranger on the subway. However, when August discovers that the woman she is falling for has actually been trapped in a time loop since the 1970s, August goes on a quest to find out how to break the loop and have a shot at true love.
“Down Comes the Night” by Allison Saft
When Wren Southerland is reckless with her magical gifts, she’s removed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend and first love. She is soon summoned to Colwick Hall to assist in curing the lord of the manor’s servant from an illness with mysterious origins. Wren soon discovers that the servant is actually her kingdom’s enemy Hal Cavendish. However, with nefarious forces about, Hal and Wren must join forces to save their respective kingdoms while battling their growing feelings for each other.
“Pretend I’m Dead” by Jen Beagin
After getting her heart broken profoundly by a man she calls, “Mr. Disgusting,” 24-year-old cleaner Mona sets off for Taos, New Mexico, to build a new life. Along the way, she discovers a new community of wandering souls like herself. This debut novel by Beagin received much buzz when it was released in 2018, including making O Magazine’s “Best Book of the Year” list.
“The Chronology of Water” by Lidia Yuknavitch
Yuknavitch’s memoir explores her experience as an Olympic hopeful, taking a swimming scholarship at a school far from her chaotic upbringing. When substance abuse causes her to lose her scholarship, Yuknavitch leaves Texas for the University of Oregon to join a writer’s collaboration. Yuknavitch shares her deeply personal experiences with drugs and alcohol, relationships with men and women and fighting her internal demons. The memoir has been optioned for the screen and is to be actor Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut.
“Detransistion, Baby” by Torrey Peters
This thought-provoking novel is a love triangle of sorts between Reese, a bisexual trans woman, her former partner Ames, who detransitioned after six years, and Ames’ current partner and boss, Katrina. When Katrina discovers she is pregnant with Ames’ baby, Ames reconnects with Reese, who has always wanted a child.
“The Space Between Worlds” by Micaiah Johnson
This sci-fi/fantasy novel is set in a future world where people can travel between parallel universes, but only if their alternate selves are already dead. Our hero Cara’s alternates have a habit of dying and have done so in at least 372 parallel worlds. When one of her eight remaining selves dies in a mysterious manner, Cara and her handler Dell discover Cara has a much larger role in the multiverse than they ever could have imagined.
“Take a Hint, Dani Brown” by Talia Hibbert
This second book in the Brown Sisters series focuses on Dani, a bisexual Ph.D. student. After being rescued from a “fire drill gone wrong” by security guard and former rugby star Zafir Ansari, Dani decides he would be the perfect friend with benefits. When a video of Dani’s rescue goes viral and the internet begins shipping the two, Zah and Dani play along. The only problem? Real feelings start to bubble up for the fake couple.
“Wow, No Thank You.” by Samantha Irby
Writer and comedian Irby’s wonderfully funny book of essays examines life in her 40s, career foibles and successes, bad dates and more. The book made it to No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list and picked up a Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
“Transcendent Kingdom” by Yaa Gyasi
The New York Times Bestselling author Gyasi’s second novel explores the life and losses of a Ghanaian family in Alabama. After losing her brother to an opioid overdose, Ph.D. candidate Gifty has dedicated her studies to understanding the reward-seeking behavior of addiction. No matter how hard she dedicates herself to her studies, she must still reckon with the loss of her brother, her suicidal mother and the evangelical faith she was raised in.
“Out of Step: A Memoir” by Anthony Moll
Moll may seem like the least likely person to join the military, with his pink hair and liberal leanings, but that’s exactly what he did. This memoir follows Moll’s experience during “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” as a bisexual person, fighting in two wars and ultimately returning to civilian life.
“You Exist Too Much” by Zaina Arafat
Arafat’s debut novel won the Lambda Award for Bisexual Fiction in 2021. The novel follows the life of a Palestinian–American woman, from her early rebellious years to coming to terms with her bisexuality to her career as a writer and DJ in New York City.
“Deposing Nathan” by Zack Smedley
When 16-year-old Nate meets rule-breaker Cam, a complicated friendship develops. A fight that turns near-fatal puts the boys at odds with each other and lands Cam in prison. Pushed to give a statement against Cam, Nate must reckon with the crime and the night that changed both their lives.
“Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality” by Dr. Julia Shaw
Shaw examines the history of bisexuality, along with her own journey as a bisexual woman in this new nonfiction book. From famous bisexuals, bisexual behaviors in animals, bi+ communities around the world and even the topic of consensual non-monogamy, Shaw delves into the rich and diverse world of bisexuality.
“Bisexual Men Exist: A Handbook for Bisexual, Pansexual and M-Spec Men” by Vaneet Mehta
Mehta, the founder of the #BisexualMenExist hashtag, writes about the erasure and skepticism bi+ men receive when coming out and existing in the world. Dating, relationships and the treatment of bi+ men in LGBTQ+ spaces are all important topics in Mehta’s debut book.
“Just Three Words” by Melissa Brayden
Brayden is one of the most prolific queer women’s romance writers of the last 15 years. This second book in her “Soho Loft” series stars Samantha Ennis, a bisexual accountant at a boutique advertising agency run by her friends. Hunter Blair is a lady-killer and one of the agency owners, and when Hunter moves into Samantha’s loft apartment, it shakes Sam’s world up. Their differences make them great friends, but could they be more?
“The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue” by Mackenzi Lee
Henry “Monty” Montague is a young British lord with a big crush on his best friend Percy and the weight of family responsibility on his shoulders. Monty vows to spend a year indulging in his favorite vices and passions as he travels across Europe with Percy, but he runs into troubles along the way, forcing him to question everything he thought he knew about his life.