6 Queer YA Books About Nerdy Hobbies

Jesse Spark is suffering from a broken heart, literally, and he’s waiting to have surgery to repair it. In the meantime, he has just a couple of goals in mind: try to make his zombie movie on the smallest budget possible so that all of his dreams of going to film school will come true, and fall in love with someone before his heart surgery leaves him with a nasty scar. Because who wants to love someone who isn’t perfect inside and out? Jesse is about to find out in this queer rom-com perfect for cinema nerds.

Raffy’s passion is for all things bedazzling, which includes but is not limited to draping, pattern-making, sewing, stitching, and all things of that nature. His art is more important to him than anything else in the world. So when he hears about the year’s biggest cosplay competition, Raffy puts everything he has into his creations so he might win. The only problem is that his biggest competition is Luca, who happens to be his ex-boyfriend. They used to collaborate, but Luca’s anxieties and Raffy’s perfectionism led to disastrous results. Now is Raffy’s chance to win the competition on his own terms and declare victory over everyone who has doubted him. But then he’s paired up with Luca again, and with everything on the line—including his broken heart—Raffy has to decide how to put his best foot forward for his art. What could go wrong?

Elsie happens to be struck down with a crush on Ada, the only other girl she’s ever felt has truly understood her. They bonded online over their shared love of a queer-coded comic book series and all of its resulting fanfiction, and it’s given Elsie a sense of herself she’s never been able to find in real life. The only problem is that Ada lives on the other side of the world, a whole ocean away from Elsie. But that’s no match for matters of the heart, and Elsie decides she has to tell Ada how she feels. But then Joan, Elsie’s long-lost best friend, comes back into her life, and Elsie’s not sure where she’s supposed to turn.

“Who cares if he has demons? We all do. We’re gay.” Disney fanatic and animation nerd Chase Arthur is determined to start on his own terms, but that’s hard when he’s struggling with body dysmorphia, recovering from an eating disorder, and trying to navigate his gender identity. Away from home for the first time, Chase tries to find his footing on his own while making new friends, missing his sister, and rivaling Leila, his ex-best friend who’s applying for the same mentorship as him. He just has to pull together an animation showcase by the end of the semester, and everything will come together. But then Jack Reid waltzes into his life. Jack is a free spirit still trying to figure out his own sexuality, but his love for words and shared passion for art is enough to knock Chase completely off his feet…if only they can manage to find a way forward together.

Laila Piedra is not accustomed to taking risks. At least, not off of the pages of the sci-fi stories she writes that are full of robots, forbidden love, and dangerous quests. She’s always relied on the stoic advice of her creative writing teacher, who has always told her that she’s got incredible talent. But that all changes when, just three months before graduation, her beloved teacher is replaced with a Pulitzer Prize-winning know-it-all, Nadiya Nazarenko, who does not hold back in her criticism of Laila’s work. Laila is prepared to solider on despite her new teacher’s opinions—until she becomes obsessed with winning over Nazarenko and gaining her approval. But in order to do so, Laila finds herself venturing way out of her comfort zone, both on the page and otherwise, and it just might be what it takes for her work to find the edge that her new teacher is looking for.

After coming out to her parents, Nishat realizes that they’re completely fine with her being whoever she wants to be, as long as it isn’t herself. Muslim girls aren’t lesbians, and they certainly don’t go on dates with other girls. Nishat doesn’t want to go back into the closet, but she also doesn’t want to lose the only family that she’s got. She feels caught between two worlds until an unexpected childhood friend shows up in her life again. Nishat falls head over heels for Flávia, who is as beautiful as she is magnetic. That is, until a school competition forces them to invent their own businesses, and Nishat and Flávia both choose henna. Nishat’s belief that Flávia is appropriating her culture only makes matters worse, and with a healthy dose of school drama and interference, Nishat might just be willing to walk away…but not from her feelings for Flávia.