Hi! New to this sub.
I’m a gay young adult who discovered myself 2 years ago and have been reading a fair share of lgbt romance novels since.
However, I feel that the typical storyline of internalised homophobia and trying to fit in socially is becoming repetitive for me. Don’t get me wrong, I know those kinds of stories are important, and were really helpful at the start of my journey.
But now that I’m past that stage of my life, I want the next queer book I read to be set in a more… “normal” (?) context? One where the characters are already comfortable with their sexuality, and homophobia is NOT the primary issue to overcome.
—> Maybe one where they experience the same obstacles straight people do (finances, long distance, kids, etc) rather than being put in a separate category.
—> Maybe one where they experience a different form of identity crisis (like impending death, or an injury leading to one partner’s career failure, etc)
For example, I recently read They Both Die At The End and appreciated how the themes of existentialism, mortality and regret was really thought-provoking for me. Their sexuality was just a minor subplot so that more focus could be placed on a deeper lesson. There was still elements of romance but it was thwarted by something other than homophobia.
by StampyRy