4 Read With Jenna Book Club Picks With Vital LGBTQ+ Representation

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Jenna Bush Hager's book club, Read with Jenna, is chock-full of juicy reads spanning multiple genres, and while many of them are centered around heterosexual relationships, there are a few that platform LGBTQ+ characters. No matter if you're straight, gay, bisexual, or pansexual, it's always great to see representation in books, as diversity is a thing to be celebrated. Bush Hager has openly supported the LGBTQ+ community and revealed that her grandmother, Barbara Bush, changed her stance on transgender issues later on in life after having an enlightening conversation with a professor. "If a 90-year-old woman can sit with an open heart and listen and change her views about anything, we all could do a little bit better of a job," the "Today" host shared on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen."

Despite the Trump Administration's best efforts, LGBTQ+ representation is growing steadily in the media, and Read with Jenna Book Club has plenty of books that will make you laugh, cry, and learn during Pride month. However, June isn't the only time to treat yourself to a good queer read. So, if you need a new pick for your next book club meeting or want a juicy story to read on vacation, dig into these tales of characters experiencing love and loss, eventually finding themselves in the process.

Stories revolving around unhappy marriages are nothing new, but in "A Family Matter" by Claire Lynch, many readers relate to Dawn feeling more alive with another woman than her husband, Heron. Unfortunately, her relationship with Hazel, which takes place in a small English town in 1982, has dire consequences. When the illicit affair is revealed, Dawn loses custody of her daughter, Maggie, and the family is torn apart. Decades later, Maggie is an adult and learns that her father is dying. Family secrets come out, and all three must learn to heal from the choices made all those years ago.

"A Family Matter" isn't just about a love affair, but it also highlights the injustice and prejudice against LGBTQ+ couples in the 1980s. Lynch shared on "Today with Jenna and Friends" that while doing research for her book, she discovered just how limited women's rights were back then. "I found an unbelievable sense of restriction that women had to kind of hide who they were, including sort of things that we wouldn't think of," the author stated. She continued, "Like, maybe the magazines they read or the company they kept would be used as enough of a reason to say this woman, you know, can't be a mother. There's a sort of impossibility that you could be in love with another woman and a mom at the same time." At 240 pages, "A Family Matter" is great if you want a short and sweet Read with Jenna Book Club pick for a quick way to meet your reading goal — but be prepared to shed a few tears along the way.

If you love femme-centric books, "Blue Sisters" by Coco Mellors is one you'll want on your TBR. Jenna Bush Hager's September 2024 pick follows three sisters who have drifted apart after the death of their fourth sister, Nicky. Avery is a lawyer who seems to have the perfect life with her wife, Chiti, but is secretly dealing with her unhappiness by shoplifting. Bonnie is lost after giving up on her professional boxing career, while Lucky is a successful model whose party lifestyle threatens to catch up to her. While there is no main character, Avery's struggle with Chiti as she faces pressure to have kids is a theme that will resonate with many readers. Ultimately, she must decide if she wants motherhood or to leave her unhappy marriage.

There is a throughline of sisterhood throughout "Blue Sisters" as the three women come together to heal after Nicky's death. Mellors compared her book to "Little Women," and told Today, "It's really only by returning home and returning to each other that they can move forward, like through this grief, and also sort of fall back in love with both their family, their sisterhood, and their own individual lives." All three sisters are wildly different, but readers will see themselves in all of them. One reviewer wrote on Goodreads, "I really thought I would have a favorite sister or a [POV] that I would want to gravitate towards most, but I found myself wanting each pov to keep going at the end of every chapter. The characters are unlikable at times, but they're also so so human."

A book centered around death and funerals doesn't sound like a fun read, but Steven Rowley's "The Celebrants" explores grief in a heartfelt way through a group of college friends. After Alec dies from an overdose, Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Craig, and Marielle promise to hold living funerals for each other when anyone is going through a rough patch. While this may seem a bit morbid, the gang's intention is to celebrate and lift each other up during their times of need. Over the years, the five friends reunite when one of them calls for help, but when husbands Jordan and Jordy face a crisis of their own, the funerals take on a more poignant meaning.

Rowley revealed on "Today with Jenna & Friends" that the idea for his book came from losing his own college friend to breast cancer and being unable to attend her funeral. He took the time to honor her privately, but it dawned on him that folks shouldn't wait until their loved ones are dead to celebrate them. "Why not tell the people we love how important they are and the impact they've had on our lives?" the author said. Readers loved the concept, with one writing on Amazon, "Rowley's storytelling is infused with wisdom and a deep understanding of the human spirit, offering readers not just a story but an emotional journey. Whether you're drawn to tales of enduring friendships or simply seek a reminder of life's preciousness, this beautiful novel is a catalyzing experience that lingers long after the final page."

"Patsy" by Nicole Dennis-Benn is Jenna Bush Hager's first book club rec that features LGBTQ+ characters. The August 2019 pick revolves around a Jamaican woman named Patsy, who leaves behind her daughter Tru to embark on a journey to the United States in hopes of reuniting with her friend Cecily, with whom she's in love. Patsy faces heartbreak and disappointment when she learns that Cecily is married with a kid and has no plans of leaving her husband. Meanwhile, Tru grows into adolescence and grapples with her own sexual and gender identities, all without the help of her mother, who has seemingly abandoned her.

Along with LGBTQ+ matters, "Patsy" also highlights the difficulties of trying to make it as an undocumented person in America while facing prejudice as a woman of color. While it was released in 2019, the societal issues still ring true to this day. "Dennis-Benn addresses a lot of themes throughout the book, and it can get very emotional as she looks at sexual abuse, self-harm, and racism. I was particularly moved by Dennis-Benn's exploration of sexuality and gender through the characters of Patsy and Tru. But every issue in this book gives you something to think about," a Goodreads reviewer wrote.