5 Reese's Book Club Picks With Vital LGBTQ+ Representation

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Reese's Book Club knows how to pick a good book. By quickly scanning its list, you can see how diverse voices, unique stories, and divine characters lead the charge in recommendations. Above all, the club excels at providing readers with one of the most important things a book can offer: representation. Being able to see yourself and a story similar to yours — or completely different from yours — is simply magical. It's a way for people to find solace during hard times, to learn how to offer sympathy and support, and to know there are others out there who identify and feel as they do. 

Reese's Book Club selections often feature characters from the LGBTQ+ community, giving readers a chance to see queer lives and love stories brought to life in rich detail. Whether it's historical fiction or contemporary romance, many Reese's Book Club picks have vital LGBTQ+ representation. If you enjoyed our list of Read With Jenna Book Club Picks with vital LGBTQ+ representation, and you've been on the hunt for more titles to add to your TBR, you've come to the right place. Whether you're a part of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, these stories invite readers to connect with characters, offering perspectives that resonate, inspire, and celebrate love in all its beautiful forms.

Introducing her October 2018 pick, "This Is How It Always Is" by Laurie Frankel, Reese Witherspoon said, "Every once in a while, I read a book that opens my eyes in a way I never expected." It's one of Reese's most impactful selections and a standout example of meaningful LGBTQ+ representation. In an interview with NPR's Morning Edition, Frankel explained that although she has a transgender child, the story itself is largely fictional. "The nice thing about my life is that it's pretty boring, which is really how you want your life to be — but not how you want your novel to be. So in fact, this really is ... very, very made up," she said. 

Claude has always known who he is, and it's not "he." From the beginning, Claude wanted to live as a girl named Poppy. Her parents, Rosie and Penn, and her brothers must learn how to love, protect, and celebrate her newfound life while navigating a world that's struggling to understand. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a story about modern courage and the lengths parents will go to let their children be who they are. 

One Goodreads reviewer described the book as "a beautiful contemporary fiction about a little boy who isn't a boy. Emotional, realistic, thought-provoking." Many readers admitted they picked it up on a whim, drawn to the cover, and were pleasantly surprised by how moved they felt by the story. 

"You Should See Me In A Crown" is Leah Johnson's debut novel, and while she wrote it for anyone who needs a glimpse of what's possible, she mostly wrote it to inspire herself. The author told NPR's CODE SW!TCH, "I wanted to remind myself that it is possible to be Black and queer and from where you're from, and still get all the best things out of life." When Johnson was younger, she dreamed of reading about a "Black queer girl" getting her happily ever after. 

She longed for "swoon-worthy romances, where they got to be crowned queens and told that they were worthy ... and wanted to see someone like me reflected in them as more than a sidekick." The author realized she needed to take matters into her own hands and write that exact story. Full of humor and heart, readers said they couldn't help but root for the main character and cheer for her happy ending. 

Liz Lighty has never felt like she belonged, and she's made sure to keep her dreams and feelings under wraps in a town obsessed with superficial popularity. But to get a scholarship she desperately needs, she'll have to step into the spotlight and run for prom queen herself. Between the most unexpected rivalries and blossoming love, Liz will discover the most important thing of all, courage — and it's the perfect read for anyone seeking authentic LGBTQ+ representation. 

Reese Witherspoon said that her January 2025 pick, "The Three Lives of Cate Kay" by Kate Fagan, "Swept [her] away with its big dreams, love, and unexpected twists." A queer love story set against the backdrop of ambition and life's most unexpected twists and turns, it follows Cate as she navigates love, loss, and making her dreams come true. 

Book Club Chat described the book as a completely "original story," noting that the story was suggested for fans of the bestselling and viral #BookTok book that's becoming a movie, "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo." The novel carries its own unique voice, with the review emphasizing, "While both books are in the LGBTQ+ genre, and also feature a look at Hollywood, they are very distinct stories." 

Fagan's work was also selected as one of the best books of the year so far in 2025 by Amazon's Editors, with one reviewer saying, "I plowed through this multi-dimensional book in two days! It was riveting, so many layers of truth, identity, hiding, and being seen. I loved that!" There's a little bit of glamour mixed with vulnerability and cutting emotional depth, and it's the kind of book that'll stay with you long after you close it. Once you start reading, you'll understand why this LGBTQ+ inclusive book is being praised by Reese and readers alike. 

"Outlawed" by Anna North was Reese's Book Club January 2021 pick, and also made our list of the best books to read if you love "Yellowstone." If you've been looking for a book with vital LGBTQ+ representation set in the past, this daring alternate-history tale delivers. Readers seemingly either loved this book or felt the story didn't quite land, but resoundingly praised how much LGBTQ+ representation the book featured. 

One Amazon reviewer said, "First and foremost, the wild west theme felt fairly authentic to me ... I also loved the LGBT representation. It's almost unheard of to see an LGBT western novel, but the theme was prominent and important to this book." Another reviewer said that while the book "sadly felt short ... [the] idea of a story about a ragtag crew of female outlaws and a haven for dejected women in the Wild West was really intriguing ... especially when it was inclusive of LGBT and mental health themes."

In an alternate 1890s America, infertility is a crime punishable by death, which gives 17-year-old Ada no choice but to flee her home after failing to conceive. She joins a rebellious gang led by the mischievous, gender nonconforming Kid, who hatches a daring plan to give women like Ada true freedom. The only catch is it's a high-stakes heist that could risk everything. This is a bold, imaginative story where gender fluidity and defying societal norms lead to a gripping, thought-provoking adventure.

"The Secrets We Kept" by Lara Prescott was the September 2019 pick for Reese's Book Club. Witherspoon introduced the book as, "One of the best historical fiction books I've read in a very long time!" The book is Prescott's debut novel and was even nominated in 2020 for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. One reviewer described the book perfectly, writing, "Picture Mad Men set in the early days of the CIA with an equal dose of historical fiction at the sunset of Stalin's reign over the Soviet Union."

Without context, you may start out thinking the novel is about the days of Cold War espionage, which is already quite exciting. But at its heart, it's about a love so forbidden it had to be hidden in the shadows. "The Secrets We Kept" follows a pair of CIA secretaries, Sally and Irina, thrust into a high-stakes mission to bring "Doctor Zhivago" to the West, all while navigating a blossoming romance in a time when it wouldn't be acceptable. 

For readers who love to connect with a story by seeing it through the author's eyes, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Prescott shared that her favorite part of the story is the night of "the Halloween Party where Irina and Sally first connect." It's so impactful to the plot that she described it as, "A beginning — the point where everything changes for both characters. After that, there's no turning back."