23 queer romance books perfect for Valentine’s Day reading

Valentine’s Day often sends romance readers searching for exactly the right kind of love story. To help, we’ve mapped out a queer romance matrix — no mathematical skills required.

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Inspired by New York Magazine’s Approval Matrix (devised by Emily Nussbaum to chart pop culture’s brilliance and depravity) and indie bookseller McNally Jackson’s more recent summer reading matrix, our own queer romance matrix is a book guide for the romantically inclined and the chronically online.

Below, you’ll find 23 queer romance novels plotted across two axes: spice level (from mild to spicy) and tone (from light to dark).

Whether you want gothic bloodsuckers, soft first love, sweaty hockey rivals, or historical yearning that hurts just right, we’ve got you covered. Explore the full matrix — and the books broken down by quadrant — below.

This is the quadrant for readers who like their romance intense, their longing operatic, and their stakes (and spice) high.

These reads offer big feelings and maximum ache. Think: romance unfurling slowly against backdrops of war, magic, family, and loss.

Tender, affirming, and often very sweet, this quadrant is for readers chasing warmth and wholesomeness over heat.

Joyful and flirty, these romances are powered by banter and chemistry. The tone may be lighter, but the steam is not.