Do you love reading YA? Do you love watching Queer Eye?
Each host on Queer Eye brings something to the table to help individuals learn, grow, and become the best version of themselves. You can (and we will!) make the argument that books do exactly the same— some books and stories bring different meaning than others, but they all help contribute to a bigger story— your own.
We’ve matched up your favorite Queer Eye Fab Five Members with YA reads we know they’d love (and you will too!).
YA Book Recs Based on Your Fave Queer Eye Fab Five Member
1. Jonathan—Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju
On Queer Eye, JVN loves to celebrate self-expression and self-love through self-care. Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens embodies that in all the right ways.
In this funny, feel-good debut novel, a queer teen navigates questions of identity and self-acceptance while discovering the magical world of drag. Brimming with love, joy, hope and hilarity just like Jonathan, this is a story of first heartbreak and trying to find out where you fit when you’re not even quite sure who you are. You’ll fall in love with the colorful, confident, and real characters in Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens — as Jonathan would say, “YAS hunny!”
2. Karamo— Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
On Queer Eye, Karamo encourages people to be open, honest, and face their fears to help them achieve their goals and become the best version of themselves.
In Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe two loner teens named (you guessed it) Aristotle and Dante spend time together developing a special kind of friendship, love, and form of understanding. Through their relationship, Ari and Dante learn the most important truths about themselves and about the kind of people they want to be. We know Karamo would love this story about vulnerability and personal growth.
3. Antoni— Hungry Hearts edited by Caroline Tung Richmond
On Queer Eye, Antoni definitely believes the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach. Food can take on so many roles in a person’s life—not only is food fuel, it’s a vehicle for communicating emotions and thoughts you can’t articulate with only words.
Hungry Hearts, edited by Caroline Tung Richmond, is a compilation of interconnected short stories about the intersection of family, culture, and food in the lives of teens across a diverse array of race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Antoni would definitely appreciate these stories that show how food can bring people together.
4. Bobby— All That I Can Fix by Crystal Chan
On Queer Eye, Bobby redesigns a person’s apartment, house, or trailer to help them feel comfortable at home and give them the space to be themselves. He understands that where someone lives is truly a reflection of who they are, and he helps show them who they can be by changing their environment in positive and encouraging ways.
In All That I Can Fix, Ronney’s dad is in a constant state of wanting to and fixing up their home throughout the story. It’s clear that the home and identity are directly related in this book and we’re sure Bobby would agree—it begs the question: home is where the heart is, but how can you make the heart feel at home?
5. Tan— Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
Some people say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
On Queer Eye, Tan helps people dress their best in the most flattering ways possible, making sure they look good on the outside so they feel good on the inside, while still maintaining who they are.
For Tan, we think Autoboyography would be a good fit. On the outside, the cover is so beautiful/aesthetically pleasing that one can’t resist picking it up. The inside tells a funny and poignant coming-of-age story about two boys, Tanner and Sebastian, who fall in love while taking a writing class. Through their relationship, they learn about the implications and meanings of religious and familial differences..
When a book that’s beautiful on the outside tells a story that’s just as beautiful on the inside you know you’ve got a winner.