As much as we love young adult fiction, there's definitely a lack of diversity in the genre. Campaigns such as We Need Diverse Books — which celebrates its one-year anniversary this month — is helping fill the gap, by promoting fiction that contains an assortment of cultures and backgrounds, characters with disabilities and LGBTQ-tethered plots. The effort is paying off; themes of sexuality, as well the number of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer characters in YA novels, have been on the rise.

April saw the release of two of 2015's most anticipated books about teen sexuality: Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (April 7), which centers around a closeted gay teen, and I.W. Gregorio's None of the Above (April 7), which delves into the struggles of intersexuality.

There's still a long way to go until diversity is the norm on bookshelves. But we rounded up 10 new YA books due this year that explore sexuality and identity in impressive and compelling ways. Get ready for a lot of love triangles!

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    'Anything Could Happen' by Will Walton

    Release date: May 26, 2015

    Anything Could Happen is a small-town unrequited love story, but instead of starring the town's cheerleader and a dorky guy, or worse, the nerdy girl and the star quarterback — which, OK, can still be pretty good, especially in film version a la A Cinderella Story — the plot takes place between two best friends, Tretch and Matt. Unfortunately for Tretch, Matt has no idea of his best friend's feelings. Or anyone else for that matter, in the kind of small town where a secret can be spread in an afternoon.

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    'Vanished' by E.E. Cooper

    Release date: May 12, 2015

    Marketed to fans of Pretty Little Liars, this book is perfect for Emison 'shippers. (And if you don't know what that means, read PLL immediately.) Kalah has fallen for Beth Taylor, who disappears on her 18th birthday, leaving behind a swirl of rumors and theories as to what happened. One such theory connects her with her best friend Britney's boyfriend. After Britney's death, Beth reaches out to Kalah, but Kalah doesn't know if she should trust her heart or her head. The interesting thing about this psychological thriller is that the main character's sexuality isn't the most important part. It's just another piece of the puzzle.

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    'More Happy Than Not' by Adam Silvera

    Release date: June 2, 2015

    This debut ought to be at the top of your TBR pile. Book Riot compared it to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, one of the most thought-provoking films of this century, and this YA counterpart does not stray from that sentiment. It follows a lower-class boy from the Bronx who wants to erase the stack of bad memories he's collected. When he meets the boy he wants to love, he decides he has to erase him, too, to bring him back to his former self — the self that was into girls. This sad and unique novel is earnest in its execution and is a perfect example of what we need more of in young adult literature.

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    'Skyscraping' by Cordelia Jensen

    Release date: June 2, 2015

    Instead of the main character dealing with their sexuality, Jensen's novel has its main character dealing with her father's sexuality and what that means for the relationship they've shared her entire life. When Mira discovers her father is gay, she's shocked and feels as though she never really knew him, but all of that is quickly overshadowed when she discovers he is also battling HIV. This novel delves into something that many people experience, but isn't as accessible in this genre. While its identity struggle is a bit different from the others, it still brings a huge importance to acceptance.

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    'You and Me and Him' by Kris Dinnison

    Release date: July 7, 2015

    This book is everything that is wonderful about this genre. The two main characters are Maggie and Nash, who together cover a bunch of the characteristics missing in YA but are oh-so-abundant in real life. Maggie is overweight and Nash is gay, and their best friendship is perfect until they both have feelings for the same guy. This new version of an old story is realer than real and makes for a perfect summer read.

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    'About a Girl' By Sarah McCarry

    Release date: July 14, 2015

    This book has it all: trans, bi and lesbian characters — and from various nationalities to boot, not to mention its kickass feminist lead Tally, the adopted and wildly driven astronomy nut (women in science, rejoice!). Seriously, is there any reason you shouldn't pick up this book? Probably not, because at its center is a serious identity-related mystery and a love story that totally crushes it.

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    'Fans of the Impossible Life' by Kate Scelsa

    Release date: September 8, 2015

    If this tagline doesn't draw you in, nothing will: "This is the story of a girl, her gay best friend, and the boy in love with both of them."

    Perfect, right? Here's a breakdown of the main cast: Mira struggles with depression and is attempting to start over at a new prep school. Sebby is her gay foster kid BFF. Jeremy is a super shy artist who'd prefer to be left alone, but finds himself drawn to both Mira and Sebby. What you get is a heartfelt debut that shows there are more ways than one to love.

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    'Cut Both Ways' by Carrie Mesrobian

    Release date: September 1, 2015

    The biggest theme in Cut Both Ways is sexual identity, as with many of the other books on this list. Will struggles with whether he likes his girlfriend Brandy, or his best friend Angus who he keeps hooking up with after a drunken night sets off a spark between the two. Aside from going back and forth between Angus and Brandy, Will also finds himself bouncing between his divorced parents as he not only struggles with who he is, but also with finding a place he can call home. That's about as real as it gets, folks.

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    'What We Left Behind' by Robin Talley

    Release date: October 27, 2015

    This is so true it might as well be a statistic: You either break up with your SO post-high school graduation, right before college starts, or if you start college still in your relationship, it generally doesn't last very long. There are always exceptions to this rule, but in What We Left Behind, we see two people struggling to be that exception. It follows Gretchen, who identifies as a lesbian, and her girlfriend Toni, who is genderqueer — at least until her first year of college. This book is a huge will-they won't-they tale, as all relationships are.

  • St. Martin's Press
    St. Martin's Press
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    'Carry On' by Rainbow Rowell

    Release date: October 6, 2015

    This is probably the most anticipated novel on this list. Carry On is based off of the Harry Potter–inspired fan fiction that takes place inside of Rowell's 2013 novel Fangirl called Carry On, Simon. So meta! This sort of spin-off will be a Simon and Baz love story (Picture Harry and Draco cozying up together) with monsters, and all that fun stuff. So, you should definitely pick up a copy of Fangirl to prepare for this hugely important release. You won't regret it.

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