Books like 'To Catch a Firefly'
Readers who enjoyed To Catch a Firefly by Emmy Sanders also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary gay romance young adult neurodivergent friends to lovers small town sweet-hero virgin hero queer height-difference
-
Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan
Normal is just a setting on the dryer. High school graduate Jeremey Samson is looking forward to burying his head under the covers and sleeping until it’s time to leave for college. Then a tornado named Emmet Washington enters his life. The double major in math and computer science is handsome, forward, wicked smart, interested in dating Jeremey—and he’s autistic...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort new adult friends to lovers neurodivergent angst shy-hero queer found-family -
Given, Vol. 5 by Natsuki Kizu, キヅナツキ
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsLove of music unites the four members of the band Given: hotheaded guitarist Uenoyama, playboy drummer Akihiko, gentle bassist Haruki, and Mafuyu, a singer gifted with great talent and burdened by past tragedy. Their struggles and conflicts may drive them apart, but their bond to the music—and to each other—always brings them back together again... -
19 Days by Old Xian
The cute and funny adventures of a boy and his best friend. Also contains insert art of the characters by the mangaka... -
The Art of Breathing by T.J. Klune
Tyson Thompson graduated high school at sixteen and left the town of Seafare, Oregon, bound for what he assumed would be bigger and better things. He soon found out the real world has teeth, and he returns to the coast with four years of failure, addiction, and a diagnosis of panic disorder trailing behind him...Categorized as:
second chances friends to lovers college angst height-difference queer found-family queer-awakening -
-
Given, Vol. 5 by Natsuki Kizu
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe final round of the music festival tryout is about to begin, but that’s not the only source of tension in the band. Mafuyu, who’s been spending a lot of time at Ugetsu and Akihiko’s place, learns about the complicated history between the two and realizes that Haruki’s heartbreak is part of that romantic tangle... -
Our Dining Table by Mita Ori
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsBoys’ Love Cooked To PerfectionEating around other people is a struggle for salaryman Yutaka, despite his talent for cooking... -
Romeo Falling by Jesse H. Reign
What happens when he’s your Romeo…but you’re no Juliet? Romeo and I were friends long before we were lovers. Best friends. Ride or die. What started as an innocent kiss slowly unraveled and shattered, giving way to years of tears and total obsession.Now I’m back in the small town I call home, staring straight into the face of the only man I’ve ever loved…or hated...Categorized as:
friends to lovers hurt-comfort angst queer-awakening queer second chances other-man-woman new adult -
Given, Vol. 4 by Natsuki Kizu
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAs the band focuses on creating new songs and preparing for a music festival tryout, Haruki grows more and more intimidated by the talents of younger members Mafuyu and Uenoyama. Worried that he’s holding them back, he accepts his ex-girlfriend’s request to play in her band...Categorized as:
queer high-school friends to lovers angst queer-awakening sweet-hero contemporary young adult -
My Love Mix-Up!, Vol. 8 by Wataru Hinekure, Aruko
Aoki is dating Ida, a boy in his class. At the end of summer break, Aoki and Ida go watch a fireworks show...Categorized as:
queer high-school queer-awakening shy-hero sunny hero contemporary young adult humor -
My Love Mix-Up!, Vol. 6 by Wataru Hinekure, Aruko
Aoki is dating Ida, a boy in his class. In order to buy Ida a birthday present, Aoki started working part-time, but now it seems Ida doesn’t want Aoki to spend his hard-earned money on him...Categorized as:
queer high-school friends to lovers shy-hero sunny hero contemporary young adult humor -
Check, Please!: Year Four by Ngozi Ukazu
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 14 ratings...Categorized as:
queer found-family friends to lovers new adult sports contemporary hockey young adult -
Pioneer Summer by Katerina Sylvanova, Elena Malisova
This star-crossed gay romance is a #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that made international news and catalyzed one of Russia’s largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ representation The banned gay romance that took Russia by storm . . . In the waning days of the Soviet Union, two teenage boys find each other at Pioneer Camp, a patriotic summer program similar to the Boy Scouts...Categorized as:
queer new adult queer-awakening slow burn shy-hero sunny hero sweet-hero virgin hero -
佐々木と宮野 1 [Sasaki to Miyano 1] by Shou Harusono, 春園ショウ
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsBL展開断固拒否な"男子高生の日常"(Boys Life)コミック!!pixivコミック週間ランキング、女性向け1位獲得!! 女顔がコンプレックスな腐男子の宮野は、校内で起きた喧嘩をきっかけに、先輩で不良の佐々木に気に入られてしまい――。BL展開断固拒否!な男子高生の日常(Boys...Categorized as:
queer high-school friends to lovers contemporary young adult m-m humor length-novella -
Restart After Coming Back Home by Cocomi
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsHotheaded Kozuka Mitsuomi left his home in the country for a sophisticated life in Tokyo. Unfortunately, at age 25, he’s fired from his job and returns home in disgrace. As he tries to rediscover himself, he meets Kumai Yamato, a man about his age who was adopted into his community while Mitsuomi was away... -
-
Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsAristotle and Dante meets The Hate U Give meets The Sun Is Also A Star: A stunning YA contemporary love story about a Mexican-American teen who falls in love with an undocumented Mexican boy. Finding home. Falling in love. Fighting to belong. The Santos Vista neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, is all Ander Lopez has ever known. The smell of pan dulce... -
I Cannot Reach You, Vol. 3 by Mika .
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsI want to know, but... ...if I ask, there's no way we can go back. Childhood best friends. Two halves of a whole. Yamato and Kakeru. After spotting what seemed to be a romantic encounter between Kakeru and Akane, Yamato's jealousy overflowed-and the rift between them grew even deeper... -
My Love Mix-Up!, Vol. 4 by Wataru Hinekure
Aoki confesses his feelings to Ida and prepares for rejection, but in an unexpected turn of events, Ida asks him if they should try dating...Categorized as:
high-school queer queer-awakening shy-hero sunny hero young adult contemporary humor -
Cherry Blossoms After Winter #1 - Boys Love Comic by Bamwoo, 밤우
<마지막 좀비> 밤우 작가의 청춘 BL!한 지붕아래에서 사는 것도 모자라같은반 동급생까지...?!부모님이 돌아가신 후, 태성의 집에얹혀살게 된 해봄은 고3이 되면서태성과 같은 반이 된 상황이 난처하기만 하다.24시간동안 함께 생활하면서부터태성과 해봄의 사이는 점차 변해가는데…Ever since his parents passed away, Haebom has been living in Taesung’s house. And now, being a 12th grader, he enters the same class as Taesung, which makes the whole situation way more awkward...Categorized as:
queer friends to lovers high-school contemporary m-m young adult length-medium glimpses-kisses -
Gives Light by Rose Christo
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 33 ratings"Skylar is my name, tragically." Sixteen-year-old Skylar is witty, empathetic, sensitive--and mute. Skylar hasn't uttered a single word since his mother died eleven years ago, a senseless tragedy he's grateful he doesn't have to talk about... -
Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Vol. 2 by Bamwoo
Ora che Taesung e Haebom trascorrono sempre più tempo insieme non possono più negare i sentimenti che provano l'uno per l'altro. Durante i festeggiamenti per il compleanno di Taesung, i due si scambiano il primo bacio... -
I Hear the Sunspot, Vol. 1 by Yuki Fumino
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsBecause of a hearing disability, Kohei is often misunderstood and has trouble integrating into life on campus, so he learns to keep his distance. That is until he meets the outspoken and cheerful Taichi. He tells Kohei that his hearing loss is not his fault. Taichi's words cut through Kohei's usual defense mechanisms and open his heart... -
The Youth & Young Loves of Oliver Wade by Ben Monopoli
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA novel in stories, by the author of "The Cranberry Hush"At the heart of these twelve interconnected stories is Ollie Wade, a gay guy navigating life and love from age 13 to 28.At a middle-school dance, a boy keeps a secret from his date; on a subway platform, he realizes a young green-eyed stranger has the same secret... -
A Tremendous Amount of Normal by Chase Connor
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsNoah is normal. He’s full of normal. His older brother Will tells everyone all of the time. Even if they don’t believe him. Noah doesn’t understand why kids in school call him a “retard." He’s not intellectually disabled. In fact, he’s very smart. But a lot of people call Will a fag—so maybe it’s kind of like that. Neurotypical people don’t always make sense...Categorized as:
queer new adult friends to lovers found-family m-m young adult contemporary length-medium -
You Are Not Me by Leta Blake
Follow Peter into the summer following his senior year to face new beginnings, new friends, and old baggage. After a tumultuous final year of high school, Peter Mandel needs a break. It's the summer of 1991, and his secret relationship with his ‘best friend’ Adam Algedi is put on hold as Adam goes away to Italy for the summer... -
-
I Cannot Reach You, Vol. 4 by Mika .
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsChildhood best friends. Two halves of a whole. Yamato and Kakeru. A romantic sunset in Arashiyama and a sudden downpour lead to...Kakeru’s first kiss?! But much to Kakeru’s dismay, Yamato’s fever kiss was just that. With no memory of what happened, Yamato is acting like nothing changed between them—even though everything did... -
Shelter the Sea by Heidi Cullinan
Some heroes wear capes. Some prefer sensory sacks. Emmet Washington has never let the world define him, even though he, his boyfriend, Jeremey, and his friends aren’t considered “real” adults because of their disabilities... -
Know Not Why (Know Not Why) by Hannah Johnson
Howie gets a job at Artie Kraft's Arts 'N Crafts hoping to score with his lady coworkers. After all, girls love a sensitive guy, and what's more sensitive than dedicating your life to selling yarn and ... stuff? (Okay, so maybe it'd be a good idea to actually learn what one sells at an arts 'n crafts store.) But things don't go exactly according to plan...Categorized as:
friends to lovers slow burn college new adult queer queer-awakening contemporary from hate to love -
I Cannot Reach You, Vol. 6 by Mika .
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTime rewinds to Kakeru and Yamato’s elementary school days, when they first met each other. While their personalities are near-exact opposites, they grow closer with each day they spend together. Soon, Kakeru learns more about Yamato—that his father fell into a coma after an accident, and even about a certain secret that he’s hiding.. -
Cherry Blossoms After Winter: Volume 1 by Bamwoo
Despite growing up together, these childhood friends have grown apart. The fan-favorite boys’ love manhwa turned K-drama comes to print for the first time.Seo Haebom was seven years old when his parents died in an accident. With nowhere else to go, he moves in with the family of his childhood friend Jo Taesung, who suddenly grows cold and distant, destroying their friendship... -
I Cannot Reach You, Vol. 2 by Mika .
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIf I asked you... ...would it change the way we are now...?Childhood best friends. Two halves of a whole. Yamato and Kakeru. Since he believed that the handsome, popular Yamato would never feel the same way, Kakeru was stunned when Yamato admitted he would be upset if Kakeru got a girlfriend... -
Dekoboko Bittersweet Days by Atsuko Yusen
Tiny and adorable when they first met, Rui—still just as adorable—now looms over his boyfriend, Yuujirou. Though they were little more than best friends at first, the confusion over their true feelings for one another smoldered until they confessed...Categorized as:
friends to lovers angst queer contemporary m-m young adult length-medium explicit-open-door -
Jackass! by Scarlet Beriko
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsWhen the panty hose go on, all bets are off between these best guy friends!Practical Keisuke’s incredibly handsome best friend Masayuki has always rubbed him just a little bit the wrong way... -
Henry Hamlet's Heart by Rhiannon Wilde
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThis smart and charming queer YA rom-com about falling for your best friend will win the hearts of fans of Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli.Henry Hamlet doesn’t know what he wants after school ends. It’s his last semester of high school, and all he’s sure of is his uncanny ability to make situations awkward. Luckily, he can always hide behind his enigmatic best friend, Len... -
Dream of a Waking Man by John Goode
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsWith high school long behind them, Kyle Stilleno and Brad Graymark are sharing a life, together, content, but happy?Kyle seems to have given up that spark that made him who he was and Brad is worried it may never come back. When an email from a gay teen asks Kyle for help, he has to choose between his comfortable life of sleeping his life away, or waking up and doing something about it... -
-
Perfectly Us by Jaclyn Osborn
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne summer. Two hearts forever changed.Alex is magnetic. His vibrant personality and easy smiles draw people toward him. No one would guess he’s secretly hurting.Shiloh is quiet. His social awkwardness and anxious mind make it hard for him to make connections. He’s always felt different. A little broken.When these two meet, they recognize something in each other...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers queer m-m contemporary young adult length-short audiobook -
The Music of the Spheres by Chase Potter
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn athlete and introvert from a family touched by loss, Ryan Mattson splits his life between reading and spending time with his dad and precocious younger sister. With the wounds of Ryan’s past almost healed, high school is simple, and so is everything else. But that changes when he’s paired with Adam for a class project...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult queer queer-awakening m-m young adult contemporary length-short -
The Case-Book of Holloway Holmes (The Adventures of Holloway Holmes) by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEven great detectives have their off days. The Case-Book of Holloway Holmes is a collection of short stories from The Adventures of Holloway Holmes. In “The Adventure of the First Day” Jack and Holmes settle in at their new school. This story is set before The Strangest Forms.In “The Adventure of the New Friend” Jack and Holmes discover the highs and lows of friendship...Categorized as:
queer high-school friends to lovers found-family mystery m-m contemporary young adult -
When I Grow Up by John Goode
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAfter graduation, Kyle Stilleno and Brad Graymark move to California to pursue their dreams. But high school sweethearts are called that for a reason, and their love rarely stands up to the test of time. As money, school, sex, and jealousy test their relationship to the breaking point, Kyle and Brad fight to hold on to the love that brought them together... -
fawn by Nash Summers
Heaven is rays of sunlight dancing slowly on wheat stalks. It's wind twirling itself around chimes hung from low tree branches, and robust bursts of scent and color, far beyond anything describable with words. Heaven is a flightless crow, a promise of forever tied to a necklace, and hidden love letters tucked away safely inside a tree...Categorized as:
angst new adult small town second chances friends to lovers slow burn queer queer-awakening -
Snow Boys by Simon Doyle
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDean O’Donnell is a wallflower with a secret and a voice that could steal the show. Preferring to blend into the background at his high school, his world tilts on its axis when he is chosen for a major solo in the upcoming Christmas choir performance. His quiet life is further disturbed when he receives a Secret Santa gift, and an unexpected friendship forms... -
The Island by Briar Prescott
My heart is in his hands, and he doesn’t even know it.Adrian Elias Olsen crashed into my world like a wrecking ball—adventurous, carefree, and impossible to resist. He gave me a home, a family, and a place to belong.Somewhere along the way, I gave him my heart... And now it’s too late to take it back.I crave, and I yearn, and I ache, and I want.Always.All the time.And he doesn’t have a clue... -
I Cannot Reach You, Vol. 5 by Mika .
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsYamato and Kakeru. Childhood best friends, complete opposites, wholly in love with each other. After Yamato’s confession, Kakeru resolved to face his feelings—once and for all! More aware of Yamato than ever, Kakeru agonizes over his true desires, the pair somehow end up on a Christmas date... -
Sasaki and Miyano Official Comic Anthology by Shou Harusono
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThere’s never a dull moment when the life of a boys’ love fanboy turns into one! From encounters with cats to bookstore trips and every sweet moment in between, enjoy this anthology featuring stories exploring Sasaki’s and Miyano’s relationship together―including three original stories by series creator, Shou...Categorized as:
queer high-school friends to lovers contemporary m-m young adult age difference length-short -
Cinderella Boy by Kristina Meister
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBeing perfect isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sixteen-year-old Declan is the perfect son . . . except for one tiny issue. When his sister Delia comes home to find him trying on her clothes, he fears her judgment, but she only fears his fashion choices...Categorized as:
queer high-school friends to lovers angst young adult contemporary m-m length-medium -
-
Shut Your Face, Anthony Pace! by Claire Davis, Al Stewart
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFirst love - coming of age - family - acceptance When Charlie was eight years old, his mum bought him a microscope for his birthday. Since then, he's known how he wants to spend his life. There have been trials, and challenges, but now - finally - the day is here for him to start college with his lifelong friend Anthony Pace. Anthony is a red-haired force of nature... -
The Long Way by DomLuka
Note: Book cover incorrectly titled.After tragedy strikes at home and he loses a special friend, is betrayed by someone he trusts and his father discovers he's gay, Owen Dovan moves in with the brothers he hasn't seen in two years. Even in a loving environment things aren't always easy...Categorized as:
queer high-school hurt-comfort angst m-m young adult contemporary explicit-plentiful -
The History of Us by Nyrae Dawn
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsSometimes it's not about coming out, it's about settling in.Eighteen-year-old Bradley Collins came out a year ago and hasn't looked back since. Who cares if he doesn’t know any other gay people? Bradley has friends and basketball—that’s all he needs. Even if that means always sitting on the sidelines when the guys go out looking for girls... -
Volatile by Avylinn Winter
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBook 1 in the Treacherous Chemistry series Like a depressed moth drawn to a wild flame, Chris hoped that flame would brighten his life, not burn him alive. Chris Sinclair fades into a gray world after losing his mother to cancer. When forced to attend a concert, as a last attempt to coax him out of his shell, he discovers that life might not be as bleak as he first thought... -
String Boys by Amy Lane
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeth Arnold learned at an early age that two things in life could make his soul soar—his violin and Kelly Cruz. In Seth’s uncertain childhood, the kindness of the Cruz family, especially Kelly and his brother, Matty, gave Seth the stability to make his violin sing with the purest sound and opened a world of possibility beyond his home in Sacramento... -
Sheets by Sareyen
[BxB] Waking up next to someone after having a little too much to drink was no new, riveting story in this day and age. Waking up next to another boy, when you were also a boy, was a little more interesting, but still nothing to write home about. But waking up in Nico Beckett's sheets?To Wesley, it was a nightmare come to life...
Find out more about romance.io.
Get recommendations by genres & tropes
Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.

