“How can it be that I started the week in glitter and ended in blood?”
Looking for the best books like Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes? This reimaging of Back to the Future blends humour and crucial social commentary to make a YA tale that is fresh, funny and big-hearted. The story follows Luis Gonzalez, who only wants to be allowed to attend with his boyfriend. But, after what happened with Chaz Wilson years prior, it’s something his high school has never permitted. When a knock on the head whisks him back to 1985, and into the path of the doomed Chaz, Luis concocts a plan. However, for it to work, he will have to navigate the conservative climate of the ‘80s and a campus run by homophobes. If you loved Spin Me Right Round, join us at What We Reading for our pick of the best young adult reads that feature time-bending adventure, wickedly funny tones and powerful explorations of identity!
Yesterday Is History – Kosoko Jackson
First up on our list of books like Spin Me Right Round is Kosoko Jackson’s 2021 young adult read, Yesterday Is History. Following a much-needed liver transplant, Andre Cobb falls asleep, braced for his life to finally begin. That is until he wakes up and finds himself in 1969 and in the orbit of a magnetic boy named Michael. But, as quickly as he arrives, he is taken back to Boston in the present day, where the family of his organ donor is waiting to tell him that his new organ comes with the ability to time travel.
The family have tasked their youngest son, Blake, to help Andre make sense of and use this unexpected new gift. Andre proceeds to spend his time bouncing from Michael in the past to Blake in the present. Torn between the two boys, Andre must figure out where he belongs and who he wants to be. Before the consequences of jumping through time catch up with him and change his future permanently.
Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens (Creekwood #1) – Becky Albertalli
Sixteen-year-old and closest gay Simon Spier prefers to keep his drama on-stage and the school musical. But, when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is in danger of being thrust out into the spotlight. Simon finds himself as the helpless victim of blackmail, forced to play wingman for class clown Martin. If he doesn’t, not only will his own sexual identity be revealed, but so will the identity of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing.
With the emails he’s sharing with Blue only growing more flirtatious and the dynamics in his once-close group of friends becoming more strained, Simon’s junior year soon becomes more complicated than he ever wanted. Following Simon as he navigates the pitfalls of high school and his own identity, Becky Albertalli’s Creekwood series is the perfect follow-up for anyone who loved Spin Me Right Round.
One Last Stop – Casey McQuiston
Nominated for Best Romance in the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards, twenty-three-year-old August believed that moving to New York City would prove that things like magic and love stories don’t really exist. But, then she meets the gorgeous girl on the train named Jane.
Dazzling, charming, mysterious and impossible, Jane soon becomes the highlight of August’s day. The only problem? Jane’s distinctive punk rocker look isn’t just a look. She has literally been displaced in time from the 1970s. And August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave behind in her own past if she wants to help her. Similar to Spin Me Right Round, Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a big-hearted LGBTQ+ time-travelling romance adventure.
If I See You Again Tomorrow – Robbie Couch
Another one of the best queer time travel books similar to Spin Me Right Round comes from Robbie Couch in If I See You Again Tomorrow. Clark has woken up and relived the same monotonous Monday 309 times in a row. But, to his astonishment, Day 310 turns out to be different to the others. Suddenly, the same tortuous maths class is interrupted by a boy he has never seen before.
The usually shy and reserved Clark decides to step out of his comfort zone and join the enigmatic Beau on a series of ‘errands’ across Chicago. He doesn’t expect anything to change. And he certainly doesn’t imagine himself falling quite so hard or so fast for someone in just one day. After all, how do you build a future with someone if you can never reach tomorrow?
The Bridge – Bill Konigsberg
Aaron and Tillie don’t know each other. But, they are both feeling ready to end it all and arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, intending to jump. Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and isolation. Tillie isn’t so sure what her problems are – but she knows that she will never be good enough.
Bill Konigsberg’s 2020 book The Bridge is a thought-provoking novel similar to Spin Me Right Round that explores alternate realities involving two queer teens. Complex, emotional and powerful in its message, it is ultimately a hopeful homage to the power of staying on one more day.
Jay’s Gay Agenda – Jason June
Jay Collier is the only out gay kid in his small rural Washington town. Whilst all of his friends are busy talking about their hookups and relationships, Jay can only dream of his own firsts. He draws up a romantic to-do list of all the things he wants to experience one day and names it his Gay Agenda.
Then, against all odds, his family move to Seattle and Jay finds himself in the midst of a high school with a thriving LGBTQ+ community. Finally feeling like he is somewhere he belongs, he embarks on ticking off as many things from his list as he can. Yet, the more items he crosses off, the more he finds himself torn between his heart and his hormones, between old friends and new, as well as life and love.
The Gravity Of Us (The Gravity Of Us #1) – Phil Stamper
Another Goodreads-nominated young adult romance story similar to Spin Me Right Round, Phil Stamper’s The Gravity of Us introduces readers to seventeen-year-old Cal. When Cal’s pilot father is selected for a NASA mission to Mars, he and his family relocate to Houston and the centre of an intense media circus.
Amongst the chaos, Cal encounters another ‘astrokid’, the sensitive and mysterious Leon, and soon finds himself falling head over heels for him. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so too does their connection. But when the secrets about the program are brought to light, Cal must find a way of revealing the truth, without hurting the ones he loves the most. Like Valdes’ story, The Gravity of Us captures the thrill of first love and the self-doubt all teenagers feel.
This Is Kind Of An Epic Love Story – Kacen Callender
Nathan Bird doesn’t believe in happy endings. He might be the ultimate film buff and a gifted aspiring screenwriter, but Nate’s dismal relationship record means he no longer thinks happy endings are obtainable in the real world.
Ever since his father died and his mother began to unravel, Nate has been content playing things safe. Nevertheless, his best friend Florence is dead set on ensuring he finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com worthy, such a someone emerges in the form of Oliver James Hernandez, his childhood best friend. Nate finally has the opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and tell Ollie the truth about his feelings. But will he be able to find the courage to pursue a happily ever after of his own? Like Spin Me Right Round, Kacen Callender’s This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story is an LGBTQ+ romance tale following a queer Black teen negotiating love, friendship and family.
Check Out These Epic Time Travel Books
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
