Waiting for the fruit to ripen…

The title says it all. BLs with a healthy power dynamic (mostly, since those are pretty rare), well-developed leads, great storylines, almost no unhealthy and unrealistic characterisations like yandere MLs or MCs with questionable IQs. Some exceptions are there, though; I've added the novels I liked despite them having somewhat yandere character(s).... more>>

I've added all the novels that checked off most of the boxes and noted everything I might have liked/disliked about those novels while reading. 

The rankings on each novel don't really matter (except for the ones at the beginning). Don't forget the ones at the bottom, although they're the ones I personally didn't like much! But you might!  <<less

2023 updated list bio:
variety of genres, including but not limited to: historical, sci-fi, unlimited flow(thriller/horror), xianxia/wuxia/xuanhuan, (e)sports, mystery, psychological, supernatural, slice of life, school life, comedy, transmigration. PLOT HEAVY>>>... more>>

enjoy relatively balanced power dynamics between the two leads - especially in the more enemies to lovers novel e.g. ML insanely obsessive paired with a MC who knows his worth and will beat the sh*t out of ML if he tries anything weird

⚠️ NO MPREG, NO “UWU” MC, NO SEME PROTAGONIST, NO SHITTY TRANSLATION, NO BELOW 4.2 STARS

recs are welcomed!

notw: most reviews r very old and cringe… sorry <<less

Just BL without the stereotypical overbearing, abusive, rapist ML. Naturally they also have to be good reads (though this is subjective) to make this list. ... more>>

If you feel like something should or shouldn't be included in this list, let me know and I'll review the story in question. The books are in no particular order. <<less

all the novels that have a special place in my heart - in no particular order. Keep in mind that I am a very very... more>> picky reader but I often go back and reread these wayyy too many times to be healthy. These are all just gems and must-reads you have to know- there’s angst (hardcore and softcore along with stuff that made me ugly sob with hiccups), there’s downright fluff(some of them literally bleed fluff), there’s some that I read just for the plot( YES PLOT IS A TANGIBLE THING IN MOST OF THESE) and some that are just orgasmically dopamine filled. Disclaimer- like 4-5 of these are pretty hardcore so if you’re uncomfortable with yandere, dubcon, kinda~in*est, bd*m (READ THE TAGS ALWAYS) etc Just take it with a grain of salt but like it’s only a few out of this huge list. I hope you enjoy! <<less

A list with some of the best BL novels you'll find out here on NU.... more>>

 It's a mix of historical, modern, futuristic, interstellar or even apocalyptic novels. My list recommends novels that are rich in romance with a good plot to follow up. Some have more serious plots while others are just there for a hearty laugh or cuteness overload. 

[ Relationships between MC n ML are healthy and equal {we don't stan toxicity under this roof!} ] -expect minimum misunderstandings.

look forward to QT, World hopping, Transmigration, Rebirth, second-chance even body swap... //0w0//

these novels definitely won't disappoint, only please remember to check tags (a must!) and even reviews from other readers...also if a novel is not to your taste please refrain from leaving low ratings *>-<

let's interact thru the comment section! you can suggest some of your fav BL's that are not on the list and ill gladly check them out! Follow my list to be updated every time I add novels to the list (usually a bunch at a time) 

Thankyou! <<less

!PLEASE READ!:    
ORDER: Alphabetical... more>>

Go check @sonialu 's list < Impression? Quality? Worthy? Check. >  To see summaries for these books. 
All types of genres in here (mostly horror, thriller, mystery, Romance) 

Rest assured my dear action fans 

There might be some BL novels included.  A LOT but don't worry there is also BG, GL ... if i can find it

~.~ !   

There is a lot of BL at first, but keep going and you'll see BG and GL ( if i can find it ) <<less

Note: All novels are rated above 4* and you can be rest assured to find some hidden gems here >o^... more>>

Okay, let's be realistic everyone~ ^v^ Human beings are not of the same mold, shape or size hence everyone's bound to have different preferences in some kind of form. Therefore, here I dutifully present to you my collection of novels that have had made the most impression on me and I can only hope that you may find THE ONE from this list.

PS. I personally love good quality reads that has a decent plot line and good character developments, as well as great translation work lest I have to destroy my brain cells haha Xd <<less

Stories that involve idols groups from managing them, a more romance-focused one or being in an idol program! A review will accompany each to give you an idea of what it's about and a tag if it has any cp/romance and what type! List is done randomly as I am trying to remember the ones i've seen!... more>>

Feel free to comment below if I missed out on anything! I'll check it out and add it to my list if it fits! <<less

✩ A list of horror bl novels at your service! ♡ ～('▽^人) ✩

It's always nice to take a break from heavier novels and read something fluffy and light-hearted.  Better yet if it's high quality fluff. So here ya go. This list is also a part of a series classified by genre (because I have too many novel to fit otherwise) ; other lists of this series include Thriller/Action, QT/Modern, and Ancient Setting novels. I tried to include both known and unknown novels to give more diversity to the reading list. ... more>>

So what is my subjective version of a quality BL of this list?

-No/little plot holes 

-Not aggravatingly weak or s*upid MC

-In most cases, a respectful, long legged, hot asf ML

-Makes me smile and blush

-Don't have that many requirements for fluff....because well...it's fluff. It's not supposed to be deep. 

 ****I have also included BL novels that have high expectations from me. The higher the expectations, the higher the stars. Hence, "***, **, *."

PS. Novels I've read are the only ones rated according to number. The rest (unread) are just listed randomly. 

PSS. There are always exceptions on this list that don't fit the requirements (most likely the unread ones). But it's not bad to explore out of your comfort zone. 

PSSS. FME= novel has been added regardless of NU rating because it looks like it has potential or/and the reviews love it. <<less

Various BL novels that I've read so far and my opinions on them. I'll update this later, can't be bothered to remember and search for all the stuff I've read.  I've discovered that I love fluff and prefer healthy relationships so my comments reflect that but not all of the novels I like adhere to that and certainly not all the novels I've read.... more>>

It starts from the stuff I like (the order is based on themes, setting and genre not how much I like them), then goes into classics territory, then into "stuff that were kind of entertaining and okay but definitely not amazing" and then into "okay but kind of boring" and lastly into "I would rather have not wasted my time reading it but the ratings were good so some people may like it" (the ones here were either really bad or were good at first or in someway built expectation only to heavily disappoint). I've recently also added ones that were bad and had bad ratings which speaks for itself. Novels that aren't on NU but are interesting are in the comments.

I've removed most of the novels that were categorized as smut from this list but some of the yaoi (and also some of the shounen ai) stuff may still have some explicit scenes. 

Also, I really hate lecturing and virtue signaling in novels but I forgot to add comments for that and now I don't remember which ones were like that. If I remember I'll add that to my comments. <<less

Fake Identity / Fake Relationship / Misunderstood Strength / etc..... more>>

(If you have more please recommend) <<less

Being an idol/actor/superstar is hard work on its own, never mind the impending threat of death hanging over your head if you don't succeed in being the best. Follow our MCs as they go through the trials of failures and successes to achieve to be the greatest of their (somewhat forcibly) chosen careers. ... more>>

Includes: Romantic subplot - NO ROMANCE - BxG - BxB

*GOING THROUGH MY SHOWBIZ PHASE AGAIN HELP-

**Also just read the MTLs for these Novels if their translations are unavailable or slow** <<less

A series of BL novels with varying plots and subgenres! Fluff, unlimited flow, xianxia, historical, quick transmigration, transmigration, supernatural, slow romance, comedy, mature (in terms of thinking and actions), etc. ... more>>

Minimal amount of angst and dogblood (if there's even any) (￣▽￣* )ゞ

Edit: I may have taken a bit of a liking towards angst nowadays... only a little. ( ˘︹˘ )

BL's I REALLY LIKE based on my own preference, and *coughs* I don't like s*upid MC's (*￣▽￣*)

Personally, I like MC's and ML's to have equal footing in terms of their overall personality, I don't like delicate shou tropes that much. 

And in my own, very subjective opinion, these novels have really good plots, or at least most of their logic is in the bounds of normal human logic. 

Note: Novels are not sorted according to rank, just depends on what I remembered first _(:3」∠)_ <<less

im tired of all the wuxia and xianxia (not you tgcf, ily) lists, if nobody's going to account for my niche thEN I WILL BAKE MY CAKE AND E A T IT.... more>>

notes: 

• yeah that's right, I'm going to give you Funky Commentary ft. Questionable Opinions for the entirety of this rec list

• i try really hard to organise this from most to least read but ngl, that's really hard to do with executive dysfunction (also honestly I love nearly ALL the novels in this list haha *eyes EIC*)

• ngl i have a certain bias towards horror comedy so if you're here for the really f*cked up sh*t You Will Be Slightly Disappointed,, onlyalil (starting to realise my thirst for horror bl is making this just look like the search results when you tag horror and shounen ai SKFHSDJ)

• no hate for wuxia and xianxia lovers btw, ive just exhausted all my care in trying to find SOMEONE who understands my inherent Need to see more horror bl <<less

Our motto here is "scare the ghosts and troll the folks." ... more>>

Yaoi/Shounen-ai novels within the horror genre but with comedic spice. Works well to acclimating yourself in reading horror during night/dawn when the mc's and ml's help you go through with it lmao. Really changed my outlook on the whole horror genre. <<less

List of novels that focused on the daily life and the struggles of male idols. ... more>>

1-31 No Romance
32-55 BL
56-63 BG

For female idol novels: https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/87891  <<less

*3-5 STAR RATINGS ONLY, MOSTLY 4 THO* *ALL GENRES*... more>>

- This list includes novels with these 2 tags, whether the MC is the one in the spotlight or whether they are in the background as long as one of these tags is present I will add them. Recommendations are welcome!
-------------------------------------------------

 KR novels: 1 - 16

CN novels: 17 - 58

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[DESCRIPTION] –The description of the novel.

[ROMANCE] - Indicates if there is romance in the story or not. For me personally, I always base the novels that I read if it has good romance, since in some instances the romance completely ruins the story for me and sadly makes me drop the novel. In addition this helps categorizing what kind of romance genre it is, i.e yaoi, yuri, straight, shounen ai.

 [STATUS IN Country Of Origin] – Indicates the status of the novel whether it is completed or still ongoing, as well as a to compare it to the tl status.

[TL STATUS] - Indicates how far the translation team/person are. I added this in for I was sick and tired of sorting the story status to completed, finding a story that piqued my interest, then finding out it the tl chapters available aren't finished yet, really puts a frown on my face :( #stopthetranslationrickroll

To note I may be a bit late in updating the tl statuses as this list has many novels and I simply can't keep track of all of them. 

Recent update to the tl status was on: 07/9/23 <<less

Just masterpieces I’ve gathered up. Mostly non toxic relationship, decent characters, and good storyline. It won’t feel like you’re wasting your time reading it.

99% BL, with one BG that I found had an interesting premise. I'm highly anticipating all of these~ Praying for them to finish soon! I've recorded the chapters out currently, and the approximate date of completion! Will remove a little while after it's completed.... more>>

 Also, for any translators looking to pick something up~~ the ones at the very top (I include it in my note too) are ones that have yet to be picked up for a long period of time.

---xxx---

Note: I've updated the ones on the second page, but when I submitted it some of the info disappeared T^T too lazy to redo it right away, so I'll do it when I have time again... hopefully it won't delete! <<less

Entertainment/Showbiz Novels... more>>

Mostly BL. Mostly completed.

(few bxg on 2nd page ; will be moving due to reaching maximum number of novels added)

From quite good novels to novels that you can't missed.

(Not sorted by rank)

Updating... <<less

[work in progress, no particular order]

bl stories i hated or dropped, mostly because they were too long for me or had unhealthy relationships. Or were just way too boring... more>>

i’ll only write ”dropped it” if i don’t even remember the story anymore <<less

List to help readers find new promising and refreshing novels! ... more>>

Promoting novels with 30 and fewer chapters & ratings > 4.0 

b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b <<less