Happy new book Tuesday! And happy August! Or, if you’re feeling ambivalent about August, then here we have something to actually get excited about: New queer books! So many of them! It has been a splendid summer for queer and trans book releases, and August is no exception. There’s a lot of great sounding new queer horror coming our way this month, so if you’re looking to celebrate spooky season a bit early, you’re in luck! There’s something for everyone’s shelves on the list below, which starts with our top anticipated picks for the month before moving into the rest of the slate. As a reminder, if you use the links below to shop via Bookshop.org, you’re supporting both independent bookstores and also us!

Have something you want to shout out that didn’t make the cut? Drop it in the comments!

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Autostraddle’s 11 Top Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books for August 2025

Ghost Fish, by Stuart Pennebaker (August 5, Literary Fiction)

Protagonist Alison is grieving the tragic death of her younger sister, who drowned at sea. She moves from Key West to NYC’s Lower East Side and tries to scrape by as a hostess at a restaurant. She becomes convinced her sister has returned in the form of a ghost fish. The publisher provides Sweetbitter and my beloved Our Wives Under the Sea, but I’m picking up on notes of We Were the Universe. I love sister grief novels, especially when they’re queer.

Black Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin (August 5, Horror)

Felker-Martin is BACK with more queer horror sure to sink into your skin. When an exploitation film thought to be destroyed by Nazi fire resurfaces 50 years later, lonely and closeted archivist Ellen Kramer starts restoring it, awakening dark desires inside her. Felker-Martin’s Manhunt and Cuckoo are both incredible queer horror novels, and we can expect another one here!

Extinction Capital of the World: Stories, by Mariah Rigg (August 5, Short Stories)

Mariah Rigg’s debut collection humors and haunts in its gorgeous exploration of Hawai’i. From the deep and violent impacts of imperialism to young queer love to breakups, daddy issues, and eco-horror, like any good short fiction collection, this one will take you on a complex journey of emotions and curiosities. I’ve been looking forward to this one’s release for a long time.

Trying: A Memoir, by Chloe Caldwell (August 5, Memoir)

From the author of the beloved cult queer novella Women comes a new memoir about infertility, queer desire, and real-time self-discovery. You can read about how fertility treatments got Caldwell back in touch with her queerness in this essay we published in 2022.

Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Writers of Color, edited by Denne Michele Norris and Electric Literature (August 12, Essay Collection)

Oh I’m so thrilled for this book! It features some names you likely know and love, including Autumn Fourkiller, Akwaeke Emezi, Raquel Willis, Tanaïs, A.L. Major, and more! The connective tissue of the anthology is right there in the title, as the novel explores all the kaleidescopic ways of moving through the world as a trans or gender nonconforming person of color.

The Midnight Shift, by Seon-Ran Cheon, translated by Gene Png (August 12, Horror)

A Korean queer horror novel about vampires?! Oh I’m so in. Su-Yeon begins investigating a series of mysterious and violent deaths at the same hospital and encounters a mysterious woman named Violette at the latest crime scene. Violette is a vampire hunter looking for her ex Lily. I saw A Certain Hunger in the comp titles, and I ride hard for that novel.

The New Lesbian Pulp, by Sarah Fonseca and Octavia Saenz (August 12, Fiction Anthology)

“Lesbian pulp” may conjure book covers of the past, but Fonseca and Saenz have revived the genre for the modern sapphic reader with this anthology collection of work from the likes of Sarah Schulman, Grace Byron, Shamim Sharif, Lorraine Hansberry, and more. It’s pulp for the modern day, and it’s edgy, sexy, and above all: GAY GAY GAY. Can’t wait to get into bed with this one!

Transanything: Essays, by Ever Jones (August 15, Essays)

An essay collection chronicling midlife transition experiments with unconventional nature writing that probes colonial violence and challenges American myth. Queerness and transness come alive in this wild and fragmented narrative that lives in the in-between.

Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders (August 19, Fantasy)

I’ve long been a fan of the way Charlie Jane Anders approaches and talks about queer and trans speculative fiction. In this new novel, protagonist Jamie is a powerful witch who teaches her grieving mother —who lost her wife —how to use magic. Here is an intergenerational queer story about love, loss, and healing. Stay tuned for an upcoming essay by the author about some of the themes of the book!

Sweetener by Marissa Higgins (August 19, Literary Fiction)

From the author of A Good Happy Girl comes a humorous lesbian novel in which two recently separated wives who are both named Rebecca end up dating the same artist. One Rebecca is trying to foster a child and needs the other Rebecca to pretend to still be with her for parenting classes as part of the approval process. Things, naturally, get messy.

Three Parties, by Ziyad Saadi (August 26, Literary Fiction)

In a modern day reimagining of Mrs. Dalloway, a queer Palestinian refugee wakes up on his 23rd birthday determined to make moves toward actually coming out. But his careful coming out party planning is of course thrown off course by the whims and uncertainties of life. It promises to upend the Western coming-out narrative while injecting mordant humor into its sharp and emotionally rich tale.

And now enjoy the rest of our most anticipated LGBTQ books for August 2025!

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August 5

A Tale of Mirth & Magic by Kristen Vale (Romantasy)

Promising both a spicy and cozy tale, this is about a magical jeweler on the run with a purple half-giant. Both main characters are bi/pan, and it’s set in a queer normative world.

This is My Body, by Lindsay King-Miller (Horror)

Queer horror hive rise! This novel is about Brigid, a gay single mom to a young daughter who cuts ties with her Catholic family. But then her daughter starts showing signs of demonic possession, sending Brigid home to uncover long-held secrets about her uncle, Father Angus, who performed an exorcism in her childhood. Tackling religious drama and shame, this release definitely has this queer Exorcist fan’s interest piqued.

The Faceless Thing We Adore, by Hester Steel (Horror)

More horror! This one promises a Lovecraftian twist on Eat, Pray Love, seeing main character Aoife through a bad breakup and off to a hedonistic secluded community that, of course, also harbors twisted secrets.

The L.O.V.E. Club, by Lio Min (YA Fantasy)

For gay gamer girls, this YA novel follows three estranged young friends who get pulled into the depths of a video game after their friend disappears.

Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire, by Don Martin (YA Fantasy)

Here is a cozy magical book that follows a young witch who has to end an old curse and find a missing girl. It’s set in a speculative rendering of Appalachia.

Well, Actually, by Mazey Eddings (Romance)

At the center of this romance is a bi4bi couple with black cat/golden retriever dispositions who embark on a second-chance romance plot.

Automatic Noodle, by Annalee Newitz (Sci-Fi, Novella)

A novella set in the near future, Automatic Noodle is about a group of previously deactivated robots that are rebooted in their ghost kitchen and start making hand-pulled noodles for the war-torn people of San Francisco.

Mad Sisters of Esi, by Tashan Mehta (Sci-Fi)

Steeped in meta-fantasy, this novel tracks the lore surrounding “the mad sisters of Esi.” Their story is told over and over by many, but what is the real story? Myth, folklore, storytelling, and dreams are at the heart of this sci-fi novel’s sprawling narrative.

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August 12

Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle (Horror)

I mean, you can expect hilarious, strange, irreverent, campy humor-horror from any Chuck Tingle release. This one takes place four years after a bizarre event during which eight million humans died under over-the-top, cartoonish circumstances. Existential horror with a high dose of bisexuality! What’s not to love?

A Game in Yellow, by Hailey Piper (Horror)

Carmen and Blanca are a kinky couple who have been in a bit of sex rut. But then Blanca comes across a strange play that can lead to madness if you read too much of it. But just a bit will inject a dose of euphoria. Carmen and Blanca embark on a sexy, dangerous game with the play. Horror and the erotic collide here, so you know I’m interested.

Alchemy and a Cup of Tea, by Rebecca Thorne (Fantasy)

This is the fourth and final book in the sweet cozy lesbian fantasy series Tomes & Tea. Expect baby dragons, magic, and bookstores!

Marisol Acts the Part, by Elle Gonzalez Rose (YA Romance)

Teen actress Marisol Polly-Rodriguez is determined to prove she isn’t in her flop era. She books a role on the same buzzy drama as her ex-boyfriend, and then things get complicated when she starts crushing on his scene partner.

Toni and Addie Go Viral by Melissa Marr (Romance)

A Victorian history professor sells an instantly popular lesbian detective novel that’s immediately optioned and developed as a series, the swiftness of which makes me want to classify the book as FANTASY since these processes are typically laborious and labyrinth, but alas, I’ll allow. Oh and the lead actress of the series is the professor’s former one night stand lol. Juicy!

The Sun and the Moon, by Rebekah Faubion (Romance)

The park ranger daughter of a psychic mom and the pilot daughter of a single dad collide when their parents start dating. They’re suspicious of their parents’ union, but along the way, they find chemistry with each other.

Death Valley Blooms, by S.M. Mack (Fantasy, Novella)

Part of the Neon Hemlock Novella Series, this ethereal tale deals with death, family, and Death Valley super blooms powered by a woman’s life.

Hotshot: A Life On Fire, by River Selby (Memoir)

After a complicated and often volatile life, River Selby became a wetland firefighter and learned a lot about the environment, fires, climate, the politics of wildfires, and more along the way. This is their blazing story about their experiences. Sounds like it could be a contender as an addition to my list of queer climate crisis books.

Semi Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything: A Memoir, by Alyson Stoner (Memoir)

Actor, dancer, and all around cool and talented queer star Alyson Stoner pens their story of growing up a child star and navigating religious trauma, eating disorders, and familial violence.

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August 19

Leaving the Station by Jake Maia Arlow (YA Romance)

A cross-country TRAIN romance! Protagonist Zoe thought she’d find herself as a newly minted lesbian in college but is having trouble settling into herself and shedding her past. So she books a train ticket from NYC back home to Seattle. On the train, she meets her opposite in Oakley. But both their lives are going off the rails, so they might as well lean on each other, right?

Yuli, by S. Jae-Jones (YA Fantasy)

This is the third book in the Guardians of Dawn series and centers Princess Yulana on the precipice of civil war. She also faces her former best friend turned rival.

A Queer Year of Love Letters: Alphabets Against Erasure, edited by Nat Pyper (Nonfiction)

Queering typeface design! I’m fascinated by this project, which presents openly downloadable typeface fonts by alphabet artist Nat Pyper.

Voidwalker, by S.A. Maclean (Romantasy)

Spicy fantasy and intricate worldbuilding scaffold this romantic tale about a smuggler.

The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland, by Rachael Herron (Fantasy)

Beatrice doesn’t believe in magic or miracles, even though a psychic told her she’d experience seven of them. Then, well, sure enough, miracles start happening —including Beatrice suddenly reuniting with her mother and twin sister who supposedly died when she was young. Weird!

The Barefoot Followers of Sweet Potato Grace, by Megan Okonsky (Sci-Fi)

Pink Elizabeth Swear’s eulogy for her rescue cat Sweet Potato Grace is interrupted by the arrival of a bunch of barefoot followers who look straight out of the 1970s. Who are they? Pinky, who had just been about to come out when they arrived, can’t be sure! But she sure is going to find out.

Positive Obsession: The Life and Times Of Octavia E. Butler, by Susana M Morris (Nonfiction)

Susana M. Morris tracks the life and work of Octavia Butler and how her story fits into and informs various sociopolitical contexts, including women’s liberation, Black Power, queer rights, etc. History heads, get into this one!

Patchwork, by Tom Comitta (Literary Fiction, Novella)

For fans of strange and hard to categorize fiction, this new novella out of Coffee House Press combines love story, throwback thriller, and absurdist humor for, well, a patchwork approach to fiction and narrative.

Whites, by Mark Doten (Short Stories)

This political and sharply satirical short fiction features characters like a nonbinary sneaker podcaster turned Jan 6 insurrectionist, an anti-vax nursing home employee, a gay White supremacist, and a demonically possessed cookie manufacturer.

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August 26

This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May (Fantasy)

Dark academia vibes abound in this gothic fantasy about a woman grappling with the sudden death of her husband when she gets a chance to study botany under an esteemed professor. There, she meets a mysterious young woman, and obsession blooms.

Roar of the Lambs, by Jamison Shea (YA Fantasy)

A 16-year-old psychic who works in an oddities shop making lucrative money off her customers is at the heart of this YA fantasy mystery.

Lady Dragon, by A.M. Strickland (YA Fantasy)

The last war between humans and dragons left their respective leaders dead, and ever since, both queendoms have been operating under a truce. Expect succession drama, battles featuring DRAGONS, and a slow-burn romance.

The Devil’s in the Dancers, by Catherine Yu (YA)

Queer dance thriller alert! Mars Chang gets a scholarship to an elite dance summer intensive and is assigned to room with Alex Bechler, the best dancer at the academy who also, Mars notes, is quite attractive. Bechler’s great aunt runs the program and entices Mars to swap out Alex’s supplements for a secret and experimental new pill that could have dangerous side effects.

The Secret Crush Book Club, by Karmen Lee (Romance)

If this new release is anything like Karmen Lee’s previous 7-10 Split, then you can guarantee the sapphic sex scenes will be HOT. It’s about Dani, a single mom, and Zoey, the new to town librarian. They both end up in the same book club, and sparks fly.

Empty Heaven, by Freddie Kölsch (YA Horror)

Queer monster horror! Darian Sabine Arden is haunted by a monster who turns out to not just be the stuff of superstition. Tucked in this monster tale is also a story of young queer love.

Sea. Mother, Swallow, Tongue, by Kim de l’Horizon, translated by Jamie Lee Searle (Literary Fiction)

As their grandmother falls into dementia, the narrator of this novel tries to ask questions in order to fill in long-held silences and gaps in their childhood memories and their generational trauma. Here is an expansive and imaginative approach to family narrative.