It’s June! AKA Pride month! AKA publishers’ favorite time to put out LGBTQ titles! A little on-the-nose if you ask me, but hey, if it means we get to spend every Pride month loading up on new queer and trans books and attending queer author events, sign us up! Below, find a hot list of fresh LGBTQ reads to add to your cart during this very gay month and stay tuned for reviews and author interviews. As always, if there’s anything we missed, give it a shoutout in the comments!

June 4

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris (Romance/Fantasy)

Wilson Moss didn’t think she’d win her town’s top-secret “one person chosen to return from the dead every ten years” contest, but she did, giving her a shot to resurrect her ex-BFF Annie, even though Annie ghosted Wil a year before she died. Wil thinks she’s found a loophole that’ll enable Annie to stay longer, but there’s a third best friend, too, causing a lot of drama in this queer love story.

Lady Eve’s Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow (Sci-Fi)

Sisters Ruth and Jules are interstellar cruise ship hustlers looking for Esteban, heir to an insurance fortune — but that’s all compromised when Jules falls for him, and revealed her con. Ruth disguises herself to seduce and swindle Esteban herself, but that’s all compromised when she finds herself drawn to his clever sister, Sol. Ruth must choose: money or love?

Triple Sec by TJ Alexander (Romance)

Mel’s a jaded bartender at a trendy NYC cocktail lounge who’s all but given up on love until she meets Bebe, a charismatic woman in an open marriage. Their connection blooms into an affair, pushing Mel out of her comfort zone as she explores many things she’d avoided, like grand romantic gestures and entering a cocktail competition to open her own bar. But realizing she’s got feelings for Bebe’s husband, Kade, really has her amazed by love’s unexpected possibilities.

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron (Historical Fiction)

Based on true events, this epic tale follows Jacquotte Delahaye, one of the few purported female pirate captains to sail the Caribbean, and her forbidden (gay) love story that changed the course of history.

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse (Fantasy)

In the “stunning conclusion” to the Between Earth and Sky trilogy we find Serapio, the newly crowned Carrion King, is facing threats from both foreign enemies and scheming clans within his city while a dire prophecy from the Coyote God looms over him. Meanwhile, Xiala is working to defend her people from war, leading her to question her powers while making sacrifices to become the queen her people need.

A Bluestocking’s Guide to Decadence by Jess Everlee (Historical Romance)

In 1885 London, Jo Smith, a lesbian in a lavender marriage, runs a local bookshop while socializing in her town’s queer community. But when her husband’s pregnant paramour needs discreet medical attention, she seeks out Dr. Emily Clarke, a bluestocking village doctor who finds herself inexplicably drawn to Jo. Sparks fly!

Wish You Weren’t Here by Erin Baldwin (Romance)

Small town childhood rivals Juliette and Priya have a truce (no catfights, no drama, etc) that enables a peaceful coexistence. Priya has it all, like a hot track captain boyfriend and social media fame, but Juliette finds relief in her summers at Camp Forgrige —a peace that’s immediately compromised when Priya turns up as Juliette’s cabinmate for her final summer. Will they survive each other or find a new connection?

Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink by Tina Horn (Nonfiction)

BDSM educator Tina Horn’s popular podcast about kink becomes an incisive nonfiction book examining kink and the erotic from so many different perspectives. A sharp mix of cultural criticism, reportage, research, and personal narrative, Why Are People Into That? asks fascinating questions about desire, fantasy, fetish, power dynamics, consent, and more.

Furious by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos (YA Romance)

Budding racer JoJo is stuck working at her grandmother’s auto shop following a tragic accident that killed her mother and derailed her dreams. Then tough motorcycle girl El arrives with a mystery to solve, and sparks fly as they team up in a race against time to find El’s missing sister, facing danger and uncovering emotional truths along the way.

Women by Chloe Caldwell (Novella/Reissue)

Ten years after its initial release, Chloe Caldwell’s Women is back in print with minimal changes. The beloved breakup book chronicles a whirlwind affair between its narrator and an older butch. Caldwell recently did an interesting interview with Chill Subs about the process of reissuing the novella.

But How Are You Really by Ella Dawson (Romance)

A “burned out bisexual” goes to her five-year college reunion unimpressed with her own postcollegiate activities — career stalled, drawing passion abandoned, closeness with her queer chosen family un-maintained. Everything comes rushing back to her the minute she steps foot on Hein property, and she’s got 72 hours to outrun her past, get her life together, and avoid the truth about why she ghosted hockey player Reece Krueger, her post-breakup rebound.

London on my Mind by Clara Alves (YA Romance)

After her mother’s death, 16-year-old Dayana’s forced to leave Rio de Janeiro to live with her estranged father and his new family in London —and though she’s always dreamed of visiting, living there turns out to not exactly be her cup of tea. But then she meets the girl of her dreams —the coincidentally named Diana, a redhead escaping Buckingham Palace. As they get closer, Day’s wondering if maybe there is more to Diana and her story than meets the eye.

Horse Barbie: A Memoir of Reclamation by Geena Rocero (Memoir)

Geena Rocero grew up in the Philippines and found her place in the world through trans pageants — even though her competitors mocked her by calling her “horse Barbie,” she was the country’s highest-earning trans pageant queen by the age of 17,. She moved to the U.S. a year later, where she went stealth to preserve her safety. Her memoir tells her life story, including how “the high-stakes double life finally forced Geena to decide herself if she wanted to reclaim the power of Horse Barbie once and for all: radiant, head held high, and unabashedly herself.”

The Queer Parent: Everything You Need To Know From Gay to Ze by Lotte Jeffs & Stu Oakley (Nonfiction)

From adoption, surrogacy, fertility treatment and other routes to parenthood to donors, tarns parenting, and coping with family-focused homophobia, this book promises to be a groundbreaking toolkit for LGBTQ+ parents and anyone looking to support their journey.

Hope & Other Lost Things by Morgan Park (Romance)

When Julia’s wife Marin leaves her unexpectedly, it upends her life, but a run-in with a hot and mysterious stranger at a bar zaps some passion back into her. Of course, that woman ends up surfacing in Julia’s work life, complicating things.

Experienced by Kate Young (Literary Fiction)

As she approached thirty, Bette realized she was into women and fell for Mei, and everything was perfect until Mei imposed a hiatus on their relationship, encouraging Bette to explore the queer dating scene she missed out on. With the guidance of her new and very confident friend, Ruth, Bette embarks on a journey of self-discovery that is “often heady and thrilling and occasionally cringe.”

The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports by Michael Waters (Nonfiction)

A few decades after athletes Mark Weston and Zdeněk Koubek came out as transgender in the 1930s, their stories had been all but forgotten, and “in the wake of their transitions, what could have been a push toward equality became instead, through a confluence of bureaucracy, war, and sheer happenstance, the exact opposite: the now all-too-familiar panic around trans, intersex, and gender nonconforming athletes.” Michael Waters uncovers their stories and those of other pioneering trans and intersex athletes of the era for this inspiring call for equality. Read Stef Rubino’s review!

Lockjaw by Matteo L. Cerilli (YA Horror)

This trans YA horror book promises to grab you and never let you go, with a small-town ghost story of an inseparable crew of friends battling a monstrous force of evil.

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag (YA/Graphic Novel/Fantasy)

This graphic novel is the story of Magdalena Herrera, a girl on the cusp of graduation who’s quite busy taking care of her sick grandmother, working part-time, secretly making out with a girl who has a boyfriend, and harboring a deep dark secret in the depths of her basement.

One Killer Problem by Justine Pucella Wiliams (YA Thriller)

A campy murder mystery injected with queerness, One Killer Problem follows Gianna “Gigi” Ricci and her friends after they uncover their favorite high school teacher’s dead body. Apparently, the book also has IBS representation!

June 11

When You Smile by Melissa Brayden (Romance)

Taryn Ross has a crush on the cool older girl Charlie, who also happens to be her babysitter. When they reconnect later in life, things get complicated.

Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin (Horror)

From the author of Manhunt comes a new work of queer and trans horror beginning at a conversion camp in the summer of 1995. Sixteen years later, the survivors grapple with what happened and how they’ve been forever changed.

Director’s Cut by Carlyn Greenwald (Romance)

When her career stalls, celebrated actress Valeria Sullivan ditches Hollywood for a USC teaching gig. But sparks fly with her rival professor, Maeve, just as Val’s directorial debut gains traction. Now Val must choose between her academic pursuits and her newfound love or a chance to reignite her Hollywood dreams.

Queer Art: From Canvas to Club, and the Spaces Between by Gemma Rolls-Bentley (Nonfiction)

A tribute to LGBTQ arts and culture throughout time, this gorgeously crafted book features nearly 200 artworks. A cute addition to your queer home, no doubt!

Kissing Girls on Shabbat by Sara Glass (Memoir)

Raised in Borough Park’s Hasidic community, trapped in an arranged marriage and tormented by her attraction to women, Glass’s memoir traces her journey away from the world she once knew. Through divorce, custody battles, loss, trauma and estrangement, Glass must finally break free and be true to herself.

Looking for a Sign by Susie Dumond (Romance)

Fresh off a breakup, Gray moves to New Orleans and embarks upon an ambitious dating challenge in hopes of finally finding someone to settle down with: twelve dates with twelve different Zodiac signs before her Saturn return, a journey full of bathroom hookups, ghosts, getting ghosted, incredible macchiatos and celesbians.

The Afterlife of Mal Caldera by Nadi Reed Perez (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)

Dead rock star Mal Caldera teams up with Ren, a reluctant medium, to contact her grieving sister, but her connection with Ren is so powerful it makes Mal wonder what would’ve happened if they’d met before Mel died. But lingering in the world of the living might have unforseen consequences.

Camp Prodigy by Caroline Palmer (Middle Grade/Graphic Novel)

Two nonbinary kids navigate their burgeoning senses of self and anxiety against the backdrop of a summer music camp.

The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)

For the space gays! Four twenty-somethings set off on a mostly accidental space odyssey that also devolves into a queer rom-com.

The Ghost of Us by James L. Sutter (YA/Romance/Fantasy)

Ghost hunter Cara makes a deal with dead upperclassman Aiden’s spirit: seduce his depressed sister, Meredith, therefore making her happy, and he’ll give her what she needs to deliver proof of the supernatural and escape life as a high school outcast. But as she falls for Meredith and Aiden begins fading, Cara must decide if exposing the truth is worth losing them both.

Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous by Mae Marvel (Romance)

A-list actress Katie Price returns to her Wisconsin hometown for the holidays, where she reconnects with Wil Greene, her former flame — and immediately their passion reignites amidst all the small-town holiday cheer. But will their love survive it for the long haul?

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland (Fantasy/Romance)

From the author of A Taste of Gold and Iron comes a queer pirate fantasy. Perhaps for fans of Our Flag Means Death!

The Big Book of Quickies by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Erotica)

Erotica legend Rachel Kramer Bussel has 69 erotic stories “for erotica lovers who don’t have hours to spare getting swept away, much like the characters you will meet.”

June 18

Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi (Literary Fiction)

Prolific and brilliant multigenre Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi is back with a novel chronicling the end of a relationship and a sex party that throws its characters into chaos. Read everything Emezi writes!

Make It Count: My Fight to Become the First Transgender Olympic Runner by CeCé Telfer (Memoir)

We’ve got not one but two trans Olympic books coming out this month, including this memoir by runner CeCé Telfer.

A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell (Historical Romance)

This is a queer and trans Victorian romance about a former painter and a feisty botanist.

Cicada Summer by Erica McKeen (Literary Fiction)

Set against a heat wave in the summer of 2020, this grief novel follows Husha as she quarantines with her ailing grandfather in the wake of her mother’s death. Soon, they’re joined by Husha’s ex-lover Nellie, making for an odd quarantine trio. They begin to uncover previously concealed aspects of Husha’s mother’s life.

Hood Wellness: Tales of Communal Care From People Who Drowned On Dry Land by Tamela Gordon (Nonfiction)

This memoir and cultural exploration examines Blackness, health, self-care, and survival. If you’re looking to grow in the area of self-love this Pride month, this might just be the book for you.

A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking): A Never-Coming-of-Age Story by Jess H. Gutierrez (Essay Collection)

Jess H. Gutierrez pens a voicey collection of essays from the perspective of a millennial adult mired in dysfunction.

June 20

Freakslaw by Jane Fleet (Horror)

In the summer of 1997, a traveling funfair of deviant queers, fortune tellers and contortionist witches touches down in the grey Scottish town of Pitlaw, where the town’s teenagers are seduced by the troupe’s neon charms and possibility for escape — but the newcomers are also harboring a dark desire for revenge.

June 25

Please Stop Trying to Leave Me by Alana Saab (Literary Fiction)

Norma simply can’t finish the last chapter of her book and she’s getting messages from God through instagram and Spotify to break up with her girlfriend. She leans on her new therapist, who diagnoses her with Depersonalization/Derealization disorder, to help her keep the plot. But haunted by SSRI side effects, Norma’s life is feeling less hazily fictional every day, and Norma herself is feeling incredibly crazy. SHe’s on her way to question everything she ever believed about writing, love and life.

Six of Sorrow by Amanda Linsmeier (YA/Horror/Fantasy/Thriller)

About six girls who are best friends and share a birthday, Six of Sorrow is an unsettling small-town thriller from the author of Starlings.

Saints of Storm and Sorrow by Gabriella Buba (Fantasy)

Morally ambiguous characters make up this fantasy tale about a bisexual nun, colonization, and a fractured community.

Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron (Fantasy)

Sleep Like Death reimagines the fairy tale of Snow White with a queer twist.

June 27

Hot Summer by Elle Everhart (Romance)

Reality dating competitions keep popping up in queer romances, and here we have one about a fictionalized version of Love Island. Cas Morgan has been a longtime fan of “Hot Summer,” and she finds herself suddenly handpicked as a contestant. She immediately is drawn to a fellow contestant, and their romance sizzles under the hot island sun.

June 28

The Spellmaster of Tutting-on-Cress: A Queer Historical Romance by Sarah Wallace (Historical Romance)

The Spellmaster of Tutting-on-Crest is the fifth installment in Wallace’s fantasy series Meddle & Mend, though it can be read as a standalone. The Meddle & Mend series is all set in a magical alternative and queer normative Regency England. This installment is a cozy fantasy slow burn.

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