It's not always easy to find out which books have queer representation, or what kind of representation they have. So here's a big list of bi and lesbian books out this month, sorted by genre! I've highlighted a few of the books I'm most interested in and included the publisher's description of those, but click through to see the other titles' blurbs!
As always, if you can get these through an indie bookstore, that is ideal, but if you can't, the titles and covers are linked to my Amazon affiliate link. If you click through and buy something, I'll get a small percentage. On to the books!
Adult
Fiction
Romance
Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror
Two women embark on a unforgettable quest that draws them into a world of dark gods and ancient magic in this sweeping fantasy debut inspired by the history and folklore of colonial South America.
Reina is desperate.
Stuck on the edges of society, Reina's only hope lies in an invitation from a grandmother she's never met. But the journey to her is dangerous, and prayer can't always avert disaster.
Attacked by creatures that stalk the mountains, Reina is on the verge of death until her grandmother, a dark sorceress, intervenes. Now dependent on the Doña's magic for her life, Reina will do anything to earn-and keep-her favor. Even the bidding of an ancient god who whispers to her at night.
Eva Kesaré is unwanted.
Illegitimate and of mixed heritage, Eva is her family's shame. She tries to be the perfect daughter, but Eva is hiding a secret: Magic calls to her.
Eva knows she should fight the temptation. Magic is the sign of the dark god, and using it is punishable by death. Yet it's hard to ignore power when it has always been denied you. Eva is walking a dangerous path. And in the end, she'll become something she never imagined.
From beloved internet icon Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus is a searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.
Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.
Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed "most effective" gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.
And they'll scare you straight to hell.
Comics, Graphic Novels, and Manga
Sunati and Austen are back in the final volume of their inspirational love story. Sunati and Austen's relationship is growing stronger by the day in this near-future, soft sci-fi graphic novel.
Austen is working hard to overcome the limitations of Egan's Syndrome, a very rare condition that rejects body modifications, which is making school difficult. But while Austen is forced to confront her plans for the future, Sunati receives a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity... on Saturn's moon, Enceladus!
Will Austen find her way? And will Sunati leave Austen when she needs her most to follow her own dreams of space exploration? The wonderful ending to this story celebrates the complexity and beauty of what makes us human.
Young Adult and Middle Grade
YA Contemporary
Perfect Iranian girls are straight A students, always polite, and grow up to marry respectable Iranian boys. But it's the San Fernando Valley in 1996, and Rana Joon is far from perfect-she smokes weed and loves Tupac, and she has a secret: she likes girls.
As if that weren't enough, her best friend, Louie-the one who knew her secret and encouraged her to live in the moment-died almost a year ago, and she's still having trouble processing her grief. To honor him, Rana enters the rap battle he dreamed of competing in, even though she's terrified of public speaking.
But the clock is ticking. With the battle getting closer every day, she can't decide whether to use one of Louie's pieces or her own poetry, her family is coming apart, and she might even be falling in love. To get herself to the stage and fulfill her promise before her senior year ends, Rana will have to learn to speak her truth and live in the one and only now.
A coming-of-age story about a queer Indian American girl exploring activism and identity through art, perfect for fans of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
Sixteen-year-old Maya Krishnan is fiercely protective of her friends, immigrant community, and single mother, but she knows better than to rock the boat in her conservative Florida suburb. Her classmate Juneau Zale is the polar opposite: she's a wealthy white heartbreaker who won't think twice before capsizing that boat.
When Juneau invites Maya to join the Pugilists-a secret society of artists, vandals, and mischief-makers who fight for justice at their school-Maya descends into the world of change-making and resistance. Soon, she and Juneau forge a friendship that inspires Maya to confront the challenges in her own life.
But as their relationship grows romantic, painful, and twisted, Maya begins to suspect that there's a whole different person beneath Juneau's painted-on facade. Now Maya must learn to speak her truth in this mysterious, mixed-up world-even if it results in heartbreak
YA Mystery/Thrillers
As an expert thief from a minor moon, Cass knows a good mark when she sees one. The emperor's ball is her chance to steal a fortune for herself, her ailing father, and her scrappy crew of thieves and market vendors.
Her plan is simple:
1. Hitch a ride to the planet of Ouris, the dazzling heart of the empire.
2. Sneak onto the imperial palace station to attend the emperor's ball.
3. Steal from the rich, the royal, and the insufferable.
But on the station, things quickly go awry. When the emperor is found dead, everyone in the palace is a suspect-and someone is setting Cass up to take the fall. To clear her name, Cass must work with an unlikely ally: a gorgeous and mysterious rebel with her own reasons for being on the station. Together, they unravel a secret that could change the fate of the empire.
YA Horror
Something is building, simmering just out of reach.
The room is watching. But Mira and Layla don't know this yet. When the two best friends are stranded on their spring break college tour road trip, they find themselves at the Wildwood Motel, located in the middle of nowhere, Indiana. Mira can't shake the feeling that there is something wrong and rotten about their room. Inside, she's haunted by nightmares of her dead brother. When she wakes up, he's still there.
Layla doesn't see him. Or notice anything suspicious about Room 9. The place may be a little run down, but it has a certain charm she can't wait to capture on camera. If Layla is being honest, she's too preoccupied with confusing feelings for Mira to see much else. But when they learn eight people died in that same room, they realize there must be a connection between the deaths and the unexplainable things that keep happening inside it. They just have to find the connection before Mira becomes the ninth.
This tender thriller includes over thirty interior black and white photos by the author!
YA Fantasy
For centuries, the citizens of Velle have waited for their New Maiden to return. The prophecy states she will appear as the third daughter of a third daughter. When the fabled child is finally born to Velle's reigning queen all rejoice except for Elodie, the queen's eldest child, who has lost her claim to the crown. The only way for Elodie to protect Velle is to retake the throne. To do so, she must debilitate the Third Daughter-her youngest sister, Brianne.
Desperate, Elodie purchases a sleeping potion from Sabine, who sells sadness. But the apothecary mistakenly sends the princess away with a vial of tears instead of a harmless sleeping brew. Sabine's sadness is dangerously powerful, and Brianne slips into a slumber from which she will not wake. With the fates of their families and country hanging in the balance, Sabine and Elodie hurry to revive the Third Daughter while a slow-burning attraction between the two girls erupts in full force.
YA Comics, Graphic Novels, and Manga
Caroline Kim is feeling the weight of sophomore year. When she starts tutoring infamous senior Kimberly Park-Ocampo-a charismatic lesbian, friend to rich kids and punks alike-Caroline is flustered... but intrigued
Their friendship kindles and before they know it, the two are sneaking out for late-night drives, bonding beneath the stars over music, dreams, and a shared desire of getting away from it all.
A connection begins to smolder... but will feelings of guilt and the mounting pressure of life outside of these adventures extinguish their spark before it catches fire?
Nonfiction
What happens when the life you thought you had does a 180º turn? Everything, and yet...nothing.
Us is Sara and Diana's love story, as well as the story of Diana's gender transition. Full of humor, heartache, and the everyday triumphs and struggles of identity, this graphic memoir speaks to changing conceptions of the world as well as the self, at the same time revealing that some things don't really have to change.