15 New & Upcoming LGBTQ+ Books to Add to Your TBR for Pride Month

By Zeinab Morshed

In recent years, the LGBTQ+ community has finally gained the spotlight to share their voices and experiences, not just across genres but also across diverse diasporas. Inclusive reading such as these are crucial to reaching diverse readers, because regardless of their cultural background, the story may resonate with the readers and allow them to feel represented. Especially if they are from a marginalized background where their voices are suppressed and self-expression is restricted. This list has been curated to appeal to readers across various genres- from fantasy, science fiction, comedy to horror, memoirs and tear-jerkers. With this list, readers can immerse themselves in different worlds and stay entertained throughout Pride Month.

1 Marsha by Tourmaline

Published May 20, 2025

Tourmaline, a Black American transgender, multidisciplinary creative and activist penned the biography of the trailblazing activist Marsha P. Johnson. Marsha P. Johnson is a pivotal and iconic figure in LGBTQ+ history. Her work ignited the change that is seen today, but there was no record of her life until now, the biography shared her story, impact and legacy.

It is said that after throwing the first brick at Stonewall in 1969, Marsha used a shard of broken mirror to fix her makeup. Marsha who is a Black transgender activist, akin to Tourmaline, personifies the beauty and struggle of the early gay rights movement. Tourmaline’s writing paints a vivid portrait of the legendary luminary, as an artist and activist. Marsha has performed with RuPaul and the internationally renowned drag troupe Hot Peaches. A muse to many artists such as Andy Warhol and the band Earth, Wind & Fire, she remains as a source of inspiration today.

Marsha never granted anyone the authority to give her freedom, she lived by her own truth unapologetically and told the world to keep up.

2 Deep House by Jeremy Atherton Lin

Published June 3, 2025

Deep House is a blend of a memoir with a wider exploration on how queer couples navigated love before legalisation of gay marriage. In his second book, Jeremy Atherton Lin reveals a relationship beyond legal recognition. He chronicles his binational relationship during the defining years of the gay marriage debate.

Jeremy Atherton Lin meets the boy of his dreams, nicknamed “Famous”- a mumbling starry-eyed Brit- during the time when US Congress drafted the Defense of Marriage Act, stripping same-sex couples of federal rights, including immigration. Being together across borders meant disappearing and seeking refuge in unlikely places. 

Merging his story with those of other outliers, including his parents’ interracial romance, Jeremy Atherton Lin examines the various forms of intimacy and critiques the structure that legitimizes love. Deep House composes a chorus of hushed revelations of undocumented domestic life including the legal spectacles, media narratives and political tactics that shaped one of the era’s most debated civil rights issues.

3 The Dry Season by Melissa Febos

Published June 3, 2025

Reeling from the break-up of a disastrous two year relationship, Melissa Febos decided to abstain from dating, relationships and sexual relations for three months. Her friends, skeptical and amused, deemed that three months was not a long time. But for Febos it was, as she was in a series of relationships from her adolescence to mid-thirties. Ultimately, she made time to focus on herself and investigated the patterns that culminated in her midlife disaster. The first few months gave her revelations about her past and the discovery of the joys of being single. This led her to extend her celibacy, which unknowingly became the most satisfying and sensuous year of her life. No longer shaped by her romantic relationships, she learned to savor solitude, the exhilaration of autonomy, the intimacy of self-connection and the liberty to pursue her ideals without guilt or distraction. Weaving her own experiences into dialogues with those of women throughout history—from Hildegard von Bingen, Virginia Woolf, and Octavia Butler to the Shakers and Sappho— Febos places her story alongside those who came before her and boldly pursued their ambitions and ideals.

By letting go of all forms of romantic relationships, Febos gained clarity about her life and her self-worth. Her year of abstinence altered her relationships with friends and peers, her spirituality, her creative practice, and most of all her relationship to herself. Interweaving self-reflection with critical cultural critique, The Dry Season shares the story of a woman learning to be the center of her own story and serves as a long-overdue impetus for a new discourse about sex and love.

4 Crisis of Infinite Boyfriends by Joe Glass Published February 11, 2025

Set in the comic books industry, Joe is a prestigious intern at Excelsior Comics and an aspiring comic writer. Jesse tries to handle his unpaid internship, comic career and a night job at a New York gay cabaret bar, adding on to that, his ongoing search for a boyfriend which has been complicated to say the least.

Unexpectedly, Jesse assumes major extra responsibilities at his internship and realizes this could be the turning point- which means he has to snag the perfect partner.

But faced with numerous options to choose from, Jesse is at crossroads on how to choose.

As Jesse's professional, social and romantic worlds threaten to collide, can Jesse stay afloat or will everything blow up in his face?

5 Love at 2nd Sight by F. T. Lukens

Published April 29, 2025

Cam Reynolds, tired of being labeled as the artsy eccentric, hopes to go unnoticed when he changes high school as a sophomore. It should be manageable as he’s attending school with kids who possess super-cool paranormal powers, like his best friend and witch, AI, and longtime werewolf crush Mateo.

Cam suddenly has a prophetic vision of the future in front of the whole school about a teen girl being murdered from the killer’s perspective. Armed with this knowledge, Cam knows two things for certain: a future killer roams the school grounds and his life will not be the same. As a newly recognized clairvoyant, one of the rarest among supernatural beings, Cam becomes the central figure for the first time.

As the most powerful supernatural factions attempt to win Cam over, he must work in tandem with both his old and new friends whom he trusts. Time is running out and Cam and his friends must identify the potential victim, spot the would-be murderer and stop the murder from happening, before Cam becomes the next target himself.

6 This Feast of A Life by Cynthia So

Published January 9, 2025

This story is about two people coming together for their shared love of food, as they explore selfhood and relations with others.

Audrey is discovering new ways to express themself. First, by adopting their new chosen name- which feels most like them. The second, launching a food blog where they can share their passion for food, using family recipes and the stories tied to them. And when the blog leads them to Valerie- they discover new possibilities.

It's been a year since the passing of Valerie’s mum- who loved cooking. Bereaved, Valerie and her dad have become increasingly distant, leaving the kitchen deserted and cold, until Valerie stumbles upon Audrey’s blog. The blog and its writer, awakens something in Valerie, maybe, just maybe she found the recipe for happiness.

7 Sympathy for Wild Girls by Demree McGhew Published May 6, 2025

An escapee seeks refuge from violence among a pack of wild coyotes. A young woman becomes entangled with a two-faced community of white Christian Youtubers. A mother watches her daughter’s apocalyptic vision manifest into reality. In Sympathy of Wild Girls, young Black women long for closeness and look for belonging in a subtly altered version of our world, where social expectations cast shadows and bigotry constantly changes form. 

Demree McGhee’s characters explore the gaps on what is defined as girlhood- and their magnified risks for queer women of colour. The characters trace the imprints of their longing and hurt to the brink of reality, discovering shelter in unexpected places. Contending with self-loathing and societal abuse, they unpack the limits of their feral strength and brutal truths, in a desperate call for recognition.

8 The Lighthouse At the Edge of the World by J.R. Dawson

Expected on July 29, 2025

A contemporary queer fantasy where on the outskirts of Chicago, settled on the shores of Lake Michigan, lies a flagship for the dead. Each night the recently deceased traverse through the city to the Station, guided by its lighthouse. There, they contemplate about their lives before going onboard a boat to go beyond.

Nera has spent countless nights watching her father, the ferryman of the dead, sail across the lake, every night like the previous.

However, something is amiss tonight.

The Station’s lighthouse flares weakly. There is an influx of frightening ghostly Haunts in the city. And a living mortal has found her way aboard the boat.

Her name is Charlie. She tracked a song. And is in pursuit of someone she lost.

9 I Can Fix Her by Rae Wilde

Published June 3, 2025

A queer horror novel where a besotted woman runs into a second chance romance with her fickle illicit lover, but soon everything dissolves into ruin.

Johnny notices her ex, Alice, at the local cafe with a vague inkling that she’s visited there before. Uptil now Johnny is angry over their breakup and Alice’s ensuing ghosting. Johnny cannot keep from the allure of a second shot at their relationship and takes up on Alice’s offer back to her apartment. Over there, promises are made. They talk about wonder, change and dreams manifesting into reality. But after staying the night together, they confront a morning in which Alice is still Alice, Johnny is still Johnny, and the dog has become larger in size.

In the duration of a week, progressively strange changes in the world around them obligates Johnny to reckon whether the couple can change just as easily, if they can change at all. Or if both her relationship and the limits of reality are fated to collapse. The story of I Can Fix Her runs on nightmare logic, presenting an enticing narrative in which the world, the narrator and the time itself is unreliable.

10 The Boy I Love by William Hussey

Published January 23, 2025

At just nineteen, Stephen has survived a year fighting at the frontline. Now he is coming back to the trenches to lead a platoon, in spite of his wounds. Heartbroken over losing his first love, Stephen has lost sight of what he’s fighting for. Then he encounters Private Danny McCormick, an intelligent, skilful young recruit whose bold opinions will surely put him in jeopardy. From their first encounter, they have undeniable chemistry- something prohibited by both the society and the army. Resolute in protecting Danny, Stephen must stand up to the prejudices and ignorance of his superiors as well as the oncoming barrage of German shells and sniper fire.

11 The Songbird by Stacy Lynn Miller

Published January 7, 2025

During WWII in 1940s New York, burgeoning star Hattie James' life seemingly falls apart when her diplomat father is apprehended for spying.

After her father’s dramatic escape, the FBI compels Hattie to assist in their investigation by working covertly in Rio De Janeiro's elite society and find out the truth about her father’s allegiance.

Impersonating as a singer at the Halo Club, owned by the mysterious Maya Reyes, leads her closer to the hidden secrets woven through the city. 

The disappearance of Maya’s sister leads her to discover a shocking link between her father and the enigmatic SS leader Heinz Baumann. With everything on the line, Hattie becomes more entangled into a perilous mission that endangers lives beyond her own.

12 Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

Published February 6, 2025

Lenore is the spouse of steel tycoon Henry, however a decade into their matrimony, their relationship has bittered with no children borne to bridge the widening gap. Henry’s ambition to host a hunt with the upper echelon of society, whisks them away from London to the intimidating Nethershaw estate in the countryside. Lenore harbors an awful secret from her husband’s last hunt, and though never addressed, it weighs heavily on their marriage till this day.

The plannings for the event take an alternate course when a carriage accident near their remote estate introduces Carmilla into Lenore’s life. Carmilla is feeble and pale at daytime, but lively at night. Carmilla incites a deep hunger with Lenore. Girls from the local villages soon become afflicted to a strange malady before becoming insatiable.

Conflicted between reattaining her husband’s affection and Carmilla’s magnetism, Lenore starts to untangle her past and finds out something disturbing in her household that will put her at grave danger.

13 Hot Girls With Balls

Expected on July 1, 2025

A satirical novel about two luminary indoor volleyball players balancing unaddressed envy in their off-court relationship, leading upto the long-awaited rematch after a year, as members on opposing sides. Six and Green push boundaries as the first Asian American trans women competing in the men’s professional indoor volleyball league. As they step into the elite, male-dominated world of professional volleyball, they’re faced with a public scandal that compels them to take the most dreaded step: make a public statement online.

14 Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer 

Expected on October 7, 2025

Ruth is held hostage at her former workplace, after she was caught stealing yarn, an attempt to take revenge after being fired when her manager discovers she’s living with her girlfriend. The employees instead of reporting her, trap her and turn violent. With only craft tools at hand to defend herself, Ruth tries to survive while she unearths the secret of the New Creationists, the craft store, who conceal a secret that will endanger not only her but the entire town of Kill Devil.

15 A Death on Location by Richard Coles 

Published June 5, 2025

The locals of Champton are excited as Champton House is set to be the filming location for a high profile Hollywood film.

As the cast dress in their period costumes for a masque set in the 1600s era, an inventive murder disrupts production on set.

Will Daniel be able to unravel the mystery with the aid of his crime-fighting partner Detective Sergeant Neil Vanloo - despite things being complicated between them?