Which New LGBTQ+ Book Should You Read This Pride Month?

Gabe Montesanti came to roller derby at a crossroads in her life: starting graduate school, moving to a new city with her partner, recovering from an eating disorder, and still seeking her emotionally abusive mother’s approval. Roller derby led her to a wonderfully weird queer community, but it also helped her find a new way to relate to her body and the courage to embrace her true self.

Pastry chef Simone got her dream job when she was hired by an acclaimed cookbook publisher. But when the brand pivots and she’s forced to start making video content, she’s in over her head and very displeased. Enter cheery nonbinary test kitchen manager Ray, who’s a natural on camera. Despite their completely opposite personalities, Simone and Ray have great chemistry in cooking videos — and, as they quickly learn, in romance as well.

This new novel by the star and creator of Netflix’s Special follows a TV writer with cerebral palsy who seems to have it all, but is falling apart behind the scenes. Between Hollywood backstabbing, a growing reliance on alcohol, his cheating habit putting pressure on his relationship, and internalized ableism, Elliot’s life has gone off the rails, but he’s determined to face his demons.

Maggie has always been fine with being a little messy, but her little sister’s upcoming quinceañera is forcing her to face some hard truths about what comes next. Looking for a date to the quinceañera, Maggie is torn between her best friend/first crush Amanda, her flirtatious ex-boyfriend Matthew, and new girl in town Dani. Her romantic uncertainty forces Maggie to confront bigger questions about her future — and what they mean for her loved ones.

In 1920s New York, Vivian is a seamstress by day and a Charleston-dancing speakeasy partier by night. She feels at home at the underground dance parlor the Nightingale, where no one cares if she flirts with men or women. But when she finds the body of who she thought was a nameless bootlegger behind the club, Vivian finds herself embroiled in a dangerous mystery.

Joy is asexual and has been secretly in love with her best friend Malcolm for years. So when he announces he’s met the love of his life, she’s distraught. Joy is determined to show Malcolm that she’s the right partner for him during a weekend trip, and she plans to do it with Fox, who offers to pretend to fall in love with Joy to make Malcolm jealous. But as Joy spends more time with Fox, she starts to wonder if Malcolm is really her destiny.

In the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood, actress Luli Wei is hungry for fame. As a queer Chinese American woman, she knows she has a fraught path to stardom. But the biggest dangers lie off-screen, where ancient magic with a thirst for blood requires sacrifices of eager young starlets like Luli Wei. Living her dreams may just turn Luli into a monster herself.

Luz is left alone in 1930s Denver when her older brother is run off by a white mob. She survives on her earnings as a laundress and tea leaf reader, but finds a new purpose when she starts having visions of her ancestors on the nearby Indigenous Lost Territory. As Luz pieces together her visions, she understands that she is the only person who can preserve her family’s history.

As a teenager, Sara runs away from her home in northern California to escape a difficult family situation and the loss of her girlfriend. Emilie is looking for somewhere to call home, and someone to make her feel less alone. They both find themselves drawn to an L.A. restaurant called Yerba Buena, where Sara ends up bartending and Emilie arranges flowers. And despite the things pulling them apart, they also find themselves drawn to each other.

Five years ago, Feyi Adekola lost the love of her life in an accident. Now, she’s finally ready to start living again, although she’s not sure if her roommate’s push to start dating is the right move. When Feyi attends a swanky rooftop party, it kicks off a glamorous and romantic summer of unexpected connections that may be just what she needs to get her artwork noticed. But despite the excitement, she can’t seem to keep her eyes off the one person she shouldn’t want.