Pride Month is just around the corner, but we are celebrating the best LGBTQ books releasing in 2026 all year round. Celebrating the diverse voices that enrich the literary world, from gripping mysteries, cultural stories, sports romances, religious reflections, chilling paranormal tales, and stories reimagined, there are so many new books that honor legendary LGBTQ voices!

Take Me with You by Stephen Rowley

One thing Jesse del Ruth is certain of is that his husband has abandoned him. One late evening, Jesse wakes to find Norman walking into the night towards the Joshua Tree in the backyard, stepping into the light and disappearing. Struggling with the aftermath of what Jesse believes to be abandonment, he ruminates over what it means for his husband to have left, wondering if he will ever return at all. Jesse reflects on their long relationship and ponders whether their recent relationship rut has something to do with Norman’s departure. Alone in his home, Jesse reconsiders what kind of life he wants to live and decides to try new things. One day, Norman’s sister Lally shows up with an unexpected request and with a conspiracy theorist neighbor that only fuels the dizzying confusion.

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The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham

Corin is a skeptic at best, a pessimist at worst. It is said that Amelia, the heir to Gyldan slipped into an unending sleep one hundred years ago, leaving the kingdom unguarded and left to rot, but there is more to the century-old fairytale. Searching for her runaway sister Elly who seeks Ameila, the sleeping princess, in the hope of creating a better life. Through the underground tunnels of Gyldan, Corin searches for her sister, discovering that it is hard to hold her beliefs when evidence to the contrary lies before her. Arriving at the castle ruins that were secretly sustained by beings from its golden age, Corin finds that portal that leads to Princess Amelia’s subconsciousness. Corin steps into the portal upon hearing Elly from within, and the entry is sealed behind her. Wandering the territory of Amelia’s dreams, Corin and her sister find each other and meet Amelia’s alter ego, Briar Rose, as well as Malicine, a magically gifted demon as she crosses. Corin remains guarded as they traverse frozen castles, flower filled mazes, and an ocean of stars, believing a darkness lingers in Amelia’s subconsciousness simmering beneath this fairytale land.

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Missing Sam by Thirty Umrigar

Past wrongs resurface one night after a party and married couple Allya and Sam end the night in turmoil. Sam goes running the next morning to cope with the tension and goes missing. Allya reports her wife missing, but instead of receiving help she is on the receiving end of prejudice and hate as a gay, Muslim with immigrant parents. Ostracized by people known and not, Allya struggles in the effort to prove she had nothing to do with Sam’s disappearance all while worrying about her missing wife’s wellbeing. Allya must overcome the oppressive weight of prejudice to redirect efforts towards finding her beloved wife.

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The Open Era by Edward Schmit

Austin Hardy is a new pro tennis player and a man who hasn’t thought about coming out as a person who has been out since his high school years. But being out means something different in the pro tennis world. When he begins competing in the Grand Slam tournament, he is suddenly the first openly gay man to compete, and the media is in a frenzy over it. Overwhelmed by the attention, Austin loses focus in a blur of anxiety, taking a tumble at practice. He falls next to Diego Cruz, ranking second in the world, he is alluring, skilled, and sadly, likely to be straight, though one can never be too sure. Professionally opposed, but friends outside of work, Austin is quickly losing momentum as his attention is focused on Diego. While Austin fumbles with his newfound attention and professional athlete career, the world watches and he must decide whether his feelings for Diego are real or not, all while competing against the best in the US open.

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Phoning Faust by Sophie Mutiara Nova

Dian Faust is a queer, Indonesian college student calling the suicide hotline, or so she believes, but she unintentionally types six three times which is the mark of the Devil. Answering the call is Memphis, a strangely chatty scam caller who asks for unnervingly detailed information about Dian. The call lets in a sinister presence that seeps into her computer and into the shadowy corners of her apartment, and the Devil has come to claim Dian’s soul, not so called “Memphis” but rather Mephistopheles deceiver and agent from Hell. In a reimagined story of Goethe’s Faust, Dian will either save her soul or fall for the slick words of Mephistopheles.

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Ramin Abbas Has Major Questions by Ahmad Saber

In this coming-of-age story, Ramin Abbas is a boy who dutifully follows his parents, his Imam, and Allah without hesitation. But, one day, Ramin begins to realize he is forming a crush on the captain of the soccer team and things become truly uncertain. Left with more questions than answers. Music is forbidden and sinful in his religion, but the soundtrack to Wicked is the greatest form of relief in a confusing longing for the captain of the soccer team. He knows that his family will never support his affections for a boy and feels isolated by his secret. As Ramin grapples with big ideological conflicts and considers the costs of being himself he faces the unfairness of having to choose which parts of himself to be.

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Is This a Cry for Help? by Emily R. Austin

Darcy has had a good life so far as a local librarian whose wife runs a book binding service; she is quite content. Their home is brimming with books and filled with an eclectic collection of objects and two cats. One day, Darcy learns that her ex-boyfriend has died, and with the news she tumbles into a whirlwind of emotions leading to a breakdown that requires a medical leave from the library she loves so much. Returning after a time of rest, the community is in an uproar over intellectual freedom that results in a call for book banning and a reconsideration of established DEI programs. Darcy must come to terms with the community, colleagues, and herself.

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Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan

Anderson “Andy” Ducharme and Nicole “Nikki” Price worked as child stars on the set of the Nik and Andy show until six years ago when Andy quit, left LA, and began working in a flower shop in New England,keeping a low profile ever since. As a young actor, Andy dealt with unhealthy relationships, exploitation, and the unglamorous parts of Hollywood. Andy ran far, but she couldn’t outrun her connection with Nikki. Six years after the fact, Andy is shocked to discover that Nikki plans to release a book exposing all the secrets from the Nik and Andy show. Sent into a tailspin of traumatic memories, Andy drunk texts Nikki. The confrontation is hard, but both girls have left much unsaid, and Nikki is not about to let go now that Andy’s location is no longer a mystery. Unsure, Andy tries to put up walls, but attractions stir, leaving her wondering whether her new life can withstand what might be an inevitable heartbreak.

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Witch of the Shadow Wood by Tori Anne Martin

What if Hansel wasn’t innocent and Gretel survived to live with the witch as an apprentice? In this creative retelling of Hansel and Gretel, the story begins just like that. Greta, now known as Miria, has lived and apprenticed with the old witch in the woods ever since her father sold her for some magic and her brother Hans up and left her without protection or a second thought. In this new life, Miria has encountered a lot, most pivotally she saved a lost young woman wandering the woods and fell deeply in love, but that’s not all. Miria learns that the woman is engaged in an arranged marriage to a man whose story seems quite familiar. Miria must risk everything to save the woman she loves and seek vengeance for the wrongs long unredressed.

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The Bone Door by Frances White

Hop and a strange girl wake up in an archaic maze with no recollection of how they got there or why they are trapped in this place. Hop and the girl search for a way out as beings lurk in the shadows, whispering the most heinous things to Hop in the quiet. The Bone Door hidden behind a litany of locked doors scattered across strange realms is the only way of escape, and Hop must undertake the impossible to secure his freedom before he is out of time. Hop finds deep within the maze that he and the strange girl might be connected to this horrible labyrinth. With time running out and the questions ever growing, Hop must reveal the secrets of the maze as well as his connection to the labyrinth to reach his only means of escape.

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Shapes of Love by L.V. Peñalba

Sasha’s first album is a hit success that launches her into celebrity status. Fans want to know who inspired love songs. Identifying as “aroace-spec (aromantic, asexual)”, answers are not easy when her inspiration comes from beloved books. When a childhood friend named Kai resurfaces, fans quickly assume that he is the inspiration for all her love songs. Sasha, looking to secure her career, enters a public image only relationship, contracting with Kai for a total of six months. Sasha questions if she can fit in with friends with relationship obligations or society in general. Sasha and Kai build new foundations as friends while locked in their fake relationship, but a new actor named Asher Grish begins to break apart their solid ground which leaves Sasha feeling like she will either have to betray everything she believes in or lose the career she loves so much.

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Queerleaders by Olivia A. Cole and Ashley Woodfolk

A long history of girls coming out of the closet on the cheer team leads to a change in terms: the cheerleaders are better known as “queerleaders” at Oak Haven High. A lingering doubt that the cheer team is unbiased in choosing its recruit hangs over Davie, the new captain of the cheer team as she sets off to recruit new girls who are straight to remain in good standing and receive funding for the athletic team. New girl Kendall Hayes shows up, and Davie is set on adding her to the cheer squad and with a boyfriend in tow, she looks like the perfect fit. Shortly after joining the team, Davie discovers that Kendall is not straight, but rather she is bisexual. Davie works hard to keep secrets undercover until nationals are over, but with feelings beginning to bud between her and Kendall, the task is not as easy as it seems.

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Every Exquisite Thing by Lauren Steven

Penny Paxton has spent her life dreaming of being as loved as her famous supermodel mother, so she begins by joining the Dorian Drama School. Paired with a mentor, Penny receives a strange offer from her mentor, to connect her with an artist whose subjects, once painted, are granted undying beauty. Penny foolishly agrees as she dreams of her future life of infamy until past subjects wind up dead. Reeling and recognizing her error in judgment, Penny is in line to be killed like the long line of students before her. A time of great terror becomes a revelation as Penny realizes that the cost of beauty is far more than just pain.

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The Maidenheads by Benny B. Peterson

Jamie is stuck in a pattern of bad decisions and sticking to familiarity. From her mind-numbing job for Baltimore’s newspaper to a cycle of hook ups with her ex-with-benefits and the only hetero partner she has ever had, Jamie is in a serious rut. Her greatest regret is not the cycle that she is in, but rather, the break from ex-girlfriend and musician Mari and their once thriving band that ended ten years ago along with their relationship. One day, a chance of a lifetime arises, and Jamie is offered the opportunity to join Mari’s new band in DC and suddenly Jamie is singing again for the first time in ten years. The reunion is sweet, but painful as the past becomes present and Mari and Jamie slowly get to know each other again. Focusing on the one thing she has missed leads to the rest of Jamie’s life falling into ruin until she is forced to make hard decisions about what kind of future she will lead.

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The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev AC Rosen

A handsome stranger named Jon invites Brandon to his hotel room, and despite the sage advice from his group of queer and caring friends in their twenties, he dives headfirst. The hook up happens, and like what has occurred before, Brandon is ghosted after he falls for Jon, the virtual stranger. All seem straight forward, tragic, but expected until Jon checks out early and, in his room, all his belongings, including his cell phone, are left behind. Believing Jon is in need of rescue, Brandon sets off to find him, but it comes with a price. Brandon witnesses a murder and Jon himself leaves the scene of the crime after a seemingly harmless investigation into Jon’s whereabouts. Brandon recruits his friends Ollie, Nicole, and Ian to solve the mysteries and must get answers before they become victims themselves.

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Lucky Creature by Joseph Trinidad

This collection of essays explores personhood and belonging through the lens of immigrant life. Using his own experiences, Joseph Trinidad reflects on his memories as a Filipino immigrant living in New Zealand as well as the lively homeland he left behind in Hawke’s Bay. In a new territory that systematically makes the assimilation near impossible, his family struggles with external prejudice as well as an internal battle after Joseph comes out as queer.

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Dhampira by Amy Pennza

Corinthe has lived a life of longing, looking out at the Feyline from her place in an ordinary human village, but she is no ordinary human being. She is born of a human and vampire union, a cross that produces what is called a dhampir, and she longs to cross the Feyline to venture into the land of vampires. Corinthe has hidden her abilities and her blood thirsty inclinations well until her vampire curiosity exposes her to the humans. Caught and to be sold to the highest bidder, Corinthe has no hope until an alluring stranger named Vander waltzes in saving her from the humans and transporting her across the Feyline. Once in the land of the vampires, Corinthe learns that Vander is a knight in the court of King Rasimir who is notoriously unhinged, cruel, and power hungry. Corinthe is left in the custody of the king, a man who plans to marry her off to a Prince named Lorcan in the desire to expand the unique daywalking gift. Many things stand in between Corinthe and freedom, most prominently the brooding Vander and Prince Lorcan who claim to be of service to help her. Corinthe must figure out who wants to use her and who she must use to escape her fate.

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Stellar Smoke by Tanaïs

Living in a futuristic city, Qamar is a musician, recently heartbroken, who can scarcely pay her bills.  Qamar returns home to the island of ashram to resolve the turmoil with her estranged mother Veda the master of many things as a scientist, actress, and former leader of the Endless Temple cult. Qamar is greeted with the lush green land she remembers, but no sign of her mother or sister. Concealed with a “retina scan-locked door” a machine with consciousness called VEDA, better known as “(Virtual Experiences, Dreams and Afterlife),” is made in the image of her mother. With VEDA the remnants of her mother, Qamar learns about her mother’s entire story and with her mother’s past, the AI consciousness becomes the catalyst for her own awakening to the future that lies before her.

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Night Curse by Emma Hinds

Emrys Swift is dead, literally. He has been a Revenant stuck in his seventeen-year-old body for one hundred and fifty-seven years and counting, working as a librarian in the NeverEnd Library filled with witchlore. All remains the same until a new Revenant stirs trouble as magical objects disappear, and Emrys’ eternal home is disrupted. Burdened with a mystery, Emrys, along with his shape-shifter nemesis, Aubrey Vale seeks to uncover the origins of the mysterious happenings. The two must venture into the cold lands of night-kin, confronting many different creatures all with the Night Hunt— a ghoulish gang—hunting them the whole time. The pair must grapple with the hidden truth about Emrys death and Aubrey’s life to save the NeverEnd library and maybe have a future together.

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John of John by Douglas Stuart

John-Calum Macleod “Cal” returns home to his father John and grandmother Ella. Back on the Outer Hebrides on the Isle of Harris, Cal discovers that his childhood home is not different, but he most certainly is. A judgmental father, he’s at odds with a son whose identity grates on his perception of normal. Quirky Grandmother Ella, who stepped in after his mother’s death, remains Cal’s only sanctuary as he ponders whether there are others like him. Between the three, secrets are not scarce and turmoil surfaces as the community becomes fractured after lambing and shearing season.

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Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle

Poppy Stringer is the very essence of a star, but her life is anything but glamorous. A fashion influencer on the rise and a lucrative grave robber selling deceased bodies in Palm Springs, Poppy does anything she can to maintain her life. Receiving a surprise opportunity when Eddie Michaels, a larger than life piano playing rockstar, dies suddenly, she is tasked with acquiring his body for a more than meager sum that could end her stint as grave robber for good, but a sloppy medical examiner turns her plans upside down when the singer awakens on route to delivery. Unbalanced and willing to get her hands dirty to achieve the life she has always wanted, Poppy must figure out a way through this messy mistake.

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We Are Gathered Here Today by Bobby Finger

Finlay Hightower and his friends have witnessed every kind of wedding possible, some amazing, tacky, and horrible weddings; they have seen it all. The group honors a tradition in which they engage in “The Hour of Disrespect” where they rant about the weddings they have attended in secret for only an hour and never speak of it again to protect the memories. But things become personal when it is time for Fin’s cousin Elaine to get married. In a Wild West-themed venue in the middle of the roasting summer in Texas, the wedding is anything but refined. The wedding is everything they used to make fun of and tempts the group’s will to wait until after the wedding to divulge their thoughts. Fin holds a heavy secret, he is engaged to a dreamy man, but an uneasiness wreaks havoc on his nervous system, forcing him to question whether he believes in marriage. His usual group at the “queer table” is different this time around, and friendships shift. Fin grapples with his marriage reservations all while the group struggles to reserve judgment that might just ruin Elaine’s wedding day.

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