Guest post by Jen Michalski

As someone who came of age in the eighties, finding books about lesbian love was impossible. In fact, outside of the collected writings of Oscar Wilde and a biography of Martina Navratilova, my town library provided little solace of any kind for queer people. I guess it isn’t any surprise, then, that my novel, All This Can Be True, features two women approaching middle age—a married woman with adult children in an unsatisfying marriage and a lesbian semi-famous for being the lead singer of a defunct riot grrrl band—who find a “second act” with each other.

Thankfully, times have changed, and lesbians in love no longer need be second acts. Not only have they found their way onto the main stage, there are unforgettable pairings in every genre, for women of all ages—so many, that I had trouble just ten new novels featuring lesbian love. But alas, I have and from dystopian to historical to fantasy and everything in between, here are my most anticipated books of 2025 featuring girls in love for Pride month and beyond!

1. Under The Same Stars by Libba Bray (2/4)

Three generations of German and America teens are connected by the mysteries and magic of Bridegroom’s Oak, a tree in the Dodauer Forest that’s rumored to help its visitors find true love: friends Sophie and Hann in 1940s Germany, American teen Jenny and her German girlfriend, punk rocker Lena, in 1980s Berlin, and friends Miles and Chloe in modern-day Brooklyn. Not only a mystery and a tender tale of queer awakenings but also an expansive exploration of how we’re all connected, buoyed by Bray’s always-strong prose.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

2. Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid (3/4)

Sort of a queer Hunger Games-meets-The Last of Us, with corporate rule and climate devastation completing the dystopian mix. Poor Inesa is nominated by her mother to be a sacrificed for the livestreamed assassination spectacle: the Lamb’s Gauntlet. Her assigned assassin is Melinoë, genetically altered at birth to become a human weapon. In this hunt-or-be-hunted tale, love is the chisel that cracks through the inhuman ways in which we view those who are not like us.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

3. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (6/3)

A new direction for Reid, whose novels, set in Southern California, often showcase female celebrities and the challengers of fame, Atmosphere takes place in Houston and The Space Center, and the result is a queer romance separated by time and space. Joan Goodwin, a female astronomer NASA’s Mission Control Center, is helpless as the person she loves the most is aboard a shuttle that encounters trouble in while in orbit. One of this summer’s most anticipated, particularly for 80s kids (like me), for whom the Space Shuttle Disaster was our 9/11.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

4. Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare (6/3)

For fans of Everything Everywhere All at Once and Donnie Darko, can a temporal paradox keep two destined for love apart? Busy hairstylist and social media star Tressa Fay Robeson agrees to meet up with Meryl after they exchange flirty texts, but Meryl never shows up. Or did she? Can Tressa and Meryl, who are living in alternative universes that are five months apart, find a place where their timelines connect and entwine?

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

5. A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek (6/24)

It’s orphan Odile’s birthright to return magic to the kingdom of Auréal. Raised by a sorcerer for this very moment, all she needs to do is impersonate Princess Odette and steal the king’s enchanted crown. But the king is unexpectedly murdered, and Princess Odette unexpectedly enchanting. A sapphic retelling of Swan Lake with a hint of Phantom of the Opera, to boot.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

6. The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold (1/7)

In the aftermath of a world-shattering storm, teen Liz has taken shelter in the bookstore in which she used to work, doing trade in books for necessities. As she hunkers down for another catastrophic storm, a stranger breaks into the bookstore looking for shelter, and suddenly the storm isn’t the only thing threatening Liz’s safety. A slow burn for a slowly burning world.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

7. Brighter Than Scale Swifter Than Flame by Neon Yang (5/6)

Dragon slayer Yeva lives in the imperial capital and is a bit of a legend, having killed her first dragon at thirteen. Yet, she has always felt a fish out of water, not even appearing public without her armor. But now she must travel to the reclusive kingdom of Quanbao, where a dragon may be harbored (even loved). There, she stays with the Quanbao’s monarch, Lady Sookhee. And for the first time, Yeva wonders what it is she really wants: her career or to let her guard down.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

8. Summer Girls by Jennifer Dugan (5/13)

Newport lifeguard Cass has one rule—no dating “summer girls,” the girls who stay for the season in their family’s summer homes, living opulently and carelessly. That is, until Cassie is asked by her influencer boss to babysit his daughter, Birdie, who must work a job as a beach parking lot attendant as punishment for crashing a car. Although the plot of this YA summer romance would, at first glance, appear formulaic, Summer Girls is sweet and layered, with more character development than the usual beach read.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

9. Francine’s Spectacular Crash and Burn by Renee Swindle (4/15)

Francine Stevenson gets more than she bargained for when she stands up to a bunch of kids bullying her ten-year-old neighbor, Davie—Davie’s a constant presence at her doorstep every day. As a friendship slowly develops, she learns he’s in foster care, and even more surprised that Davie’s foster mom is Jeanette, her high-school crush! Topics like grief, special needs, and agoraphobia give the narrative extra weight to an already-strong theme of being careful what you wish for.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

10. The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod (4/29)

A Pride and Prejudice for the rest of us! This reimaging that features Elizabeth Bennet’s best friend, Charlotte Lucas, and the middle Bennet sister, Mary. When Charlotte’s husband passes unexpectedly four years into their marriage, Charlotte is at a crossroads—remarry or return home. Elizabeth sends Mary to Charlotte for emotional support, and there certainly is emotional support—more emotion than either woman was anticipating. Faithful to source material but carving out space for queer people in the Regency period, this novel is a romance to which I-as a writer of second chances myself-can wholly relate.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

All This Can Be True by Jen Michalski (6/3)

When Lacie’s husband falls into a coma just as she’s planning to leave him and restart her life, she forms an unexpected bond with Quinn, a grieving stranger passing through town. As their connection deepens, Lacie envisions a new beginning—unaware that Quinn holds a secret that ties her to Derek and could upend everything if he wakes. All This Can Be True explores love, reinvention, and the delicate truths we hide, told in alternating points of view.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Jen Michalski

Jen is the author of four novels, three short story collections, and two novellas. Her latest novel, All This Can Be True, a queer reimaging of While You Were Sleeping, has been described as perfect for readers of Modern Lovers and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

Her last novel, You’ll Be Fine, was a 2021 Buzzfeed “Best Small Press Book,” a 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist, and was selected as one of the “Best Books We Read This Year” by the Independent Press Review. Her last collection of fiction, The Company of Strangers, was a “Best of Baltimore” winner in 2023 and also a top indie press pick at Electric Literature. She’s the editor of the weekly online literary weekly jmww and currently lives in Southern California, although she will always be a Baltimore girl by heart. Visit her at jenmichalski.com.