It’s Pride Month, summer’s around the corner, and in this era of horrifying anti-trans legislation, Don’t Say Gay laws, and bigoted book bans, queer teens (queer people of all ages, really) could use support, joy, and escapism now more than ever. So what better way to both celebrate and cope with it all than with a list of the rainbow-spectrum YA fabulousness that’ll be hitting shelves this summer?
From romance to thriller to horror to sci-fi and everything in between, there’s something for everyone who simply wants to see queer characters live, love, thrive, and maybe even solve a murder or two. So whether your pleasure is a Great British Bake Off-inspired romance or a summer camp-set slasher, you’re practically guaranteed to find the perfect tome to tote to your local Pride parade.
The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar
Release Date: June 6 from Feiwel & Friends
Why We’re Excited: Adiba Jaigirdar is already a YA Sapphic romance fave, but to kick it up a notch with Great British Baking Show inspiration?? And there’s a pun-tastic donut shop in the mix, along with the promise of some serious romantic drama? Sounds all-around delicious, and we definitely trust Jaigirdar to make it sugar-sweet.
Publisher’s Description: “Welcome to the first ever Junior Irish Baking Show!”
Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved donut shop.
Things get complicated, though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show. Then there’s the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who is becoming fast friends with Shireen. Things are heating up between them, and not just in the kitchen.
As the competition intensifies, Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more― including potential sabotage―if she wants a sweet victory!
Love Letters for Joy by Melissa See
Release Date: June 6 from Scholastic Press
Why We’re Excited: A panromantic ace main character with cerebral palsy is definitely a heroine we haven’t seen in YA yet, and they’re all identities we could stand to see a lot more of in this genre. Combine that with the two excellent romance tropes of rivals-to-lovers and secret identity, and this book promises to be a unique fun time!
Publisher’s Description: Less than a year away from graduation, seventeen-year-old Joy is too busy overachieving to be worried about relationships. She’s determined to be Caldwell Prep’s first disabled valedictorian. And she only has one person to beat, her academic rival Nathaniel.
But it’s senior year and everyone seems to be obsessed with pairing up. One of her best friends may be developing feelings for her and the other uses Caldwell’s anonymous love-letter writer to snag the girl of her dreams. Joy starts to wonder if she has missed out on a quintessential high school experience. She is asexual, but that’s no reason she can’t experience first love, right?
She writes to Caldwell Cupid to help her sort out these new feelings and, over time, finds herself falling for the mysterious voice behind the letters. But falling in love might mean risking what she wants most, especially when the letter-writer turns out to be the last person she would ever expect.
Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione
Release Date: June 6 from Dark Horse Books
Why We’re Excited: First of all, it’s a story set at a magical culinary boarding school, which is just the most delectable combination of things imaginable in a setting. Second of all, it’s one of the very few books actually marketing itself as being lower young adult, which is an audience screaming for more titles. Third of all, how ridiculously cute does this both look and sound, between the herbal names and the holding hands and the puppy?? This graphic novel simply begs to be devoured over and over.
Publisher’s Description: Porta Bella Magiculinary Academy is the finest school for the art of cooking with magic, and Basil Eyres is determined to be the top student. On the first day of her senior year, Arabella Oregano, the daughter of a renowned chef, joins the academy for her senior year as well. The two are instantly smitten with each other, but Basil senses there’s something Arabella is hiding from her. Still, the two work together to stand out from the class as the end-of-year culinary festival approaches. But when Arabella’s secret is reveled, Basil is faced with the hardest decision of her life, which has the potential to throw her future aspirations in jeopardy.
The Secret Summer Promise by Keah Brown
Release Date: June 6 from Levine Querido
Why We’re Excited: There’s nothing like reading a super summery book in the actual summer months, and notable disability activist Keah Brown’s first foray into YA promises to be the perfect poolside read. It’s full of main character Andrea’s perfect summer plans, and I for one can’t wait to tag along for everything from paintball to Lizzo.
Publisher’s Description: THE BSE (Best Summer Ever) LIST!
- Blueberries
- Art show in ShoeHorn
- Lizzo concert
- Thrift shop pop-up
- Skinny Dipping at the lake house
- Amusement Park Day!
- Drew Barrymarathon
- Paintball day
Oh, and ….
- Fall out of love with Hailee.
Andrea Williams has got this. The Best Summer Ever. Last summer, she spent all her time in bed, recovering from the latest surgery for her cerebral palsy. She’s waited too long for adventure and thrills to enter her life. Together with her crew of ride-or-die friends, and the best parents anyone could ask for (just don’t tell them that), she’s going to live it up.
There’s just one thing that could ruin Her best friend, Hailee, finding out Andrea’s true feelings. So Andrea WILL fall out of love with Hailee – even if it means dating the cute boy George who keeps showing up everywhere with a smile.
Do we want Andrea to succeed? No! Does she? We’re not telling!
You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
Release Date: June 20 from Bloomsbury
Why We’re Excited: Kalynn Bayron has already brought some of the most interesting, genre-bending work to queer YA in recent years with titles like Cinderella is Dead and This Poison Heart, so it’s a literal thrill to see her nailing creeptastic horror in this creatively set bloodbath that puts a spin on the “final girl” trope, made extra clever by the protagonist being someone who’d ordinarily die first in the horror films of yore.
Publisher’s Description: Charity has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, The Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.
But the last weekend of the season, Charity’s co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity’s role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they’ll need to figure out what this killer is after. As they unravel the bloody history of the real Mirror Lake, Charity discovers that there may be more to the story than she ever suspected . . .
Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould
Release Date: June 20 from Wednesday Books
Why We’re Excited: Courtney Gould’s masterfully sensory descriptions of rural life will have you inhaling rusty road dust and feeling the sweat-slicked leather of a car seat in the sun sticking to your thighs from page one of this newest supernatural thriller, where an increasing feeling of dread looms and you can physically feel time and space closing in as the mystery unfolds.
Publisher’s Description: Beck Birsching has been adrift since the death of her mother, a brilliant but troubled investigative reporter. She can’t stop herself from slipping into memories of happier days, longing for a time when things were more normal. So when a mysterious letter in her mother’s handwriting arrives in the mail that reads Come and find me, pointing to the small town at the center of her last investigation, Beck hopes that it may hold the answers.
But when Beck and her sister Riley arrive in Backravel, Arizona, it’s clear that something’s off. There are no cars, no cemeteries, no churches. The town is a mix of dilapidated military structures and new, shiny buildings, all overseen by a gleaming treatment center high on a plateau. No one seems to remember when they got there, and when Beck digs deeper into the town’s enigmatic leader and his daughter, Avery, she begins to suspect that they know more than they’re letting on.
As Beck and her sister search for answers about their mother, she and Avery are increasingly drawn together, and their unexpected connection brings up emotions Beck has fought to keep buried. Beck is desperate to hold onto the way things used to be, but when she starts losing herself in Backravel―and its connection to her mother― she risks losing her way back out.
The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis
Release Date: June 20 from Underlined
Why We’re Excited: Anyone else simply must read anything relating to cults? Yeah, that’s what I thought.. And a Sapphic thriller with a Satanic cult?? I don’t know what it says about me that that’s a top-of-the-to-read-pile combo for me, but if that’s true for you too, you’ll definitely want this one on your radar.
Publisher’s Description: From the moment Audre arrives in rural Pennsylvania, it’s clear she won’t fit in. After all, her nose ring, her horror movie obsession, and her family’s Ouija board collection aren’t likely to endear her to a town convinced there’s a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the nearby woods.
When the preacher’s daughter and Audre’s crush, Elle, goes missing on Halloween weekend, the town is quick to point fingers in Audre’s direction. With the cops busy harassing her family for being nonbelievers and everyone else convinced demons are to blame, Audre realizes she might be the only person who can find her friend.
But the deeper Audre digs, the weirder it gets. Has Elle fallen victim to a Satanic ritual, or is the town’s obsession with the occult covering up something even more sinister?
All the Yellow Suns by Malavika Kannan
Release Date: July 11 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Why We’re Excited: Coming-of-age stories starring queer teens of color are still rare in YA, and it’s hard to be more relevant than this one right now, whose main character not only lives in conservative Florida but gets involved both in activism and with a white girl, each guaranteed to come with hard-won lessons.
Publisher’s Description: 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.
A Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow
Release Date: July 11 from Inkyard Press
Why We’re Excited: YA sci-fi is already relatively rare these days, and Alechia Dow is basically YA’s go-to author for sci-fi starring queer people of color, and her newest has demi-ace, gay, and pan rep among its lead characters. Everyone knows queer characters make for the best found families, especially when they’re trying to stop an intergalactic war.
Publisher’s Description: Zaira Citlali is supposed to die. After all, she’s the god Indigo reborn. Indigo, whose song created the universe and unified people across galaxies to banish Ozvios, the god of destruction. Although Zaira has never been able to harness Indigo’s powers, the Ilori Emperor wants to sacrifice her in Ozvios’s honor. Unless she escapes and finds Wesley, the boy prophesized to help her defeat Ozvios and the Ilori, once and for all.
Wesley Daniels didn’t ask for this. He just wants to work as a smuggler so he can save enough money to explore the stars. Once he completes his biggest job yet—bringing wanted celebrity Rubin Rima to a strange planet called Earth—he’ll be set for life. But when his path crosses with Zaira, he soon finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic war with more responsibility than he bargained for.
Together, Zaira, Wesley, and Rubin must find their way to Earth and unlock Zaira’s powers if they’re going to have any hope of saving the universe from total destruction.
What a Desi Girl Wants by Sabina Khan
Release Date: July 18 from Scholastic Press
Why We’re Excited: Complicated relationships from the perspective of a South Asian queer teen are Sabina Khan’s specialty, and there’s nothing better than when she takes us on a journey back to South Asia itself. Seeing bi girl Mehar navigate being back in India and crushing on a girl and getting to spend some time in a literal Indian palace for the wedding to end all weddings? Yeah, that’s definitely worth adding to your summer roster.
Publisher’s Description: Mehar hasn’t been back to India since she and her mother moved away when she was only four. Hasn’t visited her father, her grandmother, her family, or the home where she grew up. Why would she? Her father made it clear that she’s not his priority when he chose not to come to the US with them.
But when her father announces his engagement to socialite Naz, Mehar reluctantly agrees to return for the wedding. Maybe she and her father can heal their broken relationship. And after all, her father is Indian royalty, and his home is a palace–the wedding is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime affair.
While her father still doesn’t make the time for her, Mehar barely cares once she meets Sufiya, her grandmother’s assistant, and one of the most grounded, thoughtful, kind people she’s ever met! Though they come from totally different worlds, their friendship slowly starts to blossom into something more . . . Mehar thinks.
Meanwhile, Mehar’s dislike for Naz and her social media influencer daughter, Aleena, deepens. She can tell that the two of them are just using her father for his money. Mehar’s starting to think that putting a stop to this wedding might be the best thing for everyone involved.
But what happens when telling her father the truth about Naz and Aleena means putting her relationship with Sufiya at risk . . .
A Guide to the Dark by Meriam Metoui
Release Date: July 18 from Henry Holt and Co.
Why We’re Excited: Spooky queer YA has definitely been stepping up its game in recent years, but we still don’t have many haunted house books, so we’re thrilled to see Meriam Metoui picking the mantle with this paranormal mystery comped to The Haunting of Hill House. As a bonus, the book contains tens of creepy black-and-white photographs by the author, to add to the immersive experience.
Publisher’s Description: 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.
The King is Dead by Benjamin Dean
Release Date: July 18 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Why We’re Excited: Royal romances are always boatloads of fun, and Benjamin Dean takes it to the next level by giving us the first Black British prince who also happens to be queer. Not the easiest hot seat to fill, but no doubt it’s going to be an interesting and unique ride, especially as mysteries abound.
Publisher’s Description: Heavy is the crown James has been born to wear, especially as the first Black heir to the British throne. But with his father’s recent passing, and with a new boyfriend to hide, James is woefully unprepared for the sudden shine of public scrutiny.
When his secrets come spilling forth across tabloid pages and the man he thought he loved has suddenly disappeared, James finds himself on the precipice of ruin. As every detail of his life becomes public knowledge, his sense of safety is shattered and the people he trusts the most become the likeliest suspects.
What dangers lurk behind the palace walls—and will the new king find out before it’s too late?
The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan
Release Date: August 15 from Putnam
Why We’re Excited: Jennifer Dugan’s always reliable for a sweet and fun queer read, so it’s extra fun to watch her switch gears to a feral Sapphic psych thriller slasher that digs into how well we can ever know the people we love. It may be a far cry from comic books and ice cream trucks, but with a paranormal graphic novel and a recent debut adult romance under her belt, it’s clear there’s not a whole lot Dugan can’t do.
Publisher’s Description: Sloan and Cherry. Cherry and Sloan. They met only a few days before masked men with machetes attacked the summer camp where they worked, a massacre that left the rest of their fellow counselors dead. Now, months later, the two are inseparable, their traumatic experience bonding them in ways no one else can understand.
But as new evidence comes to light and Sloan learns more about the motives behind the ritual killing that brought them together, she begins to suspect that her girlfriend may be more than just a survivor—she may actually have been a part of it. Cherry tries to reassure her, but Sloan only becomes more distraught. Is this gaslighting or reality? Is Cherry a victim or a perpetrator? Is Sloan confused, or is she seeing things clearly for the very first time? Against all odds, Sloan survived that hot summer night. But will she survive what comes next?
Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig
Release Date: August 22 from Feiwel & Friends
Why We’re Excited: The Remixed Classics series has provided banger after banger, and Caleb Roehrig’s take on Romeo & Juliet (but gay) is absolutely not an exception. From the medieval Italian setting to the page-turning thrill ride of this secret taboo romance, this is an incredibly compelling read whether or not you’re a Shakespeare devotee. (Multiple ace secondary characters are a nice surprise, too.)
Publisher’s Description: Verona, Italy. Seventeen-year-old aspiring artist Romeo dreams of a quiet life with someone who loves him just as he is. But as the heir to the Montague family, he is expected to give up his “womanly” artistic pursuits and uphold the family honor―particularly in their centuries-old blood feud with a rival family, the Capulets. Worse still, he is also expected to marry a well-bred girl approved by his parents and produce heirs. But the more Romeo is forced to mingle with eligible maidens, the harder it is to keep his deepest secret: He only feels attracted to other boys.
In an attempt to forget his troubles for just one night, Romeo joins his cousin in sneaking into a Capulet party. During a fateful encounter in the garden, he meets the kindest, most beautiful boy he’s ever met, and is shocked to learn he’s Valentine, the younger brother of one of his closest friends. He is even more shocked to discover that Valentine is just as enamored with Romeo as Romeo is with him.
So begins a tender romance that the boys must hide from their families and friends, each of them longing for a world where they could be together without fear. And as the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets escalates out of control, Romeo and Valentine find themselves in danger of losing each other forever―if not by society’s scorn, then by the edge of a blade.
Night of the Living Queers ed. by Alex Brown and Shelly Page
Release Date: August 29 from Wednesday Books
Why We’re Excited: Hello, it’s an entire collection of creepy stories starring queer teens, sure to get us all in the mood for the spooky season that’ll be here before we know it. It’s also got a great mix of established authors like Sara Farizan, Tara Sim, and Kosoko Jackson along with newer voices like Tor.com contributor Maya Gittelman, short story writer Ayida Shonibar, debut novelist Vanessa Montalban, and co-editor Alex Brown herself, whose Filipino-inspired sapphic YA comedic horror, Damned if You Do, releases just three weeks earlier.
Publisher’s Description: No matter its name or occasion, Halloween is more than a Hallmark holiday, it’s a symbol of transformation. NIGHT OF THE LIVING QUEERS is a YA horror anthology that explores how Halloween can be more than just candies and frights, but a night where anything is possible. Each short story is told through the lens of a different BIPOC teen and the Halloween night that changes their lives forever. Creative, creepy, and queer, this collection brings fresh terror, heart, and humor to young adult literature.
Contributors include editors Alex Brown and Shelly Page, Kalynn Bayron, Ryan Douglass, Sara Farizan, Maya Gittelman, Kosoko Jackson, Em Liu, Vanessa Montalban, Ayida Shonibar, Tara Sim, Trang Thanh Tran, and Rebecca Kim Wells.
Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachael Lippincott
Release Date: August 29 from Simon & Schuster
Why We’re Excited: It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a Sapphic reader faced with the knowledge that Rachael Lippincott has another book will absolutely follow said author anywhere, including back in time, or even Pittsburgh. Plus, there’s no better kind of fish-out-of-water story than when one of the characters travels to another era, but that goes double if it means a modern queer girl suddenly finding herself a Regency heroine.
Publisher’s Description: What if you found a once-in-a-lifetime love…just not in your lifetime?
Audrey Cameron has lost her spark. But after getting dumped by her first love and waitlisted at her dream art school all in one week, she has no intention of putting her heart on the line again to get it back. So when local curmudgeon Mr. Montgomery walks into her family’s Pittsburgh convenience store saying he can help her, Audrey doesn’t know what she’s expecting…but it’s definitely not that she’ll be transported back to 1812 to become a Regency romance heroine.
Lucy Sinclair isn’t expecting to find an oddly dressed girl claiming to be from two hundred years in the future on her family’s estate. But she has to admit it’s a welcome distraction from being courted by a man her father expects her to marry—who offers a future she couldn’t be less interested in. Not that anyone has cared about what or who she’s interested in since her mother died, taking Lucy’s spark with her.
While the two girls try to understand what’s happening and how to send Audrey home, their sparks make a comeback in a most unexpected way. Because as they both try over and over to fall for their suitors and the happily-ever-afters everyone expects of them, they find instead they don’t have to try at all to fall for each other.
But can a most unexpected love story survive even more impossible circumstances?