New Releases: October 21, 2025

Young Adult

Don’t Forget to Breathe by Brianna R. Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum

Zoe’s always had a plan. Ballet has been her past, present, and future for so long that she’s never even considered otherwise. It’s been the escape she’s always needed. Yet when senior year arrives, it arrives with a feeling of uncertainty she never expected—and a paralyzing fear about choosing the wrong future.

Hanna’s rarely stayed in a place longer than a year. The greatest consistency she has is her piano playing, and her dad diving back into his Jewish faith every time her mom leaves on assignment. So when her senior year begins with yet another move to a new school, she’s not planning on putting down roots—she’s learned that hard way how that ends.

But when the girls’ paths collide, everything they thought they knew is turned upside down. Their relationship could change them each forever—if they have the courage to let their worlds fall apart.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Continue reading New Releases: October 21, 2025

Fave Five: Queer Heist Novels

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li (Contemporary)

The Elysium Heist by Y.M. Resnik (Sci-Fi)

A Game of Hearts and Heists by Ruby Roe (Fantasy Romance)

Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn (Fantasy)

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto (Sci-Fi)

Bonus: These are all Adult, but for YA, check out Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig, Aces Wild by Amanda DeWitt, A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar, and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Double Bonus: These are all novels, but for a novella, check out Pyre at the Eyreholme Trust by Lin Darrow

Inside an Anthology: As the Earth Dreams ed. by Terese Mason Pierre

Today on the site I’m delighted to offer a peek inside As the Earth Dreams ed. by Terese Mason Pierre, a speculative anthology out this week with House of Anansi Press! Here’s the gist:

A ground-breaking anthology of haunting speculative stories by contemporary Black Canadian writers that explore growth, futurity, and joy.

This bold and innovative anthology of speculative short fiction reveals and uplifts the spectacular imaginings, reveries, reflections, experiments, and hopes of Black writers in Canada. A woman attends her mother’s latest resurrection, only to encounter family she’s never met. A postdoc instructor navigates an almost-life in an Elsewhere realm of safety and comfort. After social collapse, a former sex worker leaves her precarious station, and her memories, behind. A woman isolating from a new virus starts hallucinating. In lyrical fragments, a young nanny accepts a job with a peculiar employer. A medium is tasked with summoning a spirit that hits too close to home. And two teenagers test a friendship over magic carpet flying practice. These breathtaking stories explore natural and urban landscapes, living and dead relationships, economic catastrophe, love, and desire—all while celebrating the persistent and ever-changing self, and envisioning beautiful Black futures.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

And here’s a peek at four of the stories, thanks to its contributors!

Continue reading Inside an Anthology: As the Earth Dreams ed. by Terese Mason Pierre

Fave Five: New Queer Witchy YA, 2025 Edition

Whoops, make that six.

Hit Me With Your Best Charm by Lillie Vale (f/f)

Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches by Kayla Cottingham (m/m)

Everything She Does is Magic by Bridget Morrissey (f/f)

Witchlore by Emma Hinds (m/x)

No Charm Done by Tori Anne Martin (f/f)

Brewed With Love by Shelly Page (f/f)

New Releases: October 14, 2025

This post is sponsored by Dana Hawkins in honor of the release of Any Girl But You:

Incompatible never felt so irresistible

The perfect queer romance for fans of Alexandria Bellefleur and Casey McQuiston who crave a side of holiday magic, small-town charm, and enough steam to melt even the biggest snowstorm.

Buy it!

Young Adult Fiction

The Leaving Room by Amber McBride

For fans of You’ve Reached Sam and If I Stay, a hauntingly beautiful, ultimately hopeful novel-in-verse about a girl in between life and death, by National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.

Gospel is the Keeper of the Leaving Room—a place all young people must phase through when they die. The young are never ready to leave; they need a moment to remember and a Keeper to help their wispy souls along.

When a random door opens and a Keeper named Melody arrives, their souls become entangled. Gospel’s seriousness melts and Melody’s fear of connection fades, but still—are Keepers allowed to fall in love? Now they must find a way out of the Leaving Room and be unafraid of their love. In a novel that takes place over four minutes, National Book Award finalist Amber McBride explores connection, memory, and hope in ways that are unforgettable and poignant.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Continue reading New Releases: October 14, 2025

Fave Five: Paranormal Middle Grade

A Touch of Ruckus by Ash Van Otterloo

A Little Too Haunted by Justine Pucella Winans

First Kiss With Fangs by Marker Snyder

Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton

Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens

Excerpt: Exquisite Things by Abdi Nazemian

It’s Banned Books Week, and in honor of those titles, we’re digging into a recent release to highlight it and share some poignant passages. Today we’re looking at Exquisite Things by Abdi Nazemian:

Shahriar believes he was born in the wrong time. All he’s ever wanted is to love and be loved, but 1895 London doesn’t offer him the freedom to be his true self, and Oscar Wilde’s trial for gross indecency has only reaffirmed that. But one night—and one writer—will grant Shahriar what he’s always wished for: the opportunity to live in a time and place where he can love freely. Rechristened as Shams and then as Bram, he finds what feels like eternal happiness. But can anything truly be eternal?

Oliver doesn’t feel that 1920s Boston gives him a lot of options to be his full self. He knows he could only ever love another boy, but that would break his beloved mother’s heart. Oliver finds freedom and acceptance in the secret queer community at Harvard that his cousin introduces him to. When he meets a mysterious boy with eyes as warm as a flame, his life is irrevocably changed, forever.

Spanning one hundred and thirty years of love and longing, this tale of immortal beloveds searching for their perfect place and time is a vibrant hymn to the beauty of being alive, a celebration of queer love and community, and a reminder that behind every tragic thing that ever existed, there is something exquisite.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

BRAM. LONDON. APRIL. 2025.

Continue reading Excerpt: Exquisite Things by Abdi Nazemian