Category Archives: Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Queerleaders by Olivia A. Cole and Ashley Woodfolk

October 21, 2025 Dahlia Adler 1 Comment

Today on the site I’m delighted to welcome Olivia A. Cole and Ashley Woodfolk to reveal the cover of their second Sapphic YA rom-com, Queerleaders, releasing May 26, 2026 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers! Here’s the story:

Two cheerleaders find themselves inconveniently tumbling head over heels for each other in this satirical, sapphic teen rom-com that’s Bring It On meets She Drives Me Crazy.

Oak Haven High doesn’t have cheerleaders—it has queerleaders.

It’s a fun coincidence that every new varsity cheerleader since Davie Cathee took the squad by storm three years ago is—or soon comes out as—queer.

But when a rumor sparks that this season, newly minted captain Davie has been specifically recruiting queer members only, Davie is accused of “discrimination” against straight students. She’s given an ultimatum: recruit a straight athlete for the team or the funding for their competitive cheer season will take a major tumble.

Enter Kendall Hayes, the edgy, mysterious new girl. When Davie sees that Kendall has a boyfriend, she quickly convinces her to join the squad. Problem solved.

Until she finds out that Kendall’s actually bisexual…and newly single.

Now Kendall and Davie are faced with having to keep those details under wraps until nationals, which only gets more complicated when they start falling hard and fast for each other. Can Kendall go back in the closet long enough to save the squad? Or will Davie find the courage to love her new crush out loud, even if it might mean the end of the queerleaders?

And here’s the cheer-worthy cover, designed by Krista Vossen with art by Betsy Cola, along with a note from the authors!

We Said Brr It’s Cold in Here, There Must Be a RomCom in the Atmosphere

The best part about writing for teens is meeting the teens you write for – even better when they inspire a book all their own. This is how Queerleaders was born.

While giving a book talk at a high school in Louisville, one of the points of discussion was how lucky I feel to be queer, and as I heard from some of the students in the class about their sources of joy, some of them gleefully discussed their cheerleading squad, which was 95% queer and had become a safe haven. “One day we’ll be totally, fully gay,” one of the kids told me. “And we’ll write a cheer about it.”

At this point Ashley and I had already written a queer YA rom-com together – Call Your Boyfriend – and hadn’t decided what our next book together would be about. But something about the idea of an all-queer cheerleading squad had my antennae up, and when I mentioned it to Ashley we laughed about the inevitable fury of The Straights. Ashley said, “You just know there would be someone claiming the squad is discriminatory for being a straight-free environment.”

That was all it took. Queerleaders was plotted within the week. What if there was an all-queer cheerleading squad? What if the president of the Conservative Club tried out and didn’t make it? What if she was so butt-hurt that she filed a formal complaint? What if the cute captain of the squad had to hurriedly recruit an even cuter straight girl to be their Token Straight in order to prevent the squad being disbanded? And <drum roll> what if that Token Straight’s straightness was a big misunderstanding and she’s actually gay as hell? Cue dating in secret. Cue heterosexuality pageantry to keep the word from getting out. Cue accidentally falling in love.

We had a great time writing this book. It’s even more hilarious than Call Your Boyfriend and has all the things we love most about romance and young love. Fans of Bring It On, Imogen Obviously, and But I’m a Cheerleader will love Queerleaders – this book is everything that its amazing cover promises, a cover made possible by artist Betsy Cola and designer Krista Vossen. We’re so excited to be sharing it here on LGBTQ Reads.

Buy it: Bookshop | B&N | Amazon

Olivia A. Cole and Ashley Woodfolk have written over ten critically acclaimed novels each. In 2023 they joined forces, determined to write something “fun,” and CALL YOUR BOYFRIEND, a queer romcom about two unpopular girls who want revenge but find love instead, was the result. QUEERLEADERS is their second co-written novel and it promises more laughs and hi-jinks than the first. They live and write in different cities but they’re always sharing ideas, jokes, and tea, thanks mostly to voice notes.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Time-Tripping Over You by Brennon Lane

September 29, 2025 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment

Today on the site, I’m delighted to reveal the cover for Time-Tripping Over You by Brennon Lane, a queer, trans YA Romance with Sci-Fi elements and aroace rep releasing March 10, 2026 from Page Street YA! Here’s the story:

In this slow-burn queer trans romance, two college students team up to stop the time traveling episodes forcing them to relive their pasts

College freshman Silas Turner is a scientific anomaly. Thrown back in time uncontrollably, he’s forced into his pre-transition body for hours to days at a time, reliving random events in his past. Why? Every cell in his astrophysics major brain is straining to figure it out. But the “time trips” just keep on coming, disrupting Silas’s life, and he’s certain he’s a one-of-a-kind phenomenon—until brash, guitar-playing Jude Forrester barges into his life, exhibiting the same symptoms.

He claims a future version of Silas visited him, and that, according to future-Silas, they’re meant to help each other stop the time trips. If working together can really lead to finding a cure, Silas can handle Jude’s tortured-artist attitude; Jude can humor Silas’s nerdy obsession with the stars.

As they get closer to a solution, they grow closer to each other. But Jude is still grieving an old connection that broke his heart, and he can’t help but wonder if changing the past might save himself and Silas a lot of heartache. Amidst cataclysmic consequences, Silas and Jude must face the cosmic circumstances that brought them together if they hope to protect their timeline—and the future they seem destined to share.

And here’s the trippy cover by Emma Hardy!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N

Brennon Lane is a Black, queer, trans author who can’t seem to stop creating characters whose stories beg to be told. Writing exclusively in the LGBTQ+ genre, he hopes to offer the younger queer community the diverse representation in media that he always sought. Time-Tripping Over You is his debut novel.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Undeniable by Jes Honard and Marie Parks

September 17, 2025 Dahlia Adler 1 Comment

Today on the site I’m delighted to welcome back Jes Honard and Marie Parks to reveal the cover of Undeniable, a paranormal thriller with an asexual MC and the second book in the Grigori Cycle, as well as the new cover of Unrelenting, which was originally revealed here! First, here’s the story behind Undeniable, which releases October 28th from Not a Pipe Press:

A lifeless body awaiting immortality.
Magic that erodes a sister’s identity.
Enemies bent on retribution.

Bridget has saved her sister, Dahlia, from imprisonment. But their reunion has come with enormous costs. Their friend was murdered in the rescue efforts, and Dahlia herself is no longer fully human.

Together, they seek to grant their friend a second chance at life. But the magic that will save him also paints a target on their backs.

As the sisters race to uncover the key to resurrection, Dahlia’s former captors pursue them—coveting the ancient powers and seeking justice for their own fallen companions.

At the same time, they must also contend with Dahlia’s immortal life, new abilities, and fracturing personality.

Undeniable is the second book in The Grigori Cycle. Multi-Hugo Award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal called Unrelenting “a tapestry of emotion that effortlessly weaves together the threads of grief and obsession.”

Here’s the ethereal cover, illustrated by Lauren Raye Snow, with a background symbol designed by Gigi Little!

Buy Undeniable: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N

Continue reading Exclusive Cover Reveal: Undeniable by Jes Honard and Marie Parks →

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Thirty Love by Tom Vellner

September 8, 2025 Dahlia Adler 1 Comment

Today on the site, I’m delighted to help reveal the cover of Thirty Love by Tom Vellner, a gay tennis romance releasing March 10, 2026 from Alcove Press! Here’s the story:

Things heat up on and off the court for two tennis rivals in this steamy debut gay sports romcom perfect for fans of TJ Alexander and Casey McQuiston.

American tennis star Leo Chambers is determined to win the US Open by 30, the age when many players feel retirement looming. He’s just a year away from that dreaded birthday, but he can’t find his focus—considering he hasn’t told anyone he’s gay, he’s clashing with his strict coach (who also happens to be his dad), and he still can’t figure out how to beat his longtime nemesis on tour, Gabe Montoya, who, well, hits different. Gabe is playing better than ever, and Leo can’t seem to escape him—and maybe he doesn’t want to escape him.

Leo’s other obstacle is Sascha Volkov, a Russian legend who has such a powerful influence on the tennis world, he would destroy Leo’s career if he found out that he’s gay.

No distractions, Leo reminds himself. But when Gabe makes a shocking announcement, Leo is thrown off his game—in more ways than one. Ready? Play.

And here’s the steamy cover by Débora Islas!

A note from author Tom Vellner:

Débora brought my boys to life in the most beautiful, tender, vibrant way for the cover of Thirty Love. They’re exactly how I’ve been picturing them since I first started dreaming them up almost three years ago, especially how gone Leo (left) is over Gabe. That yearning gaze says it all. I’m over the moon to have a cover that so proudly shows two men in love — as we face an alarming surge of book bans and efforts seeking to erase LGBTQ stories. I can’t wait for this cover to sit on shelves in all its queerness. I hope it brings some joy and comfort when it’s needed most.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | PRH

Tom Vellner is a writer, editor, and mediocre tennis player. A former staff writer at BuzzFeed, he has also contributed to VICE, Thrillist, ACLU Magazine, and more. This is his debut novel. He lives in the Hudson Valley with his husband and two dogs.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Love Galaxy by Sierra Branham

August 27, 2025 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment

Today on the site, I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Love Galaxy by Sierra Branham, a Sapphic Sci-Fi Thriller releasing from DAW on May 5, 2026! Here’s the story:

A romantic science fiction thriller in which a young woman from a dead-end planet gets cast on a reality TV show to compete for the hand of the prince—or princess. But not everyone is there for the right reasons…

Smart, sexy, compulsively readable and fun, this is for fans of Everina Maxwell’s Winter’s Orbit and Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire.

Temmi, a young trash collector stuck in a dead-end job on a garbage planet, finds herself with a golden ticket she never expected: an opportunity to compete in an intergalactic dating show starring the brother and sister heirs to the galactic empire. Twenty-four women will compete on a televised program to marry the prince and princess—and future emperors—and to win the dynasty’s favor for their home planet.

Temmi may have been hand-picked to date the quiet, bookish prince, who is immediately taken by her brash personality and their shared passion for the sciences. But she can’t seem to keep away from the princess—and even though it couldn’t be a worse idea, their chemistry is undeniable.

But when contestants start turning up dead, and conspiracies begin to swirl around anti-imperial motivations of several contestants, Temmi among them, so much more than feelings are at stake.

In fact, very few of the participants of Love Galaxy have come on the show to find love. Sexy, snarky, and revolutionary, this fast-paced thrill ride will hook lovers of reality TV, fans of thoughtful sci-fi, and anyone who lives for drama.

And here’s the out-of-this-world cover, illustrated by Artem Chebokha and designed by Jenna Stempel-Lobel!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Sierra Branham is the author of the forthcoming science fiction novel LOVE GALAXY, a romantic and political thriller releasing with DAW Books in spring of 2026. Her short fiction can be found in venues like Small Wonders Magazine and Apex Magazine. When not spinning words into stories, she can be found hiking with her goats, juggling knives, or battling existential crises. Find her on Instagram at @authorsierrabranham or sign up for her newsletter on her website at http://www.sierrabranham.com.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Just Ask Elsie by Ari Koontz

August 20, 2025 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment

Today on the site, I’m delighted to reveal the cover of the upcoming Just Ask Elsie by Ari Koontz, a contemporary Middle Grade novel releasing June 16, 2026, from Feiwel & Friends! Here’s the story:

Elsie Parker is having a totally normal fifth grade year.

Fractions and conjunctions―check.
Stressing about middle school―check.
Body-positive puberty class at church that also covers feelings and identities―check.

Okay, maybe that last one isn’t so normal. It’s a little weird (and awkward) to spend her Sundays talking periods, B.O., and pimples. But Elsie’s also learning a lot more than she’s heard in her public-school health class ― like the difference between sex and gender, and what consent is, and what it might mean that she can’t stop blushing around a certain cute girl at her school.

When her puberty lessons become the school’s latest gossip, Elsie’s totally humiliated… until she finds an anonymous note in her locker from a classmate who wants to know more, and realizes that other kids might have embarrassing questions of their own.

Starting an underground advice board wasn’t exactly in her plans, but Elsie won’t pass up a chance to turn her reputation around ― or to share words and labels that have not-so-accidentally been left off their curriculum. But when the principal tries to shut down the unauthorized puberty talk, Elsie has to decide what she’s willing to risk to tell the truth to kids who really need to hear it.

And here’s the adorable cover, designed by Julia Bianchi with art by Isabelle Duffy!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N

Ari Koontz is a queer nonbinary writer and educator with an MFA in creative writing from Northern Michigan University. They’re dedicated to telling full-hearted stories of bravery and whimsy in every possible genre, centering the beautiful complexities of queer identity and community, and supporting their local public library. A born-and-raised Midwestern UU, Ari lives close to where the water meets the woods and loves to take long walks when they should be writing. Just Ask Elsie is their debut novel.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Song of Spores by Bogi Takács

August 11, 2025 Dahlia Adler 1 Comment

Today on the site I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Song of Spores by Bogi Takács, a nonbinary/genderfluid Space Opera releasing November 4, 2025 from Broken Eye Books! Here’s the story:

Hugo Award winner Bogi Takács spins a tale of adventure, mystery, and political intrigue in space. Plus sentient fungus!

Three experienced counterintelligence operatives from Alliance Treaty Enforcement are on a mission to find the source of shapeshifting infiltrators within Alliance space. Will the gruff Ereni commander, the Chasidic Jewish shapeshifter, and the cynical insectoid grandma be able to work together? Or will their differences drive them apart before they can reach their goal?

Not to mention dealing with the sentient spaceship and symbiotic pilot, who only signed on to provide transportation, not to be eaten by giant space fungus. Are they even on the right side of history when everything comes crashing down?

Can the galaxy possibly survive? This is weird space opera at its finest!

And here’s the intriguing cover, illustrated by Galen Dara and designed by Scott Gable!

Buy it: Broken Eye Books

Bogi Takács is a Hungarian Jewish agender trans person (e/em/eir/emself or they pronouns) and an immigrant to the US. Bogi lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with eir family and a congregation of books. Bogi writes, edits, and reviews speculative fiction and poetry. E is a winner of the Lambda Literary award for editing Transcendent 2: The Year’s Best Transgender Speculative Fiction, the Hugo award for Best Fan Writer, and a finalist for the Ignyte award, the Locus award, and the Hexa award for advocates of Hungarian SFF. Bogi talks about books at www.bogireadstheworld.com, and you can also find em as @bogiperson on various social media websites.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy by Erin Edwards

August 6, 2025 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment

Today on the site, I’m delighted to help reveal the cover of The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy by Erin Edwards, a debut Sapphic YA Historical Romance releasing from ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on April 7, 2026! Here’s the story:

Mr. Darcy got his happily ever after in Pride and Prejudice, and now it’s his sister’s turn in this swoony queer romance, perfect for fans of Bridgerton.

Georgiana Darcy has only ever kissed one girl before, and the resulting blackmail almost ruined her reputation. Since then, she’s carefully calibrated her life to be as quiet as possible, focusing on books and music. She certainly isn’t planning on falling in love with another girl. But then she meets Kitty Bennet, and everything is thrown off kilter.

After a moonlit kiss shifts their newfound friendship into something more, Georgiana follows Kitty to the Bennets’ home. The visit proves ill-timed when she encounters the one man who knows her secret and threatened her with it before. Terrified of testing the limits of her family’s love and of putting Kitty in danger, Georgiana doesn’t know if there’s any chance of a happy ending.

Every etiquette guide she’s ever read makes it clear that if she wants to protect her family name, Georgiana must pretend her heart follows society’s accepted rhythm. Unless, with a little help from those who understand how it feels, she can compose the future she and Kitty both deserve.

Here’s the swoontastic cover illustrated by Bijou Karman!

Buy it: Amazon US | B&N | Amazon UK

Erin Edwards is a lesbian with a love for all things literary, historical, and theatrical. By day, she can be found in an archive, attempting to decipher old handwriting and digging through boxes of hidden histories. By night, she’s probably in a theatre, waiting for the lights to go down and the magic to start. There is a fair chance she’s already seen the show before. Erin grew up struggling to find enough queer fiction to fill a single shelf and now she’s committed to the cause of helping to fill endless bookcases with queer stories. She lives in London with a cat that is at least 85% fluff. The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy is her debut novel.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal We Could Be Anyone by Anna-Marie McLemore

July 29, 2025 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment

Today on the site, I am so delighted to welcome back Anna-Marie McLemore to reveal the cover of their brand-new YA historical thriller, We Could Be Anyone, releasing May 26, 2026 from Feiwel & Friends! Here’s the story:

Lola and Lisandro are actors during Hollywood’s Golden Age, but you won’t see them on any silver screen. Instead, these siblings use their talents to scam the rich and famous out of their ill-begotten cash. They have their act down to a science: Lola plays the tragic ghost who haunts the mansions of the wealthy, and Lisandro plays the brave spiritualist who will help her soul find peace. For a small fee, of course.

The siblings have their sights set on their next target: The Coterie, the opulent estate of newspaper tycoon Bixby Fairfax and his famous mistress Blythe Bell. A score this big will allow them to move… well, anywhere but here. But this job requires them to do something they’ve never done before: switch roles. And as strange things keep happening at The Coterie… things that even Lola and Lisandro can’t explain.

As they are drawn deeper into The Coterie’s gleaming façade and tensions rise between brother and sister, one question looms over them. Will they be able to pull off their act? Or will this be their last performance?

And here’s the gorgeous cover, designed by L. Whitt with art by Andreea Dumuta!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N

(c) Elliott McLemore

Anna-Marie McLemore (they/them) grew up hearing la llorona in the Santa Ana winds and now writes books as queer, Latine, and nonbinary as they are. They are the author of William C. Morris YA Debut Award finalist The Weight of Feathers; Wild Beauty; Blanca & Roja, one of Time magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time; Dark and Deepest Red; Lambda Literary Award Finalist Lakelore; Flawless Girls; and National Book Award longlist selections When the Moon Was Ours, The Mirror Season, and Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix. Find them online at annamariemclemore.com.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Load Game by Emilie Nantel

July 24, 2025 Dahlia Adler Leave a comment

Today on the site I’m delighted to welcome Emilie Nantel to reveal the cover of her upcoming speculative bi f/f YA, Load Game, releasing September 18, 2025! Here’s the story:

Vera Young can time travel through her selfies.

For a disaster bi with a huge crush on her bestie Soph and an affinity for trouble, that new power is a cheat code for life. Consequences are a thing of the past.

Punched the sleazy quarterback and got suspended? Save game. Load game. Get out scot-free.

Want the satisfaction of getting revenge on the mean girls bullying you, but still want to be a good person? Humiliate them in front of everyone, rewind, and enjoy! It doesn’t count if it didn’t happen!

Whatever life throws at her, Vera’s got this.

But some things you can’t control, not even with all the time travel in the world: Riverview High’s rumor mill; a death that’s a fixed point in time; and the crumbling integrity of the space-time continuum, to name a few.

Turns out, there’s a lot of consequences to a no-consequences life.

For teen readers at an age of firsts of all kinds, where mistakes, what-ifs, grief and guilt are so challenging to cope with. Load Game deals with the hardships of youth in an honest, yet optimistic and lighthearted way.

And here’s the cool cover, designed by Rorrim Designs!

Buy it!

Emilie Nantel is the author of OPEN: A Tale of Love, Mermaids, Bassists, & Creepy Dudes, a queer polyamorous romcom for adults.

She honed her casual, witty voice through years writing fanfiction, and now brings her friends-to-lovers expertise to original stories of queer joy.

When she’s not writing, you can usually find her at home in Montreal, trying every art medium she can get her hands on, playing The Sims 4, or bringing various hot mess characters to life in tabletop roleplaying games.

Load Game is her first foray into Young Adult fiction.

Queering up your shelf, one rec at a time!