Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Middle Grade Fiction: July-December 2024

Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton (July 2nd)

Benji Zeb has a lot going on. He has a lot of studying to do, not only for school but also for his upcoming bar mitzvah. He’s nervous about Mr. Rutherford, the aggressive local rancher who hates Benji’s family’s kibbutz and wolf sanctuary. And he hasn’t figured out what to do about Caleb, Mr. Rutherford’s stepson, who has been bullying Benji pretty hard at school, despite Benji wanting to be friends (and maybe something more). And all of this is made more complicated by the fact that, secretly, Benji and his entire family are werewolves who are using the wolf sanctuary as cover for their true identities!

Things come to a head when Caleb shows up at the kibbutz one night . . . in wolf form! He’s a werewolf too, unable to control his shifting, and he needs Benji’s help. Can anxious Benji juggle all of these things along with his growing feelings toward Caleb?

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Continue reading Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Middle Grade Fiction: July-December 2024

New Releases: June 4, 2024

Middle Grade

Asking for a Friend by Ronnie Riley

Why go through the stress of making friends when you can just pretend? It works for Eden and their social anxiety… until their mom announces she’s throwing them a birthday party and all their friends are invited.

Eden’s “friends,” Duke, Ramona, and Tabitha, are all real kids from school… but Eden’s never actually spoken to them before. Now Eden will do whatever it takes to convince them to be their friends–at least until the party is over.

When things start to go better than Eden expects, and the group starts to bond, Eden finds themselves trapped in a lie that gets worse the longer they keep it up. What happens if their now sort-of-real friends discover that Eden hasn’t been honest with them from the very beginning?

Author Ronnie Riley creates a world full of queer joy and all the ups and downs of true friendship.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Continue reading New Releases: June 4, 2024

Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month!

Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month! We’re celebrating as we do, with queer Caribbean fiction!

Middle Grade

Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender

Being born during a hurricane is considered unlucky where twelve-year-old Caroline Murphy lives, and she has had her share of bad luck lately. She’s hated and bullied by everyone in her small school on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands. A spirit only she can see won’t stop following her. And—worst of all—Caroline’s mother left home one day and never came back.

But when a new student named Kalinda arrives, Caroline’s luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, becomes Caroline’s first and only friend—and the person for whom Caroline has begun to develop a crush. Now, Caroline must find the strength to confront her feelings for Kalinda, brave the spirit stalking her through the islands, and face the reason her mother abandoned her. Together, Caroline and Kalinda must set out in a hurricane to find Caroline’s missing mother—before Caroline loses her forever.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Continue reading Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month!

May 2024 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction

Sasha Laurens‘s IT’S A LOVE STORY, the author’s adult debut, a sapphic rom-com about a closeted female popstar who, after a hookup with her childhood crush, convinces her team to hire her should-be one-night-stand to direct a documentary about the making of her next album, to Ariana Sinclair at Avon, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Allison Hunter at Trellis Literary Management (NA).

Continue reading May 2024 Deal Announcements

Fave Five: Asexual Adult Romances

For demisexual romances, click here.
For Asexual YA Romances, click here.

How to Be a Normal Person by TJ Klune (m/m)

Perfect Rhythm by Jae (f/f)

The Romantic Agenda and Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann (m/f)

It’s Always Been You by Elin Annaliese (f/f)

Upside Down by N.R. Walker (m/m)

 

Audiobooks on Sale for Under $4

All sales are currently on (and links directing to) Chirp.

$2.99

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler (YA Romance)

The Gay Best Friend by Nicolas DiDomizio (Contemporary)

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang (Fantasy)

The Weight of it All by N.R. Walker (Contemporary)

$3.99

Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler (YA Rom-Com)

At Midnight ed. by Dahlia Adler (YA Anthology)

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues by Jess Everlee (Historical Romance)

$4.99

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill (Gothic Historical)

Blue-Skinned Gods by S.J. Sindu (Literary Fiction)

The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe (Sci-Fi)

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (Historical Romance)

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner (Fantasy)

New Releases: May 28, 2024

Middle Grade

Noah Frye Gets Crushed by Maggie Horne

Noah Frye just had the Best Summer Ever. Not only did she have an epic time at science camp, but her new camp friend Jessa is going to Noah’s school in the fall. Noah can’t wait to introduce Jessa to her best friends Zoey and Luna when classes start. But when the friend group is reunited after their summer apart, something seems to have changed: Zoey and Luna have discovered boys, and now it’s all they want to obsess over.

Suddenly, it feels like Noah is the odd one out in their friend group, especially since Noah hasn’t ever even considered boys in that way. When Noah finds herself caught in a lie about having a boy crush of her own, she decides she’ll do anything to fit in with her friends again—even if that means using the scientific method. Noah’s crush experiment is simple: find a boy, fake a crush until it turns real, and get her friends back. But that might be easier said than done, especially when Noah can’t stop thinking about Jessa. What ensues is a hilarious and heartwarming turn of events in this queer contemporary middle grade story about friendship, first crushes, and self-discovery.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Continue reading New Releases: May 28, 2024

Happy Pan Visibility Day 2024!

Today is Pan Visibility Day, and as usual, we’re celebrating with a bunch of books that have pansexual leads! Today is Pan Visibility Day, and as usual, we’re celebrating with a bunch of books that have pansexual leads! Please note that this post only includes books that weren’t featured in full in previous posts; you can find more pansexual books in posts from past years!

Court of the Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland

Court of Undying SeasonsIn becoming a vampire, I’m less than a girl. And more.

Or maybe I’m becoming what I always have been, deep inside.
A blade.

When nineteen-year-old Fin volunteers to take her secret love’s place in their village’s Finding, she is terrified. Those who are chosen at the Finding are whisked away to Castle Courtsheart, a vampire school where human students either succeed and become vampires, fail and spend the rest of their lives as human thralls…or they don’t survive long enough to become either.

Fin is determined to forge a different path: learn how to kill the undead and get revenge for her mother, who was taken by the vampires years ago. But Courtsheart is as captivating as it is deadly, and Fin is quickly swept up in her new world and its inhabitants – particularly Gavron, her handsome and hostile vampire maker, whose blood is nothing short of intoxicating. As Fin begins to discover new aspects of her own identity and test her newfound powers, she stumbles across a string of murders that may be connected to a larger ritual – one with potentially lethal consequences for vampires and humans alike. Fin must uncover the truth and find the killer before she loses her life…or betrays her own heart.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound

Continue reading Happy Pan Visibility Day 2024!

New Releases: May 21, 2024

Picture Books

The Rainbow Parade by Shane Jordan & Rick Hendrix (text) and Jieting Chen (illustration)

Join the celebration at the Rainbow Parade and witness a heartwarming story of acceptance and friendship. In this joyful picture book, LGBTQ+ advocates Shane Jordan and Rick Hendrix take young readers on a colorful journey of self-expression and acceptance.

Set at a stormy pride parade, the story follows a child who is free to express their gender identity, celebrating with their father. But when they come across a non-binary child who doesn’t feel comfortable in their own skin, they lend a helping hand and show them that they are seen, accepted, and loved.

Gentle storytelling and stunning illustrations play on the magical experience of finding one’s community. Featuring expert back matter, The Rainbow Parade encourages children and gatekeepers to break down stereotypes and embrace diversity. This book offers a timely and important lesson on the power of love, friendship, and acceptance.

Perfect for children of all identities, The Rainbow Parade is a must-have addition to any bookshelf. Let your own rainbow shine with this wonderful story of celebrating who you are and accepting others for who they are.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Continue reading New Releases: May 21, 2024

Queering up your shelf, one rec at a time!