For Adult M/F Romance Starring Trans Women, click here.
A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee
Roux for Two by Aurora Rey
A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell (Historical)
Reverb by Anna Zabo
The Queer and the Restless by Kris Ripper
Bonus: Chef’s Choice by T.J. Alexander is a t4t m/f Romance but only the FMC has a POV
The Doctor’s Discretion by EE Ottoman (m/m)
A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell (m/f)
A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander (m/m)
The Companion by EE Ottoman (t4t4t f/f/m)
A Bloomy Head by J. Winifred Butterworth (m/f)
Rules for Ghosting by Shelly Jay Shore (Paranormal)
The Key by Jo Morgan Sloan (Contemporary)
Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander (Contemporary)
What it Looks Like by Matthew J. Metzger (Contemporary)
Coffee Boy (Contemporary) and Peter Darling (Fantasy) by Austin Chant
Bonus: Coming in 2025, check out A Hex for Hunger by Alistair Reeves (Fantasy) and A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander (Historical)
Today on the site I’m thrilled to reveal the cover for One of the Boys by Victoria Zeller, a contemporary YA releasing with Levine Querido on May 13, 2025! Here’s the story!
Grace Woodhouse has left a lot behind. She used to have a great friend group, an amazing girlfriend, and a right foot set to earn her a Division I football scholarship—before she came out as trans. As her senior year at Pageland High begins, Grace struggles to find her place in early transition, new social circles, and a life without football (especially since people keep telling her they can’t believe that she of all people is trans – whatever that means).
But when her skills as the best kicker in the state prove to be vital, her old teammates beg her to come out of retirement, dragging her back into a sport—into a way of life—she thought had turned its back on her forever. The thing is, there’s no playbook for girls like her in the world of football. And when a chance meeting cracks the door to college football back open, she has to decide how much of herself she’s willing to give up for the game she loves.
From exciting debut talent Victoria Zeller comes One of the Boys, a coming-of-age story with an unforgettable voice for the queer jocks, the straight theater kids, and everyone in between.
And here’s the powerful cover, illustrated by Jon Stich and designed by Casey Moses!
Victoria Zeller is a trans writer born and raised in Buffalo, New York, where she still proudly resides. A former football player and lifelong fan, her initial focus was sports journalism before she made a sharp pivot to writing about queers who can’t stay out of trouble. Her sportswriting can be found at Defector, while her manic minute-by-minute sports analysis can be found on Twitter at @dirtbagqueer. One of the Boys is her debut novel.
March 31st is Trans Day of Visibility, and we’re celebrating as we do by highlighting a whole bunch of wonderful trans books! For even more recs, check out previous years’ posts.
Middle Grade
“To put it simply, Harris Baumgartner was late to school on the first day of the seventh grade because something he saw in the abandoned lot at the end of his street changed his life forever…”
Middle school can be tough, especially when you can’t figure out whether you’re supposed to be a boy or a girl. Homework and gym class are hard enough to deal with, but what exactly do you do when a pushy angel shows up insisting you’re a magical princess and that it’s your job to defend your school from the forces of darkness? For Harris Baumgartner, only one thing is certain — life is about to get a lot more complicated!
Continue reading Happy (Upcoming) Trans Day of Visibility 2024!
Kanakia is the queen of blunt, honest writing, and perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in her first novel starring a trans girl, Just Happy to Be Here, which released on January 2nd from HarperTeen and stars Tara, who grapples with all sorts of issues at her fancy school. (Spoiler: one is a crush, and it is adorable.) I happen to have blurbed this one officially, so I’ll just share that here: “Kanakia’s razor-sharp candor, insight, and nuance make her one of YA’s most fascinating and relevant authors. Just Happy to Be Here is an absolute and necessary game-changer.”
Tara just wants to be treated like any other girl at Ainsley Academy.
That is, judged on her merits—not on her transness. But there’s no road map for being the first trans girl at an all-girls school. And when she tries to join the Sibyls, an old-fashioned Ainsley sisterhood complete with code names and special privileges, she’s thrust into the center of a larger argument about what girlhood means and whether the club should exist at all.
Being the figurehead of a movement isn’t something Tara’s interested in. She’d rather read old speeches and hang out with the Sibyls who are on her side—especially Felicity, a new friend she thinks could turn into something more. Then the club’s sponsor, a famous alumna, attacks her in the media and turns the selection process into a spectacle.
Tara’s always found comfort in the power of other peoples’ words. But when it comes time to fight for herself, will she be able to find her own voice?
A Hundred Vicious Turns by Lee Paige O’Brien (YA Fantasy)
The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver (YA Romance)
Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee (YA Romance)
Long Macchiatos and Monsters by Alison Evans (Contemporary Romance)
Documenting Light by EE Ottoman (Contemporary Romance)
You probably know Izzy Wasserstein from her short fiction, but today I’m thrilled to have her on the site to reveal the cover of her very first novella, These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart, releasing March 12, 2024 from Tachyon Publications! Here’s the story:
In a queer, noir technothriller of fractured identity and corporate intrigue, a trans woman faces her fear of losing her community as her past chases after her. This bold, thought-provoking debut science-fiction novella from a Lambda Award finalist is an exciting and unpredictable look at the fluid nature of our former and present selves.
In mid-21st-century Kansas City, Dora hasn’t been back to her old commune in years. But when Dora’s ex-girlfriend Kay is killed, and everyone at the commune is a potential suspect, Dora knows she’s the only person who can solve the murder.
As Dora is dragged back into her old community and begins her investigations, she discovers that Kay’s death is only one of several terrible incidents. A strange new drug is circulating. People are disappearing. And Dora is being attacked by assailants from her pre-transition past.
Meanwhile, It seems like a war between two nefarious corporations is looming, and Dora’s old neighborhood is their battleground. Now she must uncover a twisted conspiracy, all while navigating a deeply meaningful new relationship.
And here’s the thrilling cover, designed by Elizabeth Story!
Izzy Wasserstein is a queer, trans woman who teaches writing and literature. Wasserstein was born and raised in Kansas, and she received her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico. She is the author of dozens of short stories, two poetry collections, and the short-story collection All the Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From (Neon Hemlock Press, 2022). Wasserstein loves books, comics, horror movies, and slowly running long distances.She shares a home in Southern California with her spouse, Nora E. Derrington, and their animal companions. These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart is her debut novella.
Today on the site we’re revealing the cover of Girls Night by I.S. Belle, a Sapphic YA Fight Club releasing from Tiny Ghost Press on April 16, 2024! Here’s the story:
Gossip queen ALEX longs to be seen.
Cheerleader TULSI is sick of cutting people on her sharp heart.
New kid CLEMENTINE can’t escape the violence inside.
And wallflower SUNJU is tired of keeping quiet.
When a twist of fate brings this unlikely quartet together, sparks and punches fly.
They call it ‘Girls Night,’ an underground fight club that’s girls only.
Soon every girl at Sterling High is showing up to class with bruised knuckles and split lips.
Alex, Tulsi, Clementine, and Sun have never felt more alive. Until demonic head cheerleader, Quentin Scarhill, steps in the ring with her eyes on Alex.
As Quentin’s hold over Alex tightens, Girls Night spirals out of control.
Can they take back the reins before things turn deadly?
And if Girls Night ends will they throw in the towel their newfound friendships?
Here’s the badass cover by Bhavna Madan!
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N
I.S. Belle writes dark queer YA books with happy endings. She works in a bookshop and stops to pat dogs in the street. She has a Masters of Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters. You can find her on Tiktok at @i.s.belle_writes and on Instagram @isbelleauthor.
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala (Genderfluid, YA)
The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco (YA)
Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (YA)
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Tell Me I’m Worthless and Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt, by Alison Rumfitt
Bonus; Coming in 2024: Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin and The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo
Double Bonus: These are all novels, but for an anthology, check out Bound in Flesh: an Anthology of Trans Body Horror ed. by Lor Gislason
