Welcome to our monthly guide to our Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Book Releases! Did you read and love anything we highlighted last month? Let us know! And of course, let us know if you want to shout out any September releases we didn’t include below! Up top, we’ve got our eight TOP picks for the month, followed by the full month’s slate of releases we’re anticipating the most. Gabe Dunn contributed research to this month’s lineup, which includes a range of genres and definitely some evidence that horror season is right around the corner. Enjoy!

Autostraddle’s Top Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books for September 2025

To the Moon and Back, by Eliana Ramage (September 2, Literary Fiction)

If you pick up just one book from this list, make it this one. Eliana Ramage’s debut novel is about a queer Cherokee young woman who wants to become an astronaut and spans a wide range of time (three decades) and space and tells an intergenerational tale full of familial drama, heartbreak, self-discovery, ambition, complex identity, and more. I’m hoping to publish a full review of this one later this month, so stay tuned.

Algarabía, by Roque Raquel Salas Rivera (September 2, Poetry)

This Puerto Rican trans epic follows Cenex, a trans being living in a colony of Earth in a parallel universe. The book combines poetics and speculative fiction and contends with trans erasure in colonial and anti-colonial literary canons.

Hot Wax, by M.L. Rio (September 9, Literary Fiction)

The main character in this novel is a queer woman in her forties. The story begins in the summer of 1989, when Suzanne is just 10 and drawn to the wild world of her father’s band tour. After witnessing an act of violence, she spends the next 29 years trying to fade away and live a “normal” quiet life in the suburbs. But her father’s death brings the past blazing back, and she hits the road.

Cannon, by Lee Lai (September 9, Graphic Novel)

We’re big fans of Lee Lai’s work, so we’re definitely excited about this new graphic novel about best friends Cannon and Trish who love cooking dinner together and watching niche Australian horror films. The two queer second-generation Chinese nerds from the suburbs of Montreal have been there for each other since high school.

You Weren’t Meant To Be Human, by Andrew Joseph White (September 9, Horror)

Queer and trans horror with a transmasc protagonist, You Weren’t Meant To Be Human is set in a version of Appalachia facing alien invasion. This is the debut adult novel from the trans author of the bestselling dystopian YA novel Hell Followed with Us.

Beings, by Ilana Masad (September 23, Literary Fiction)

A beautifully braided narrative unfolds here, centering an interracial couple who encountered possible extraterrestrial life during an event in 1961. One thread of the novel concerns the husband and wife and the aftermath of their trauma. A second thread looks at queer science-fiction writer Phyllis writing letters to her beloved Rosa. And the third thread is set in present day and follows a chronically ill archivist trying to understand a childhood encounter and becoming increasingly obsessed with Phyllis’s letters and the testimony of the 1961 alien abductees.

I Am You, by Victoria Redel (September 23, Historical Fiction)

A lesbian romance set in 1600s Amsterdam, this novel follows a young girl, Gerta, who disguises herself as a boy to work for a family. The daughter of the family, Maria, catches her and insists she joins her to the city where she’ll be part of the patriarchal art world. Gerta becomes Maria’s muse and lover, but as her own artistic talents grow, things get complicated. The narrative is a queer reimagining of the life of still life painter Maria van Oosterwijck.

Best Woman, by Rose Dommu (September 30, Literary Fiction)

A trans woman returns home to be the “best woman” in her brother’s wedding, traveling from her life in New York to Boca Raton, Florida. Julia thinks she’s handling it all pretty well. She can do a week back home. But then she learns the maid of honor is the girl she crushed on in high school, and when she tells her a little lie, things quickly spin out of control.

And now enjoy the rest of our most anticipated LGBTQ books for September 2025!

September 2

Daddy Issues, by Eric C. Wat (Short Fiction)

This collection of queer Asian American short stories introduces the reader to characters throughout Los Angeles grappling with things like career, family, parenting, money, mental health, gentrification, and more.

Moonflow, by Bitter Karella (Horror)

New queer horror! With an alluring premise and a gorgeous cover! Moonflow features a trans woman protagonist named Sarah, a magical forest, and chills and thrills. It looks like a very immersive new work of literary horror and promises lots of queerness.

Every Step She Takes, by Alison Cochrun (Romance)

Beloved sapphic romance novelist Cochrun is back, this time with a story about 35-year-old Sadie, who ends up on a tour along Portugal’s Camino de Santiago that she doesn’t realize at first is specifically for queer women. Having just recently been hit with a bout of gay panic and awkwardly connecting with her airplane seatmate who turns out to be on the tour as well, this complicates things for dear Sadie.

Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West (Anthology)

Rules for Fake Girlfriends, by Raegan Revord (YA Romance)

A queer fake dating trope is at the heart of this debut rom-com from Young Sheldon actor Raegan Revord.

The True Story of Raja the Gullible, by Rabih Alameddine (Literary Fiction)

Set in Beirut, this novel contains many queer characters, including 63-year-old protagonist Raja who shares a tiny apartment with his octogenarian mother. Raja receives an all-expenses-paid writing residency in America and embarks on a new adventure of self-discovery and reckoning with family, home, and trauma.

September 9

The Fame Game, by Ronica Black (Romance)

If you’re a fan of queer romances with celebrity characters, you’ll want to check out this one about a grown-up former child actress just getting out of rehab whose manager sets her up with a heartthrob actor but who ends up more interested in his sister.

Everything She Does Is Magic by Bridget Morrissey (Romance)

For gays who love Halloween, this rom-com is about a regular girl named Darcy Keller and a witch named Anya Doyle who team up to help each other with their own ambitions.

Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee (Historical Fiction, Romance)

Two complete opposite women decide the same duke is the ideal man to marry —which they each have their own reasons for. But instead of merely competing for his hand, they find themselves falling for each other.

The Most Unusual Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy by Roan Parrish (Fantasy, Romance)

Transmasc character Jamie Wendon-Dale designs haunted houses in New Orleans for a living but doesn’t believe in ghosts. This becomes complicated when their path crosses with Edgar Lovejoy, who has quite literally been haunted by ghosts his entire life. Opposites WILL attract in this cozy paranormal romantasy.

The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez (Fantasy)

Sapphic romance and immersive folklore collide in this tale about a healer’s daughter who finds a monster in the woods.

Middle Spoon by Alejandro Varela (Literary Fiction)

The narrator of this polyamory novel has a husband, two children, a comfortable life, and a hot young boyfriend. But the boyfriend dumps him, and heartbreak is difficult to navigate as he butts up against a world that still doesn’t fully have the tools and language for polyamorous relationships. The story is full of heart and humor.

Girl Next Door by Rachel Meredith (Romance)

A freelancer is shocked to discover that a bestselling romance novel written under a pen name appears to be a love story about her and her childhood neighbor, who is likely the real author behind the book. So she returns to her childhood hometown to try to figure out if that really is the case.

The People’s Project: Poems, Essays, and Art for Looking Forward, curated by Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith (Nonfiction)

Authors and poets Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith have combined their brilliant brains to curate this collection of work that looks to our collective future. Contributors include Alexander Chee, Chase Strangio, Tiana Clark, Hala Alyan, Danez Smith, Ada Limon, and more.

Nearly Roadkill: Queer Love on the Run, by Kate Bornstein and Caitlin Sullivan (Sci-Fi, Romance)

This 1990s cyber-romance cult classic is getting a special re-release! In it, characters Scratch and Winc meet and fall in anonymous love online. The novel offers a prescient critique of the internet, capitalism, and government control. Readers are likely to find it just as urgent and relevant now as it was then.

A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love, by Ann Rose (Romance)

Here’s a paranormal romance that sort of riffs on the magical appearing/disappearing act of Spirit Halloween with its tale of The Dead of Night, a Halloween store that shows up in a new location before Halloween undetected and then promptly vanishes two days after the holiday. Pepper White knows the store’s secret, particularly because she suffers from its same curse and only appears when the store does. Soon, she hopes to extend her time in the world after meeting a charming new customer in Christina Loring. I’m truly charmed by this entire premise.

September 16

Runs In The Blood, by Matthew J Trafford (Short Fiction)

Satirical and at times speculative, this collection of super gay short stories includes tales of a lesbian mother fretting over taking her daught to a princess party, a grieving man going on a date with a centaur, and a queer couple using unconventional methods to make a baby. It sounds like quite the romp. I know, I know, don’t judge it by this, but it’s safe to say I’m obsessed with the cover.

The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar, by Sonora Reyes (YA)

From the same author of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School comes this new YA release about a young bipolar queer boy named Cesar Flores.

A Murderous Business, by Cathy Pegau (Historical Fiction)

A mystery set in 1912, A Murderous Business is about Margot Baxter Harriman, a woman proprietor who finds her deceased father’s former assistant dead in the office and suddenly has a murder mystery to solve.

Slashed Beauties, by A Rushby (Horror)

Body horror abounds in this revenge tale about three hyperrealistic wax figures of women coming to life to murder the men who have done them wrong. Set in both present-day Seoul and 1763 London, the past and present intersect and merge.

Teenage Girls Can Be Demons, by Hailey Piper (Short Fiction, Horror)

The author of the recent erotic-horror novel A Game in Yellow now delivers a collection of 13 stories full of queer horror. This sounds extremely up my alley, and maybe it’s up yours, too!

September 23

Bi The Way, I Love You: A Charity Anthology of Diverse Bi+ Love Stories, by multiple authors (Anthology)

Raising money for organizations like Rainbow Railroad, this anthology features nine bi love stories from nine bi writers.

Scarlet Morning, by ND Stevenson (Childrens, Fantasy)

The bestselling author and illustrator of Nimona (not to mention the showrunner for She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) is back with an illustrated kids book about friendship and adventure.

Try Your Worst, by Chatham Greenfield (YA Romance)

Combining YA romance and cozy mystery, here’s a tale of two rivals duking it out to be valedictorian. But then they’re accused of a series of serious pranks and have to team up to find out who’s framing them.

September 30

Thank You, John, by Michelle Gurule (Memoir)

This debut memoir, described as a tragi-comedy of errors, follows Michelle Gurule’s life as a stripper and sugarbaby in 2010s Denver. I love the cover, and it’s adorned with blurbs from queer authors I really trust, so I’ll definitely be diving into this one.

The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet,by Melinda Taub (Fantasy)

A queer mishmash of Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein, this novel reimagines Mary Bennet as a wild experimenting scientist who makes a monster to save herself from a spinster fate.

The Sovereign, and Fate’s Bane, by C.L. Clark (Fantasy)

We’ve got a C.L. Clark twofer to close out the month, including the conclusion to her queer political fantasy trilogy and a tragic sapphic adventure novel.

The Transition, by Logan-Ashley Kisner (Horror)

A transmasc teen is recovering from top surgery when he’s inconveniently bit by a werewolf.

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!

June was of course a very busy month for LGBTQ+ book releases, but we still have a decent amount of new queer and trans books coming your way in July, too! Because it turns out gay people still exist after Pride month! Who knew! Below, find our top picks for the month, followed by the rest of our mostly anticipated queer books for July 2025. And feel free to shoutout additional books in the comments!

Autostraddle’s Top Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books for July 2025

Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyễn (July 1, Literary Fiction)

Hilarious in its excavations of internet fame and the content-ification of relationships, Hot Girls with Balls follows Six and Green, two late-twenties Asian trans women on rival teams in the men’s pro indoor volleyball league. The influencer athletes have a massive platform where they document their long-distance relationship and often disagree about how much to make public and keep private. It’s a great “internet novel” and specifically a queer internet novel, so it’s extremely up my alley and I think if you get your book recommendations from Autostraddle dot com, it’ll be up yours, too.

No Body No Crime, by Tess Sharpe (July 15, Thriller)

Nothing bonds two girls quite like burying a body in the woods. Chloe Harper and Mel Tillman end up in a secret relationship after they spend a night in the woods burying the body of teen drug dealer Toby Dunne on Chloe’s 16th birthday. Six years later, Chloe has left town for the Canadian wilderness and Mel is working as a rural PI. Danger resurfaces from their past and brings the two women back together again.

The Other Wife, by Jackie Thomas-Kennedy (July 15, Literary Fiction)

Zuzu feels like an outsider growing up biracial in her small, rural town, but she finds deep friendship in her best friend Cash, whom she longs for but never pursues outright romance with. Now nearing her forties, she’s married to her wife Agnes while still yearning for Cash, who she reconnects with when a sudden loss brings her back to her hometown.

House of Beth by Kerry Cullen (July 15, Literary Fiction)

This twisty novel centers bisexual literary agency assistant Cassie Jackson, who flees Manhattan for her New Jersey hometown following the gruesome death of her boss, which also causes her harm OCD to flare up. There, she reconnects with her high school best friend Eli, who is a widowed father of two, and Cassie slides easily into his life as a new stepmother. But things get a little…messy…when the ghost of Eli’s dead homemaker wife Beth starts haunting the woods surrounding her home.

Subterrane, by Valérie Bah (July 17, Speculative Fiction)

Humor and political commentary collide in this kaleidoscopic work of speculative fiction featuring a chorus of Black and queer voices set in the fictional world of New Stockholm, a North American metropolis defined by class stratification. Zeynab is making a government-funded abstract documentary about the creatives and anti-capitalists of one of New Stockholm’s polluted and industrial neighborhoods, one of the last areas where housing is affordable.

Necessary Fiction, by Eloghosa Osunde (July 22, Literary Fiction)

The author of the outstanding Vagabonds! is back with another gorgeous literary exploration of queer life, family, friendship, desire in Nigeria. Featuring more than two dozen characters across generations and scattered throughout Lagos, it’s simultaneously sprawling and intimate.

First Time, Long Time, by Amy Silverberg (July 22, Literary Fiction)

A young aspiring writer moves to Los Angeles while grieving her dead brother and ends up in a relationship with a famous older radio host named Reid Steinman, beloved by her father and late brother. But things take an interesting turn when she ends up having an affair with his adult daughter Maddie.

Simplicity, by Mattie Lubchansky (July 29, Sci-Fi, Graphic Novel)

Whether you know her from her brilliant horror graphic novel Boys Weekend or just from her hilarious comics online, Mattie Lubchansky is a shining voice with a signature style in the queer and trans graphic narrative space, and you’re not going to want to miss her latest, an immersive and speculative story about Lucius Pasternak, who is hired by the Museum of the Former State of New York in 2081 to study a group called The Spiritual Association of Peers from the 1970s that took over a summer camp in the Catskills and called it Simplicity. Strangeness ensues. Expect sharp socio-political commentary wrapped up in eerie dystopian-horror imagery. And humor of course!

Lonely Crowds, by Stephanie Wambugu (July 29, Literary Fiction)

Set in the early-90s art world of NYC, this novel is about two friends: Ruth and Maria. Ruth is an only child of immigrants to New England attending a Catholic girl’s school on a scholarship, and Maria is an orphan whose Panamanian mother died by suicide and is being raised by her aunt and also on a scholarship to the school. They strike up an intense friendship. Ruth follows charming and free Maria, who embraces her sexuality and drive for an art career, to college and then NYC, where ambition and competition threaten their friendship. Toxic friendship novel, yes PLEASE!

And now enjoy the rest of our most anticipated LGBTQ books for July 2025!

July 1

Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe, by CB Lee (YA Romance/Fantasy)

A geeky science-lover and a prophesied Chosen One’s paths collide, and they start to fall for each other, but there’s one problem: They come from literally different universes. Second dates become a lot more complicated when they require a portal. For readers of sapphic cozy YA fantasy!

The Original, by Nell Stevens (Literary Fiction)

A suspenseful, gothic work of historical fiction, The Original follows Grace, who has predilections for art, forgery, and other girls. She’s saving up money in hopes of one day leaving her family for far away, but a letter from a long-presumed dead cousin staking potential claim in the family’s wealth complicates matters for Grace and the other members of her Oxfordshire estate.

Human Rites, by Juno Dawson (Fantasy)

This is the third book in the Her Majesty’s Royal Coven trilogy. Five witches — Niamh, Ciara, Leonie, Elle and Theo — are chosen by Lucifer the demon of desire to fulfill a dark prophecy. Uh oh.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured, by Lyndall Clipstone (YA Romance)

Lacrimosa Arriscane AKA Lark is expelled from her boarding school and finds her family in financial ruin, so she accepts a marriage of convenience to a chthonic god, as one does. She becomes entangled in a sibling love triangle with a brother and sister. Romantic folk horror that promises a polyamorous bisexual romance!

Call Your Boyfriend, by Olivia A. Cole and Ashley Woodfolk (YA Romance)

This young adult sapphic rom-com follows Beau Carl, who is trying to figure out if Maia Moon, the popular girl she has been secretly hooking up with, really likes her. At the last big party before prom, Beau sees Maia about to kiss Charm Montgomery, who is thrilled that the vibes she has been picking up on in her tutoring sessions with Maia haven’t just been in her head. But then Beau interrupts the kiss, Maia accepts a promposal from her shitty boyfriend, and both Beau and Charm are left bereft. Beau and Charm team up to enact their revenge, but they start slipping into something sweeter along the way.

Am I Having Fun Now? Anxiety, Applause and Life’s Big Questions, Answered, by Suzi Ruffell (Memoir)

Comedian Suzi Ruffell writes humorously and authentically on masking anxiety with musical theater, coming out, falling in love, and becoming a parent.

July 8

The Gryphon King, by Sara Omer (Fantasy)

This is the first book in a fantasy trilogy inspired by Southwest Asian mythology. Ghouls, deadly monsters, and characters with dubious morals clash in a dynastic tale of romance, fantasy, and adventure.

Moonrising by Claire Barner (Sci-Fi)

The year is 2073, and agronomist Dr. Alex Cole moves to the first lunar colony where she falls in love. If you’re both a space nerd and a romance lover, the premise here sounds like it’ll be just for you. There’s also significant themes of climate horror and dystopia.

The Key To Everything: May Swenson, A Writer’s Life, by Margaret A. Brucia (Biography)

Whether you love lesbian poetry or lesbian literary history, you’re gonna want to get your hands on this biography of May Swenson, which pulls from her unpublished diaries as well as letters to people like fellow lesbian poet Elizabeth Bishop. The 20th century was such a fascinating time for lesbian poets, and this book particularly focuses on Swenson’s life from 1936 to 1959, during which she came of age and into her poetic voice in NYC.

Putafeminista, by Monique Prada, translated and edited by Amanda De Lisio (Nonfiction)

Activist and sex worker Monique Prada pens a work of sex-worker-centric feminism from Brazil, centering an anti-colonial and anti-whorephobia working women’s movement.

Climate, by Whitney Hanson (Poetry)

This is a revised re-release of Hanson’s collection, which features a new introduction and more than a dozen new weather-centric poems.

Sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth (Literary Fiction)

This gorgeous novel about two girls falling in love in small-town Ireland in the 1990s is finally getting a U.S. publication after capturing hearts in the UK in 2023.

July 15

Wayward Girls, by Susan Wiggs (Historical Fiction)

This novel follows six different girls who have been locked away in the 1968 nun-run institution Good Shepherd for the mere facts of being pregnant, gay, or otherwise difficult.

Hit Me With Your Best Charm by Lillie Vale (YA Fantasy/Romance)

Nova Marwood has long been haunted by the tragedy of her missing father hiker but has become accustomed to pretending she’s okay. She’s also very good at pretending she doesn’t have a crush on the girl she pretends to hate. Nova ends up accidentally laying a hex on said faux-nemesis.

Climate of Chaos, by Cassandra Newbould (YA Sci-Fi)

July is disability pride month, and this book features a disabled protagonist navigating a dystopian world of climate crisis and medical debt, set in a near-future Seattle ravaged by storms and a virus. Healthcare can only be earned by logging hours in the pharmaceutical factories run by society’s resident evil corporation Aegis Corp.

The Club: Where American Women Artists Found Refuge in Belle Epoque Paris, by Jennifer Dasal (Nonfiction)

Hello history heads! Here is the clandestine history of a residence for American women artists in Paris from 1893 to 1914. The American Girls’ Club in Paris opened in 1893 and housed a generation of artist and activist expatriate American women during Belle Époque Paris. This meticulously researched book looks at the community that formed there and the legacy of its women.

Get it Out: On the Politics of Hysterectomy, by Andrea Becker (Nonfiction)

Get it Out offers an inclusive study of the hysterectomy and includes medical history as well as qualitative data gathered from 100 participants, including trans men and nonbinary people in addition to cis women. It looks at how gender and race impact access to reproductive healthcare and the pushback people seeking hysterectomies often receive.

Taste the Love, by Karelia Stetz-Waters and Fay Stetz-Waters (Romance)

A sapphic rom-com for foodies, Taste the Love centers eco-chef Alice Sullivan and social media and food truck sensation Kia, who go from complicated culinary school rivals to…a public fake marriage in an attempt to save both their careers.

July 22

The Library at Hellebore, by Cassandra Khaw (Horror Fantasy)

I had a lot of fun with Khaw’s Nothing But Blackened Teeth, and the author is back with a dark academia novel about the Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted, a prestigious academy for the “dangerously powerful,” including anti-christs, ragnaroks, world-eaters, and apocalypse-makers. In other words: school from hell.

Daughters of Flood and Fury, by Gabriella Buba (Fantasy)

This is a sequel to Saints of Storm and Sorrow and continues the saga’s exploration of Filipino-inspired fantasy, featuring magic, pirates, moon-eating dragons, and sapphic romance.

Volatile Memory, by Seth Haddon (Sci-Fi Romance)

This debut is a sapphic sci-fi/action-adventure novella with cyberpunk vibes.

Nothing Compares To You: What Sinead O’Connor Means to Us, edited by Sonya Huber and Martha Bayne (Nonfiction)

A group of women and nonbinary artists and writers come together to remember the legacy of Sinead O’Connor in this anthology.

Evil-ish by Kennedy Tarrell (YA Fantasy Graphic Novel)

Hawthorne Vandercast wants to join the Brigade of Shade and leave behind their life as a potions barista. But their pursuit of villainy proves more complicated than they hoped.

Sky on Fire, by E.K Johnston (YA Sci-Fi)

A space fantasy that combines Arthurian myth and the history of North Atlantic fisheries — two things I bet you didn’t think could combine to compelling effect, but here we are! For readers of queer sci-fi/fantasy tales.

So What If I’m a Puta, by Amara Moira, edited by Amanda de Lisio, and translaed by Bruna Dantas Lobato (Essay Collection)

This essay collection from Feminist Press touches on transition, safe sex, desire, whorephobia, consent, and the history and current contexts of Brazil’s violence against trans women.

July 29

The Memory Hunters, by Mia Tsai (Romantasy)

A slow-burn romantasy with climate dystopia and dark academia vibes, this novel centers Kiana Strade, who has a special talent for collecting memories but refuses her post leading the temple she’s supposed to and instead does research for the Museum of Human Memory.

We Are The Match, by Mary E Roach (Romance)

Here we have a contemporary and queer reimagining of the Helen of Troy myth with Grecian mob families and a tale of murder and revenge.

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World, by J.R. Dawson (Fantasy)

A Midwestern fantasy tale, this novel features a waystation for the dead on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago. Every night, the dead travel through the city to this waystation, guided by the titular lighthouse, where they must reckon with their lives before moving on into the great beyond, ushered by the ferryman of the dead. That ferryman’s daughter Nera notices one night that something is afoot. A living girl named Charlie has somehow boarded the boat looking for someone she has lost.

Donut Summer, by Anita Kelly (YA Romance)

Two teens working at a donut shop for the summer band together to save it and fall in love along the way in this YA debut.

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!