LGBTQ+ Books to look forward to in 2023
LGBTQ+ Books are Coming in Hot This Year
2023 is going to be the best year for people who love reading, specifically those interested in LGBTQ+ books. LGBTQ+ literature has been on the rise for the past 4 years but the coming year is going to be full of literature to look forward to.
Let’s take a look at this year’s upcoming must-reads.
Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni
Sorry, Bro follows Nar, the book’s main character, after she breaks up with her boyfriend following his awful proposal. And, it is that proposal that makes her realise she needs to be with someone who has the same idea of romance as her. During her journey to find the perfect person, Nar’s mother suggests she explores Armenia.
Nar’s mother thought an Armenian man would be perfect for her daughter, but when Nar embarks on her journey, the person who catches her attention is not someone she expects at all. Erebuni, a cool and captivating young woman who is completely in touch with her heritage, is there. With Erebuni by her side, the experiences seem much less like a chore and much more like an adventure.
Erebuni is the person who helps Nar explore their culture and understand its beauty. And, Nar finds herself enjoying her company a lot more than expected.
Release date: 31st January
Pre-book on Amazon.
Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher
The upcoming duke and general rogue Arthur and the quick-witted Princess of England Gwen have been engaged from birth. Sadly, their hatred for one another is the only thing on which they can agree.
Art and Gwen are reluctant allies until Gwen catches Art kissing a boy and Art finds where Gwen has hidden her diary, which contains explicit entries about Bridget Leclair, the only female knight in the kingdom. Here they discover they can protect each other by acting as though they are falling in love.
But, how long can they continue with this trick? The road to real love is far from clear as Gwen and Bridget become closer, and Art develops an irrational affection for Gabriel, Gwen’s annoyingly sober and scholarly brother.
Paperback release date- 11th May
Pre-book on Amazon.
Friday, I’m in love by Camryn Garrett
Mahalia Harris never had her sweet sixteen party, but she may throw the coming-out party of her dreams for herself. A rainbow cake-eating, dancing, and singing celebration of queerness. But, to pull off the party of her dreams will require a lot of time, effort, and money. Will Mahalia’s fantasy party fizzle out before it even gets going?
Release date- 10th January
Imogen, obviously by Becky Albertalli
The top contender for the title of Greatest Heterosexual Ally in the World is Imogen Scott. She has two gay best friends and a queer sister who is less knowledgeable about queer media discourse than she is. She also never misses Pride Alliance meetings.
One of her friends is Gretchen, a senior in high school who isn’t hesitant to correct Imogen’s preconceptions. Then there’s Lili, who recently came out and is doing well with a group of gay college buddies. Imogen is happy for Lili when she visits her in college, as any good ally would be. She’s eager to help Lili in any way she can and is bringing her A game as an ally, even if it means telling a few small white lies.
Imogen agrees when Lili claims that she misled all of her college classmates by telling them that she and Imogen were formerly dating and that as a result, they all believe Imogen is queer. However, the more time Imogen spends with Lili’s college classmates, particularly the rambunctious, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she begins to question the possibility that she has actually been queer her entire life.
Release date: 2nd May
The Sun and the Star by Rick Roirdon and Mark Oshiro
Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, has experienced a lot, including the untimely deaths of his mother and sister, being outed against his will, and losing his companion Jason during the Apollo trials. However, the son of Apollo, Will Solace, who is his boyfriend, is a literal ray of sunshine in his life. Together, the two gods are stronger than any challenge or adversary. That has been the case thus far, at least.
A voice reaching out to Nico from Tartarus, the lowest realm of the Underworld, is currently tormenting him. He believes he knows who it is: Bob, a Titan who had to be left behind when Percy and Annabeth fled Hades’ domain and turned to Christianity. Bob is undoubtedly in trouble, according to both Nico’s nightmares and Rachel Dare’s most recent forecast. Whether Mr. D and Chiron like it or not, Nico must embark on this mission. Will naturally insists on traveling with us as well. But can a light-based organism endure in the world’s most inhospitable environment? What does it imply for Nico to “leave something of equal value behind” according to the prophecy?
Release date- 2nd May
As You Walk on By by Julian Winters
Theo Wright, a seventeen-year-old, has a strategy. He has what he thinks is a flawless plan for success, supported by his father, which includes doing well in his magnet school and working to get noticed by college recruiters so he can attend Duke on an athletic scholarship. Theo’s only concern right now is having his fantasy prom night with his crush, so when his closest friend Jay challenges him to prompose at a party, he chooses to take a chance.
Theo leaves the packed party and walks to a vacant bedroom to calm down after his disastrous prom proposal. He had intended to spend the night alone, but as the celebration wore on, his friends began to join him to escape the expectations that awaited them on the other side of the door, and soon he realized he wasn’t alone after all. Theo leaves the packed party and walks to a vacant bedroom to calm down after his disastrous prom proposal.
Release date- 17th January
If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude
The three main secrets of Avery Byrne are that she is lesbian, in love with her closest friend, and has untreated mental depression. As luck would have it, the world finds out there is an asteroid heading for the earth and they all have just nine days to live on the day that Avery had determined to leap into the river near her college campus and end her life.
Avery makes the decision that she must survive these final nine days in order to spare people dear to her any additional suffering. Secrets start to come to light as time is running short, and Avery begins to glimpse a ray of hope in the limited number of days she has left.
Release date- 9th May
No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore
Steven Salvatore’s most recent young adult novel follows twins as they each come to terms with their father’s imprisonment and untimely death in very different ways. It has been compared as a cross between Dawson’s Creek and HBO’s Euphoria.
When one twin learns there is a hidden third sibling, he hides this information from his sister, further complicating an already tumultuous relationship.
Release date- 30th May
Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo and Juliet Remix by Caleb Roehrig
Romeo, a 17-year-old aspiring artist, fantasizes about meeting someone who will accept him for who he is and with whom he can lead a peaceful life in this LGBT adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. However, as the Montague family’s heir, he is urged to abandon his ‘womanly’ aspirations of becoming an artist and defend the family’s reputation, particularly in light of their long-standing conflict with the Capulets. The worst part is that Romeo is required by his parents to wed a good-hearted woman from a respectable family in order to have respectable heirs. However, Romeo finds it increasingly difficult to conceal his greatest secret—that he is only attracted to boys—the longer he is compelled to get to know attractive maidens.
Romeo and his cousin decide to break into a Capulet party in an effort to get away from their problems for the evening. There, he meets Valentine, the younger brother of one of his best friends, and a Capulet, who is the most gorgeous and alluring boy he has ever met. The two begin a sensitive affair that they must keep hidden from not only their family and friends but also from the rest of the world once it becomes apparent that their feelings are reciprocal. Romeo and Valentine see themselves in danger of parting ways forever when tensions between their two families rise.
Release date- 22nd August
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa
A transmasculine nonbinary pirate named Mar Leon-de la Rosa has a hidden talent for controlling fire and ice. El Diablo is coming to get his money for a cruel deal that Mar’s father struck years ago, but not even their magic can stop him. El Diablo shows up on Mar’s sixteenth birthday to take Mar’s father and his entire crew’s souls. El Diablo reappears after Mar is miraculously saved by the last pirate gang in the Caribbean and gives them the option of giving up their souls to save their father by the Harvest Moon or never seeing him again.
They are aware that their magic cannot defeat el Diablo, and Mar believes this to be an impossible choice because she will not strike a deal. Then Mar finds some strong allies who might give them the confidence to use their magic and perhaps even a chance to save their father, and everything starts to change.
Release date: 28th February
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