Queer Stories and Bold Voices: New Must-Read Book Releases

From memoir to romance to literary fiction, add these to your Pride TBR list!

There are so many new books that are released every week, it’s absolutely impossible to keep up! But for Pride month, we wanted to put together a list of new books in 2025 that tell LGBTQ+ stories, whether they be memoirs, contemporary romance, fantasy, literary fiction, etc. This list is short, considering the amount of new books that have hit the shelves just this year alone, so for more queer-interest book recommendations, we love checking out sites like BookRiot, Autostraddle, Proud Geek and Electric Literature for comprehensive reading lists. We would love to hear your book recommendations that delve into queer stories below in the comments! But for now, here’s a list for your TBR pile.

Maybe This Will Save Me by Tommy Dorfman

You might remember trans actress Tommy Dorfman from 13 Reasons Why, the sensational Netflix series based on the book of the same name. She also completed a spectacular run in Romeo + Juliet on Broadway in 2025 (a highly anticipated production starring Rachel Ziegler and Kit Connor). In her memoir, Dorfman uses tarot cards as a structure to tell the story of her early life and struggles with addiction and path to sobriety, while also opening up about her trans identity. It’s a raw look at figuring out one’s identity alongside addiction, told with stunning honesty snd heart.

Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline

Marsha P. Johnson is a larger than life modern historical figure. A Black transgender activist, she was instrumental in leading the rebellion against police raids at the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village, and is known as the person that threw the first brick in the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. The Pride movement unofficially began with her. Since then, her life has been the stuff of legend: memories and stories about her influence on LGBTQ rights. But Black, trans artist and biographer Tourmaline has written the first in-depth account of Marsha’s life, a fully researched tome on the work of a remarkable person who continues to inspire.

The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir by RuPaul

Drag icon and creator host of RuPaul’s Drag Race, RuPaul is a multi-hyphenate like no other. This isn’t his first book, but it is a deeply intimate memoir about his early life as a queer boy, relationships with family and his long-time husband, as well as his struggles with sobriety. It is a deep reflection on his rise to fame as a drag powerhouse, but told without glam: a portrait of a superstar we think we know, but have so much more to learn about.

The Broposal by Sonora Reyes

Alejandro, or Han, and lifelong best friend and roommate Kenny would do anything for each other. So when Han is in need of some help for a green card, Kenny does what any bestie would do: he proposes marriage. Their fake relationship delights their friends and with their wedding date looming, it’s hard to deny their chemistry. A timely story about what you would do for love of a person who could be taken away, this is a romcom perfect for the current cultural moment.

Single Player by Tara Tai

Fans of video game world relationship stories within shows like Mythic Quest and books like Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow will love Single Player, a queer enemies-to-lovers workplace romance. Gamer and romance lover Cat lands her dream job at a video game company where she’s been hired to write love stories to help their game reach more female customers. But her boss Andi is tough–and hates all things romance. But the two begin to figure out how to work together—and sparks start to fly. Despite her distaste for romance, Andi might have to admit that it’s time to give up that single player life.

Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory

Bestselling author Jasmine Guillory is well known for her realistic characters, well-earned love storylines, super-fun banter and steamy romance. This sapphic love story centers on Avery and Tyler. Avery just got out of a relationship, and is looking to let her hair down and stop being so uptight about…everything. Tyler on the other hand has the opposite issue: she flirts with everyone. Her best friend has made a bet that she can’t go a whole two months without hooking up, so in order to win but satisfy her craving, she takes on Avery as a student and teaches her the art of flirting. But before long she realizes: she might be too good of a teacher!

Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Celebrated author Taylor Jenkins Reid recently came out as queer, and isn’t a stranger to writing LGBTQ+ characters (her breakout hit The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo featured a bisexual story). In her newest, highly anticipated novel, Reid follows the lives of several female astronauts selected to train at Houston’s Johnson Space Center in the early 1980s. As these women challenge themselves to prepare for their first flights, they find out more about life than they ever imagined–and for one woman, it’s an unexpected love that changes her worldview more than a trip to the stars.

Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare

Remember that movie The Lake House, where Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves fall in love in two separate timelines? Sandy and Keanu have nothing on Tressa Fay and Meryl–two women falling in love across a multiverse six months apart from each other. Tressa Fay is an in-demand hairstylist and social media star who receives a mistaken text from a stranger. Meryl is that stranger, and after some flirting Tressa Fay asks her to meet up. But….Meryl never shows. There are worse things than being stood up: in Tressa Fay’s case, she finds out from Meryl’s loved ones that she couldn’t have made plans because…she’s been missing. Tressa Fay and her friends realize what they’re dealing with is a temporal paradox, and it’s up to them to find out why Meryl goes missing in her timeline.

Let Them Stare by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy

Beloved hairstylist, TV personality and podcaster Jonathan Van Ness is one of the stars of Queer Eye (and author of his own memoir, Over the Top) and he’s teamed up with bestselling novelist Julie Murphy to bring readers a quirky story with big hearted characters. Nonbinary teen Sully is desperate to get out of their hometown of Hearst, PA and excited for a fashion internship in the big city. Sully sells their car to Brad, the only other gay kid in Hearst. But when the internship dries up, Sully is stuck at home with no car or money. At a thrift shop, Sully finds a divine vintage purse whose resale value might fund their trip out of town. But, turns out the bag is….haunted? With the spirit of drag queen Rufus. ( (Stay with us, here.) Suddenly Sully has a new purpose: to help this ghost move on and more importantly, exorcise Rufus so they can sell the bag. What Sully doesn’t bank on is that the quest will take them all over town–the one Sully is so desperate to leave–and show them that it’s pretty special after all. Plus, it has Brad.

The Lilac People by Milo Todd

In 1932 Berlin, a trans man named Bertie and his friends party every night at the Eldorado Club without a care in the world. Think Cabaret: a nightlife where everyone can be who they are. By day, Bertie works at the Institute of Sexual Science, helping to improve queer rights in Germany. But when Hitler rises to power, everything changes and the Institute and the Eldorado disappear as queer people are rounded up and taken away. Bertie escapes with Sophia, his girlfriend, and they live in isolation on a nearby farm under disguise as the war rages on for a decade. In the final days of the war, a young trans man ends up on their property, collapses, and is wearing prison garments from a concentration camp. They protect this man from Allied forces who, while liberating Holocaust survivors, are arresting queer prisoners. This timely novel uncovers an untold story about the trans experience during the Nazi occupation and beyond.

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