22 of the Most Exciting LGBTQ New Release Out April 16, 2024
Including an aroace dating advice columnist, a gay Henry V, an autistic nonbinary middle grade sci-fi thriller, and more.
Today’s Our Queerest Shelves is brought to you by: Thirsty by Jas Hammonds
The author of Sadie calls this new novel “sensitively wrought and gorgeously written.”
College student Blake and her girlfriend have one goal: join the exclusive sorority that promises connections to a network of trailblazing women of color. Ella’s acceptance is a sure thing—she’s the daughter of a Serena Society alum. Blake, however, lacks Ella’s pedigree and confidence. Luckily, she finds courage at the bottom of a liquor bottle. When she drinks, she’s bold and funny. As pledging intensifies, so does Blake’s drinking. Ella assures her that she’s fine; partying hard is what it takes. With her future on the line, Blake must decide how far she’s willing to go to achieve glittering dreams of success. Find out more about Thirsty by Jas Hammonds here!
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It’s yet another big new releases week, including several on my personal TBR! I’m writing this from before Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon: I hope I was able to read lots of queer books this weekend. I’ll let you know how it went next newsletter.
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New LGBTQ Releases This Week
I do want to give an honorable mention to Sheine Lende (Elatsoe #2) by Darcie Little Badger, which is also out today. As far as I’ve seen, this doesn’t have a queer main character (it stars Ellie’s grandmother), but it is the prequel to the beloved YA fantasy novel Elatsoe, which has an asexual main character. I’m sure many Our Queerest Shelves readers are excited for another book in the series!
Henry Henry by Allen Bratton (Queer Man Fiction)
Imagine Shakespeare’s Henry V as a gay twenty-something in 2014 London, and you have Henry Henry. Henry is spending his time at Oxford partying, hooking up, and confessing his sins in church. But when he starts to fall for a family friend, Harry, he’ll have to stand up to his father — and the full weight of the Lancaster tradition, including a pattern of abuse — to be able to be his true self.
An Evening with Birdy O'Day by Greg Kearney (Queer Fiction)
Roland is content with his life. He never left his hometown, and now he’s a semi-successful hairdresser and his been with his partner Tony for 25 years. But then Birdy O’Day announced he’s playing a concert in town — Birdy was Roland’s childhood friend and first love before he abandoned him to live the pop star life. Now, Roland is confronted with the possibility of getting closure with the one who got away.
Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings (F/F Romance)
Can we have a moment for this cover?? It’s stunning. Opal won the lottery, and she’s been regretting it ever since: she can’t escape from people hounding her for money. On a whim, she buys a failing flower farm so that she can live in isolation, painting. But when she arrives there, Pepper claims to be the rightful owner of the farm and refuses to leave the cabin. They agree to live together until they sort it out…oh my god, they were roommates.
Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao (Aromantic/Asexual YA Contemporary)
I’ve been so excited for this novel that sounds like a rom-com plot but between aroace friends! Sophie is an aroace university student who runs a successful anonymous dating advice Instagram account called Dear Wendy. Her nemesis is the account Sincerely Wanda. When she meets Jo, they form an instant bond, partly because they share an aroace identity. They even start an a-spec organization together. But will their friendship survive the revelation that Jo runs the Sincerely Wanda account?
Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde (Queer & Nonbinary Middle Grade Sci-Fi)
I have loved the Jen Wilde books I’ve read, so I’m excited to pick their middle grade debut. Paige is an autistic queer kid who has a chip implanted in her brain as part of a study of autistic people — a study her parents enrolled her in without her knowledge. The chip tracks her mood and is supposed to keep her calm and happy, but it’s unnerving to not know if she can trust her own mind. Then, the company who made the chip announces it’s being acquired by a social media company…the one that is notorious for selling private data. Paige sets out to find the other kids with chips so that they can band together to fight to get them removed before their every thought is offered up for sale.
P Is for Pride by Greg Paprocki (LGBTQ Board Book)
There are a few cute Pride kids’ books out this week! This one is a Pride-themed alphabet, with pages like E is for Equality, N is for Nonbinary, and R is for Rainbow Flag, accompanied with colorful retro illustrations. This is perfect for the littlest rainbow readers!
Hine Toa: An Extraordinary Memoir by a Trailblazing Voice in Women’s, Queer and Maori Liberation Movements by Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku (Lesbian Memoir)
This is a memoir of a prominent Mari lesbian activist, Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku. It follows her journey from growing up a working class girl from the pā to becoming a founding member of Ngā Tamatoa and the Women's and Gay Liberation movements.
Dear Bi Men: A Black Man's Perspective on Power, Consent, Breaking Down Binaries, and Combating Erasure by J.R. Yussuf (Bisexual Nonfiction)
Despite the strides in queer representation overall, bisexual men are still incredibly underrepresented and fight a lot of stigma and stereotypes, especially bi men of color. In this book, the creator of #BisexualMenSpeak explains how white supremacy upholds biphobia, how to unlearn internalized biphobia, how to navigate sex and dating as a bi man, and more.
✨ Paid subscribers can find 14 more LGBTQ books out this week at the end of this post! ✨
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter and the New Release Index — you can even filter by queer books!
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Queer Bookish Goodies
Honestly, even without the text, I feel like this shirt has a very bisexual aesthetic. $36
That's it for me! Until next time, you can find me at my sapphic book blog the Lesbrary. You can hear me on All the Books, and you can also read my Book Riot posts and subscribe to my other Book Riot newsletter, Read Harder.
Happy reading!
Danika
14 More LGBTQ Books Out This Week
Including a lesbian shifter romance, a YA girls’ fight club story, a Pride seek-and-find book, and more.
Curious Minds by Rachel Gold (F/F New Adult)
A Wolf Steps in Blood by Tamara Jerée (Lesbian Paranormal Romance Novella)
Withered by A.G.A. Wilmot (Nonbinary Horror)
Girls Night by I.S. Belle (Queer YA Contemporary)
Wide Awake Now by David Levithan (M/M YA Contemporary)
Merciless Saviors (Godless Heathens #2) by H.E. Edgmon (Queer YA Fantasy)
Drew Leclair Crushes the Case by Katryn Bury (Bisexual Middle Grade Mystery)
Pride: A Seek-and-Find Celebration illustrated by Diego Blanco (LGBTQ Children's Nonfiction)
Queer and Fearless: Poems Celebrating the Lives of LGBTQ+ Heroes by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Harry Woodgate (LGBTQ Children's Nonfiction)
It's a They! by Lindsay Herriot (Gender Board Book)
Pride Puppy! by Robin Stevenson & Julie McLaughlin (LGBTQ Board Book) (Board Book Release)
Good Grief by Brianna Pastor (Queer Poetry)
The Long Hallway by Richard Scott Larson (Queer Man Memoir)
"My Mother and Other Wild Animals: An Essay" by Andrew Sean Greer (Gay Essay)