7 of the Best New Queer Books Out This Week


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On Saturday, I handed over control of my TBR to you once again: which queer book from the first half of 2024 should I read next? I’m behind on the new releases I wanted to read this year, so I need your help to prioritize.

This is another week that has my TBR pile growing uncomfortably quickly; I just can’t resist a queer time loop book, and I didn’t know I needed a monastic meet-cute heist story in my life, but I clearly do.

New LGBTQ Releases This Week

Unfortunately, this week’s new releases are disproportionately by white authors. It’s long past time for publishers to prioritize the stories of queer people of color. In case you missed them, check out these fantastic recent queer books authors of color: Toward Eternity by Anton Hur, Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus, The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron, Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh, and so many more!

The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl cover

The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl by Bart Yates (Gay Fiction)

At 96 years old, Isaac Dahl sits down to write his autobiography, and he does it by telling the story of 12 pivotal days in his life, like the day he survived an avalanche with his sister by hiding under an upside-down bathtub, or the days he spent with the loves of his life. Beginning in 1920s Utah, this part historical fiction, part contemporary story follows a gay man’s life over almost a century.

Nicked coverNicked cover

Nicked by M. T. Anderson (Queer Guy Historical Fiction)

One of my favorite YA books I’ve ever read is Feed by M. T. Anderson, so I’m very excited to pick up a queer adult book by this author! Set in 1087 Italy, this follows treasure hunter Tyun as he tries to pull off a heist to steal the bones of Saint Nicholas to deliver them to Brother Nicephorus, who believes the holy relic weeps a healing liquid that will cure the city of Bari of the plague. It promises to be a “swashbuckling saga, a medieval novel noir, a meditation on the miraculous, and a monastic meet-cute.”

cover of You Had Me at Happy Hourcover of You Had Me at Happy Hour

You Had Me at Happy Hour by Timothy Janovsky (M/M Romance)

Julien Boire has a plan to get out of his small Pennsylvania hometown. He’s about to start an advanced wine course that will help him become a master sommelier. All he needs to do is manage his OCD, partly by keeping clear of any distractions — like the new hire at the restaurant, Greg, who’s a charming TikTok mixologist. Greg and Julien work together to plan happy hour events, and despite both of them being determined not to date, they start up a no-strings-attached sex pact. But despite his best efforts, Julien is starting to hope for exactly what they promised they wouldn’t have together: a real relationship.

Remnants of Filth: Yuwu (Novel) Vol. 4 coverRemnants of Filth: Yuwu (Novel) Vol. 4 cover

Remnants of Filth: Yuwu (Novel) Vol. 4 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou (M/M Historical Fantasy Romance)

This is the fourth of five books in this historical fantasy danmei/Boys’ Love series. Mo Xi and Gu Mang were once both commanders in the army. They were best friends and secret lovers until Gu Mang betrayed them and joined the opposing side. When he returns to the empire defeated, Mo Xi finds he can’t go through with executing the traitor. Subsequent volumes deal with murder mysteries, lost memories, the Time Mirror, a demon infested island, and more.

Time and Time Again book coverTime and Time Again book cover

Time and Time Again by Chatham Greenfield (Queer YA Speculative Fiction)

Phoebe has been living August 6th in a loop for a month, repeating the same day beat-for-beat while she waits for a doctor’s appointment the next day that never comes. Then Jess comes crashing into her life — literally, in a minor car crash — and is stuck in the loop with her. Jess convinces her to take advantage of the consequences-free element of their predicament, going on adventures together. But as Phoebe falls for them — again, because she’s had a crush on Jess since childhood — she worries that the only reason Jess is paying attention to her is the time loop. And if they do ever get out of this loop, will Phoebe’s doctor take her chronic pain seriously? This stars two queer disabled Jewish teenagers, and it’s a Reese Witherspoon Book Club LitUp Pick!

So Witches We Became by Jill Baguchinsky book coverSo Witches We Became by Jill Baguchinsky book cover

So Witches We Became by Jill Baguchinsky (Queer YA Horror)

This has to be one of the most beautiful and unsettling covers I’ve ever seen. Nell is a high school senior spending the summer with her friends on a private Florida island. It sounds idyllic, until a curse causes the island to be shrouded in toxic mist, an unseen beast stalking them within it. Nell and her friends reveal that they have been keeping horrific secrets, and together they’ll have to step into their own power to not only escape the island but face the trauma that haunts them. This is a “queer, feminist spin on Stephen King’s The Mist.” Content warning for assault.

What Does the K Stand For audiobook coverWhat Does the K Stand For audiobook cover

What Does the K Stand For?: A BBC Radio 4 Sitcom About Growing up Black, Gay and Funny in 1980s London by Stephen K Amos and Jonathan Harvey (Gay Memoir Audiobook)

As the subtitle suggests, this is a semi-autobiographical show about comedian Stephen K Amos growing up Black, gay, and funny in 1980s London. It’s a BBC full cast production that follows Stephen K Amos’s journey from a dysfunctional childhood as one of eight children to his dramatic teenage years to his first foray onto the stage and his coming out. It promises to be “stand-up meets sitcom.”

✨ Paid subscribers can find 9 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!

a print of witches riding a broom togethera print of witches riding a broom together

The Witches Lesbian Art Print by TheArtOfFelixDeon

So Witches We Became got me thinking about queer witches, so enjoy this lesbian witches print! Felix d’Eon has so many historical queer prints in this style that I love. $30+

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

9 More LGBTQ Books Out This Week

Bonus content for paid subscribers continues below.

Which of these is on your TBR? Let’s chat in the comments!

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