LGBTQIA+ Fiction

New and recommended fiction by LGBTQIA authors

Updated September 16, 2025
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
This is your list in printable form. Simply print this page using your browser's print command.

LGBTQIA+ Fiction

New and recommended fiction by LGBTQIA authors

Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Chain-gang all-stars
Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION * A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from...
Dead dead girls
Afia, Nekesa
Ebook
"In this terrific series opener, Afia evokes the women's lives in all their wayward and beautiful glory, especially the abruptness with which their dreams, hopes and fears cease to exist."--The New York Times The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set...
Martyr!
Akbar, Kaveh
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD * ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * A TIME MUST-READ BOOK OF THE YEAR * A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and...
Nicked
Anderson, M. T.
Paper Book
AN NPR NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR * From the award-winning and bestselling author of Feed comes a raucous, slyly funny, and delightfully queer work of historical fantasy, based on a bizarre but true quest to steal the mystical corpse of a long-dead saint "[A] rollicking comic...
Interesting facts about space
Austin, Emily R.
Paper Book
A fast-paced, hilarious, and ultimately hopeful novel for anyone who has ever worried they might be a terrible person--from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead. Enid is obsessed with space. She can tell you all about black...
Big Swiss : a novel
Beagin, Jen
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER AND CULT FAVORITE Named a Best Book of the Year by the New Yorker, Time, NPR, Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Huffington Post, NBC News, Lit Hub, theSkimm, Condé Nast Traveler, Town & Country, and more!...
The fiancée farce : a novel
Bellefleur, Alexandria
Paper Book
Lambda Literary award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur returns with a steamy sapphic rom-com about a quiet bookseller and a romance novel cover model who agree to a modern-day marriage of convenience... Tansy Adams' greatest love is her family's bookstore,...
Delilah Green doesn't care
Blake, Ashley Herring
Paper Book
Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it's a different woman every night, but that's just fine with her. When Delilah's estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into...
Henry Henry
Bratton, Allen
Paper Book
"Bratton's electric debut novel transforms Shakespeare into a modern, queer drama that's as bawdy as it's sharp." --Hugh Ryan, The New York Times LAUGH NOW. CRY LATER.  "Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere..." It's...
Lucky in lace
Brayden, Melissa
Ebook
The scourge between stars
Brown, Ness
Paper Book
Ness Brown's The Scourge Between Stars is a tense, claustrophobic sci-fi/horror blend set aboard a doomed generation ship harboring something terrible within its walls. "A perfect scare to swallow up in one sitting." --Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times...
Fly with me : a novel
Burke, Andie
Ebook
"A modern, tongue-in-cheek view...Fly with Me makes you laugh right before it makes you cry." - The New York Times A one-way ticket to love or a bumpy ride ahead? Flying-phobic ER nurse Olive Murphy is still gripping the armrest from her first-ever...
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers : a novel
Burr, Samuel
Paper Book
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER * An extraordinary, gloriously uplifting novel about the power of friendship and the puzzling ties that bind us * "The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers takes readers along on Clayton [Stumper]'s quest to discover his roots, treating us to a literary mood boost...
The ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye
Cameron, Briony
Paper Book
'Packed full of action, excitement, peril and romance on the high seas, this is the sapphic pirate book of my dreams' SARAH UNDERWOOD, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea'Thrilling, heart-pounding adventure meets thoughtful feminist history . . . a rare and special tale' VAISHNAVI...
The archive undying
Candon, Emma Mieko
Paper Book
War machines and AI gods run amok in The Archive Undying, national bestseller Emma Mieko Candon's bold entry into the world of mecha fiction. WHEN AN AI DIES, ITS CITY DIES WITH IT WHEN A CITY FALLS, IT LEAVES A CORPSE BEHIND WHEN THAT CORPSE RUNS OFF, ONLY...
Rough trade
Carrasco, Katrina Marie
Paper Book
Named a Best Crime Novel of 2024 by The New York Times Book Review Alma Rosales is back and trouble is hot on her heels in this thrilling, queer historical novel from the critically acclaimed author of The Best Bad Things. Washington Territory...
The saint of bright doors
Chandrasekera, Vajra
Paper Book
Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel! A 2023 New York Times Notable Book "The best book I've read all year. Protean, singular, original." --Amal El-Mohtar for the New York Times The Saint of Bright Doors sets...
Organ meats : a novel
Chang, K-Ming
Paper Book
"In the phenomenal Organ Meats, two friends are bound by a red string, dog bloodlines, and the violence that is being a girl" (Ms. magazine)--from the National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and author of Gods of Want. "Organ Meats possesses...
The secret lives of country gentlemen
Charles, KJ
Paper Book
Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels-until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London...
The unfortunates : a novel
Chukwu, J. K.
Paper Book
An edgy, bitingly funny debut about a queer, half-Nigerian college sophomore who, enraged and exhausted by the racism at her elite college, is determined to reveal the truth about The Unfortunates--the unlucky subset of Black undergrads who Just. Keep. Disappearing. Sahara is Not Okay....
Here we go again : a novel
Cochrun, Alison
Paper Book
USA TODAY Bestseller Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Romance Stonewall Book Award Honoree A Publishers Weekly, BookRiot, and Elle Best Romance of the Year The author of the "sexy,...
The savage kind
Copenhaver, John (Novelist)
Paper Book
2022 Lambda Literary Award WINNER in LGBTQ Mystery Two lonely teenage girls in 1940s Washington, DC, discover they have a penchant for solving crimes--and an even greater desire to commit them--in the new mystery novel by Macavity Award-winning novelist John Copenhaver.
I keep my exoskeletons to myself : a novel
Crane, Marisa
Paper Book
Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction Dept. of Speculation meets Black Mirror in this lyrical, speculative debut about a queer mother raising her daughter in an unjust surveillance state In a United States not so unlike our...
Lucky Red
Cravens, Claudia
Ebook
The USA Today bestseller! 'A good old-fashioned freight train of an adventure story' Sara Novic A feminist coming-of-age tale from a debut author - playful, feminist historical fiction for readers of Sarah Waters,...
The new life : a novel
Crewe, Tom
Paper Book
Winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, the Prix du Premier Roman Étranger, the Sunday Times Young Writer Award, the Betty Trask Prize, and the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Literature * Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, Los...
Day : a novel
Cunningham, Michael
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTELLER * An "exquisite" (The Boston Globe) exploration of love and loss, the struggles and limitations of family life--and how we all must learn to live together and apart--from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours "The only problem with...
Learned by heart
Donoghue, Emma
Paper Book
"A wrenching love story" (Chris Bohjalian, The Washington Post) based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder. Drawing on years of...
Perfume & pain : a novel
Dorn, Anna
Ebook
"Perceptive and witty--like a Sally Rooney novel set in Southern California." --Star Tribune (Minneapolis) "It's this author's best work yet. A Sapphic roller-coaster ride." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A controversial LA...
The anatomy of desire : a novel
Dorn, L. R.
Paper Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Mystery/Thriller of 2021 Audie Award finalist for Multi-Voice Performance For fans of riveting true crime docuseries a la Serial and Making a Murderer, The Anatomy of Desire is a modern tale of crime and punishment exploring unbridled ambition, blinding...
Cuckoo
Felker-Martin, Gretchen
Paper Book
A Best Book of 2024 (NPR) * A Locus Award Finalist The USA Today bestselling novel from Gretchen Felker-Martin, author of Manhunt, where a group of teens must stay true to themselves while in a conversion camp from hell. ...
The echo wife
Gailey, Sarah
Paper Book
Sarah Gailey's The Echo Wife is "a trippy domestic thriller which takes the extramarital affair trope in some intriguingly weird new directions."--Entertainment Weekly I'm embarrassed, still, by how long it took me to notice. Everything was right there in the...
Small rain : a novel
Greenwell, Garth
Paper Book
Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award Long-listed for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, Financial Times, New...
Matrix
Groff, Lauren
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE 2022 JOYCE CAROL OATES PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE 2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2021 Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times,...
10 things that never happened
Hall, Alexis J.
Paper Book
"Brilliance on every single page."-CHRISTINA LAUREN, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, for Boyfriend Material FAKE AMNESIA. REAL FEELINGS? REAL PROBLEMS. Sam Becker loves-or, okay, likes-his job. Sure, managing a bed and bath retailer isn...
Fadeout
Hansen, Joseph
Paper Book
On Dave Brandstetter Created by Joseph Hansen"But with so many dying, we better love each other for real, and all we can--we're so lucky to have the chance." --Cecil, to Dave, in A Country of Old Men"In many ways a conventional P.I.--although he is in fact an insurance claims investigator--Dave...
The sweetness of water
Harris, Nathan
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER / AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK ONE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2021  Winner of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence Winner of the Willie Morris Award for...
The Paradox Hotel : a novel
Hart, Rob (Fiction writer)
Paper Book
"Time travel, murder, corruption, restless baby dinosaurs, and a snarky robot named Ruby collide in this excellent, noir-inflected, humor-infused, science-fiction thriller."--The Boston Globe   An impossible crime. A detective on the edge of madness. The future of...
The world and all that it holds
Hemon, Aleksandar
Paper Book
The World and All That It Holds--in all its hilarious, heartbreaking, erotic, philosophical glory--showcases Aleksandar Hemon's celebrated talent at its pinnacle. It is a grand, tender, sweeping story that spans decades and continents. It cements Hemon as one of the boldest voices in...
The prospects : a novel
Hoffman, KT
Paper Book
"A queer sports romance and a triumphant debut . . . a heartstring-pulling tale of two minor-league baseball rivals who realize they play much better together."--Elle, The Best (and Most Anticipated) Romance Books of 2024, So Far "I completely adored it."--Casey...
Our evenings : a novel
Hollinghurst, Alan
Paper Book
From the internationally acclaimed winner of the Booker Prize, "an engrossing tale of one man's personal odyssey as he grows up, framed in exquisite language" (The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice) "The finest novel yet from one of the great writers of our...
The emperor and the endless palace
Huang, Justinian
Paper Book
Stonewall Book Award Winner, 2025 "A sweeping triumph in queer romance." -Booklist "What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?"
Natural beauty : a novel
Huang, Ling Ling
Paper Book
Our narrator is the youngest student at the Conservatory. She produces a sound from the piano no one else does, employing a special technique she learned from her parents - also stunningly talented musicians - who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her...
A calculated risk
Hunter, Cari
Ebook
The prophets
Jones, Robert, Jr.
Paper Book
All fours
July, Miranda
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling author of The First Bad Man returns with an irreverently sexy, tender, hilarious and literary novel about a woman upending her life
How you get the girl
Kelly, Anita (Romance author)
Paper Book
Chemistry sizzles in this workplace rom-com set in the world of high school basketball as the author of Love & Other Disasters delivers a sapphic romance full of humor and heart. When a smart-mouthed junior joins East Nashville High's basketball team, Coach...
We used to live here
Kliewer, Marcus
Paper Book
From an author "destined to become a titan of the macabre and unsettling" (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), a haunting debut--soon to be a Netflix original movie--about two homeowners whose lives are turned upside down when the house's previous residents...
Wolfsong
Klune, TJ
Paper Book
'Like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket' - V. E. Schwab on Under the Whispering DoorOx Matheson was twelve when his father taught him a lesson: Ox wasn't worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.Ox was sixteen when the energetic Bennett family moved in next door,...
Exhibit
Kwon, R. O.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY VOGUE, ELLE, AND ELECTRIC LITERATURE "Hypnotic...a haunting romance about desire, obsession, and ambition that is sure to get your heart rate up." --...
The great mistake
Lee, Jonathan
Paper Book
An exultant novel of New York City at the turn of the twentieth century, about one man's rise to fame and fortune, and his mysterious murder--"engrossing" (Wall Street Journal), "immersive" (The New Yorker), and "seriously entertaining" (The Sunday Times, London). ...
All the right notes
Lim, Dominic
Paper Book
Sparks fly when a piano genius and a Hollywood heartthrob are thrown together for a charity performance in this "swoony, joyful rom-com" (Entertainment Weekly). Quito Cruz is a genius piano player and composer with Broadway dreams, but he's not quite...
Prophet
Macdonald, Helen
Paper Book
NOSTALGIA HAS NEVER BEEN MORE DEADLY "A crackling, shape-shifting romp with big ideas and a bigger heart . . . A delight." -- C Pam Zhang From the extraordinary minds of award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author of H Is for Hawk Helen...
Up with the sun
Mallon, Thomas
Paper Book
A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * Through the curious life of Dick Kallman--a real-life celebrity striver, poisonously charming actor, and eventual murder victim--the unforgiving worlds of postwar showbiz and down-low gay sexuality are thrown into stark relief in this "page...
Feed them silence
Mandelo, Lee
Paper Book
Lee Mandelo dives into the minds of wolves in Feed Them Silence, a novella of the near future. What does it mean to "be-in-kind" with a nonhuman animal? Or in Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon's case, to be in-kind with one of the last remaining wild wolves? Using a neurological...
The woods all black
Mandelo, Lee
Paper Book
The Woods All Black is equal parts historical horror, trans romance, and blood-soaked revenge, all set in 1920s Appalachia Leslie Bruin is assigned to the backwoods township of Spar Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service, under its usual mandate: vaccinate the flock,...
The torqued man : a novel
Mann, Peter
Paper Book
"A damn good read."--Alan Furst A brilliant debut novel, at once teasing literary thriller and a darkly comic blend of history and invention, The Torqued Man is set in wartime Berlin and propelled by two very different but equally mesmerizing voices: a German spy handler and his Irish...
Our hideous progeny : a novel
McGill, C. E.
Paper Book
"A gripping Gothic tale of grief and ambition, passion and intrigue." -- Jess Kidd, author of The Night Ship "An immersive blend of historical and science fiction brims with surprises and dark delights. . . . An incisive exploration of women's rights within the field of science....
Dead letters from paradise
McMan, Ann
Ebook
The pairing
McQuiston, Casey
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston's delicious romantic comedy The Pairing. Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, lovers and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on a...
And there he kept her
Moehling, Joshua
Ebook
The terraformers
Newitz, Annalee
Paper Book
From science fiction visionary Annalee Newitz comes The Terraformers, a sweeping, uplifting, and illuminating exploration of the future. Destry's life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-E. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its...
My government means to kill me
Newson, Rasheed
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER · A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK · A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE · 2023 LAMBDA LITERARY PRIZE FOR GAY FICTION FINALIST The debut novel from television WRITER/PRODUCER OF THE CHI, NARCOS, and...
Outlawed
North, Anna
Paper Book
We were the universe : a novel
Parsons, Kimberly King
Paper Book
A TIME MUST-READ BOOK OF THE YEAR * A young mother, in denial after the death of her sister, navigates the dizzying landscapes of desire, guilt, and grief in this darkly comic, highly anticipated debut novel from Kimberly King Parsons, author of the story collection, Black Light<...
The verifiers
Pek, Jane
Paper Book
ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST'S BEST MYSTERY BOOKS OF THE YEAR * Introducing Claudia Lin: a sharp-witted amateur sleuth for the 21st century. This debut novel follows Claudia as she verifies people's online lives, and lies, for a dating detective agency in New York City. Until...
The thick and the lean : a novel
Porter, Chana
Paper Book
In Lambda Award finalist Chana Porter's highly anticipated new novel, an aspiring chef, a cyberthief, and a kitchen maid each break free of a society that wants to constrain them. In the quaint religious town of Seagate, abstaining from food brings one closer to God. ...
Come and get it : a novel
Reid, Kiley
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER National Bestseller A Good Morning America Book Club Pick An Indie Next Pick A LibraryReads Pick Acclaimed author Kiley Reid's fresh and provocative story about desire, consumption, and bad behavior.
Lavender House
Rosen, Lev AC
Paper Book
A "Best Of" Book From: Amazon * Buzzfeed * Rainbow Reading * Library Journal * CrimeReads * BookPage * Book Riot * Autostraddle A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen's Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.<...
The guncle : a novel
Rowley, Steven
Paper Book
Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits. However, tragedy strikes and Patrick suddenly finds himself taking on the role of primary guardian....
After Sappho
Schwartz, Selby Wynn
Paper Book
What did we want? To begin with, we wanted what half the population had got by just being born. It's 1895. Amid laundry and bruises, Rina Pierangeli Faccio gives birth to the child of the man who raped her-the man she has been forced to marry. Unbroken, she determines to change...
Dirt town
Scrivenor, Hayley
Paper Book
'A heart-wrenching mystery, Hayley Scrivenor's remarkable sense of place brings Dirt Town to life.' Jane Harper'Beautifully written, compassionate, with an entirely credible but heart-breaking ending. A stunning debut.' Ann CleevesMy best friend wore her name, Esther, like a queen wearing her crown...
You should be so lucky
Sebastian, Cat
Ebook
The Lost Story: The gorgeous, heartwarming grown-up fairytale by the beloved author of The Wishing Game
Shaffer, Meg.
Paper Book
From the author of cult favourite The Wishing Game comes a Narnia-inspired fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobe door . . . you know, just in case.Fifteen years ago, two boys went missing at a state park in West Virginia. Six months later they mysteriously...
A day of fallen night
Shannon, Samantha
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling stunning, standalone prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree. "A magnificent, sweeping epic. Shannon has created a world rich in intricate mythology, beautifully realized and complex." Jennifer Saint, bestselling...
The History of Sound
Shattuck, Ben.
Paper Book
Soon to be a major movie starring Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor'Exquisitely crafted, deeply imagined, exhilaratingly diverse, The History of Sound places Ben Shattuck firmly among the very finest of our storytellers' - Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of Horse 'Stellar...
Monstrilio
Córdova, Gerardo Sámano
Ebook
"Heartfelt, bizarre, and unexpected. . . . At once a novel about family and love, a creepy tale that questions what it means to be human, and a celebration of queer stories, Monstrilio is as shocking as it is profound, and as humorous as it is thoughtful." ―Gabino Iglesias, The...
The house of doors
Tan, Twan Eng
Paper Book
The third novel from the Booker-shortlisted author exploring love, betrayal and morality in 1920s Penang
Some desperate glory
Tesh, Emily
Paper Book
Instant National Bestseller and International Bestseller! Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel! Arthur C. Clarke Award Finalist! Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction Finalist! A thrillingly told queer space opera about the...
Bury your gays
Tingle, Chuck
Paper Book
The instant USA Today bestseller by Chuck Tingle about what it takes to succeed in a world that wants you dead. Named one of the Best Horror Books of 2024 (Esquire, Parade, and Library Journal) * Winner of the Locus Award for Best Horror...
Rejection : fiction
Tulathimutte, Tony
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION * A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR "A master comedian with a virtuoso prose style has produced an audacious, original and highly disturbing book . . . an incandescent satire." --Giles Harvey, The New York Times Magazine ...
Someone you can build a nest in
Wiswell, John
Paper Book
Nebula and Locus Award Winner! Hugo Award Nominee An NPR, Washington Post, Book Riot, Library Journal and Audible Best Book of 2024! "This novel is monstrously perfect, in every way" --P. Djèlí Clark for The New York Times
Find this list online: https://librarian.syndetics.com/syndeticsunbound/lp/1043.1411/list/2914

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.