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...
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...
Triple sec : a novel
Alexander, T. J.
Paper Book
A jaded bartender is wooed by a charmingly quirky couple in this fresh and sizzling polyamorous rom-com, set in the glamorous world of high-end cocktail bars--from the acclaimed author of the "tender, decadent, and sparklingly funny" (Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling...
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 "[An] ...
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
Burke, Andie
Paper Book
"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 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...
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...
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...
Here we go again : a novel
Cochrun, Alison
Ebook
A USA TODAY Bestseller! Stonewall Book Award Honoree A Publishers Weekly, BookRiot, and Elle Best Romance of the Year The author of the "sexy, insightful, and utterly charming" (BuzzFeed) Kiss Her Once for Me...
The boy in the rain
Cowell, Stephanie
Paper Book
"The Boy in the Rain transports us to another time and place in this powerful, sensual, and lyrical novel that literally took my breath away--the love is so visceral, the pain so deep, the beauty so real, and the danger so palpable!" ~NYT bestseller, M.J. Rose, author of The Last Tiara It...
Lucky Red : a novel
Cravens, Claudia
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A thrilling, raucous, and gloriously queer debut about a scrappy orphan bent on making her own luck in the American West--and finding friendship, romance, and her true calling along the way, now in paperback. "A powerful feminist battle cry . . . [and]...
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...
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...
They never learn
Fargo, Layne
CD
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 What if one impulsive lie gave you the second chance you never knew you needed? From USA Today bestseller Alexis Hall, 10 Things That Never Happened is a...
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...
Long after we are gone : a novel
Harris, Terah Shelton
Paper Book
"A big, beautiful, devastating, and ultimately hopeful novel." - Erica Bauermeister, New York Times bestselling author of No Two Persons An explosive and emotional story of four siblings-each fighting their own personal battle-who return home in the wake of their father's...
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...
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...
The prophets : a novel
Jones, Robert, Jr.
Paper Book
Best Book of the Year NPR * The Washington Post * Boston Globe * TIME * USA Today * Entertainment Weekly * Real Simple * Parade * Buzzfeed * Electric Literature * LitHub * BookRiot * PopSugar * Goop * Library Journal * BookBub...
All fours
July, Miranda
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S TOP 10 FICTION BOOKS OF 2024 ONE OF NPR'S "BOOKS WE LOVE" 2024 NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY: THE NEW YORKER &...
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
Wolfsong is the beginning of the Green Creek Series, the beloved fantasy romance sensation by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, about love, loyalty, betrayal, and family. "Wolfsong is so well written that I'm in awe of TJ Klune's talent." --Charlaine...
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). ...
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...
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,...
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 : a novel
McQuiston, Casey
Paper Book
A Best Book of the Year for The New York Times, People, Elle, USA Today, Saveur, and more! LIMITED FIRST PRINT RUN--featuring sprayed edges with a stenciled script design. Only available for a limited time and while supplies last. In #1...
And there he kept her
Moehling, Joshua
Paper Book
"A dark and complex mystery that will consume you."--Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight They thought he was a helpless old man. They were wrong. When two teenagers break into a house on a remote lake in search of prescription drugs, what starts as a...
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...
Outlawed : a novel
North, Anna
Paper Book
Look for Bog Queen, the new novel by Anna North-the story of a monumental discovery that sets off a clash of worlds, past and present, over the fate of the land that holds us. Coming October 2025. A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *...
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....
Hombrecito
Sanchez, Santiago Jose
Paper Book
FINALIST FOR THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY YOUNG LIONS FICTION AWARD NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND KIRKUS REVIEWS A novel by a brilliant new voice, Hombrecito is a queer coming-of-age story about a young immigrant's complex relationships with his mother...
After Sappho : a novel
Schwartz, Selby Wynn
Paper Book
"The first thing we did was change our names. We were going to be Sappho," so begins this intrepid debut novel, centuries after the Greek poet penned her lyric verse. Ignited by the same muse, a myriad of women break from their small, predetermined lives for seemingly disparate paths: in 1892...
Dirt Creek
Scrivenor, Hayley
Paper Book
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER Who's lying about what happened at Dirt Creek? "Blends a taut psychological thriller with a suspenseful police procedural...Fans of Liane Moriarty and Jane Harper won't want to miss this page-turner." --Publishers Weekly, starred...
You should be so lucky : a novel
Sebastian, Cat
Paper Book
An emotional, slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine, queer mid-century romance for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, about grief and found family, between the new star shortstop stuck in a batting slump and the reporter assigned to (reluctantly) cover his first season--set in the same...
The lost story : a novel
Shaffer, Meg
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Inspired by C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes--just in case--from the author of The Wishing Game. "This is the book you've...
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 : stories
Shattuck, Ben
Paper Book
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING PAUL MESCAL AND JOSH O'CONNOR Winner of the Story Prize Spotlight Award * Shortlisted for the 2025 Mark Twain Award * Longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction & the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction An...
The house of doors : a novel
Tan, Twan Eng
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORKER, NPR, SLATE, THE FINANCIAL TIMES, AND A WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE WORK...
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/324.551/list/2914

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