LGBTQIA+ Fiction

New and recommended fiction by LGBTQIA authors

Updated September 16, 2025
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
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LGBTQIA+ Fiction

New and recommended fiction by LGBTQIA authors

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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
Paper Book
Louise spends her days working at Maggie's Cafe and her nights at the Zodiac, Manhattan's hottest speakeasy. When a girl turns up dead in front of the cafe, Louise is forced to confront something she's been trying to ignore - several local black girls have been murdered over the past few weeks....
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 "[An] ...
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!...
Dead in Long Beach, California
Blackburn, Venita
Paper Book
A Finalist for the 2025 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction. Longlisted for the 2025 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and the 2025 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2024. One of NPR's 2024 Books We Love. Longlisted for the...
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...
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...
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 : a novel
Cameron, Briony
Paper Book
This "thrilling, swashbuckling story" (People) based on true events illuminates a woman of color's rise to power as one of the few female pirate captains to sail the Caribbean, and a forbidden love story that will shape the course of history. In the tumultuous town of...
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 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,...
Sordidez
Conde, E. G.
Paper Book
Vero has always felt at odds with his community. As a trans man in near-future Puerto Rico, he struggles to gain acceptance for his identity and his vision of an inclusive society. After a hurricane decimates the island and Puerto Rico is abandoned by the United States, Vero leaves his home to...
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.
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]...
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
Paper Book
"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...
They never learn
Fargo, Layne
Paper Book
From the author of the "raw, ingenious, and utterly fearless" (Wendy Walker, USA TODAY bestselling author) Temper comes a dynamic psychological thriller about two women who give bad men exactly what they deserve. Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor....
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...
Call me Cassandra
Gala, Marcial
Paper Book
Finalist for the 2023 PEN Translation Prize and the 2022 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction "Dazzling." --Marcela Valdes, The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) "A spellbinding novel by one of the best writers of the Americas." -...
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...
The sweetness of water / Nathan Harris
Harris, Nathan
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times bestseller / An Oprah's Book Club Pick   In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad, an award-winning "miraculous debut" (Washington Post) about the unlikely bond between two freedmen...
Long after we are gone : a novel
Harris, Terah Shelton
Paper Book
The Solomon siblings are not perfect. Far from it. CeCe, the oldest daughter and an NYC lawyer, has embezzled thousands of dollars from her firm's clients. Junior, the oldest, married to his wife for 11 years, is secretly living in the closet as a gay man. Mance, the second son, can't control his...
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 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...
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...
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). ...
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...
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 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....
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...
Sammy Espinoza's last review : a novel
Mejia, Tehlor Kay
Paper Book
"A sexy, funny, sweet story about second chances and found family . . . I fell in love with Ridley Falls and everyone in it."-Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers "This immersive tale will have everyone flipping pages."-Good Morning...
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 : 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...
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...
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 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/603.961/list/2914

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