25 Queer Books for Your 2022 TBR

A collage of the covers included in this article

Happy Pride Month, readers! We believe there’s no better way to celebrate than by reading books that explore queer identity across all of our favorite genres. These 25 books are just a small sampling of the great work available – we hope you’ll read these books all year long. Join us in celebrating, and dive in!

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson

Kosoko Jackson is giving readers a romance to look forward to at the end of the year with this novel about things heating up in the kitchen between a prep chef and a single father.

Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour

Nina LaCour’s adult debut weaves together the stories of Sara, a bartender who left home at 16, and Emilie, who is having an affair with the bar’s owner while searching for more from life.

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

YA readers won’t want to miss the first book in Aiden Thomas’ Sunbearer duology, which follows a trans semidiós chosen to compete in a deadly competition to replenish the Sun’s power.

Real Bad Things by Kelly J. Ford

Twenty-five years ago Jane confessed to the murder of her stepfather, but without a body, no charges were filed. When mysterious remains are found, it seems the truth may finally come out.

Chef’s Kiss by T.J. Alexander

In this queer rom-com, a pastry chef with no taste for the spotlight and her charming nonbinary kitchen manager are thrown together when their cookbook publisher asks for video content.

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White

Newly added to NetGalley, this space opera is the first book in the Starmetal Symphony series and features a piano player who may be Earth’s only hope for survival in the face of an AI attack.

Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender

In this YA novel, a viral tweet about unrequited love accidentally sent from the wrong account sets off a chain of events that changes everything for former best friends Lark and Kasim.

The Boy with a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund

Emme Lund’s coming-of-age novel is a queer allegory explored through the lens of Owen Tanner, who has a bird named Gail living inside of his rib cage.

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

Action, danger, and high heat—Katee Robert’s latest romance brings it all! The third Dark Olympus book follows Achilles, Patroclus, and Helen in a competition to become Ares.

The Verifiers by Jane Pek

Mystery reader Claudia Lin dons her amateur sleuth cap when a client, who had asked Claudia to investigate someone she had met through online dating, suddenly goes missing.

Youngblood by Sasha Laurens

Former friends Taylor and Kat aren’t happy to learn they’re rooming together, but must learn to rely on each other after they discover their vampire boarding school is hiding deadly secrets.

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

In this space fantasy, Misery Nomaki is drawn by a strange voice into the center of a war between two factions who hope to hunt Misery down to use their powers to defeat the other.

The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

Joy is 30, asexual, and secretly in love with her friend Malcolm. To get him to see what a great catch she is, Joy fakes a relationship with Fox—who soon has her rethinking her feelings.

The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela

Andrés, a gay Latinx professor, reflects on his past and present when a return home coincides with his 20-year high school reunion and brings old friends, loves, and bullies back into his life.

I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers

September can’t come soon enough when it brings with it a new Courtney Summers book! Teens Georgia Avis and Nora James team up to find the person who killed Nora’s younger sister.

Going Public by Hudson Lin

Hudson Lin continues the ​​Jade Harbour Capital series with a romance between executive assistant Elvin Goh and Raymond Chao, the boss he’s been pining over for years.

Last Call at the Nightingale by Katharine Schellman

Step into the Jazz Age with this New York-set mystery. The Nightingale is Vivian Kelly’s haven away from the hardships of everyday life, until a murder behind the club changes everything.

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

Want a read that offers a bit of everything? Freya Marske delivers mystery, romance, and historical fantasy in a tale of two women on a ship to New York who discover a dead body.

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake

A reality show rivalry turns into romance for designer Astrid Parker and carpenter Jordan Everwood as they learn to work together while renovating Jordan’s grandmother’s inn.

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

In this dystopian YA debut, trans teen Benji is turned into a bioweapon by a cult and must decide what to do as the monster inside him grows, with the help of a group of queer rebels.

Greenland by David Santos Donaldson

This debut novel follows a young writer who is chronicling the life of Mohammed el Adl, E. M. Forster’s lover, and noticing similarities between Mohammed’s life and his own along the way.

And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling

After losing the man he loved, Ben Packard retreats to Sandy Lake for a fresh start in this dark thriller. But it isn’t long before he’s caught up in an investigation of two missing teens.

The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

Tasha Suri returns this summer with the second installment in the Burning Kingdoms series, where Malini and Priya find themselves on opposing sides as they fight to save their kingdom.

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

Alison Cochrun stole our hearts with The Charm Offensive and now she’s back with a holiday romance about a woman who falls for the sister of the man she’s faking an engagement with.

Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

Recognize this from our Killer Reads roundup? This YA horror debut transports readers to the Bronx, where Raquel and her crush Charlize are investigating a string of disappearances.

What’s the last queer book you read and loved?

Kelly Gallucci

Kelly Gallucci is the Executive Editor of We Are Bookish, where she oversees the editorial content, offers book recommendations, and interviews authors and NetGalley members. When she's not working, Kelly can be found color coordinating her bookshelves, eating Chipotle, and watching way too many baking shows.

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