Celebrate Latinx Heritage Month With Seven 2021 Books by Latinx Authors

A collage of the covers included in this article

Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated between September 15 and October 15 each year and honors the influence and contributions of the Latinx community. To honor the occasion, we’ve rounded up new and upcoming 2021 books by Latinx authors for your TBR. These books represent a small selection of the large body of incredible work done by Latinx authors, and we encourage readers to enjoy books from these authors not just this month, but all year long. Join us in celebrating, and dive in!

What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster

Readers who loved Halsey Street won’t want to miss Naima Coster’s latest. Set in North Carolina, What’s Mine and Yours is an intergenerational story about two families. Friends Gee and Noelle find themselves caught in the middle when their mothers are on opposite sides of a new county initiative. Lacey May, Noelle’s white mother, is vocally against the initiative to bring students from the east side of town—a largely Black community—to the west side’s predominantly white high schools. All the while she’s refusing to acknowledge her own white-passing daughters’ Columbian father. Meanwhile Jade will do anything to help her son Gee navigate a world that too often villanizes young Black boys.

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

Zoraida Córdova’s adult debut introduces readers to the Montoya family of Four Rivers, a magical Midwestern town. Matriarch Orquídea Divina summons the family to her deathbed and warns them to protect their magic. Seven years later, the danger she feared comes for the family in the form of a villain who seeks to destroy them. To save themselves, Orquídea’s descendants travel to Ecuador to learn about the secrets she left behind.

One Week to Claim It All by Adriana Herrera

Adriana Herrera kicks off the romantic Sambrano Studios series with One Week to Claim It All. Esmeralda Sambrano-Peña’s late father left her his television empire, but she’ll have to beat out her ex Rodrigo Almanzar if she wants to claim the CEO position. Herrera brings all of her trademark steam, humor, and heart to this second chance love story. The series continues this October with Just for the Holidays…, a Christmas romance.

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Originally published in 2016, Certain Dark Things was rereleased this month with a stunning new cover. Transporting readers to a near-future neon-noir Mexico City, the book follows Domingo, a 17-year-old trying to survive on the streets, and Alt, a vampire looking to escape the city. Domingo offers to help her and finds himself thrust into a world of danger and bloodshed.

Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora edited by Saraciea J. Fennell

Edited by Saraciea Fennell, founder of The Bronx Is Reading, this young adult anthology features an array of new and up-and-coming writers from across the Latinx diaspora. It’s a deeply personal and powerful collection, featuring multiple essays that explore the intersection of Black, Indigenous, and queer identities. Mark your calendars for November—you don’t want to miss when this hits shelves.

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

Chanel Cleeton’s new novel draws inspiration from real figures and events from history. Set at the end of the 19th century, The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba explores the lives of three women involved in Cuba’s fight for independence. It’s 1896 and journalist Grace Harrington is trying to make a name for herself when she discovers 18-year-old Evangelina Cisneros imprisoned in Havana. Grace teams up with Marina Perez, a courier working for Cuban revolutionaries, to try to free Evangelina.

A Lot Like Adiós by Alexis Daria

Alexis Daria captivated romance readers with You Had Me at Hola and this September returns to the Primas of Power series with A Lot Like Adiós. This contemporary romance gives childhood best friends a second chance at love. Gabriel Aguilar returns to New York City after 13 years away to open a new branch of the gym he co-owns. He’s shocked when Michelle Amato, the woman he hasn’t ever been able to forget, is brought on for the marketing campaign.

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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