LGBTQIA+

Girl Next Door

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by Rachel Merdith
First sentence: “When MC managed to find a spot on the overcrowded subway platform, she made sure nothing about her was disturbing anyone’s personal space.”
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Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, some on-screen sex, and talk of an affair. It’s in the romance section of the bookstore.

MC has moved on from her small-town Long Island high school. She has a life in the city. She just wants to move past it all, and for nine years she has. Then, her best friend Joe – who is an editor at a gossip online magazine – asks her to do a profile of the hot new romance author, S. K. Smith, who wrote a romance that is eerily like MC’s senior year of high school. Which means the author has to be MC’s next-door neighbor growing up, Nora. She reluctantly takes the assignment and heads back home (with a lame cover story) to reconnect with Nora and try to get a story out of her. What she doesn’t expect is everything that comes next.

I thought this one was a lot of fun. It was complicated enough – Nora is a very prickly pear of a person, and some mistrust and drama is going on all over the place – but not so much that it weighed the book down. In many ways, this was just a fluffy romance. But it’s also a story of people facing their past and figuring out their future. It’s a story of boundaries and working with people and not against them. And it’s a story of healing.

All this to say: I really liked this one!

Sweet Saints

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by Cassandra Khaw
First sentence: “You can make a life out of saving seals from the altar.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: March 30, 2027
Review copy pilfered off the ARC shelves at work.
Content: There are some uncomfortable moments and a little bit of violence. It will be in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

The animal-wives call her Sister Hound or Sister Hunt. Her job is to save them – the selkies, the foxes, the crane wives – from the men who take their skins and bind them. And she’s very good at it. What she’s not good at is parenting, so when a baby selkie is left on her door – whom she somewhat affectionately names Pest – she has no idea what to do with it. This unravels a story of desire and want, and the ultimate sacrifices we make for our children.

It’s a slim story – I did wish there was more meat to it – but I really liked it. I liked the characters and the way that Sister Hound interacted with both the animal wives and the other humans. It was cozy, but it also had a little bite to it. And I loved the fierce independence at the core of the story.

Maybe I ought to go find more books by Khaw; I really enjoyed her writing.

Public Access Afterworld

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by Jane Schoenbrun
First sentence: “This book is not my own.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: October 27, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is a super high body count, on-page (but not graphic) sex, lots of swearing (including multiple f-bombs), drug use, and just plain weirdness. It will be in the Fiction section, but could easily be found in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section.

The plot of this book is unnecessary. It’s probably best if you go in knowing very little (as I did), in order to experience the whole thing. It’s really a book that’s about vibes – and the vibes are weird and highly unique. Know that for a 600-page book, it goes really fast (I don’t usually read books this big!), mostly because it’s emulating a TV series – it’s broken up into Episodes, each with its own little arc, but connected to each other. I’ve never seen any of Schoenbrun’s films, but if they are anything like this, it would be wild and wierd, but thought-provoking.

The best comparison I can make is There is No Antimemetics Division: it isn’t the same, but it has a similar weird vibe. And if you liked that one, you will definitely like this one.

The only drawback is that the ending is ambiguous, and I would like a sequel (I’ve been spoiled over the years). But if this is all there is, I’m content with it.

Heartstopper Volume 6

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by Alice Osman
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, Volume 5
Content: There is a handful of swearing, including a few f-bombs. There is also some fade-to-black sex. It’s in the Teen Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

The final volume of the Heartstopper series sees Nick finishing up high school, and applying to university, Charlie being head boy, and everyone worrying that the friend group will fall apart as they head their separate ways.

I’ll be honest here: I kept confusing the Netflix show with the graphic novel. I thought Nick had already graduated (that’s the TV show) and that they had these existential discussions already (also the TV show). Which means, I don’t really remember what happened in Volume 5. And that this volume felt redundant. Pretty much everything in here has already happened in my brain (what I get for watching TV?). It’s always good to hang out with Nick and Charlie, though, and I didn’t dislike this volume. I just thought the story was farther along than it actually was.

I needed to get the book to finish out my Heartstopper collection. I would say I’d miss these characters, but to be honest, I’m not sure I will. I am glad that their story has come to a satisfying stopping point, though.

Audiobook: Star Shipped

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by Cat Sebastian
Read by Joel Leslie
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There are a couple of on-page non-graphic sex scenes, and swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Simon and Charlie have been co-stars for the past seven years, working on a space TV show called Out There. They have fought constantly, griping at each other. Simon doesn’t particularly like Charlie, and is convinced that the feeling is mutual. But then, Charlie needs help on a road trip to Arizona, and suddenly Simon’s life is turned upside down: maybe what he was thinking/feeling wasn’t right at all.

There’s more to the story than that – mostly because Sebastian does an excellent job with Simon’s issues: he has migraines, he is very anxious, and he has mild OCD. Charlie has panic attacks. They are real people with real problems (even if they are rich and semi-famous actors), and Sebastian does an excellent job weaving that into this romance. Simon started off cold and distant, and it was delightful to watch him grow and open up as his and Charlie’s relationship grew.

It was also a love letter to fandoms (I was describing this to my husband when I realized that it was very much a Kirk-Spock fanfic), and the impact that having stories that center queer characters have have in the lives of queer kids.

I absolutely loved it, and I’m definitely going to seek more of Sebastian’s books out!

Encore

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by Miles Toriko Burks
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: June 2, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is some swearing and talking about sex. It will be in the Teen Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

It’s senior year, and Clay is determined to have a good year, surrounded by friends. But when his ex-best friend, Aron, suddenly appears in Clay’s theater class and (gasp) they are paired together, Clay isn’t sure where he stands. Especially since Aron is acting like nothing happened between them (and that he didn’t ghost Clay). As Clay and Aron spend more time together, Clay starts neglecting his current friends, and things spiral out of control. Can Clay save his friendships before it’s too late? (And what ARE those feelings he’s been having for Aron?)

The thing I kept thinking while reading this was that it was very much an American Heartstopper. Which is a compliment! I liked the characters, I liked their friendships, and I liked Aron’s journey to realizing his feelings for Clay and who he is as a person. I liked Clay’s journey to get past old hurt and to trust Aron again. I liked that it was effortlessly queer, and I liked the theater setting. It was all just joyful and fun.

I hope that Burke writes more, either with these characters or with new ones, because he is a talented artist, and I’d love to see more!

Audiobook: How to Fake it in Society

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by KJ Charles
Read by Will Watt
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen on Libro.fm
Content: There is some swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and some fade-to-black sex. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Titus Pilcrow is the fifth son of a wealthy (now dead) English landowner, and so has had to make his own way in the world. He was given an apprenticeship in making paints for artists, something he has come to love, and even has his own ship. Except that his landlord (a former lover) is raising the rent. Titus is pretty despondent, and when he goes to collect a bill from a wealthy customer, he is roped into her dying wish: marry her, inherit her fortune, so she can cut her despicable nephew off.

The problem was: she was going to marry Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte. So when Nico comes back from a business trip to find the woman dead and another man in his place, he’s a bit… upset. Especially since he and his cousin owe a money lender 2,000 pounds. So, of course, he’s going to find his way into Titus’s good graces. What he didn’t expect was to fall in love.

There was so much silliness in this one, and I found it absolutely delightful. Titus goes from a beleaguered and battered man – a terrible father and older brother as well as a cruel lover will do that to a man – to a more confident person because of Nico’s influence. And Nico learns to trust. And in between there are fabulous clothes, art, outrageous French accents, and a whole lot of delight. I really enjoyed this one a lot. It was silly, yet there was an undercurrent of seriousness (especially when Titus’s former lover was trying to blackmail him) and the reminder that not even wealthy people are exempt from people taking advantage of them.

An absolute delight of a book.

Audiobook: Pole Position

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by Rebecca J Caffrey
Read by Joshua Chase & James Joseph
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen on Libro.fm
Content: There’s a lot of swearing, including many f-bombs. There’s talk of sex and on-page sex scenes. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Are we here for gay sports books? Yes. Yes, we are.

Kian Walker is the reigning F1 World Champion, and he has so much going for him. He’s methodical, prepared, focused, and the best in the world. Harper James is the exact opposite. A talented driver, but a party boy – he’s determined to never let anyone close enough to find out what demons he’s chasing. So when he ends up in the second driver position with Kian, sparks fly. And it doesn’t help that they feel this…. attraction. It’s not going to be an easy season for either of them.

I picked this up – I’ve had it kicking around for a while – because F1 started up again! So why not celebrate with a little gay F1 romance? It’s not deep, though they deal with abandonment issues and the trauma from bad parents, as well as the death of a parent. I did like the F1 references- sure, the teams were made up, but I think Caffrey captured the intensity of the sport and the way the drivers make decisions on and off the track. It’s probably not entirely accurate, but for a mid-level fan like me, it fit the bill. And I did like Kian and Harper’s relationship. I liked the push and pull and the way they eventually came to trust one another. And the narrators kept me engaged when the plot wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be.

So, was it great? No. But it was a lot of fun, which was excatly what I was looking for.

A Prince Among Pirates

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by Katie Abdou
First sentence: “Canon fire before breakfast is obscene – and waking up to it an atrocity.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: June 16, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is some violence, and lots of drinking (well, they are pirates). There are inferences to sex, but none actual. It will be in the Young Adult section of the bookstore.

Kit – otherwise known as Christopher-Henry – has spent his whole life living under his father’s thumb and in his shadow. The last thing he wants to do is marry the woman his father has picked out, even if she’s of a higher station than he is, and would increase his status in the English upper crust of the 1700s. So, he does the only thing he can think of: he runs away to the port and picks the first ship he sees to board. He charms (of sorts) his way on and convinces the crew that he can be of use. Two problems, though: 1 – the ship is captained by the charming and desirable Reggie Swan, and Kit finds himself smitten. And 2 – it’s a pirate ship. Kit finds a home and friends on the ship there, and will do anything to help and protect his shipmates, especially when his past catches up with him.

I picked this one up because the markup notes mentioned Our Flag Means Death, and oh, this scratched that itch. It’s not deep, it’s not historically accurate (it’s accurate-ish), it’s mostly just a lot of fun, which is exactly what I wanted out of it. I liked Kit’s growth arc, and the characters of all the pirates on the ship. I’m also here for any book that has me sailing around the Caribbean, experiencing the open air and the sea. It’s a delight of a book, and one that will make a perfect summer romance read.

Canon

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by Paige Lewis
First sentence: “On the day God arrived with His Big Mission, He found Yara preparing to leap, fully clothed, into the Spring River.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Release date: May 19, 2026
Content: There is reference to sexual assault, some swearing, including f-bombs, and lots of violence. It will be in the Fiction section of the bookstore.

This is a hard one to describe. It’s an Epic Story, the story of a Final Battle and a Quest to stop it, of Discovery and of God and Humanity. There is a plot: there’s a Bad Guy and Yara is tasked by God to kill him. They go on a journey to get there – and the journey is the point. There is also a Prophet, Adrena, who wants to be a part of the Battle and goes on her own Journey to reach the end.

It’s a Lot of a book. I really liked it at first – there’s a lot of humor (the whale named HOWBIG is quite amusing) and just a lot of the over-the-top-ness of it all. But, I think this is meant to be read quickly (and it goes fast, despite its length), because I put it down for a couple of days, and it lost momentum. I thought it kind of lost direction near the end (but it may be that I missed the satire of it all); it wasn’t as satisfying as I was hoping it would be.

That said, it was unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and I think Lewis is a brilliant writer. It’s worth reading for the experience of reading it.