We’re back with another look ahead at what’s to come in the queer books department over the next couple months, highlighting the upcoming releases that stand out the most for December 2024 and January 2025. The ones this month could make great last minute gifts, or you can also give the gift of a preorder! Preorders help authors out immensely, and here at Autostraddle, we’re always championing ways to support queer and marginalized authors.

Have something you want to shout out that isn’t below? We love that! Tell us what books we should be looking forward to! This is a conversation! Talk to us!

December 3

The Rivals by Jane Pek (Mystery)

A meta mystery about a protagonist who loves mystery novels, The Rivals is about Claudia Lin, who co-runs a “dating detective agency,” a service that helps users know if prospective partners are lying to them. There’s an AI conspiracy afoot as well as a love triangle that includes Claudia’s coworker Becks. Sounds cute!

Private Rites by Julia Armfield (Novel)

The author of Our Wives Under the Sea — one of my favorite novels to come out in the past decade — is back for her sophomore release. Private Rites is a sister book, a messy family book, a climate crisis book. It’s all my favorite things! Armfield’s sentences are as gorgeous as ever. You don’t want to miss this one!

How to Fuck Like a Girl by Vera Blossom (Essays)

I’ve already read this one and can assure you you’re gonna love it! A full review is forthcoming, but it’s basically the hottest manifesto ever written. Blossom has written THE essay collection for those of us whose queerness was shaped and nurtured significantly by our online lives — tumblr, in particular. It’s the best sex essay collection I’ve read in a minute, which shouldn’t be surprising based on the in-your-face title.

Roland Rogers Isn’t Dead Yet by Samantha Allen (Romance)

I adored Allen’s debut novel Patricia Wants to Cuddle, where reality television meets queer monster horror. So I’m very much looking forward to delving into her sophomore release, which is about a ghostwriter writing for a…literal ghost! Allen’s skill at twisting horror tropes to make them her own was very much on display with her first novel, and I can’t wait for more.

S/HE by Minnie Bruce Pratt (Reprint)

This is a re-release of Minnie Bruce Pratt’s lyrical memoir. Pratt passed last year, so there’s no better time to revisit or introduce yourself to her work.

Sister Snake, by Amanda Lee Koe (Novel)

This is a literary reimagining of the Chinese folktale The Legend of the White Snake, and it concerns two sisters — one in New York and one in Singapore. It is the author’s second novel, and she’s a great short story writer. Check out her story “The Sole Purveyor of Madame Bovary in Beijing circa 1989“, published in Granta.

Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye by Alex White (Sci-Fi)

This is the second installment of White’s queer space opera trilogy.

To Shatter the Night by Katherine Quinn (Fantasy)

A followup to the bestseller To Kill a Shadow, this epic fantasy release follows the twisty adventures of Kiara Frey. It is recommended that this duology be read in order, so make sure to check out To Kill a Shadow before moving on to this one.

Robin’s Worlds by Rainie Oet and Mathias Ball (Childrens)

A children’s book with a nonbinary kid at the center! Robin’s eighth birthday turns into a magical adventure with lessons about community, self-love, and friendship along the way. Very sweet!

Free From Falling by E.L Massey (Romance)

Transfemme frontwoman of a rock band Sydney Warren doesn’t do relationships, but the second someone in a romance novel says they don’t do relationships, you know they’re gonna find themselves in a relationship, right? Sydney is about to have her whole life rocked!

The Shutouts by Gabrielle Korn (Novel)

Korn is BACK with a sequel-prequel to her wonderful dystopian novel Yours for the Taking, which I loved. Meet new queer characters and a whole new set of climate horrors in her latest!

December 10

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould (YA Horror)

Devin Green is abducted in the middle of the night in a plan concocted by her foster parents to enroll her in an experimental “therapy” program where youth have to go on a 50 day “hike” in the wilderness — a wilderness where weird shit keeps happening. There’s a queer romance that unfolds amid the horror. Side note: This title could be the alternate title to Yellowjackets.

The Blessed by Anne Shade (Romantasy)

Suri Daniels is the descendant of a supernatural lineage of women, and Layla Jefferies is the love child of a demon and a human, and their paths will cross in wild (and gay) ways in this sapphic romantasy.

We Are The Beasts by Gigi Griffis (Horror)

A strange beast is wreaking havoc on the French countryside, and two girls come up with the brilliant plan to fake their friends’ deaths so they can hide them away in plans of escape. Historical horror!

How to Get A Life In Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe (Romance)

This is a rom-com with a fat bisexual protagonist whose friends and family set her up with ten different people in anticipation of having a plus one to her sister’s engagement celebration.

December 17

How Could You by Ren Strapp (Graphic Novel)

Longtime Autostraddle comics artist Ren Strapp has a new graphic novel coming out all about queer friendship and relationship dynamics with a diverse cast of characters. If you’ve fallen in love with the Reine comics through the years, you’re not going to want to miss this full-length graphic novel! Support Autostraddle fam!

North is the Night by Emily Rath (Romantasy)

Set in the Finnish wilderness, here is a tale of girls, gods, and gays.

Deviant Matter: Ferment, Intoxicants, Jelly, Rot by Kyla Wazana Tompkins (Nonfiction)

Kyla Wazana Tompkins does archival, historical, theoretical, and political work in Deviant Matter, which “delves into a vast archive that includes nineteenth-century medical and scientific writing; newspaper comic strips and early film; the Food and Drug Act of 1906; the literature of Martin Delany, Louisa May Alcott and Herman Melville; and twenty-first century queer minoritarian video, installation, and performance art.”

How to Be Heard by Roxane Gay (Advice)

Designed to be practical writing advice, Roxane Gay’s upcoming book is designed to help people find their own voices and pursue their writing craft. It’s an approachable, voicey guide rather than a stuffy craft book. Would probably make a good holiday gift for writers, so get your preorders in! This one hasn’t had an official cover reveal yet, and this book has had an interesting journey, as Gay pulled a previous version of it from Simon & Schuster over their book deal with Milo Yiannopoulous many years back.

December 24

A Sky of Emerald Stars by A.K. Mulford (Romantasy)

Yes, New Book Tuesday coincides with Christmas Eve this year, and there are a couple queer books hitting shelves on the holiday. It appears to be quite the couple of months for new queer romantasy. This is the second book in a romantasy trilogy, and it features sapphic love.

Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow #2) by Xiran Jay Zhao (YA Sci-Fi)

This is the sequel to Iron Widow, in which “Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers.” For sci-fi/fantasy readers of YA!

January 7

Voice Like a Hyacinth by Mallory Pearson (Novel)

Autostraddle contributing writer Mallory Pearson pens a novel steeped in ritual and obsession, and I mean, if you’ve read her cannibalism essay or her Bloody Mary essay on here, then you already know to expect delicious sentences. The book is about five young women who turn to the occult to curse their creepy professor. I’m super excited about this one and have become a fast fan of Pearson’s haunting writing!

Single Player by Tara Tai (Romance)

Calling all enemies-to-lovers fans! This one is for you! And it’s about two video game creators, so if you’re a gamer who loves the enemies-to-lovers trope, even better.

How We Make Each Other: Trans Life at the Edge of the University by Perry Zurn (Nonfiction)

Zurn looks at trans policies and experiences at the higher education institutions Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in this new trans studies book.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay: A Novel by Kate Fagan (Thriller)

A famous but mysterious bestselling author whose true identity has been concealed finally comes forward after years of obscuring her past, which sends her on a journey home. It’s a lesbian thriller that sounds very intriguing!

The Afterdark by E.Latimer (YA Horror)

Queer horror set at a boarding school? Oh, yes please!

The Assassin’s Guide to Babysitting by Natalie C. Parker (YA Fantasy)

Powerful Tru has to hide her identity and abilities or risk being hunted down and navigates all the usual challenges of young queer life: hiding your truest self and harboring a crush on your bestie’s older sister.

How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris (Novel)

Ethan and Gabe are a gay couple on opposite sides of the political spectrum, and Ethan wants to run for Congress as a Republican. Nicole, meanwhile, is a queer woman feeling off in her marriage to her husband when a former love interest resurfaces in the form of Kate, Ethan’s sister. Surely everything here will go smoothly and without conflict.

The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lilly Braun-Arnold (YA Romantasy)

Teen girl Liz lives in the bookstore she used to work at in the aftermath of a world-ruining storm. With another superstorm on the horizon, Maeve breaks into the bookstore for shelter one day, and the two girls fall in love at the end of the world, naturally!

An Honored Vow: The Halfling Saga #4 by Melissa Blair (Romantasy)

Queer Indigenous author Melissa Blair pens a sprawling queer romantasy saga, and this is the final installment!

Four Ruined Realms (The Broken Blades #2) by Mai Corland (Fantasy)

Another fantasy series best enjoyed in order, you’ll want to check out the first installment Five Broken Blades before delving into its followup due out later this month. This sounds like a book for the sword lesbians!

January 14

Brewed With Love by Shelly Page (YA Romantasy)

A teen witch fights to keep her family’s apothecary afloat with the help of her first crush.

Good Girl by Aria Aber (Novel)

Oh I cannot WAIT for this one, which has some incredible blurbs from writers I love dearly. Nila is the daughter of Afghan refugees raised in Berlin and finding her voice as an artist in the city’s underground art and rave scenes. This might be my personal MOST anticipated novel on this most anticipated list.

Murder in the Dressing Room by Holly Stars (Mystery)

A mystery novel set in London’s drag scene! Camp meets hard-boiled here, and that sounds like a very fun time!

This Love by Lotte Jeffs (Novel)

Mae and Ari meet outside a gay bar during their final year of university and embark on a lifelong friendship and vow to one day have a child together, which as the years pass, proves to be a complicated promise as they both deal with all the hardships of life from grief to bad relationships and more. I love art about intracommunity queer friendship, and this seems like exactly that! I love the playful cover, too.

Confessions by Catherine Airey (Novel)

Three generations of women are at the center of this novel, which spans New York City, late September 2001; County Donegal, Ireland, 1974; and Burtonport, Ireland, 2018. It covers art, politics, family, feminism, and more.

Ring by Michelle Lerner (Novel)

Grief, depression, and suicide are all touch on in this novel from poet Michelle Lerner. It features a nonbinary person from the Midwest and a very special dog.

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)

Native Hawaiian and lesbian science-fiction author Makana Yamamoto pens a heist/sci-fi adventure book that doubles as a “love letter to Hawai’i.”

January 21

French Pressed Love: A Slow Burn Sapphic Romance by MC Hutson (Romance)

A slow burn coffee shop-set romance for lovers of caffeine and lesbian love, naturally.

The Relationship Mechanic by Karmen Lee (Romance)

This is a Black sapphic romance about a hot mechanic in the South. It’s for the girls who know what a carburetor is! Or who just like a fun rom-com time and maybe would like to LEARN what a carburetor is!

Zoe Brennan, First Crush by Laura Piper Lee (Romance)

So we have romance for coffee lovers, romance for car lovers, and now romance for wine lovers. January is chock full of rom-coms, and this one is about a lonely lesbian running her family’s vineyard. Next door, her ex-best friend turned enemy Rachel runs a rival vineyard. Zoe decides to have a blindfolded threesome, and it turns out the hot butch in the threesome isn’t a stranger but rather Rachel’s older sister and Zoe’s first crush, Laine. Wine-soaked shenanigans ensue!

Just Like Queen Esther by Ari Moffic & Kerry Olitzky (Picture Book)

Here is a trans Jewish kids’ book centered on Purim.

January 28

Comedic Timing: A Modern Romance by Upasna Barath (Romance)

Naina Rao is a bisexual woman in her mid-twenties and fresh off of a breakup with with her older girlfriend when she meets aspiring filmmaker David. It’s a straightforward romance set in NYC.

West Hollywood Monster Squad by Sina Grace and Bradley Clayton (YA Graphic Novel)

Literal monsters attack a drag show attended by a group of high schoolers who have to all team up to fight back like a big gay superhero team.

It’s a Love/Skate Relationship by Carli J Corson (YA Romance)

Queer slow-burn hockey romance ALERT!

On the Wings of La Noche by Vanessa L. Torres (YA Romantasy)

Noche mourns the drowning and death of her girlfriend Dante by day. By night, she’s a Lechuza who can visit her dead girlfriend by the lake where she drowned. But Noche can’t tether Dante to earth forever.

elseship: an unrequited affair by Tree Abraham (Experimental Memoir)

Out from one of my favorite small presses, Soft Skull, this experimental book tackles love and friendship. Tree falls in love with her friend and housemate, but the feelings are not reciprocated. It sounds like a very candid and complex exploration of unrequited love.

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

From the author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts About Space comes this humorous tale of two sisters finding their way back to each other and to their authentic selves.