Summer is the perfect time to spend with a good book and new LGBTQIA characters. This month’s list includes magic, romance, famous characters, and the perfect amount of queerness to get you by.
If you have read the books in our LGBTQIA picks for May, we have 8 new titles to add to your TBR list. Clara Alves, Emily Rath, and Marcus Kliewer are among the authors we highlight this month.
In order of release date, here are 8 LGBTQIA books we are looking forward to reading this June:
1. London on My Mind by Clara Alves – June 4
Dayana grew up in Brazil, dreaming of the day when she could visit London. However, her visit turns into a permanent stay when her mother passes away, and she must move in with her father, stepmother, and stepsister. Things aren’t as she pictured them.
Then everything changes when she runs into Diana. The funny redhead turns her world upside down and Dayana starts to wonder if there is more between the two of them. In this wonder, she finds herself involved in a royal scandal.
Book Description: Sixteen-year-old Dayana has always dreamed of visiting London — to walk along the Thames, take pictures outside Buckingham Palace, and maybe even get a glimpse of Arthur, Prince of Wales, whose marriage has been all over tabloids. But the trip of her dreams turns into a royal nightmare when her mother passes away. Now, Day must leave Rio de Janeiro to live with her estranged father and his new family in London.
As it turns out, the U.K. isn’t exactly Day’s cup of tea. She struggles to forgive her father for walking out on her and her mom all those years ago; fights with her stepsister constantly; detests her stepmother; and she can’t even see One Direction in concert because they’ve been broken up for ages. All she wants to do is trade the rainy skies of London for the sun and beaches of Rio.
That’s when she runs into the girl of her dreams — literally: The coincidentally named Diana, a witty, funny, redhead who was in the middle of . . . escaping Buckingham Palace?
Something isn’t right here, but it makes Diana all the more alluring. As time passes, and the two girls grow closer, Day can’t help but wonder if there is more than a little truth to the rumors surrounding Prince Arthur — and if Diana might be involved somehow. Is it all in her head, or could Day be caught up in a real-life royal scandal?
2. Malicia by Steven dos Santos – June 4
What could possibly go wrong when four friends visit a haunted theme park? Malicia follows the story of Ray and his friends as he asks for their help to film a documentary about the mass killing that took his mom and brother inside the theme park.
All of Ray’s friends have an ulterior motive why they decided to tag along. However, the most dangerous one is Joaquin, who knows the truth about the massacre and is about to betray his crush and their friends.
Book Description: Four friends, three days, two lovers, and one very haunted theme park
On a stormy Halloween weekend, Ray enlists his best friends Joaquin, Sofia, and Isabella to help him make a documentary of Malicia, the abandoned theme park off the coast of the Dominican Republic where his mother and brother died in a mass killing thirteen years ago.
But what should be an easy weekend trip quickly turns into something darker because all four friends have come to Malicia for their ownRay has come to Malicia to find out the truth of the massacre that destroyed his family. Isabella has come to make art out of Ray’s tragedy for her own personal gain. Sofia has come to support her friends in one last adventure before she goes to med school. Joaquin already knows the truth of the Malicia Massacre and he has come to betray his crush Ray to the evil that made the park possible.
With an impending hurricane and horrors around every corner, they all struggle to face the deadly storm and their own inner demons. But the deadliest evil of all is the ancient malignant presence on the island.
3. Moonstorm (Lancers #1) by Yoon Ha Lee – June 4
After the destruction of her rebel moon home, Hwa Young grew up wanting to become a pilot for the empire. She sees this as an opportunity to be the strong one in her life for the first time. Even though it doesn’t happen according to plan, Hwa Young has the opportunity to begin training as a pilot.
An attack on her boarding school lands her, her best friend, her rival, and the class clown in an imperial space fleet needing candidates. However, as she begins to train and discovers a conspiracy, Hwa Young must decide if she should stick to the empire she grew up in or go back to her rebel roots.
Book Description: In a society where conformity is valued above all else, a teen girl training to become an Imperial pilot is forced to return to her rebel roots to save her world in this adrenaline-fueled sci-fi adventure—perfect for fans of Iron Widow and Skyward!
Hwa Young was just ten years old when imperial forces destroyed her rebel moon home. Now, six years later, she is a citizen of the very empire that made her an orphan.
Desperate to shake her rebel past, Hwa Young dreams of one day becoming a lancer pilot, an elite group of warriors who fly into battle using the empire’s most advanced tech—giant martial robots. Lancers are powerful, and Hwa Young would do anything to be the strong one for once in her life.
When an attack on their boarding school leaves Hwa Young and her classmates stranded on an imperial space fleet, her dreams quickly become a reality. As it turns out, the fleet is in dire need of pilot candidates, and Hwa Young—along with her brainy best friend Geum, rival Bae, and class clown Seong Su—are quick to volunteer.
But training is nothing like what they expected, and secrets—like the fate of the fleet’s previous lancer squad and hidden truths about the rebellion itself—are stacking up. And when Hwa Young uncovers a conspiracy that puts their entire world at risk, she’s forced to make a choice between her rebel past and an empire she’s no longer sure she can trust.
4. Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine – June 4
Olivia and Reagan’s lives have been intertwined since the beginning. Olivia was born during the Camp Lost Lake murders. Seventeen years later, she discovers her dad isn’t her biological father. In order to find out where she comes from, she returns to Camp Lost Lake.
Reagan has spent her entire life on the run. After the murders, everyone believed her mother was the killer. In order to uncover the truth, she returns to Camp Lost Lake. However, both girls are fighting against someone set on keeping the truth a secret.
Book Description: From the author of How to Survive Your Murder comes a propulsive thriller about two teens who return to the site of the famous murder case that sealed their fates.
Most people’s births aren’t immortalized in a police report—but Olivia was born during the infamous Camp Lost Lake murders. Seventeen years later, Olivia’s life looks pretty perfect . . . until she discovers the man she calls dad is not her biological father. Now she wants answers about her bloodline, and the only place she knows to look is Camp Lost Lake.
Most people don’t spend their formative years on the run with an alleged murderer—but Reagan did. In the court of public opinion, her mom was found guilty of the deaths at Camp Lost Lake, and both of them have been in hiding ever since. But Reagan believes in her mother’s innocence and is determined to clear her name.
Luckily for Olivia and Reagan, Camp Lost Lake is finally reopening, providing the perfect opportunity to find answers. But someone else is dead set on keeping the past hidden, even if it means committing murder.
5. Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous by Mae Marvel – June 11
An A-list star returns home for the holidays, not knowing she is following the path back into the arms of a former lover. Even though Katie’s career has taken off, she still finds herself thinking about Wil Greene and the time they spent together during senior year.
Wil has become an online sensation after starting a personal challenge: kissing a new person twice a week every week. Still, things seem to be stuck in one place. It all changes when Katie gets back into town.
Book Description: An actress home for the holidays makes a bet with her former best friend-turned-online sensation.
Katie Price is known in every living room in America. A small-town Wisconsin girl who became an A-list star, she rarely makes it home, but this year is different… Little does she know it will lead her straight into the piercing blue-eyed gaze of Wil Greene.
A lot has happened in the decade since those cold Wisconsin nights when Wil and Katie drove around in Wil’s Bronco senior year. Since then, Wil’s law career hasn’t taken off. Her father passed away. And what started as a personal challenge―kissing a new person twice a week, every week―has made her a growing sensation, but her life is still stuck in phase one.
Through the years, the two have never left each other’s thoughts and desires, but now suddenly, they are back in each others’ lives. Their reconnection is instantaneous and the passion is palpable… but can it stand the test of time?
Witty, emotional, and steamy, Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous is an unforgettable romantic read for everyone who almost kissed their best friend. And then finally did.
6. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer – June 18
Charlie and Eve are a queer couple who flip houses for a living. As they are working on a new house, a man knocks on their door, saying he used to live there and would love to show the house to his family. The visit lasts longer than the couple expected, and eery things begin to happen.
First, the family’s youngest child goes missing. Then, a ghostly presence starts to appear in the basement. Lastly, Charlie goes missing. Eve begins to wonder if everything is going wrong or if she’s imagining things.
Book Description: Get Out meets Parasite in this eerily haunting debut and Reddit hit—soon to be a Netflix original movie starring Blake Lively—about two homeowners whose lives are turned upside down when the house’s previous residents unexpectedly visit.
As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.
As soon as the strangers enter their home, uncanny and inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?
7. Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron – June 25
Eve’s mom was once cursed by the Knight, trapping her soul into a songbird. Since then, Eve has spent her entire life training and perfecting her abilities (communicating with animals and using nature as different weapons). Now, she believes she is ready to face him.
As more villagers are hurt by the Knight’s power and Queen Regina starts acting differently, Eve wonders if her powers are enough. Can one woman save her family and the kingdom?
Book Description: Only the truly desperate – and foolish – seek out the Knight, an ancient monster who twists wishes into curses. Eve knows this first-hand: one of her mothers was cursed by the Knight and trapped in the body of a songbird. With the unique abilities to communicate with animals and conjure weapons from nature, Eve has trained all her life to defeat him.
With more and more villagers harmed by the Knight’s corrupt deals, Eve believes she’s finally ready to face him. But when Queen Regina begins acting strangely – talking to seemingly no one, isolating herself, and lashing out at the slightest provocation – Eve must question if her powers are enough to save her family and her kingdom.
8. Pucking Sweet by Emily Rath – June 25
Poppy St. James becomes the Director of Public Relations for the Jacksonville Rays. Because she was only signed on for a one-year contract, Poppy wants to prove herself to stay longer. However, the job isn’t as easy as it seems.
After one drunken night, Poppy finds herself pregnant. Her balanced life is now turned upside down and she must find a way to get everything back to normal…or as normal as possible.
Book Description: My name is Poppy St. James and I am going to kill Lukas Novikov! I’ve just landed my dream job as the Director of Public Relations for the NHL’s newest expansion team, the Jacksonville Rays, but the team owner has only granted me a one-year contract. If I want to stay, I’ll have to prove myself. Easy. Public relations is in my blood.
But it turns out professional hockey players are a major handful. No one is a bigger pain in my side than party boy defenseman, Lukas Novikov. I don’t care how well he plays hockey. Off the ice, he’s a PR nightmare. Brash and bossy, he’s always finding ways to drag his teammates into trouble. His favorite accomplice is fellow defenseman Colton Morrow.
The players can all call me PR Barbie if they want, but I’m getting the job done, and I’m doing it in 3-inch heels. Because I am Poppy St. James—poised, powerful, and always professional…until the fateful night my phone rings.
One phone call from home leads to one drunken mistake. Now I’m staring down at a little blue plus sign and I have no idea where my carefully balanced life will lead next. All I know is that nothing will ever be the same.
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What will you be reading in May? Share your picks in the comments below!
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Lara Rosales
Lara Rosales is a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature. She works in PR, hosts a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things), and writes on the internet about TV and movies. Some of her articles can be found on Tell-Tale TV, Geek Girl Authority, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, and Flip Screened.
