Are you ready to go mad for new titles this March? Several new LGBTQIA books are coming out to introduce readers to different worlds in which being queer is the norm. Acceptance is all around this month.
If you have read the books in our LGBTQIA picks for February, we have 5 new titles to add to your TBR list. Jenna Voris, Rainie Oet, and Celia Laskey are among the authors we highlight this month.
In order of release date, here are 5 LGBTQIA books we are looking forward to reading this March:
1. Say a Little Prayer by Jenna Voris — March 4
Riley decided to leave the church after she realized there was no place for a bisexual girl in her congregation. Her anger for the institution became even greater when the pastor shunned her older sister for having an abortion. Riley wouldn’t let anyone talk badly about her sister, so she got in trouble for slapping a girl who was doing so.
Riley agrees to spend her spring break at church camp to avoid being suspended. While there, she decides to show all the other girls the great life one can live by committing sins. Nothing could go wrong, except when she realizes she’s in love with the pastor’s daughter.
Book Description: A wry, heartfelt tale of a teen who’s taking her church camp by storm—one deadly sin at a time.
Riley quietly left church a year ago when she realized there was no place for a bi girl in her congregation. But it wasn’t until the pastor shunned her older sister for getting an abortion that she really wanted to burn it all down. It’s just her luck, then, that she’s sent to the principal’s office for slapping a girl talking smack about her sister—and in order to avoid suspension, she has to spend spring break at church camp. The only saving grace is that she’ll be there with her best friend, Julia. Even if Julia’s dad is the pastor. And he’s in charge of camp. But Riley won’t let a technicality like “repenting” get in the way of her true mission. Instead of spending the week embracing the seven heavenly virtues, she decides to commit all seven deadly sins. If she can show the other campers that sometimes being a little bad is for the greater good, she could start a righteous revolution! What could possibly go wrong? Aside from falling for the pastor’s daughter . . .
2. The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid — March 4
Former major league hockey player Riley Tuck moves back to his hometown, trying to leave his career and broken heart behind. After an unexpected tragedy, his former teammate and best friend with benefits, Adam Sheppard, moves to the same town. While they both think being close by might be a mistake, things quickly take a turn.
Riley doesn’t trust Adam the way he used to, but he needs his help to navigate the new grief in his life. Could this heal the wounds of this relationship? Are there feelings between them?
Book Description: A sweet and sexy hockey romance about two ex-teammates and former best friends with benefits who are about to discover whether you can ever really have a second chance, from the USA TODAY bestselling author of Heated Rivalry and The Long Game.
After moving back to his hometown ten years ago, Riley Tuck thought he had left his major league hockey career—and his broken heart—far behind. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it brings ex-teammate and former best friend with benefits Adam Sheppard back into his life.
Coming to the small town of Avery River, Nova Scotia, might have been a mistake. Adam’s not sure he’ll ever win back Riley’s trust after the way they left things—and the attention he’s getting as a huge hockey star isn’t exactly helping. Yet the chemistry that crackles between them is undeniable, even now.
As Adam helps Riley navigate his grief, long-buried feelings start to resurface. But they’ll have to square off with their complicated past if they’re going to have a real shot at a new beginning.
3. Glitch Girl! by Rainie Oet — March 11
J uses a video game to deal with the ADHD diagnosis, her reality as a trans girl, and the isolation she feels trapped in. Inside the game, she is amazing, but her real life isn’t quite as close. Luckily, there’s a girl in her class, Junie, who sees J for who she is. J has a crush on Junie and appreciates not being seen as “bad” for being unable to stay quiet or sit still in class.
While the book follows J’s story through fifth and seventh grade, J meets a new person in her class, Sam, a nonbinary kid, who helps her understand what truly matters in life.
Book Description: “Each poem is as raw as it is beautiful.” —Alex Gino, author of ALA Stonewall Award-winning novel Melissa.
A middle grade novel in verse about a young trans girl who uses a computer game to process an ADHD diagnosis, isolation, and her relationship to gender for fans of Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff.
J—’s life is consumed by the roller coaster video game Coaster Boss, and by the power she exerts over the pixelated theme park attendees. Her life outside the game, however, is less controllable.
Me.
I’m such a big space. I break the universe, a glitch.
She’s navigating ADHD, the loneliness of middle school, and an overwhelming crush on a girl named Junie. J— is convinced that Junie sees her as who she really is, a person who isn’t “bad” just because she doesn’t stay quiet and sit still in class. As a person who is realizing that the name she’s been given doesn’t really fit her. And that maybe boy doesn’t either.
Glitch Girl! follows J— from fifth to seventh grade, from the beginning to the end of her obsession with Coaster Boss, and to the start of a new friendship. When J— meets Sam, a nonbinary classmate, she begins to realize that it’s okay to not fit into neat, pixelated boxes.
4. The Great Orchid Heist by Eleanor Vendrell — March 13
Philippa, who chooses to always go by Phil, has reached her breaking point as she takes care of her dad and his gambling problem. To help her, her best friend Chaz offers a risky solution: performing a heist to steal a rare orchid worth a fortune. To get intel, they infiltrate the botanic garden.
While working in the botanic garden, Phil develops feelings for the gardener’s assistant, Lily. Now, she must make a choice: steal the orchid and break Lily’s heart or lose everything in her life.
Book Description: LOVE CAN BE A STEAL . . .
Phil, never Philippa, is getting to breaking point with her dad and their mounting debts from his gambling problem. But when best friend and bad-influence Chaz offers a brazen solution – a heist of a rare orchid due to bloom for the first time in captivity – she obviously thinks he’s joking.
Phil’s mission is clear: infiltrate the renowned Felborough Botanic Gardens as a volunteer, befriend the employees for intel, and on the big day make it out with the orchid.
But falling head over heels for Lily, the grumpy head gardener’s assistant, was not part of the plan, and as the heist approaches, Phil is faced with a dilemma: steal the orchid and break Lily’s heart or risk losing everything . . .THE FIRST RULE OF THE HEIST . . . DON’T FALL IN LOVE
5. Cover Girl by Celia Laskey — March 25
Ali is an expert publicist in Hollywood, keeping gay celebrities in the closet. With a new star in the rising and a romantic movie coming out, Ali is assigned to Cara. The goal is to keep Cara’s sexuality hidden, but it becomes really hard when Cara doesn’t want to hide such a big part of her identity.
With many close calls during the movie tour, Ali is sent to join Cara on the road. However, things change when Ali begins to develop feelings for Cara. Seeing the star fighting to live authentically inspires Ali and starts to heal the wound of losing her partner.
Book Description: A hilarious, emotional love story about an extremely anxious publicist who’s tasked with keeping an extremely gay starlet in the closet—but who ends up falling for her instead.
It’s 2005, and Ali is a publicist for Hollywood’s biggest stars. Part of her job entails keeping gay celebrities in the closet—which is pretty ironic, since she’s a lesbian herself. When Ali is assigned a new gay client, Cara Bisset, who’s breaking onto the scene with a (hetero) romantic blockbuster, keeping Cara’s sexuality under wraps becomes Ali’s biggest challenge yet.
Cara is unruly and unpredictable and hates that she has to hide such an integral aspect of her identity. After a series of increasingly close calls, Ali is sent on the worldwide promotional tour for the movie to help keep Cara in line. Instead, she finds herself drawn to Cara’s confidence and bravery. For the past year, Ali has been mired in grief after losing her partner in a freak accident. But with Cara, Ali’s fears about the world subside, and she begins to question the Hollywood closeting system she’s helped perpetuate.
As Cara’s fame continues to rise, both Ali and Cara have to decide which is more maintaining the status quo or risking it all for another chance at love.
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What will you be reading in March? Share your picks in the comments below!
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Lara Rosales
By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature who works in PR. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). You can find her work published on Tell-Tale TV, Geek Girl Authority, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.
