The end of the school year and the taste of Summer is right around the corner, so we’re bringing you new LGBTQIA titles that will make time go by a little bit faster. If you are ready for that long-awaited break, these books will bring you one step closer.
If you have read the books in our LGBTQIA picks for April, we have 7 new titles to add to your TBR list. Keala Kendall, Jennifer Dugan, and L.V. Peñalba are among the authors we highlight this month.
In order of release date, here are 7 LGBTQIA books we are looking forward to reading this May:
1. Girls Like Us by Jennifer Dugan – May 5
Some Girls Do was the perfect introduction to a love story; now, Girls Like Us finds Ruby and Morgan navigating their first year of college and a long-distance relationship. Morgan is on a track scholarship at a university hours away, Ruby is still in their hometown at a local community college exploring her love for automotive.
As they meet new people and new opportunities arise, the two find it very hard to make the time to be together. Everything gets more complicated when their Summer plans are disrupted by the perfect internship and a dream TV appearance.
Book Description: In this sequel to Some Girls Do , two girls struggle when long distance complicates their relationship.
Ruby and Morgan fell for each other during their senior year of high school, and now, almost a year later, they are fighting to keep their spark alive, even while they are Morgan is on a track scholarship at a university several hours away, studying public policy, while Ruby stayed in her hometown, exploring her love of mechanics in the automotive engineering program at the local community college.
Long distance weighs on the girls, with new friendships and flirtatious classmates adding complications, and the two are looking forward to a spring break getaway to Washington, D.C., and the bliss of a whole summer vacation together. But when Morgan discovers she’s a finalist for the perfect internship, and Ruby gets the shot to appear on her favorite automotive TV show, the trip schedule—and their summer plans—are thrown into question. With both girls unwilling to stand in the way of each other’s future, has the time come for them to go their separate ways?
2. That Which Feeds Us by Keala Kendall – May 5
While the rich find Kōpaʻa Island Resort the perfect destination to unplug from the world and restore their youthful years, Lehua sees it differently. Her biggest nightmare becomes a reality when her twin sister goes missing, and she is the only one who can find her. However, this becomes a very complicated task when nightmares begin to haunt her, and the boat leaves her on the island with its guests and staff.
Lehua soon discovers that her sister isn’t the only mystery the island is keeping, and that its dark plantation past might have something to do with it. Can Lehua find her twin sister and escape the island?
Book Description: A native Hawaiian teen travels to a luxury island resort in search of her missing twin and uncovers the dark side of paradise, in this YA supernatural thriller that’s Mexican Gothic meets She is a Haunting.
For the world’s wealthiest, Kōpaʻa Island Resort is more than a destination. It’s the ultimate escape. With no cell service or Wi-Fi, the Hawaiian island is a coveted wellness retreat renowned for its persimmon orchard and promises of rejuvenation.
But their dream vacation is Lehua’s nightmare. When her twin sister, Ohia, goes missing, Lehua follows her trail to Kōpaʻa to find her. Instead, Lehua is cut off from civilization—and help—after the island’s boat leaves without her, stranding her with the resort’s lavish guests and enigmatic staff.
As Lehua investigates Ohia’s disappearance, she discovers her missing sister isn’t the island’s only mystery. Kōpaʻa’s rich exterior and sweet persimmons hide its dark plantation past. And Lehua can’t ignore the dreams haunting her each night—nor the warning telling her to leave the island at once. To uncover what happened to Ohia, Lehua will have to unearth the island’s bloody history and face the horrors that lurk within its sugarcane fields—or risk being consumed by them.
Sharply observed and gorgeously written, That Which Feeds Us explores the true cost of paradise as Lehua must fight to reclaim the land, the stories, and the very souls of her people.
3. Smash or Pass by Birdie Schae – May 12
Ellie believes that in order to avoid being ridiculed for her autism, she must date the perfect guy who does everything right. However, her dream of perfection comes crashing down when her “perfect” boyfriend dumps her before they head to volleyball camp together.
In search of her good reputation and maybe the boy, Ellie does everything in her power to become the best version of herself at the camp. Everything starts to change when she meets Sierra, a prodigy volleyball player, who teaches her everything she needs to know about volleyball…and maybe about love.
Book Description: For 16-year-old Ellie, beach volleyball camp is a disaster until she’s paired with Sierra, an athletic prodigy who teaches her that volleyball…and love are about taking the right shot in this sporty sapphic romance.
Ellie dates the Right Guy, says all the Right Things, and acts the Right Way to avoid being ridiculed for her autism. When that Right Guy unceremoniously dumps her right before they’re supposed to go to beach volleyball camp together, Ellie’s perfectly curated world comes crashing down and she’s labeled the boring, weird girl.
Desperate to regain her good reputation (and yeah, sure, the boy…), Ellie goes to Camp SMASH, which is nothing like she expected. There, she’s paired with Sierra, a mysterious, standoffish volleyball legacy who makes Ellie’s quest to get her boyfriend back even more complicated…
Dive into this sporty summer romance full of the classics: a ragtag group of friends, a tense game of capture the flag, and a swoon-worthy sapphic love story.
4. International Relations by Zac Hammett – May 14
Max is an up-and-coming diplomat who has the opportunity of landing his dream role as an ambassador in Athens. His team advises him that, to get the job, he will need to drop his single reputation because his rival has a girlfriend on his side. Doing everything he can to get the job, Max hires Hunter, an actor, to play the role of his boyfriend in front of the diplomats he knows.
However, things become more complicated when a visa situation forces them into a marriage of convenience. The marriage soon becomes an inconvenience, and Max and Hunter are left to wonder if what started off as an act has turned into something real.
Book Description: The Proposal meets Red White and Royal Blue in this fake dating queer romance, following an aspiring young diplomat who hopes to land his dream job by hiring an actor to play his boyfriend.
Max has never had time for a relationship working in the high stakes world of international diplomacy. But when a high-profile ambassadorial position opens up in Athens, Max is discreetly advised that his single status isn’t helping his chances. In this line of work, appearances matter, and Max’s rival Quentin has an advantage in the form of his charming and accomplished girlfriend.
Determined not to lose out, Max hires Hunter, a blunt but charismatic American actor, to play the perfect boyfriend. Hunter dazzles on the diplomatic circuit, but soon the charade takes on a life of its own. When visa complications force Max and Hunter to make their relationship official, they find themselves trapped in a marriage of convenience that is anything but convenient. There’s only one thing that could make all this even more complicated – if Max and Hunter’s feelings for each other start becoming real . . .
International Relations is a fake dating to fake marriage romance filled with glamorous locations, sizzling chemistry, and a love story that will capture your heart.
5. Shapes of Love by L.V. Peñalba – May 19
Sasha is a strong believe that not everything in life is about romance. While her fans are wondering who inspired the love songs in her first album, Sasha walks life as an aromantic, asexual, book-lover. However, everything turns upside down when photos of Sasha and her former best friend, Kai, are leaked, and fans begin to claim he is the muse behind the love songs.
That is when Sasha and Kai agree to go into a PR relationship for six months. But as the two repair their once-broken friendship, Sasha begins to wonder where she fits in a society that values her based on who her romantic partner is. Can she stay true to herself while navigating this new stardom?
Book Description: Loveless meets This Time It’s Real in this aroace story about challenging the idea that romance is the ultimate life goal and finding where you fit in when you don’t follow society’s script.
When nineteen-year-old Sasha’s first album throws her into stardom, her fans become obsessed with discovering who inspired her love songs. Except, Sasha is aroace-spec (aromantic, asexual), and she’s not interested in romance (unless it comes in the shape of a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers book or a star-crossed-lovers manga). Her music is all about her favorite love stories, not her own.
After running into Kai, her estranged best friend who she hasn’t seen in two years, pictures of them together leak, and everyone assumes he’s Sasha’s muse, the “boyfriend” who broke her heart. Pressured by her label and fearing fan backlash, Sasha agrees to a PR relationship with Kai for six months—but her sense of self is put to the ultimate test. Where does she fit in a society that equates happiness with romantic love? One where even her closest friends prioritize their partners over her?
Under the guise of their faux romance, Sasha and Kai get a chance to rebuild their platonic bond and heal the wounds of their past. But when actor Asher Grish enters the scene, threatening to shake the foundation of Sasha’s PR relationship, she finds herself at a crossroads. Either she loses herself, or her career.
L.V. Peñalba’s Shapes of Love is an unforgettable story of finding the people that feel like home—even if that home isn’t what the rest of the world expects. It’s not a romance, but it’s most definitely a love story.
6. Boy Friends by Kai Spellmeier – May 21
Luca and Simo have been best friends for as long as they can remember. In the same manner, Luca has been in love with Simo for as long as he can remember. He has spent a lot of time navigating this secret while being careful not to ruin the friendship.
Everything changes when someone places an anonymous message on the town noticeboard claiming that they are both in love with each other. Who could have written that? Will this ruin their friendship? Or will they be forced to face their feelings?
Book Description: A cozy, contemporary queer romance perfect for fans of Alice Oseman and Rainbow Rowell.
Luca has secretly been in love with his best friend Simo for as long as he can remember. But when an anonymous message on the town noticeboard announces that SIMO AND LUCA ARE IN LOVE, the two boys are forced to confront their true feelings for one another.
7. Being Aro by Madeline Dyer and Rosiee Thor – May 26
Madeline Dyer and Rosiee Thor put together an anthology of 12 different stories that feature aromantic people. The goal of this book is to highlight stories of love and connection without necessarily becoming romantic. The stories include a high school matchmaker, a spaceship pilot, a boy who can transform books into dragons, and a teenager who is immune to romance and a zombie virus.
Some of the authors featured in this book are Dyer and Thor themselves, as well as Kemi Ashing-Giwa, Kalyn Josephson, and Laura Pohl.
Book Description: These twelve stories showcase aromantic people breaking generational curses, finding acceptance, and protecting the vulnerable while highlighting the infinite ways people find connection and love without romance.
A high school matchmaker learns a lesson about love. A rebellious spaceship pilot defies his culture’s compulsory coupling. A boy magically transforms banned romance novels into living dragons. A teen immune to romance, and the zombie virus, fights to survive the apocalypse. Being Aro is full of stories throughout real and imagined worlds that cross genres and disrupt the status quo.
Contributors include a mixture of established and emerging YA writers, such as Lammy Award-finalist Madeline Dyer, Lammy Award-nominated Rosiee Thor, USA Today bestselling Kemi Ashing-Giwa, and NYT bestselling authors Kalyn Josephson and Laura Pohl.
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What will you be reading in May? 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 known as a Media Relations Expert. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). In addition to Eulalie Magazine, you can find her work published on Tell-Tale TV, Geek Girl Authority, W Spotlight, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.