20 LGBTQ+ Reads to Add to Your Bookshelf This Pride Month

In Bookstagrammer turned author Chip Pons’ debut novel, Asher Bennett finds himself alone after being dumped at the airport, just days before competing on a global competition series. But shortly after, heartthrob pilot Theo Fernandez enters the picture and offers to join Asher for the trip of a lifetime. As they fake date for the cameras, their chemistry starts to feel all too real, but can the unlikely duo let go of their own baggage and take a chance on love?

For readers who loved Becoming Ted, author Matt Cain’s latest release follows a decades-spanning friendship that might in fact be something much more. Over the course of one weekend during Manchester Pride, 20 years after they met, Danny and Guy are faced with the reality of their feelings from university all those years ago. Cain’s latest title examines the complexities of love and friendship all while bursting with both confetti and queer joy. 

If you’re craving a powerful story focused on friendship, identity, and finding home against all odds, Loca is a must-read. Lambda Literary Award–winning author Alejandro Heredia writes of Sal and Charo as they navigate love, heartbreak, and survival in 1999 New York, proving that sometimes chosen family is what keeps us going when everything else falls apart.

From the author of Best Men, Wyatt and Biz, a mismatched couple about to become dads, decide to take a cross-country babymoon road trip before their little one arrives. What starts as one final adventure quickly turns into a laugh-out-loud journey of unexpected detours and self-discovery, forcing the two to rethink the meaning of family. 

From the mind of RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bob the Drag Queen comes a book unlike anything you’ve ever read before. Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert reimagines the icon’s return to modern day America with a microphone in hand and a bold message to share. The historical figure teams up with a fallen hip-hop producer to turn her story into a powerful album that confronts the past and reclaims the future. 

In his adult rom-com debut, author Julian Winters gives readers hope that sometimes fake dating your ex can turn into a second chance at love. Denzel Cater is in the running to take over his family business, but to convince everyone that he’s capable of commitment Denzel is forced to turn to his ex Braylon to help seal the deal. Winters takes readers through the ups and downs of complicated feelings, queer communities, and most importantly, family.  

From the star of the Netflix series Special comes a witty and touching novel that follows a gay television writer named Elliot with cerebral palsy as he fights addiction and searches for acceptance in an ableist world. Elliott’s journey to self-acceptance is full of wisdom and moments that readers of all types will connect to while struggling to put down this novel. 

In Ordinary Love, a seemingly picture-perfect New York City life unwinds when Emily has a chance encounter with her first love, now an Olympic athlete, at a Manhattan party. The two women are left to navigate past wounds, lingering attraction, and the desire to take a chance at rekindling a love that neither want to leave in the past any longer.

From the award-winning author of Gay Bar comes a raw story of outlaw love set against the backdrop of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, following Jeremy Atherton Lin and his British lover as they navigate secret hideouts, wild parties, and underground communities to stay together despite harsh immigration laws. Deep House is an honest journey through queer history and love, celebrating those who fought for the freedom to love who they choose.

New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston's latest romantic comedy takes readers on a European food tour with Theo and Kit, two bisexual exes who thought they were done until coincidentally booking the same trip. For anyone who loves a fun, flirty, second-chance romance, the Red, White & Royal Blue author delivers another must read for Pride month. 

For anyone wishing The Bachelor franchise was more gay, this one’s for you. Camera crews and chaos ensue when a tech bro becomes the star of a fairy-tale dating show and falls for the producer instead of the contestants. The Charm Offensive is a hilarious and heart-melting story full of behind-the-scenes drama, awkward flirtations, and will leave you wondering what’s really going on when the cameras aren’t rolling on set of your favorite reality television show. 

If you love queer coming-of-age stories, this one’s for you. Arden and Gabe, two trans boys from opposite sides of the country, share an unforgettable night after randomly meeting in the lobby of a motel in Nebraska. As they face new challenges apart, their chance encounter keeps pulling them back together. It’s the perfect story for anyone who believes in the power of connection, second chances, and finding your tribe.

Millennial internet writer Ray Bruno and Gen X doctor Kip Hayes are complete opposites on paper and decide to put their relationship to the test during an early honeymoon in Ray’s New England hometown. For readers who loved People We Met on Vacation, Nicolas DiDomizio’s latest title is a charming read full of unexpected antics that will leave you smiling after each chapter.

Set in Hollywood in 2005, Cover Story follows Ali, a publicist tasked with keeping gay stars in the closet, despite being a lesbian herself. When rising star Cara Bisset becomes her latest client, Ali’s crisis-controlled world starts to unravel. As the two spend more time together, a spark ignites and forces the duo to decide if they’re willing to risk it all and become the latest tabloid headline. 

Set in 1970s Australia, A Language of Limbs is a vivid and poignant novel about one choice that changes everything, to embrace queer desire or to suppress it. Dylin Hardcastle’s book follows two girls on parallel paths, one finding freedom in a queer commune and the other chasing a conventional life, but only until their two separate lives finally collide.

When Jack Jr. wakes from a two-year coma, everything has changed. His career, his apartment, and the love of his life are all gone. With nowhere else to go, he returns home to Fort Lee, New Jersey, the Korean American sushi restaurant he once abandoned and the family he hasn’t seen in a decade. Jinwoo Chong’s latest is an endearing and funny story full of food, family, and new beginnings.  

Invited or not, a tech billionaire’s extravagant island wedding guest list brings in a chaotic group of characters that results in mayhem, romance, and plenty of laughs. Paul Rudnick’s hilarious and heartfelt novel asks readers or anyone who’s ever been in love: What Is Wrong with You?

Archer Read left his job in Ohio for a shot at Broadway but after months of rejection, his last hope is a summer revue at a queer-friendly Catskills resort. Things get complicated when his teenage crush, Broadway star Mateo Dixon, shows up as his less than enthusiastic boss. If you're looking for a romantic comedy overflowing with Broadway references, messy love triangles, and summer camp antics, Flirty Dancing is the perfect Pride read for you. 

For fans of Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight, Doug Jones’ debut novel explores love and identity while following two men in Atlanta who reconcile their human dignity against the price of their professional ambitions while working for a real estate development company displacing Black residents in preparation for the 1996 Olympics.

Kiss Me Maybe is a heartwarming romance about discovering love on your own terms. When librarian Angela goes viral sharing her ace identity and lack of first kisses, she launches a scavenger hunt to finally change that with her longtime crush Krystal helping plan the whole thing. But the more time they spend together, the less Angela wants a first kiss from anyone else.