20 New LGBTQ+ Young Adult Books To Look Out For This Fall

Add some rainbows to your reading with this glorious collection of new titles!

1. I Hope You're Listening by Tom Ryan

Albert Whitman / Via albertwhitman.com, Nicola Davison / Via tomryanauthor.com

Release date: Oct. 6

What it's about: Ryan's sophomore thriller stars a girl named Dee who's still feeling the startling loss of her best friend Sibby a decade later, exacerbated by the fact that Dee was there for Sibby's abduction, and will never stop beating herself up for not having done more to stop it. One thing she can do is try to stop anyone else from disappearing, something she attempts to achieve via her wildly popular (and anonymous) true crime podcast. But when a new case hits way too close to home, Dee has to decide whether she can remain out of the spotlight or whether it's finally time to drag up all the old memories and reveal herself. Save this one for a night you don't need much sleep, because once you start reading, you're not going to want to put it down until you've gotten every single answer.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

2. Into the Real by Z Brewer

Quill Tree Books / Via harpercollins.com, Via zbrewerbooks.com

Release date: Oct. 6, 2020

What it's about: In this genderqueer thriller, there are three different realities. One stars female-presenting Quinn, whose experience at a conversion camp is proving to be even more brutal with the addition of gender-questioning. One stars male-presenting Quinn, leading a resistance and feeling the constant threat that the truth of their gender identity could blow it all apart. And one stars openly genderqueer Quinn, who may be living in an actual monster-filled hell, but has found a bright light in a lifechanging friendship. At least...it seems like there are three different realities, but what if there aren't?

Buy it from Bookshop, Target, or get it from your local bookstore through Indiebound here.

3. The Camino Club by Kevin Craig

Interlude Press / Via store.interludepress.com, Kevin Craig / Via ktcraig.com

Release date: Oct. 6

What it's about: When a group of teens end up in legal trouble, they get a choice: juvie, or complete the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across Spain with court-appointed counselors leading the way. It seems like an easy choice, but it also means getting along with a group of strangers for a tough journey they may not successfully complete, and learning whether or not their new friendships are real enough to take them past the summer.

Get it from Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

4. Forget this Ever Happened by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Holiday House / Via penguinrandomhouse.com, Via cassandraroseclarke.com

Release date: Oct. 6

What it's about: Claire isn't exactly psyched to spend her vacation taking care of her grandmother in gulf coast Texas; who's ever even heard of the town of Indianola? But it turns out there's a very good reason Indianola isn't on the figurative map: it doesn't always exist. While Claire navigates her messy situation, possible romance with a girl named Julie, and an oncoming storm, she has more questions than ever, including whether she'll ever make it home.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

5. The Shadow Mission by Shamim Sarif

HarperTeen / Via harpercollins.com, Twitter: @shamimsarif

Release date: Oct. 6

What it's about: The sequel to The Athena Protocol has Jesse back on the team and heading to Pakistan on a mission of vengeance. But she and the rest of the squad have no idea just how powerful he is, until a Mumbai school is bombed and a terrifying organization emerges to take credit. And when there's a betrayal in their midst, their lives are once again on the line as they try to save the world before it all goes to hell.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

6. The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass by Adan Jerreat-Poole

Dundurn / Via dundurn.com, dundurn.com

Release date: Oct. 6

What it's about: On the outside, Eli may look like your average teenage girl, but in reality, she's a vicious assassin, created by witches to hunt down ghosts and absolutely deadly with her seven blades. When she makes a mistake on an assignment, she's terrified for what it might mean for her, especially as she starts to question her rather unusual upbringing. So she joins a band of renegades and gets her most dangerous mission yet: capture the Heart of the Coven.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

7. Storm the Earth by Rebecca Kim Wells

Simon & Schuster / Via simonandschuster.com, Carter Hasegawa / Via simonandschuster.com

Release date: Oct. 13

What it's about: Following up on Shatter the Sky, this sequel sees Maren having theoretically succeeded at her mission, only to find her life in unexpected shambles. Now she has to free the dragons and rescue Sev from prison, all before the emperor has his wicked way. Can Maren get there before the final battle takes hold of Zefed? And can she count on Kaia to stick by her side as she does?

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

8. Beyond the Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald

Little Brown, Emily Frazier Creative / Via marafitzgerald.com

Release date: Oct. 13

What it's about: Helllloooo chaotic lesbian antiheroine! If you like your fantasy Sapphic and murdery (and who doesn't), you need FItzgerald's debut about a socialite named Emanuela whose wedding to her (gay male) best friend goes terribly awry when she's publicly marked for death...and fights back, killing the only person in the city capable of providing water. Now she's on the run, fighting for her life while trying to figure out how to save the city, all with her would-be husband at her side. But they journey uncovers wilder truths than they ever could've imagined, about both the sources of magic in their world and how far Emanuela is willing to go to embrace it.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

9. My Heart Underwater by Laurel Flores Fantauzzo

Quill Tree Books / Via harpercollins.com, Hannah Reyes Morales / Via laurelfloresfantauzzo.com

Release date: Oct. 20

What it's about: When Corazon's dad is in an accident, she doesn't know how to cope, other than to pour out her heart to the teacher she's crushing on. But when they're caught kissing, it's the last straw for Cory's mother, who sends her to live with her half-brother in the Philippines. Cory barely even knows him, and she doesn't know Manila, either. Will the culture clash be too much for Cory, or has she actually found the perfect place for a new beginning?

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

10. From Darkness by Kate Hazel Hall

Interlude Press, katehazelhall.com

Release date: Nov. 3

What it's about: It's been years, but Ari still feels the guilt over her best friend's death as if it were yesterday; after all, she was the one who suggested that swimming spot that claimed Alex. Then Ari's bitten by a tiger snake, and Alex is the one who arrives to bring her to the underworld. But Alex chooses to forgo her summoning responsibilities and save Ari's life instead, even knowing there'll be (literal) hell to pay. And there is: the world turns upside down, with rifts and dark magic and missing children galore, though for Alex, the biggest threat of all is the knowledge that any day now, she'll be ripped away from Ari for good.

Get it from Barnes & Noble, or your local bookstore through Indiebound here.

11. The Liar's Guide to the Night Sky by Brianna R. Shrum

Sky Pony / Via simonandschuster.biz, Brianna Whitrock / Via Author

Release date: Nov. 3

What it's about: Being moved across the country for the second semester of senior year sucks, but there's an upside for (bisexual) Hallie in that now she gets to hang out more with her Colorado cousins and with their (aromantic pansexual polyam) friend Jonah. Then they all get stuck together on a mountain, and when her cousins need medical assistance fast, it's up to Hallie and Jonah to make their way through the snow to find help. It's a dangerous trek for so many reasons, not least of which is the risk of Hallie risking her heart.

Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

12. Master of One by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett

HarperTeen / Via epicreads.com

Release date: Nov. 10

What it's about: This coauthored debut fantasy stars Rags, a master thief whose capture sets him on an unsettling mission: to find an ancient fae relic. But the "relic" turns out to be none other than an actual fae — a handsome prince, no less. Suddenly, Rags is a little less inclined to hand over his prize, especially if it means working together to take on the crown.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

13. Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins

Scholastic Press, Twitter: @vitormrtns

Release date: Nov. 10

What it's about: This Brazilian import stars Felipe, a boy who's been anticipating school break for ages as a reprieve from being mocked for his weight, only to find he'll be spending the entire thing trapped in his house with his hot neighbor, Caio. How is a guy who struggles to be happy with himself supposed to entertain someone else, especially someone he's been crushing on for a while? Felipe has fifteen days to figure it out...

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or your local bookstore through Indiebound here.

14. The Ever Cruel Kingdom by Rin Chupeco

HarperCollins Publishers / Via harpercollins.com, Via goodreads.com

Release date: Nov. 10

What it's about: This sequel to the epic "Frozen meets Mad Max" opener The Never Tilting World reunites us with twins Haidee and Odessa after each has just learned of the other's existence. The abyss is still awaiting its sacrifice, and neither Haidee nor Odessa is giving in. Instead, they must now work together to travel into the underworld and set their world right, before everything is destroyed for good.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

15. Sasha Masha by Agnes Borinsky

Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Via us.macmillan.com, newplayexchange.org

Release date: Nov. 10

What it's about: Alex's body doesn't feel right, no matter how badly he wants it to, and no matter that he's become the object of someone's affections. Makeup and dresses help with another piece of the puzzle, but it's still not complete until Alex meets a gay boy named Andre and realizes that maybe he isn't meant to be Alex at all, and maybe Sasha Masha is the name that truly fits him and the identity he's just now discovering.

Get it from Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

16. Synclair by Rachel Gold

Bella Books / Via bellabooks.com, Anna Min / Via rachelgold.com

Release date: Nov. 17

What it's about: Emma Synclair is on a mission to find love, since it doesn't seem like it's going to work out with a girl (falling for your best friend and her girlfriend doesn't leave you with a lot of great options), she's looking for it elsewhere: with God, especially now that she has a little time to explore religion. But then she finds a girl who just might be the right one, and has to grapple with whether she can have happiness with both a girl and God at once.

Get it from Barnes & Noble, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

17. Ruinsong by Julia Ember

Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Via us.macmillan.com, Salt and Pine Photography / Via us.macmillan.com

Release date: Nov. 24

What it's about: Ember's newest f/f fantasy riffs on The Phantom of the Opera with the story of a mage named Cadence who's forced to bring hell to disgraced nobility through her voice. She obliges, until the noblewoman they bring to her for torture is one she actually knows, a childhood friend who's part of the uprising. Now Cadence has a choice: continue on her safe path as the queen's weapon, or join the rebellion and and potentially change her country's future.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

18. The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley

HarperTeen / Via harpercollins.com, Courtney Rae Rawls / Via robintalley.com

Release date: Dec. 1

What it's about: Queer YA vet Talley is back with her second of the year, this one a rom-com about a stage manager named Melody who has a history of bad luck when it comes to falling in love during a show. This time around, she swears nothing will curse her love life or the production of Les Mis they're working to put on, and she means it...until budding stage star Odile Rose auditions for the show, and Mel can't help her feelings. Can she stay away long enough to escape the curse, and will the show go on if she can't?

Get it from Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

19. A Curse of Roses by Diana Pinguicha

Entangled Teen / Via Publisher, Catarina Dagmar Leal / Via pinguicha.wordpress.com

Release date: Dec. 1

What it's about: This Portuguese mythology-based f/f fantasy stars a princess named Yzabel who's cursed with a touch that turns food into flowers, threatening her with the same starvation her people have been suffering for years. Of course, if she possessed the opposite power, and could turn flowers into food, everything would be solved...but how? Enter the enchanted Fatyan, who has the power Yzabel needs but would first need to be freed from her magical binds? The key? A kiss from Yzabel, which wouldn't be such a big problem if Yzabel weren't promised to the king of Portugal and such an act wouldn't be treason...

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

20. The Ballad of Ami Miles by Kristy Dallas Alley

Swoon Reads / Via us.macmillan.com, Chip Chockley Photography / Via us.macmillan.com

Release date: Dec. 1

What it's about: Ami's been living on a survival compound, cut off from the world. She knows she should be grateful to be kept safe, but when she realizes that as one of the few citizens technically able to bear children, she's about to be pawned off to a strange man, she runs. With a mission of finding her long-lost mother, Ami's journey takes her to places and realizations she never imagined, including a girl who just might be the closest thing she's had to a real home.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or your local bookstore through Indiebound here.