

The weather outside may be frightful but these new LGBTQ YA Books are oh so delightful!
Release date: Jan. 7
What it's about: The Count of Monte Cristo gets a teen makeover when demisexual indentured servant Amaya escapes her pirate ship and finds a benefactor for revenge, allowing her to pose as a Countess to bring down the man responsible for her being enslaved. It's as a Countess that she meets bisexual Cayo, who's so much more than he initially seems to be...including the son of the very man she seeks to destroy.
Get it from Amazon for $13.01, Barnes & Noble for $17.09, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Jan. 7
What it's about: Anyone who's ever been a teenager knows the only breakup that's even more brutal than a romantic one is a friendship that falls apart. Such is the situation for best friends Kat and James, who watch their closeness crumble just as James's family is breaking apart and Kat is developing feelings for a new girl and realizing she's bisexual.
Get it from Amazon for $17.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.99, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release Date: Jan. 14
What it's about: A pair of superhero-idolizing brothers (one of whom is gay) find that only one of them is manifesting powers, and it isn't the one who's been dying for them. Now they have to jump into the fray of powerful feuding between different classes of those with powers without losing themselves in the process.
Get it from Amazon for $12.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.09, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release Date: Jan. 14
What it's about: McLemore's trademark lush magical realism takes on French history in a dual-timeline reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's The Red Shoes that places the story deep into the 1518 Strasbourg Dancing Plague. The past has Romani girl Lavinia and her family under suspicion for the dancing fever that's swept the city, while the trans boy she falls for has his own problems to deal with. Meanwhile, in the present, Lavinia's descendant Emil is falling for a girl who's discovering the dangerous power of the red shoes centuries later.
Get it from Amazon for $12.79, Barnes & Noble for $16.19, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Jan. 21
What it's about: Diz and her crew make their money illegally siphoning Maz, magic that used to be freely available to all until a magical plague drove it corporate. When they uncover a way-too-powerful new strain of it, it leads them deep into the rabbit hole of the mystery behind the plague, and just might make them the only ones who can save the world.
Get it from Amazon for $17.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.99, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Jan. 28
What it's about: The story of the murderous Countess Elizabeth Bathory goes YA in this historical reimagining about a girl named Anna who's just begun working as the countess's scullery maid but quickly rises in status when her boss takes a liking to her. It's like a dream, until the murders begin. Now Anna's living in a nightmare, and she could become Elizabeth's next victim.
Get it from Amazon for $16.19, Barnes & Noble for $17.40, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Feb. 4
What it's about: Emilie de Marais is privileged enough to attend an exclusive school that educates in the Midnight Arts, but she'd much rather be a physician, no matter how unseemly it might be for a young woman. Thankfully, impoverished Annette Boucher, who's biromantic asexual, is more than happy to take her place. The girls switch spots and soon find themselves deep in the secrets of an impending war that threatens the future of their lives and home.
Get it from Amazon for $17.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.99, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Feb. 4
What it's about: A social media-savvy teen named Cal has his life turned upside-down when his father is unexpectedly chosen for a NASA mission that has him moving to a compound for astronauts. There, he meets and quickly falls for another astronaut's son, Leon, while the two get sucked into the reality show that becomes their lives, and the ugly truth behind the program that's brought them there.
Get it from Amazon for $12.39, Barnes & Noble for $12.59, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Mar. 3
What it's about: Nirrim lives in a classist society where only the elites get to enjoy any pleasures of life. To disobey is to be punished, and Nirrim has no interest in that. At least not until she meets Sid, who convinces her to give up the life she has an pursue the reportedly magical life of the elites, no matter what it means leaving behind, and no matter whether Sid can truly be trusted. Coming from the author of The Winner's Curse trilogy, there is no doubt this is going to be one of the most complex and compulsively readable fantasies of the year.
Get it from Amazon for $13.39, Barnes & Noble for $13.39, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release Date: Mar. 3
What it's about: Alexis's prom night goes nothing as expected when a hookup goes terribly wrong and results in an innocent boy literally exploding into pieces. Enter Alexis's cherished group of friends (including the girl she happens to be in love with), all of whom happen to be witches like she is, and all of whom are willing to do anything it takes to keep Alexis safe and their magic a secret, even if it means giving up parts of themselves.
Get it from Amazon for $12.29, Barnes & Noble for $13.29, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Mar. 3
What it's about: Ekata has dreamed of the day she might finally be able to leave home, but when a sleeping sickness claims her entire royal family, she alone is left to reign as the duke...and to marry the warrior bride betrothed to her brother. Now she must learn how to be a leader, a magic user, a partner, and a defender to the throne or risk seeing her home fall into ruin.
Get it from Amazon for $17.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.99, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Mar. 3
What it's about: Grease goes gay YA with this warmhearted romance about a boy named Ollie whose forced to transfer to a new school, only to find the boy with whom he had a magical fling is a student there. Awesome! Just one problem: Will's not out, he isn't ready to be, and he just might be getting back together with his ex-girlfriend.
Get it from Amazon for $12.79, Barnes & Noble for $12.79, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Mar. 3
What it's about: Maddie aspires to one day fill her uncle's shoes as the keeper of the Inn at Havenfall, a sanctuary connecting different and unique magical worlds. But she doesn't expect how quickly that day comes when her uncle falls ill, the soldier she loves disappears, and a dead body is found. Now she must work with Taya, an intriguing staffer at the inn with secrets of her own, to uncover what's going on and figure out how to keep everyone she loves safe.
Get it from Amazon for $13.39, Barnes & Noble for $13.39, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Mar. 3
What it's about: Dayna is an Irish witch who's just broken up with her boyfriend after being outed as bisexual, and the last thing she needs are more unpleasant surprises. So it's not a great time for a serial killer to begin striking again, making witches his prey, and just generally wreaking havoc on the people she loves. It's also not a great time for new witches to come storming into their coven, even if one of them is strikingly attractive. Okay, maybe she can stay. But they've still got a killer to find before one of them is the next victim.
Get it from Amazon for $18.99, Barnes & Noble for $18.99, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Mar. 31
What it's about: This gloriously messy YA stars Nandan, a guy who's just started hooking up with another guy for his first time. It's fun to be with Dave, but more than that, it's exciting to be something different...for a while, anyway. But as it begins to take over his identity, Nandan starts to wonder if he's in it for the right reasons, and who he really is when it all comes down to it.
Get it from Amazon for $17.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.99, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Mar. 31
What it's about: Set in 1977, this recent historical stars Tammy, a girl who'd love to come out if only her conservative town would accept her. As an escape, she writes letters to politician Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California. Then she gets matched with the perfect pen pal, a girl who understands what she's going through because she's got a gay brother. Together, they find their own brand of activism and a way to fight back against the hate tearing the country apart.
Get it from Amazon for $18.99, Barnes & Noble for $18.99, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
Release date: Mar. 31
What it's about: To her social media followers, Lulu looks like she's got it all together. But when a video of her with another girl gets out and costs her her boyfriend, it feels like everything is starting to crumble. Then she meets Cass, who's way more interested in Lulu the person than Lulu the image. Unfortunately, no matter where they try to hide to get to know each other, Lulu's online life is never far enough away.
Get it from Amazon for $17.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.99, or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.