22 Books By Trans And Nonbinary Authors To Get Excited About In 2022
For the most part, 2022 is looking pretty bleak. One thing it does have going for it is seemingly more trans and nonbinary fiction than ever!
1. Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
Hits shelves on: January 18
About: Anita Kelly's latest novel follows two contestants on the competitive cooking show Chef's Special. London Parker is the first openly nonbinary contestant in the show's history, and their only focus after their very public coming out is to prove the haters wrong and win the show. The last thing London expected was for the chaotic (and fun) Dahlia Woodson to come barreling into their life. What they may have expected even less is the growing feelings they have for one another, and what those feelings and their reciprocation may mean for both of them, the competition, and their future.
Anita Kelly (she/they) is an American author who released her first two books in 2021, and is set to release two more this year. Love & Other Disasters is her third novel. They write adult contemporary queer romances and are definitely an author to look out for!
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
2. Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi
Hits shelves on: February 15
About: Bitter is a much anticipated companion novel set in the world of author Akwaeke Emezi's Stonewall Award–winning novel Pet. While these are middle-grade novels, they are very complex and great for readers of all ages. This fantasy novel follows titular character Bitter as she attends a school for creative teens called Eucalyptus, where she gets to focus on her painting with other creative kids like herself. However, outside the walls of the school, the streets of the town of Lucille are filled with protesters rallying against the town's many injustices. These rallies leave Bitter feeling conflicted: While she agrees with what the protestors are fighting for and has seen the injustices in her town firsthand, she knows that she is safe within the walls of her new school. Safety isn't something that Bitter is accustomed to, and she wants to hold onto it. She must decide if she can be true to who she is and help the revolution, and whether or not it is worth the potential cost.
Akwaeke Emezi (they/them) is a Nigerian author who was raised in Aba, Nigeria. They have released several books, with Pet and Bitter being their only novels written for a young adults. Bitter is one of three books they are releasing this year, one of which will be their debut poetry collection. They have novels of many genres, from contemporary fiction to fantasy, adult to middle grade, fiction and nonfiction. All center on queer characters. They are one of my auto-buy authors and should be one of yours, too!
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
3. The Boy With a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund
Hits shelves on: February 15
About: Owen Tanner was born with a chatty bird inside his chest, and he has never met anyone else like him. From the first time Gail made herself known, Owen's mother was terrified and knew she had to hide him away. Owen is locked away in his home for a decade, only to be comforted by the bird inside his chest. When one day, Owen wanders outside in the middle of a forest fire and has an asthma attack that requires medical attention, his life is changed forever. Owen is forced to leave the home he spent 10 years cooped up in to live out in the open with his uncle and and cousin in Washington. In Washington, Owen finds things he never even knew he was searching for — a chosen family, people who see all of him (including the bird inside his chest) and accept and love him fully, and the ability to live his truth regardless of how much others may try to tear him down.
Emme Lund (she/her) is an American author who currently resides in Portland, Oregon. She has an MFA from Mills College. The Boy With A Bird In His Chest is Emme's debut novel.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
4. Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist
Hits shelves on: February 22
About: Kit Mayquist's debut novel is a gothic fiction following Helena 'Lena' Gereghty, an intelligent med school dropout who, through a series of what seems like good luck, applies for and obtains a job as a doctor's assistant for an elite family, the Verdeaus. The job description Lena is given is vague, and the illness of the man she is tasked to care for is even more so. Jonathan Verdeau, son of Martin and heir to the family empire, is famous for being a drunk, but is also seemingly deathly ill with a cause that no one will seem to utter. Along with caring for Jonathan, Lena is pulled into covering for the family at their lavish (and self-destructive) parties, and the financial reward is too great to object. Lena's increasing attraction to Jonathan's sister, Audrey, doesn't hurt either. Lena must make a decision when she comes upon the information that Martin Verdeau, her boss and Jonathan’s father, is the reason her father lost his job. She concocts a plan of revenge, creating a poison that leads her down a path she may not come back from.
Kit Mayquist (he/him) is a Boston-based author who identifies as a bisexual trans man. Kit has a master's degree in medieval history from the University of Iceland, and a bachelor's from Portland State University. He likes coffee, plants, and all things spooky. Tripping Arcadia is his first book.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
5. Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman
Hits shelves on: February 22
About: In his sophomore novel, author Isaac Fellman writes a love story about what it means to be at home in your own body, that just so happens to center on a transmasculine vampire. Sol is an archivist who became a vampire five years ago, and he keeps his vampirism a secret due to the societal stigmas of having the "vampire disease." When Elsie comes in to donate papers belonging to her deceased wife to the archive, there is an instant connection between her and Sol. This novel follows the two falling in love, exploring grief, stigma, and the realities of transphobia with one another.
Isaac Fellman (he/him) is, not unlike the protagonist of his second novel, an archivist. Isaac works with the queer history of San Francisco, where he also resides. He is an award-winning author — his first novel, The Breath of the Sun, won the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Dead Collections is one of two novels he will be releasing this year.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
6. The One True Me and You by Remi K. England
Hits shelves on: March 1
About: This YA novel about queer joy and belonging is perfect for all the queer teens in your life! Kaylee "Kay" Beaumont is beyond excited to finally get the chance to meet her fandom friends in real life at the small fandom convention GreatCon. They've got big plans for the weekend: to ask someone to use they/them pronouns for them for the first time, to wear more masculine-presenting cosplay, and to kiss a girl for the first time. These plans get a bit overwhelming, especially when their school bully arrives in the same hotel as the con for a beauty pageant. Competing in the same pageant is pageant queen Teagan Miller, aka Miss Virginia, who is a closeted gay teen who is also a secret fandom nerd while still truly loving to compete in beauty pageants. When Teagan sneaks out of her room the first night of the pageant to attend a party at GreatCon and runs into Kay, the two have an instant connection. They long to spend more and more time together, but the risk of being found out also means revealing their true selves to everyone around them and having that follow them home. Kay and Teagan must decide if loving out loud and living as their authentic selves is worth the risk.
Remi K. England (they/them) is a queer and nonbinary American author and librarian who grew up in Florida and now resides in Virginia. They have previously published three young adult novels; The One True Me and You is to be their fourth and is one of two books they are releasing in 2022.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
7. Lake Lore by Anna-Marie McLemore
Hits shelves on: March 8
About: Award-winning author Anna-Marie McLemore's latest young adult novel follows two nonbinary teens, Bastián Silvano and Lore Garcia, who haven't spoken to one another in seven years. The two live near a lake that is rumored to have a whole other kind of world underneath it, a beautiful landscape that is said to be half air, half water. The only ones who know the truth about the world underneath the lake are Lore and Bastián; Lore has only encountered the other world once, but that single experience left a mark on them, while Bastián grew up jumping between the world underneath the water and the world above. When things start to change and the lines between the two worlds start to blur, Bastián and Lore must work together to keep their secrets from surfacing with the rest of the world below, and to do so, they must trust each other with the most vulnerable parts of themselves.
Anna-Marie McLemore (they/them) is a Mexican American author who has written many wonderful young adult novels. A master of magical realism, McLemore writes what they call queer fairy tales, with a wonderful blend of contemporary and fantasy. Their second novel, When the Moon Was Ours, was the 2017 winner of the Stonewall Honor Award. They write the kind of books I wish I had as a queer teen, and am so happy will be on the shelves of young adults today.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
8. And They Lived... by Steven Salvatore
Hits shelves on: March 8
About: Steven Salvatore's sophomore novel is a fairy-tale-inspired, sex-positive young adult novel starring Chase Arthur, a Disney-obsessed budding animator who dreams of finding his true love. Despite his longing to find the one, Chase has his doubts. He's definitely not perfect — he's recovering from an eating disorder and unsure of his gender identity. On top of that, Chase must learn to navigate the changes that come with starting his freshman year of college, which include being away from home and his sister, making new friends, and putting together the perfect project for the end of semester animation showcase in order to beat out his ex-best friend for a much-needed mentorship.
When Chase meets Jack Reid, a poet from a conservative family who is still discovering his sexual identity and discovering who he is outside of the sheltered world he grew up in, Chase falls for Jack quickly. The two of them have a great connection; however, when Jack gets an unexpected visit on campus from his parents and childhood best friend, his internalized homophobia threatens to destroy the relationship they've been building. Chase and Jack must learn to get past their own insecurities and learn to love themselves in order to live their lives to the fullest.
Steven Salvatore (they/he) is a gay, genderqueer author and writing professor from New York. Steven studied writing and art history at Ithaca College and holds an MFA in creative writing from The New School. Their debut young adult novel, Can't Take That Away, was released in 2021. And They Lived... is their second novel.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
9. A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow
Hits shelves on: March 22
About: Robin Gow's first young adult novel in verse, A Million Quiet Revolutions, is an important story about two trans boys growing up alongside one another and falling in love. Aaron and Oliver are from a small town with few queer people, let alone trans men, and having each other to share milestones with has made things a little easier for them both. But just as their romantic relationship has begun, Aaron has to move away, leaving both boys to feel alone and isolated, and they begin to distract themselves by delving into America's past. Upon discovering the existence of two Revolutionary War soldiers whom they believe to have been two trans men in love, they decide to pay homage to them by adopting their names, Aaron and Oliver. As the two boys delve deeper into America's history, they discover more and more untold queer stories, and discover the power of claiming their own place in history.
Robin Gow (they/ze/he) is an American poet, editor, and young adult author born and raised in Pennsylvania. An out-and-proud autistic bisexual genderqueer man, Robin earned their MFA in creative writing from Adelphi University. They work for Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, coordinating supportive services for his local LGBTQIA+ community. They published their first essay collection, Blue Blood, in November 2021. A Million Quiet Revolutions is their first young adult novel.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
10. So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens
Hits shelves on: March 29
About: So This Is Ever After is a funny, queer young adult fantasy following an accidental-king, Arek, who just completed the prophecy that said that he had been destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil king. Now that Arek has managed to behead the ruler, he and the group of friends he'd completed the quest with have no idea what to do next until Arek's best friend, Matt, convinces him to take the throne temporarily. When it turns out that Arek will have to assume the throne permanently, there's a major catch: He must find and choose a spouse before he turns 18, or he will wither away into nothing. Arek's 18th birthday is only three months away, and the only one in on his secret is Matt. Desperate to find a spouse to save his life, Arek attempts (rather disastrously) to romance those closest to him, starting with his quest companions. Just when he's beginning to lose hope, he realizes that love may have been right there in front of him all along.
F.T. Lukens (they/them) is an award-winning young adult novelist who holds degrees in psychology and English literature. Aside from writing, F.T. enjoys science fiction, cheesy TV shows, and superhero movies. They currently reside in North Carolina with their family.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
11. Arden Grey by Ray Stoeve
Hits shelves on: April 26
About: Things have not been easy for Arden Grey. Her mother abandoned her family, and no one but herself wants to talk about it, and on top of that she's dealing with a classmate who won't stop harassing her about her sexuality, which she's still exploring. To top it all off, her best friend Jamie has started dating someone new and has become a less reliable friend, leaving her to feel more alone than ever. Arden must come to terms with her new reality and learn what she wants out of life, as well as what she needs from the people she loves.
Ray Stoeve (they/he) is a queer nonbinary writer from Seattle, Washington. Ray received a 2016–17 Made at Hugo House Fellowship for their young adult fiction. They released their debut novel, Between Perfect and Real, in 2020. Arden Grey is their second novel.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
12. The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor
Hits shelves on: May 3
About: The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is an enthralling queer contemporary young adult novel that centers around an autistic, nonbinary teen who must face their own trauma in order to solve a 30-year-old mystery and bring justice to their new town. When Sam Sylvester experiences a traumatic event at their school in the rural Midwest, their father makes the swift decision to move them to the small town of Astoria, Oregon. At first Sam isn't feeling very optimistic about the move, so when they first arrive at Astoria High knowing no one and are given an invitation to attend the school's Queer/Straight Alliance, they accept the invitation to get to know more queer kids like themselves. Here they meet Shep, a pretty girl who happens to be their new neighbor and a quick friend. Shep drags Sam into her own investigation of a murder that happened in Astoria in the 1980s, a murder that the whole town is oddly convinced was an accident. Sam begins to get threatening notes, and their dad fears for their safety, so when Shep and Sam discover they are closer to the killer than they could've imagined, they must decide if they are willing to risk their own safety for the truth.
Maya MacGregor (they/them) is a Scottish American artist, singer, and author currently based in Glasgow, Scotland. They are fluent in Gaelic, writing and publishing books in both English and Gaelic as well as being an award-winning Gaelic singer. Like Sam, Maya is autistic and queer, and it is very important to them to write and publish books that they didn't have as a teen. The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is Maya's first young adult novel.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
13. Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee
Hits shelves on: May 10
About: Emery Lee seems to be out to prove that e are rom-com royalty with eir sophomore novel, Café Con Lychee, a wonderfully diverse queer enemies-to-lovers story that caters to foodies. If that and the beautiful cover don't already have you convinced, maybe knowing more about the plot will.
Theo Mori and Gabi Moreno are the sons of the owners of two competing restaurants, and their parents are arch-rivals. Theo's parents own and operate an Asian American café with Theo's help, and Theo can't wait to go to college and get away from the café and subsequently the annoying son of their rival business, the Moreno's Puerto Rican bakery. The Moreno's son Gabi is closeted and alone, forced to play soccer instead of following his love of dance, and disliked by Theo, the only out gay kid in school. The main source of joy in Gabi's life is his parents' bakery, which he is set to take over after graduation, until a new fusion café sets up shop in town and threatens to change both boys' plans. When both restaurants face the possibility of closure, Theo and Gabi realize they have to work together to save their family businesses.
Emery Lee (e/em) is an author and artist whose debut novel, Meet Cute Diary, was released in 2021. Emery has a degree in creative writing and e have written for many different genres. This is eir second young adult novel. Look out for eir short story, The Cure for Heartbreak, which will be published in the anthology All Signs Point to Yes this spring.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
14. The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
Hits shelves on: May 17
About: Sonora Reyes' debut novel follows 17-year-old Yamilet "Yami" Flores, who switches to Catholic school after being outed by her ex-best friend and former crush. Yami is determined to stay in the closet at her new, mostly white (and very rich) Catholic school in order to make her mother proud. The only problem is Yami's growing crush on the only out queer girl at school, Bo. She is determined to fake straight in order to not make the same mistake she made at her old school, and, most importantly, to make sure word doesn't get back to her mother. But watching the out-and-proud Bo be herself makes the closet increasingly less tolerable for Yami, as she weighs the cost of being her authentic self against potential rejection. This YA contemporary novel explores both the pain and joy of the journey from self-acceptance to self-love.
Sonora Reyes (they/them) is a queer Latinx author from Arizona. They like to write for all genres, and their current projects are in books for kids and young adults. The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School is their first novel.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
15. The Fae Keeper by H.E. Edgmon
Hits shelves on: May 3
About: The much-anticipated sequel to the 2021 release The Witch King begins two weeks after the door to Faery has closed once again, with the kingdom of Asalin in ruins and mourning. After having abolished the corrupt guard, Emyr and Wyatt have begun hunting down Derek and Clarke themselves while trying to convince the other kingdoms to join the cause. When they come upon the truth about witches' real place in their society, they realize how deep the problems in Asalin truly run, and it may be more than two teens can fix, no matter how powerful they may be.
H.E. Edgmon (he/they) is a queer Indigenous writer based in the Pacific Northwest. His debut young adult novel The Witch King was released in 2021; The Fae Keeper is his second novel.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
16. Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane
Hits shelves on: June 7
About: Wrath Goddess Sing is a trans retelling of the Iliad in which Achilles is a trans woman who has fled her home in order to live as a woman with the kallai, the transgender priestesses of Great Mother Aphrodite. When Odysseus arrives in hopes of recruiting the "prince" Achilles for war, Achilles is prepared to die rather than to fight as a man. It is then that her divine mother Athena intervenes and transforms her body into the woman's body she had always wanted. Athena also promises her everything she could hope for: glory, power, fame, victory in war, and, most important to Achilles, a child born of her own body. It is then that Achilles is reunited with her cousin Patroklos and his wife, the sorceress Meryapi, and sets out to war. Unbeknownst to Achilles, the gods have constructed schemes far more evil than Achilles could ever imagine, with the immortal Helen at the center of it all. Helen has deemed Achilles a worthy enemy after living through a millennia of ennui and emptiness, and seeks to destroy everything and everyone Achilles cares about, ending with a battle to the death.
Maya Deane (she/her) is an American artist and novelist. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland and has an MFA in creative writing from Rutgers-Camden. Maya is a bisexual trans woman and lives with her fiancé, their close friend, and two cats named after gods. Wrath Goddess Sing is her second book.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
17. Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White
Hits shelves on: June 7
About: Sixteen-year-old Benji was raised in a cult, a fundamentalist sect that triggered Armageddon and destroyed the world's population. He is now on the run from the cult, desperate to find a place to keep himself safe, and to keep the bioweapon they infected him with out of their grasp. When Benji is cornered by monsters from the destruction, he is rescued by a group of teens, kids his age from the local LGBTQ+ center, also known as the ALC. The ALC's leader is Nick: He's gorgeous and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji's darkest secret, that the bioweapon is turning him into a monster deadly enough to wipe out what's left of humanity. Despite what he knows, Nick offers Benji shelter among the group of teens with the ALC, as long as Benji promises to learn to control the monster and use it to protect them all. After everything he's been through, Benji is just eager to belong, and he accepts Nick's terms. But is the mysterious leader of the ALC everything he appears to be?
Andrew Joseph White (he/him) is a queer, trans author from Virginia and a graduate student in George Mason University's creative writing program. White writes about trans characters with claws and fangs who bite back. Hell Followed With Us is his debut novel.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
18. Silk Fire by Zabé Ellor
Hits shelves on: July 5
About: Zabé Ellor's adult fantasy debut follows Koré, who on his quest for vengeance against his aristocratic father in an effort to save the city he has come to love, has a chance encounter with a dying god, giving him magic-breathing powers. These newfound powers drag him into the violent political history of his home district, as well as the well-hidden and ancient struggle between necromancers and dragons. Silk Fire is a wholly unique novel, with beautiful world-building, compelling characters, and a story that will have you hooked from the first chapter.
Zabé Ellor (he/him) is an American literary agent and writer from Washington, DC. He graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Biology and English Literature and released his first young adult novel, May the Best Man Win, in 2021, and has a short story in the YA futuristic sci-fi anthology Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder, expected in June. Silk Fire is his first adult novel.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
19. Moonflower by Kacen Callender
Hits shelves on: July 19
About: Moonflower is a queer middle-grade novel about Moon, a 12-year-old struggling with depression. Moon copes with their depression by traveling to the spirit realms every night, from which they hope to never return. When the spirit realms are in danger, Moon is the one who must save the spirit world, which may just help them navigate their own healing journey and come out on the other side of their depression.
Kacen Callender (they/he) is a Saint Thomian bestselling and award-winning author of several novels for children, teens, and adults. Kacen has a bachelor's degree in Japanese and creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and an MFA from The New School's Writing for Children program. Their young adult novel, Felix Ever After, was the winner of the 2021 Stonewall Honor Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
20. Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
Hits shelves on: July 19
About: Sarah Gailey's adult horror novel follows protagonist Vera as she returns to her childhood home at the request of her mother. Vera is forced to return to the home of a serial killer, to face what her father did, the bodies he buried, and what her love for him means. Coming home is hard enough, but it's complicated further by the artist who has moved in to the guest house out back, and seems to be using the family. When Vera begins to find notes around the house in her father's handwriting, he denies that it's him, but Vera has no idea who else it could possibly be. While back home, Vera stumbles upon undiscovered secrets deep inside the house, and she must face them head on and discover the truth for herself.
Sarah Gailey (they/them) is a Hugo Award–winning and bestselling American author. They have written award-winning novellas and published numerous books, the most recent being The Echo Wife.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
21. The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver
Hits shelves on: August 2
About: Mason Deaver's third young adult novel, The Feeling of Falling in Love, follows Neil Kearney, who is set to fly across the country to attend his brother's wedding with his childhood best friend (and current friend-with-benefits) Josh. That plan quickly falls apart when Josh confesses his love for Neil and Neil does not feel the same. But Josh is still attending the wedding, and Neil needs to find a new date, so he drags along his very reluctant roommate, Wyatt. When the two get to LA and Wyatt, who initially thinks that Neil is being kind of a jerk, gets to see a bit of where that could be coming from, the two begin to understand one another, and maybe even begin to fall in love.
Mason Deaver (they/them) is an award-winning, bestselling American author from North Carolina. They have published two previous books, I Wish You All the Best and The Ghosts We Keep, both of which feature nonbinary main characters. They have also written and published many short stories such as the Audible exclusive Another Name for the Devil and I'll Be Home for Christmas, the novella sequel to I Wish You All the Best.
You can pre-order it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
22. The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
Hits shelves on: September 6
About: The Sunbearer Trials is set to be the first novel in the Sunbearer duology, and is author Aiden Thomas's third young adult novel. The novel is a Mexican-inspired fantasy, where 10 teen semidióses between the ages of 13 and 18 compete in a series of high-stakes challenges for the titular Sunbearer Trials, held by diós Sol himself at the beginning of every new decade, when the sun's power must be replenished. The young semidióses are chosen by Sol as the most worthy to compete, and the winner will get the honor of carrying light and life to the temples of Reino del Sol, and allowing Sol to continue to travel along the sky and keep the Obsidian gods at bay as he always has. The loser, however, gets what is considered the ultimate honor, to be sacrificed to Sol, their body used as fuel for the Sun Stones that will protect the people of Reino Del Sol for the next decade.
Teo, the trans son of Quetzal, goddess of birds, is 17 when the trials are approaching, and has never had any worry of being selected, until for the first time in over a century, Sol chooses not one but two semidióses for the trials who aren't Golds — and Teo is one of them. Teo must compete in five mysterious trials against nine teens who are all more powerful and better trained than himself, and he needs to win if he wants the glory. And if he wants to survive.
Aiden Thomas (they/he) is a trans, Latinx New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys and Lost in the Never Woods. The Sunbearer Trials is his third novel. Aiden has a major talent for writing YA fantasy, so if that's your thing, just buy everything they've ever written — you'll thank me later.
You can pre-order it from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.