All the Blurbs We Could Not Post

17 More LGBTQ+ YAs Coming Spring 2023!

I’ve been book blogging professionally for a full decade now, and one thing you can count on is that you basically can’t count on anything, because coverage just keeps slipping further and further down the drain and there’s nothing those of us who are lowly ~contributors~ can do about it. (Unless we start our own sites, which I did, and it’s grown pretty spectacularly, if I may say so myself, but I do not write much actual content for it, since the work I do do for it is already incredibly time consuming, and, of course, no one’s paying me for it.)

Still, I can occasionally be surprised by how much it can suck to write for someone else, and having 17 blurbs cut from a post on queer YA after I’d written them definitely still had my jaw hanging open. But I figure, all those books have already appeared on LGBTQReads, and I have one place left to share the copy I’d already written: here.

So! Here are 17 more LGBTQ+ YAs I’m extremely excited about for Spring 2023:

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens (April 4)

Lukens, a New York Times bestselling author, is back to bestow another undoubtedly delightful fantasy romance upon us, this one between two rival sorcerer’s apprentices forced to team up. Edison “Rook” Rooker doesn’t have magic, but he does have an illegal magic detector (aka a spell binder), and when the powerful Antonia takes him in, he gets a job as well. Then the Magical Consortium finds out about the device, takes Antonia, and attacks her rival, Fable, leaving Rook to team up with Fable’s assistant, Sun, to save their mentors and their magic.

If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch (April 11)

Groundhog Day goes YA in Couch’s newest romance, about a boy named Clark who’s relived the very same Monday for nearly a year’s worth of days. But when there’s a break in the time loop and a new boy suddenly joins his class, Clark decides nothing in the world is as important as hanging out with Beau, no matter where he may lead. But as he starts to fall for the mysterious interloper, he knows it’s going to come with a cost — because what future can you have when you never have a future? 

No Boy Summer by Amy Spalding (April 18)

Just two months after releasing her adult romance debut, Spalding returns to her YA roots with this sister story about Lydia and Penny, who are swearing off boys for the summer after a year of destructive drama. The pact is making them closer than ever, and it’s really helping Lydia branch out and try new things…including getting to know aspiring filmmaker Fran. After all, it’s not breaking the “no boys” rule if Lydia dates a girl…right?

Robin and Her Misfits by Kelly Ann Jacobson (April 25)

Robin Hood gets a contemporary Sapphic spin in this modern contemporary that reimagines the merry men as a band of runaway biker girls, aka the Misfits, who survive on petty crime. But when they get a stark reminder of the lives they left behind, they decide to forge a new path and purpose: protecting other queer girls from the world that seeks to crush them and their spirits.

This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham (April 25)

Cottingham delivers another chilling Sapphic horror on the heels of the bestselling My Dearest Darkest, marketed for fans of horror cult classic Jennifer’s Body. Thanks to a climate event that happened three years earlier, Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine are now flesh eaters, or ghouls. Thankfully, SynFlesh exists to help curve their cravings without the need for murderous cannibalism, which is why the four of them are perfectly chill about going to a music festival to celebrate graduation. But when it’s not enough for Val and she ends up going feral anyway, the others realize she isn’t the only one: Someone is drugging ghouls to force them back to human flesh. But who? And why? 

Harley Quinn: Ravenous by Rachael Allen (April 25)

Allen continues the fierce, righteous, and brilliant journey of teen Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn, in this sequel to Harley Quinn: Reckoning, which sees her waking up in the hospital, confused and with only vague memories. Now she has to pick up where she left off at Gotham University, while also pursuing an internship at Arkham Asylum that pairs her with the fascinating and dangerous inmate Talia al Ghūl…and brings all her darkness back to the surface. Though there is a significant bright spot in Harleen’s life these days, and her name is Pamela Isley…

I LIke Me Better by Robby Weber (May 2)

Historically, Zack Martin has crushed high school, from grades to soccer stardom to perfect attendance. But when Ryan, the graduating soccer captain, convinces Zack to take the fall for a senior prank gone wrong, he earns himself both a “bad boy” reputation and a summer of mandatory community service. Intrigued by cute new guy Chip, who also happens to be Ryan’s cousin, Zack requests to serve at the Marine Institute where Chip works. But Zack quickly learns Chip is one guy who’s not impressed by his change in reputation, forcing Zack to find his way back to who he used to be, and contend with who he wants to be going forward.

This Is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde (May 9)

As a gay autistic scholarship kid at Webber Academy, Waverly’s used to the fact that she doesn’t fit in with her wealthy classmates. But when she gets the chance to for a single night — a night that’ll reunite her with the closeted ex-girlfriend who ghosted her — she can’t pass it up. The plan is to pose as her friend Caroline at a masquerade fundraiser, which is made slightly trickier when Caroline’s father lands in critical condition the night before. But nothing compares to the bloody murder Waverly witnesses at the dance, and the blackout chaos that follows in this fast-paced dystopian thriller that takes on inequality, ableism, and the power of technology. 

You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie (May 9)

Valentina and Leticia do not get along on the soccer field, and if Vale isn’t careful, she’s going to lose her promising future over it. Thankfully, summer at soccer camp should provide a welcome respite…or at least it would, if Leticia hadn’t turned out to not just be attending but co-captaining Vale’s team. Now they’ll have no choice but to work together to impress college scouts, and they might find they have even more in common than they thought. 

Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian (May 9)

Three generations of an Iranian family share their stories in this intergenerational saga by Lambda Award–-winning and Stonewall honoree author Nazemian. In 2019, out gay teen Moud joins his father, Saeed, on a trip to Tehran to visit his dying grandfather, and learns things about his history and culture he never knew. A generation earlier, Saeed is an engineering student in Tehran, until he’s uprooted to America upon his parents discovering that he’s involved in plans for what will become the Iranian Revolution of 1979. And in 1938, his father, Bobby, is finding Hollywood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. 

Breakup, Makeup by Stacey Anthony (May 9)

When rival influencers Eli and Zack (who just happen to be exes) enter a cosplay competition with an incredible scholarship prize, there ends up being way more on the line than just the money. (Though the money certainly would be nice, especially since Eli is saving up for top surgery.) Now Eli has to contend with the competition and the feelings for their ex that’ve come rushing back. 

The Rules of Us by Jennifer Nissley (May 9)

Jillian and Henry are the kind of borderline codependent couple who do everything together, but they definitely defy convention when that extends to coming out to each other as gay on prom night. No matter — even broken up, they fully plan to remain just as joined at the hip and focused on their dream futures as they’ve always been. But then Henry finds a boy. And Jillian finds a girl. And suddenly, things have to change, whether they’re ready or not. 

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic ed. by g. haron-davis (May 16)

While trans rep in YA is steadily growing, the gains are largely in realistic contemporary fiction, which is what makes this anthology of trans and nonbinary fantasy stories all the more necessary. The author lineup is a lovely mix of new-to-YA names joining well-knowns like A. R. Capetta, Cory McCarthy, Cam Montgomery, Mason Deaver, Saundra Mitchell, Emery Lee, and Sonora Reyes, and the stories themselves glow with trans joy and magic — a very welcome collection in these times, for sure.

Riley Weaver Needs a Date to the Gaybutante Ball by Jason June (May 23)

Podcaster Riley Weaver has dreamed of this moment: finally making it to junior year so he can apply to the Gaybutante Society. It’s a ton of work to get into the exclusive LGBTQ+ organization, but Riley’s up for the task…except maybe the part where he has to find an actual date for the Gaybutante Ball. To make matters worse — and add to the challenge — Riley decides he needs to respond to a fellow gay classmate’s statement that no one wants to date a femme gay by proving Skylar wrong and landing a masc date. He hopes to chronicle the process in a new podcast, and naturally that adds a whole new layer of pressure. 

Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and Carlyn Greenwald (May 30)

Barclay Elliott is on top of the world as he enters junior year as the most promising high school basketball player in the state of Georgia, with scout visits just around the corner. In the interest of being his most authentic self with the team who’s practically family, Barclay uses a huge pep rally to come out…only to find that fandom and loyalty have their limits. With basketball behind him, and the help of his best friend, Amy, (and her hot and infuriating friend, Christopher) Barclay rediscovers who he is and who he can be off the court. 

The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro (May 30)

In this Gothic historical, working as a servant is already a bizarre change for Emile — the price he has to pay for refusing to marry a woman and carry on the family name — but finding a disembodied hand casually lying around the Montoni family estate? That’s another level. The gig does, however, have its perks, in the form of not one but two handsome gentlemen who catch his eye — a visiting doctor, and the nephew of the count himself. But it’s hard to keep a full mind and heart on romance when mangled corpses are turning up…

No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore (May 30)

Twins Olly and Alex are no stranger to controversy, with their father having served time for embezzlement before dying in prison, but Olly’s keeping the secret that they have a half -brother just might be their breaking point. When Tyler shows up over the summer and forms a friendship with Alex, Olly doesn’t know how much longer lying will be an option. Juggling these fragile sibling relationships, the complex grief of mourning a beloved parent who did objectively bad things, and a boyfriend might be too much for Olly to bear, but he’ll have to figure out the balance if he doesn’t want to lose his remaining loved ones forever.

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