15 captivating LGBTQ+ books we can’t wait to read in 2026
LGBTQ+ books Human Rites, Reality Check and How to Fake it in Society all arived in 2026. (HarperCollins/Simon & Schuster/Pan Macmillan)
LGBTQ+ books Human Rites, Reality Check and How to Fake it in Society all arived in 2026. (HarperCollins/Simon & Schuster/Pan Macmillan)
Is reading more one of your 2026 New Year’s Resolutions? Why not build your reading list with some highly anticipated LGBTQ+ releases?
From magical sapphic witches to a gay Dracula retelling to a queer intergalactic odyssey, there’s something for everyone on this reading list.
Here is our guide to some of the must-read upcoming 2026 LGBTQ+ books:
Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven
The author of All the Bright Places and Breathless returns with this 1960s-set tale of when America’s favourite TV family go out of fashion. With humour and heartbreak, the Newman family have spent over a decade playing themselves on a sitcom. However, their ratings are falling, and the facade is cracking.
When the show’s writer, director and star hires a young reporter to pen the final episode, Dina (the show’s mother) and the writer have very different ideas of what it is to be a woman in the sixties. Meanwhile, sons Guy and Shep are dealing with their own secrets. Could the season finale change TV forever?
Meet the Newmans is out on 6 January.
We Call Them Witches by India-Rose Bower
India-Rose Bower’s debut offers a new take on horror, blending pagan folklore and sapphic romance. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, We Call Them Witches follows Sara and her family as they are constantly on the move. When they find an abandoned house, they think they have a safe home.
However, when they find a girl in the garden, Sara sees a chance for connection. The eldritch creatures are close and hunting. When something treasured is stolen from the family, Sara faces a deadly mission in the witches’ lair.
We Call Them Witches is out on 22 January.
Genderqueer Menopause by Lasara Firefox Allen
Genderqueer Menopause is an investigation into the menopause experiences of nonbinary, trans, and other queerbodied individuals who have been overlooked. Acting as an empowering resource, this book is aimed at those navigating symptoms and seeking gender-affirming care during the menopause transition.
Pushing back against conventional norms, author Allen explores how to advocate for your healthcare and empower yourself. With prompts and expert wisdom, Genderqueer Menopause is an essential guide to menopause care.
Genderqueer Menopause is out on 13 January.
The Log Books by Tash Walker and Adam Zmith
The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened charts an intimate history of LGBTQ+ support over four decades. This timeline is plotted through a stash of handwritten notes found at the offices of Switchboard, a queer helpline in operation since 1974.
The logbooks describe not only the phone calls but also the queer lives across the country that were helped by volunteers. With sensuality, humour and sometimes fear, these historical words have wondrous relevance to queer lives today.
The Log Books is out on 29 January.
Our Monstrous Bodies by Emma Cleary
Emma Cleary’s debut follows Brooke, who travels to Vancouver to care for her sister, Izzy. However, she realises the crumbling apartment is haunted by a crone known as Medusa.
Rewatching the films her ex-girlfriend loved, Brooke sees the horror bleed into her own life. Brooke begins to exhibit strange symptoms while Izzy’s concern spirals into obsession. The sisters become intertwined in an uncontrollable blurring of self that becomes insidious.
Our Monstrous Bodies is out on 12 March.
The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan
Cameron Sullivan’s debut is a lust-filled retelling of the first werewolf, the Beast of Gévaudan. The Red Winter sees Professor Sebastian Grave, in 1785, discover that the Beast of Gévaudan has returned.
Twenty years ago, he hunted the beast and nearly lost his life. Now, Sebastian has reunited with his estranged lover to kill the Beast for good. However, Sebastian and Antoine share a dark secret that will forever unite them.
The Red Winter is out on 26 February.
Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall
Boyfriend Material’s Alexis Hall’s Hell’s Heart is an intergalactic retelling of Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick. The remnants of humanity are clutching at survival, surviving on a hallucinogenic substance from the brains of cetacean-like Leviathans.
The narrator sets out to pursue the Leviathans but is drawn to the hunt’s captain, a charismatic woman named A. As they explore the monster-haunted atmosphere, the narrator loses herself in the world. However, her bond with Q, a woman from the wreck of Old Earth, may just be her lifeline.
Hell’s Heart is out on 12 March.
The Brides by Charlotte Cross
Charlotte Cross’ debut is a sapphic reimagining of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In 1884, Mafalda journeys to Budapest to care for her grieving aunt while Lucy, her secret love, rushes to be by her side.
However, the pair’s maids face terrifying visions and horrifying illnesses. Mafalda seeks the healing waters of Transylvania, and they set out for Castle Dracula. Far from civilisation, the women face a monstrous host who threatens to destroy them.
The Brides is out on 19 March.
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
Set in 1899, scientific illustrator Sonia Wilson snatches the opporunity to illustrate the vast collection of insects belonging to the reclusive Dr. Halder. She moves into his North Carolina manor house, but there’s something lurking in the nearby woods.
What happened to Sonia’s predecessor, Halder’s wife? Why are animals acting so strangely? And what is behind the peculiar local whispers about ‘blood thieves’?
Wolf Worm is out on 26 March.
Reality Check by Lizzie Huxley-Jones
Lizzie Huxley-Jones’ third romance novel is said to be Love is Blind meets Bride Wars. A sapphic romcom, Reality Check follows Dolly, an influencer appearing on the reality show Wedded Bliss. She’s not there for love, though; she wants to boost her brand identity. However, fellow contestant Carys is going on the show to find romance.
When both women meet and hit it off, their potential husbands fade into the background. Their connection is unmistakable. However, they’re the frontrunners of the show, and suddenly their reason for being on it comes into question.
Reality Check is out on 9 April.
How to Fake it in Society by KJ Charles
Described as Red, White & Royal Blue meets Bridgerton, How to Fake it in Society follows the son of a French noblewoman, Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte. When he’s wrongly convicted for a notorious crime, he wants to restore his mother’s reputation. To do so, he must raise funds.
When shopkeeper Titus Pilcrow marries a wealthy woman on her deathbed, he unexpectedly comes to possess a fortune. Suddenly, everyone in London wants to be his friend. Including Nicholas. However, when feelings start to get involved, is Nicholas in too deep to reveal the truth?
How to Fake it in Society is out on 30 April.
Human Rites by Juno Dawson
Juno Dawson’s Her Majesty’s Royal Coven series comes to an end with Human Rites. The five witches reunite after being chosen by Lucifer, the demon king of desire. Each witch faces a new challenge, from mourning children to coming back from the dead, while Theo strikes a deal with the devil: if she helps him, her family will be spared.
Dawson’s final instalment closes with an epic battle of good versus evil. The series has been praised as a compelling exploration of feminism, gender, and transphobia, interwoven with magic and the treasured power of friendship.
Human Rites is out on 18 June.
Little Wild by Laura Evans
Laura Evans’ debut sees the Winthers’ family’s only daughter, Joanie, returning from her summer abroad. But, she’s harbouring a secret. Margaret, Joanie’s closest friend, knows the truth: Joanie and Margaret are in love and plan to run away together.
However, when Joanie’s father discovers their plot, she’s exiled to a woodland lodge. There, trapped, she finds herself becoming wild as she lives amongst a colony of magpies. Joanie must decide whether to give in to her impulses to get what her heart desires.
Little Wild is out on 25 June.
Heartstopper Volume 6 by Alice Oseman
The sixth and final instalment in Alice Oseman’s beloved Heartstopper series arrives in the new year. It’ll inevitably be a bittersweet return for Charlie and Nick as they bid farewell. While Oseman has been tight-lipped about what will unfold, there is a hint at the plot.
Volume 6 is set to see Charlie busy with his bid to become head boy. Meanwhile, Nick is preparing for the significant changes that starting university will bring.
Heartstopper Volume 6 is out on 2 July.
Moss’d in Space by Rebecca Thorne
Found family and friendship is always a beautiful novel theme. Pair that with a cosy adventure in space, and you’ve got Rebecca Thorne’s upcoming Moss’d in Space. The novel follows Torian Razner, who has just bought an abandoned alien starship; it’s her ticket to freedom. However, her ex, Amelia, is also her captain.
The starship is covered in moss, which is actually an organic computer with serious abandonment issue. Things get even more complicated when the alien who abandoned it returns and accuses Torian of stealing.
Moss’d in Space is out on 9 July.
