Episode 39447 in which I spend way too much time on a blog post!
I was perhaps a bit… overly ambitious with the amount of books I put in this post. But I’m so excited about ALL of these releases, and authors could use a boost especially during this whole covid mess, so why not!!
I’m not going to make this a long intro because this is already a nightmarishly long post, but I would just like to say that we are pretending not to see that almost half of these are coming out in September while there are only two books for December…
Click for BLM resources.
- petitions
- numbers/emails
- videos to stream (ad revenue will be donated)
- George Floyd gofundme
- Gianna Floyd (his daughter) gofundme
- Breonna Taylor gofundme
- Ahmaud Arbery gofundme
- Elijah McClain gofundme
- bail funds, research local ones near you too
- organizations
- small Black businesses that were destroyed
- Black-owned businesses
- indie Black-owned bookstores
- tips on overall protest safety
- google doc masterlist of BLM resources
JULY
Cinderella is Dead (7th) ✧ This book is a Cinderella retelling with queer Black girls fighting the patriarchy, and if you don’t already want to read it from that description, read it for the stunning cover!!
Burn Our Bodies Down (7th) ✧ I enjoyed Rory Powers’ debut, and I’m excited to read more from her! I like the atmosphere in her books (and the lesbians), and I’ve already heard great things about this.
Loveless (9th) ✧ Alice Oseman is one of my favorite contemporary authors—I adore her writing voice. This also has ownvoices aroace rep (and a side f/f relationship) and I am so excited for both!
Ghost Wood Song (14th) ✧ This book has a bi girl protagonist (it’s me!), it’s a haunting fantasy featuring ghosts, AND it’s compared to Sawkill Girls, which I loved!! I’m so excited to read it.
I Kissed Alice (28th) ✧ I included in my last anticipated releases post, but the release date got pushed back, so I’m glad I can talk about this enemies irl / fanfic writer friends f/f romcom again!!
AUGUST
Lobizona (4th) ✧ First of all, this cover is absolutely gorgeous. Second of all, this book tackles immigration and ICE, while also weaving in Argentine folklore with brujas and lobizónas (werewolves)!
The First Sister (4th) ✧ This is an adult space opera that explores colonization as well as race and gender, and it has non-binary and bisexual rep!! The cover is simultaneously terrifying yet beautiful.
The Black Kids (4th) ✧ This takes place during the 1929 Rodney Riots, and the fight for Black lives is always relevant when they are constantly under attack, but especially now. I can’t wait to read this one.
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything (4th) ✧ This is compared to Ari and Dante and I don’t see it all besides the characters just being… Mexican… but nonetheless it sounds so good: Aliens, immigration, and folklore!!
The Dark Tide (4th) ✧ A girl volunteers herself as a sacrifice to the queen and their sinking home, but they instead fall in love. And it’s supposed to be a dark fantasy, and you all know how I feel about those!!
Star Daughter (11th) ✧ This is a contemporary fantasy (which I always adore!) and it’s inspired by Hindu mythology. It features a girl who is half-star and half-mortal, which is such an intriguing concept!
Raybearer (18th) ✧ Hearing Jesse @ Bowties and Books rave about it got me so excited for this one! The protagonist having to kill the Crown Prince after gaining his trust has me very [eye emoji].
Darius the Great Deserves Better (25th) ✧ This is the sequel to one of my favorite books, and I’m putting all my trust in Adib Khorram to make it a good one!! I can’t wait to see more of Darius and his story.
Where Dreams Descend (25th) ✧ I’ve been hearing amazing things for this one, and I’m so intrigued. I have an ARC of this mysterious Moulin Rouge-esque circus fantasy and I can’t wait to read it!
Elatsoe (25th) ✧ This author and main character of this book are both Lipan Apache, and the main character is also asexual! It’s a paranormal murder mystery and I am SO excited to read it.
SEPTEMBER
Dating Makes Perfect (1st) ✧ I never thought I’d see Thai characters in a YA romcom while I was still a teen… but here we are!!! I’m so excited to read my ARC of this (and look at the beautiful Thai girl!!).
Cemetery Boys (1st) ✧ Trans Latinx boy summons ghosts to prove that he’s a real brujo and ends up summoning the ghost of a boy… who he may or may not end up falling in love with… Can’t wait!!!
Never Look Back (1st) ✧ First I saw Afro-Latinx, then I saw Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, then I saw it explores cultural identity and trauma. And now I’m the human form of the 👀 emoji.
We Are Not Free (1st) ✧ I saw Monica Kim saying how much she loved and cried over this one, and I instantly knew I had to read it! Can’t wait to sob over this historical story about Japanese incarceration.
The Bone Shard Daughter (8th) ✧ I’m going feral over the description of this book: Asian-inspired fantasy for fans of The Poppy War (!!!) with an established f/f relationship and forbidden bone shard magic. I have an ARC and I’m hyperventilating that this dream of a book even exists!!
Iron Heart (8th) ✧ Do I remember what happened in Crier’s War? No! Am I going to read this sequel for the lesbians? Yes! I’m excited to see where Crier and Ayla’s story goes and I’m ready for Yearning!!
Bestiary (8th) ✧ I’m so excited for this one!! It’s an adult book with fabulism and it explores queerness and migration, following three generations of Taiwanese women, and it seems to be written gorgeously.
Each of Us a Desert (15th) ✧ This takes place in a desert in post-apocalyptic Central America, and it features a f/f relationship. After loving Mark Oshiro’s debut, I know I’m going to adore this too!
Horrid (15th) ✧ I’m not reading this for the cover… I’m reading this for the exploration of mental illness, grief, and rage and disturbing family secrets in a YA horror… and also the cover.
Legendborn (15th) ✧ This is a contemporary fantasy King Arthur retelling with Southern Black Girl Magic and secret societies and several queer characters/relationships… It’s going to be so good!!
Grown (15th) ✧ I’ve only read one of Tiffany D Jackson’s books, but I loved it so much. I’ve been wanting to read more thrillers and this cover is absolutely stunning, so I’m really excited to get to this!
Who I Was With Her (15th) ✧ This is a book by a non-binary author, and it features a bisexual girl who grieves the death of her girlfriend. I probably will cry over it but that just makes me more excited!
Watch Over Me (15th) ✧ Nina LaCour always writes so beautifully, and I won’t be surprised if that’s the same case with her latest book about resilience and rebirth. (And I’m in love with this cover!)
Miss Meteor (22nd) ✧ Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia is the queer Latinx, beautiful prose writer duo we all need in our lives, and I am SO excited for this magical realist queer Latinx book!!
The Silvered Serpents (22nd) ✧ This has been on my two of my monthly TBRs but I SWEAR I am reading it this month!! I can’t wait to feel utter pain over my favorite heist found family again.
Skyhunter (29th) ✧ It’s a new Marie Lu book!! And she isn’t getting the cover she deserves yet again!! All I know about this is that it’s sci-fi, but I’ll read absolutely anything Marie Lu writes.
A Deadly Education (29th) ✧ I’ve never read any Naomi Novik, but her writing is supposed to be amazing. And this book is about a dark magic school where failure = death and I know I’m gonna love it!!
Burning Roses (29th) ✧ This is a Chinese retelling of Red Riding Hood, focused on queer middle-aged women: a Latina lesbian and a Chinese sapphic trans woman!! And the cover is so gorgeous.
Dear Justyce (29th) ✧ I loved Dear Martin, so I’m happy we’re getting this sequel! It’s told through flashbacks and letters from a Black teen, about what it’s like to be incarcerated in America.
Crownchasers (29th) ✧ This book involves “a deadly competition for the throne” where the main character has to embark on a crownchase through the galaxy. And!! the main cahracter is pansexual!!
OCTOBER
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (6th) ✧ I’ve heard the most amazing things about this book, and I love the premise: no one remembers Addie, an immortal girl, but she meets a boy who does.
Broken Wish (6th) ✧ This is the first book in a series written by different authors (of color), and the blurb says “the lines between hero and villain start to blur” and… oh my god if that isn’t my exact taste!!
The Lives of Saints (6th) ✧ Ignoring how absolutely hideous that blue/red cover is (yes I know it’s a dust jacket you can take off), I loved the Language of Thorns and I feel like this has the same vibes so!!
Blazewrath Games (6th) ✧ This is a “World Cup with dragons” and that sounds so exciting!! I’m not usually a big fan of sports or dragons, but together with a Puerto Rican main character… I am looking.
A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow (6th) ✧ I just really love how cute and soft this cover is! This is about a Miami Cuban baker who goes to England and meets a… cute boy…
Beyond the Ruby Veil (13th) ✧ The first words of the blurb are “dark queer YA fantasy”, and there’s wlw/mlm solidarity, and the female MC wants power… basically I’m saying this was made for me!!
The Once and Future Witches (13th) ✧ I haven’t read Alix E Harrow’s debut yet, but I’ve heard only the best things about her writing, and I’m so excited for this one! The cover is STUNNING too.
This is All Your Fault (13th) ✧ This features female friendship, as three girls try to save their indie bookstore in one day. I believe it also has queer characters and maybe some depression rep too so!!
NOVEMBER
Rent a Boyfriend (10th) ✧ This cover overwhelms me with all the pink, but look at those Asians on the cover, I love them. This book is fake dating at its finest where you literally hire a fake boyfriend!!
Written in the Stars (10th) ✧ November 10th is coming through with the fake dating! This one is an adult f/f romcom, with astrology and some inspiration drawn from Pride and Prejudice.
The Burning God (17th) ✧ I might be able to snag an eARC of this if everything in the universe aligns for me… But this is the conclusion to my favorite series, and it releases on birthday because there is no better gift than my favorite villain main character Rin!! The excerpts on Twitter have been KILLING me.
These Violent Delights (17th) ✧ If I don’t get an ARC of this for being Asian, I better get it for the fact it releases on my birthday! But 1) this cover is gorgeous, 2) this has a stabby girl (my favorite kind of protagonist) and Yearning, and 3) the author is so funny and gorgeous and has the best book promo!
Ruinsong (24th) ✧ Listen, this one is literally a “dark LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy”, featuring a f/f romance between two (childhood friend) rivals and morally grey characters… it was meant for me!!!
DECEMBER
A Curse of Roses (1st) ✧ This is a f/f fantasy based on a Portuguese legend, where a princess has to commit treason to free herself of her curse but… falls for the girl she committed treason for…
The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre (1st) ✧ This is a queer romcom, with theatre kids, pining, and a f/f romance!! It says the main character swore off romance so we all know how that’ll end up >:)
♡
a quick announcement that I set up an Amazon WL that I’m going to include in posts that take me an extra amount of time/work—like this one that took me 8+ hours—if this is a way you’d like to support me!! <33
(all ebooks because they’re somewhat cheaper and I still feel weird about letting people Gift Me!)
what are some books you’re looking forward to reading? have you managed to read any of these already? do you have any adult books to add (since this is mostly ya!)?
Forever and Everly 
Beyond the Ruby Veil and Ruinsong sound like something I’d enjoy. And og my gosh the cover for Horrid is so beautiful!!
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