For Pride, Here Are The Gayest Novels We Are Loving In 2026
Let’s make that TBR a little more LGBTQ+...
It’s June, which means that it’s time to dive into some really gay books! Whether you’re a straight ally or a queer person, there’s something so powerful about novels that share someone else’s experience and allow you to see things from different points of view.
Novels bring us together, expand our empathy, and let us understand humanity on a whole different level — and Pride month is a great opportunity to both expand your horizons and support LGBTQ+ authors.
Here are our favorite queer books of 2026, as well as the queer books coming later this year that we can’t wait to read.
John of John by Douglas Stewart
A gay man returns to his very conservative home in Scotland after art school to discover that his always serious and religious father is closeted — from the never-miss author of Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo.
On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield
You know, sometimes you move into an incredibly haunted house in the woods to escape the authorities only to fall in love with a strange woman who appears on your doorstep who might be... supernatural? This is a sapphic Southern Gothic horror fairy tale that is so obviously already going to be in my top reads of the year.
The Open Era by Evan Schmit
Heated Rivalry, but make it tennis! This debut romance is about an openly gay pro tennis star who wants to win his first grand slam — but to do so, he has to beat the (probably?) straight Diego Cruz. What could possibly happen??
Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian
Romance juggernaut Cat Sebastian is back with her first contemporary romance, and it’s an enemy-to-lovers delight. In it, we meet Simon and Charlie, two actors on a long-running sci-fi television show. They can’t stand each other... that is, until they can.
Is This A Cry For Help? by Emily Austin
Emily Austin is back with another thoughtful book about what it’s like to be queer in the world today. In her latest, a librarian named Darcy is leading a lovely life with her wife Joy... until a personal tragedy and the political atmosphere send her into a spiral.
A Good Person by Kirsten King
In this queer lit debut, a woman hexes an ex-lover who then turns up dead. Things go badly from there, especially when she finds out that she wasn’t the only person he had been dating when he died.
Girl’s Girl by Sonia Feldman
Who’s up for a coming-of-age queer suburban novel this summer? In this one, 15-year-old Mina’s life is turned upside down when she kisses one of her two best friends.
Take Me With You by Steven Rowley
The Guncle author is back with a tale that’s a little more supernatural (but just as gay). Thirty years into their marriage, Jesse’s husband Norman walked into the backyard and disappeared in a cone of light. Where did he go? And what happens to Jesse now?
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less and Less Is Lost comes a new novel (that isn’t quite out yet) about a man who takes a job as an archivist at a crumbling mansion in the Italian countryside that changes his life. If it’s half as funny and touching as his other books, we’re in!
Muñeca by Cynthia Gómez
Is there anything better than a gay witch? In this queer gothic historical novel, Natalia tries to break a spell that’s been put on an heiress — but she falls in love along the way. Sign us up!
No God But Us by Bobuq Sayed
Two gay Afghan immigrants in Washington, D.C. collide in this beautiful lit fic pick that blends family drama, identity, and politics.
There’s Only One Sin In Hollywood by Rasheed Newsom
This is a fascinating look at queer Hollywood in the 1950s and 60s, centering on a Xavier C. Barlow, a dashing young Black actor taking L.A. by storm — but also keeping one of the biggest parts of his life a secret.
Sweetbitter Song by Rosie Hewlett
If you’re looking for a really good historical LGBTQ+ read, this might be the one for you! We are headed to ancient Sparta, where a house slave runs into a princess... and you can guess what happens next in this lyrical, lovely novel.
Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle
We never miss a read by Chuck Tingle, our favorite queer campy horror writer (and campy erotic writer, too). This year he’s bringing us the story of Poppy, who is tasked with the job of moving the dead body of a queer pop icon from the medical examiner’s office to the funeral home. But the guy wakes up and... the horror begins!
We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune
Cult writer TJ Klune has brought us a standalone novel about a senior gay couple, Don and Rodney, who are facing down the end of the world after 40 happy years of marriage (a black hole is coming for Earth). They decide to go on a road trip.
That’s What Friends Are For by Wade Rouse
Inspired by The Golden Girls, this novel follows four aging gay men who live together in Palm Springs. Things are lovely until one of their estranged sisters moves in — and then everything starts to unravel. A really funny book about chosen family.
Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Are you looking for a love story that spans decades? When two women meet in Paris in 1978, they don’t realize they’ve started a lifelong love affair. But will they ever truly get to be with each other?
Saturn Returning by Kim Narby
Every summer reading list requires a messy queer love triangle. Here’s a great one about three women who meet in college and then come together again years later as they turn 30.
Where are you even going to start? It’s hard to say. And if you need some queer books for your kids, too, here’s our list for that!
