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March is a big new release month, and it’s bringing a tidal wave of exciting new queer books! I had such a hard time narrowing down my list to just these 11 titles. (…It was supposed to be 10.) If you’re looking for even more new queer books, I included a bonus list of 17 more out this week at the end of this list as a bonus for All Access members.
This month brings some new books by heavy hitters in queer lit, like Kristen Arnett and Torrey Peters, as well as the debut of the inimitable Bob the Drag Queen. There’s trans literary fiction, a queer paranormal thriller, a cozy sapphic sci-fi mystery, an M/M Formula One romance, asexual F/F YA contemporary, nonbinary fantasy, and more. Let’s dive in!
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Kristen Arnett (March 18)
Kristen Arnett is a maestro of dark humor, known for twisting familiar setups into fresh punchlines. So when I heard she was writing a novel about a horny lesbian clown in Florida, I knew it was going to be just the right amount of demented. It’s a hilarious book with an opening scene so shockingly absurd that you simply must see what happens next. But it’s also so much more: a story about choosing laughter over tears, a contemplation on committing to the bit, and a pursuit of high art in low places. Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One is a zany and emotionally resonant book with plenty of tricks up its sleeve. —Susie Dumond
Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen (March 25)
In this debut novel by the Bob the Drag Queen, Harriet Tubman and four of the enslaved people she saved are back for a short time to tell their story. She chooses hip-hop producer Darnell Williams to help her make an album, to his surprise. Darnell had been famous, but when he was outed on BET, his career took a nosedive. Together, they use music to unearth the horrors of the country’s history and guide a way to a better future. This has been getting starred reviews, and I can’t wait to pick it up to see how Bob the Drag Queen pulls off this premise.
Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories by Torrey Peters (March 11)
Torrey Peters’s critically acclaimed 2021 debut novel Detransition, Baby quickly became one of the most popular and well-known trans novels ever written. Needless to say, her follow-up is highly anticipated! It includes three short stories and a novel. Stag Dance follows a group of lumberjacks who plan a dance that requires some of them to volunteer to dance as women. I’ll let the description say the rest: “When the broadest, strongest, plainest of the axmen announces his intention to dance as a woman, he finds himself caught in a strange rivalry with a pretty young jack, provoking a cascade of obsession, jealousy, and betrayal that will culminate on the big night in an astonishing vision of gender and transition.”
Liquid: A Love Story by Mariam Rahmani (March 11)
The Iranian-Indian main character of Liquid completed a PhD comparing Eastern and Western views of marriage two years ago, but she hasn’t been able to find a good job since. When her best friend Adam jokingly suggests she just marry rich, she turns her analytical mind to the task, making a spreadsheet and a plan to go on 100 dates with people of all genders until she gets a tempting proposal. But after a tragedy unfolds in Tehran, she’s forced to confront the realities of her plan—and whether she’s been overlooking the love that was there this whole time.
Passing Through a Prairie Country by Dennis E. Staples (March 18)
The author of This Town Sleeps is back with a new thriller. A mysterious deadly force known as the sandman haunts Hidden Atlantis Lake Resort and Casino. Queer aspiring documentarian Glenn Nielan hopes to capture the many sides of Ojibwe, including the thrills of the casino, but he doesn’t realize he’s being pulled into the sandman’s orbit. Meanwhile, cousins Marion, Alana, and Cherie prepare for a battle with the sandman that will determine the future of the reservation’s residents.
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Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery (March 11)
Kian Walker is the golden boy of Formula One, enjoying his fourth Championship win. His father was also a legend in the sport, but Kian would rather not be reminded of that fact—he certainly wasn’t a legendary parent. Harper James is a hot-headed rookie, but he’s also Kian’s new teammate, much to his annoyance. The forced proximity soon makes it obvious that they have chemistry—but Harper is a notorious heartbreaker. Is it worth the risk? Steamy M/M F1 grumpy/sunshine romance—this one is highly anticipated, as you can imagine!
Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos (March 11)
Yael Clauneck is the scion of a wealthy banking family who doesn’t want the life set out for them. Fleeing their graduation party on a stolen mechanical horse with no plan in place might not have been the best choice, but it felt like the only one at the time. Luckily, they found themselves in their childhood friend’s hometown. Margot Greenwillow is a plant witch who is quickly running out of ways to keep her family’s magic remedies business in operation. When her childhood crush, Yael, arrives and asks for a place to stay, she accepts their help right away. Even in the countryside, life cannot be put on pause forever, and eventually, Yael and Margot will have to confront how their growing attraction fits into their real futures. —Silvana Reyes Lopez
Murder By Memory by Olivia Waite (March 18)
Personally, I’m fully on board the cozy SFF train, especially when it comes to cozy queer SFF. This sci-fi mystery novella promises to be Becky Chambers meets Miss Marple. On the HMS Fairweather, minds are stored in the Library until they are provided with a new body. When Dorothy Gentleman awakens in a new body, she learns she’s been woken to solve a murder mystery. Worse, the culprit is also deleting minds from the Library. To make things more complicated, one of Dorothy’s top suspects is also her ex-girlfriend—or, at least, the ex-girlfriend of the body she’s borrowing.
Love Points to You by Alice Lin (March 4)
First off, how stunning is this cover? Lynda is determined to get into her dream art school, and she’s helping to get there with her drawing commissions. When her tablet is destroyed, though, she’s stuck—until her conceited classmate Angela offers her a deal. If Lynda designs the art for her otome (dating) game, Angela will pay her generously, including buying her a new tablet. As they work together, sparks fly. But Lynda’s ambition means she has little patience for anyone who doesn’t meet her high expectations, and it might take blowing up all her relationships for her to realize her own shortcomings. I really enjoyed this one! You can hear more of my thoughts on it on today’s episode of All the Books.
Say a Little Prayer by Jenna Voris (March 4)
Riley left her church a year ago because it was not a welcoming place for a bisexual girl like her and because of how the church treated her sister when she got an abortion.
So when Riley is sent to the principal’s office for smacking a girl who was talking poorly about her sister, she doesn’t anticipate being given the opportunity to avoid suspension by attending a church camp. She’ll take that option, in part because her best friend Julia will be there, too.
But Julia’s dad is in charge of the camp, and Riley has no interest in repenting. Instead, she’s going to use the week-long camp to dive deep into the seven deadly sins. It might help her peers understand that life doesn’t need to be about strict piety to be good.
There’s a hitch in the plan though, and it’s a big one. Riley is falling for Julia and hard. —Kelly Jensen
We Are Villains by Kacen Callender (March 25)
From the author of Felix Ever After and many others comes a new dark academia YA novel. Trans guy Milo has returned to Yates Academy to investigate his best friend Ari’s death—he doesn’t believe it was an accident. Liam is the King of Yates, the son of a wealthy, powerful family. But when he begins to receive threatening letters accusing him of killing Ari, he enlists Milo’s help to clear his name. The problem is, Milo isn’t so sure Liam is innocent.
Kacen Callender also has another book with trans representation out this year! Chaos King is the second book in the Infinity Alchemist YA fantasy series, and it’s out on April 15.
17 New Queer Books Out March 4, 2025
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