10 Must-Read New Queer Books Out in April 2026

Afternoon Hours of a Hermit by Patrick Cottrell (April 21)

Dan Moran has made it: his autofictional trans novel was published, and he’s teaching writing while he works on his new psychological thriller. But when he receives a mislabelled envelope with a photo of his dead brother inside, he decides to play detective, returning to his estranged family’s home to investigate. Instead of the information he sought about his brother, though, he finds uncomfortable truths about the gap between how we view ourselves and how others view us. This promises to be “an existential noir, an absurd comedy, a complex character study, and a heartbreaking inquiry into the paradox of identity, memory, and the very enterprise of writing fiction.” —Danika Ellis

Work to Do by Jules Wernersbach (April 7)

In the 1980s, Eleanor was head over heels for her girlfriend and had just founded Guadalupe Street Co-op. 40 years later, the grocery store is still around, but it’s not living up to its purported values. Senior manager Roz is oblivious to the fact that her girlfriend is leading a unionization effort—and sleeping with the dairy manager. (Roz is too busy online stalking her ex-wife to notice.) This story takes place over a single week during the Texas hurricane season. Fun fact: Jules Wernersbach founded the queer Brooklyn bookstore Hive Mind Books! —Danika Ellis

A Murder Most Camp by Nicolas DiDomizio (April 28)

Michael Hartford IV may be almost 30-years-old, but that doesn’t mean his grandfather can’t be upset with his spending habits. So upset that he threatens to take away Mikey’s trust fund unless he spends the summer as a camp counselor at Camp Lore on Lake George in NY. What’s worse is that the camp has an unsolved missing person case from 13 years ago involving camp counselor Rose Churchill… —Jamie Canaves

How to Fake It in Society by KJ Charles (April 28)

Master of her craft, Charles returns with a queer historical following a scammer on the run from gangsters and his mark, a widowed shopkeeper who inherited a fortune from his wife. Pretending to be the son of a notorious diamond thief, Nicolas-Marc told Titus Pilcrow he just wants to improve his wronged mother’s reputation. In reality, he is running from dangerous men and needs Titus’s new inheritance to fund his flight. But when Nico falls for the very man he needs to swindle, he must take on the uncomfortable task of telling the truth if he wants to live happily with the man who stole his heart. —R. Nassor

The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne by Summer N. England (April 7)

This promises to be a “sweet and spicy cozy romantasy” with a sapphic romance, set in a queernorm world. Clara is perfectly happy living a quiet life as the gifted gardener in the town of Moss. The Goddess has other plans for her, though: Clara has been chosen to go to the cursed town of Dwindle and grow them a garden. Accompanying her is the annoyingly chipper Hesper, acting as her bodyguard. Clara has been keeping secret that her gift only works in Moss, but Hesper insists she is capable of more. As they journey to Dwindle together, the two get closer, and Hesper might just convince Clara that she’s the one who will save them from a creeping, ancient evil. —Danika Ellis

Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois (‎April 7)

In this queer and trans, Caribbean-inspired fantasy featuring pirates and mermaids, lovers Lu and Nnenna are at odds when Nnenna works to protect the key that can help her find her people, while Lu has been sent on a mission to hunt it down and retrieve it. They’ll have to come to an arrangement before the ancient gods destroy them all. —Liberty Hardy

Year of the Mer by L. D. Lewis (April 7)

This is a queer dark fantasy debut that explores the story of The Little Mermaid long after Arielle landed her prince! Arielle’s granddaughter, Yemi, is set to inherit the throne of Ixia after her father is assassinated, until a coup forces her and her family into exile. Furious over her family’s treatment, Yemi looks for help from Ursula the sea-witch, who sees in Yemi the perfect way to get her own revenge. —Liberty Hardy

Summer Official by Rebekah Weatherspoon (April 14)

Beloved romance author Rebekah Weatherspoon is gifting us with another sapphic YA romance! Saylor broke her arm at basketball camp while distracted by her mother’s viral video about Saylor’s coming out. The last thing she wants to do is spend the summer at home with a camera shoved in her face. She finds escape in Heaven, who wants Saylor’s help to build a social media following for Heaven’s future career as a tattoo artist. Despite their differences, sparks fly between them, but can their relationship survive the threat of social media surveillance? —Danika Ellis

Fruitcake written by Rex Ogle and illustrated by Dave Valeza (April 7)

Wildly prolific, award-winning author Rex Ogle continues his graphic memoir series with his eighth-grade year, where it feels like everyone is pairing up into couples except him. But he’s still trying to figure out if he likes Charlotte or Drew—and how to care less what other people think. —Liberty Hardy

Jan Morris: A Life by Sara Wheeler (April 14)

Jan Morris was a groundbreaking journalist, historian, and writer. She interviewed Che Guevara, wrote bestselling history books, and was the only journalist in the historic 1953 British Mount Everest expedition. In the 1970s, she published one of the first trans memoirs: Conundrum. In this biography, Wheeler explores the contradictions of Jan Morris: “she was a Welsh nationalist who wasn’t Welsh; and a preacher of kindness with a cruel side.” (Morris’s Pax Britannica trilogy celebrates British imperialism, calling it a “blessing to the world.”) Wheeler combines interviews with friends, family, and colleagues as well as Morris’s original papers to write a “sensitive, empathetic, and measured biography” of this complicated figure, as the starred Kirkus review puts it. —Danika Ellis

A Good Person by Kirsten King (Queer Woman Fiction)

A Crushing Walk in Cornwall (A Walk Through England Mystery #3) by Nicholas George (M/M Mystery)

Passing Through a Prairie Country by Dennis E. Staples (Queer Thriller) (Paperback Release)

Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas (Gay Thriller)

As Long as You Loathe Me by Swati Hegde (F/F YA Contemporary)

Our Immortal Bind by Christopher Hartland (M/M YA Fantasy)

The Celestial Seas by T.A. Chan (Queer YA Science Fiction)

Bacherlorx by Skylar Lyralen Kaye (Nonbinary Memoir)

Fire Island Art: 100 Years edited by John Dempsey (Queer Nonfiction)

Hip Hop Studies and Queer Black Feminism edited by Elaine B. Richardson, Gwendolyn D. Pough, Treva B. Lindsey (Queer Nonfiction)