Queer Horror Books Hitting Shelves for Pride Month 2026

2 weeks ago 30

Pride Month is just around the corner, so it comes as no surprise that there are so many new queer horror books dropping in June. If you’re looking for more queer horror stories to add to your TBR for Pride Month and beyond, here are four LGBTQ horror novels you have to get your hands on. And lucky you! The first book comes out right at the start of June.

Grab your TBR because it’s about to grow.

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Muñeca by Cynthia Gómez (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, June 2)

Set in 1968 Oakland, this surreal Gothic horror novel follows a queer witch named Natalia “Nati” Fuentes. Nati has heard rumors that the beautiful heiress Violeta Miramontes has been cursed. Are the rumors true? Curious about Violeta’s case and hopeful that she is capable of lifting the curse, Nati takes on a job as Violeta’s caretaker. But when Nati and Violeta develop romantic feelings for each other, Nati loses control of her powers.

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Slasher Summer by E.L. Chen (Crown, June 23)

Fans of ’80s slasher films will love this one. Best friends Patrick, Jason, Tiffany, Carrie, Freddy, Jennifer, and Michael grew up in sleepy Cedar Lake Falls, where the classic 1980s horror film Slasher was filmed. In high school, the friend group even played the cast of Slasher during special midnight showings. Now, years later, the friend group decides to reconnect at the very cabin where Slasher was filmed. A lot has changed about the friends since their high school days. For instance, the preppy Patrick is now out of the closet. Yet so much of Cedar Lake Falls has stayed the same. Except now there seems to be a real slasher on the loose.

Doe by Rebecca Barrow (Nancy Paulsen Books, June 23)

This sapphic YA horror novel stars high school cheerleading captain Maris Larsen. Maris has a tumultuous home life and a girlfriend who doesn’t appreciate her, but when she’s cheering, she feels on top of the world. Then, the new girl Genevieve Ray joins the squad, and everything changes. Suddenly, Genevieve is the new favorite, and what makes matters even worse for Maris are her strange dreams and sleepwalking. At night, Maris meets a monstrous beast in the shape of a decaying doe who has wandered the Earth for decades, trapped in this form until she can be freed by a blood relative of one of the girls who originally bound her.

The Monsters We Made by Peyton June (Norton Young Readers, June 23)

Last up, a new alien horror novel! And it all starts with a fake video. In an attempt to save her family’s ranch, Claire makes a fake video of Old Lucky, the alien cryptid the whole town of Scarberry, Nebraska, has been talking about. While the video is a total scam, it seems real enough to attract the attention of paranormal vloggers Evan and Lenny. Evan immediately suspects the whole thing is a hoax, but Lenny is so desperate to save their channel that she refuses to give up the investigation. In an effort to keep the truth about her video a secret, Claire agrees to help Lenny find Old Lucky. After all, maybe the cryptid is real. And maybe the truth about Old Lucky will reveal dark truths about the town itself.

Looking for more queer horror recommendations? Here are some of the most anticipated sapphic horror books of 2026 and 15 more LGBTQ haunted horror novels! Make sure you subscribe to The Fright Stuff for all the scary book recommendations, and if you’re looking for more queer book talk, you’ll want to check out Our Queerest Shelves.