With summer winding down and fall almost here, we’re continuing our journey of supporting LGBTQ+ books and the authors within our community. From Shakespeare retellings to spooky tales welcoming fall, we’ve got you covered with a list of LGBTQ+ books coming out September 2026.
A special shoutout goes to Netgalley, the premiere source of getting books in advance if you’re looking to review books. Most of the summaries were sourced from Netgalley, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble and we hope this helps get readers interested in these creative queer writers!
Also, make sure to check out whether any of the books listed below for September 2026 are available at your local indie store here.
MORE: 10 LGBTQ+ Books Coming Out This August 2026
1. As the Snow Gathers by Mere Joyce
Synopsis: Dominic was born in Aplin Shade, a remote Canadian town built on the bones of another that vanished without a trace. Bookish and quiet, he never asked to lead his family, but after a carriage crash kills his father and leaves his sister forever changed, he has no choice.
The only person who truly sees him is Lex, a logger in the camp near town and the love Dominic must keep secret. Together they dream of escaping Aplin Shade, a place where isolation breeds judgment and every kindness hides a cost.
But the forest is no refuge. The Fanteur dwell there—shadowed beings who come at night to drain the dead of their blood and return them for burial by dawn. They’ve never touched the living. Until now.
As winter descends and the Fanteur strike back against the logging camp, Dominic and Lex must fight for their lives, their love, and a way out of the woods’ tightening grasp. Because the forest doesn’t forgive, and it never forgets.
Release date: September 1st
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2. She’s a Doll by Barbara Truelove
Synopsis: Lucy McQuinn has been murdered, but she’s not about to go quietly.
If she doesn’t get to keep breathing, then neither does Kyle, her killer. Possessing the body of an antique doll, she sets out on a quest for revenge. But it’s hard when you’re eighteen inches tall and made of porcelain.
For help, she turns to Nicola, a human and fellow outsider with her own reasons to hate Kyle. But in their small idyllic town, no one wants to hear the truth, especially not about such a promising young man. If they can’t expose his crimes, Lucy will have to roll up her lacy little sleeves and teach him a lesson the old-fashioned way—as slowly and painfully as possible.
Release date: September 8th
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3. My Own Kind of Person by Tim Manley
Synopsis: Sean O’Brien copes with anxiety by being the funny guy—at school, in his relationships, and onstage at local open mics. But when his stand-up act starts feeling like a performance of someone he’s not, everything changes. As Sean struggles with awkward girlfriend encounters and rising panic, he meets Elijah, a new guy with quiet confidence and an honesty Sean has never allowed himself. Suddenly, Sean’s life, his comedy, and his self-awareness come into sharper focus.
Release date: September 8th
4. All Roads by Valerie Kain
Synopsis: Evelyn Eden’s love life is a certified disaster. Her libido is as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster, and the people who do catch her interest never want her back. Case in point: the last time she felt that rare spark was two years ago, and the guy ended up falling for one of her closest friends. Evelyn watched it happen from the outside. The way she always does.
She’s tired of being the odd one out in her own group. In a tequila-fueled moment of jealousy, she declares that this is the year she will find her match, and her friends are convinced dating apps are the way to do it. Evelyn’s skeptical…but how bad could it really be?
Spoiler alert. It’s bad. Mainly because Karis Hanson is “helping.”
Karis has been in love with Evelyn for years and has long since resigned herself to best-friend status. It’s not like Evelyn has ever looked at her like anything else. So she does what any good friend would: offers to help vet the candidates. And if a little sabotage happens along the way…well, none of these men are good enough for Evelyn anyway. The trouble is, the longer Karis plays wingwoman, the harder it is pretending she’s happy being just a friend—and the closer Evelyn gets to realizing that the person who actually sees her has been beside her all along.
Release date: September 15th
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5. Thoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick
Synopsis: The summer before his sophomore year, Horatio Bithersea walks into the university library to find Carson Hamlett, resident golden boy and master magician, cradling his father’s dead body. Life at Elsinore, one of the most prestigious universities in the secretive magical world, simply goes on when the professor’s death is ruled an accident—despite the mysterious circumstances and the bloody scene.
A year later, Horatio is keeping his head down, attempting to graduate without his out-of-control magic harming his classmates. That changes when the ghost of Hamlett’s father appears and places a curse on Horatio and Hamlett: avenge his death by destroying Elsinore and its heart, lest the ghost robs them of their minds, memories, and their very souls.
Elsinore has given Horatio everything—knowledge of his magical ability, an escape from his abusive family, and freedom to pursue his life as a transgender man—and now he’s to be its doom. As the two uncover more of Elsinore’s secrets, Horatio finds himself becoming more and more ensnared in Hamlett’s dark but charismatic web.
The question is not if Horatio will manage to destroy Elsinore. The question is if Hamlett will destroy him first. This twisty, queer, dark academia is a brand-new take on the questions that haunt Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Release date: September 15th
6. Game On by Zarah Detand
Synopsis: Stellan is very good at being the right kind of irresistible to the wrong kind of man—it pays the rent, and that’s the deal. But when one Chicago hotel lounge job ends with a career-ending photo of NHL star Matt Harkins and Stellan is fired for trying to stop it, the whole disaster gets filed under the worst day of his life.
Seven months later, Matt walks into a Seattle suit fitting and finds Stellan holding out the next jacket. Matt is blindsided and absolutely not over it… but the chemistry between them is undeniable. He knows he should walk away, but one stolen night turns into two, then more—and a closeted ice hockey captain with everything to lose is about to find out exactly how much he’s willing to risk.
Release date: September 15th
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7. Hearts on the Table by Susan Metallo
Synopsis: Violet is used to winning—with her mathematical mind, no one stands a chance of beating her at cards, or much of anything else. So, when her wrathful father threatens to marry her and her trans twin brother Seb to the highest bidders, she’s certain they can escape England, even with a war on. But before they reach safety in Italy, a U-boat sinks their ship, and Violet washes up on a small island, on the wrong side of enemy lines, desperate to find her missing twin.
To earn passage to the mainland, where she hopes Seb has landed, Violet disguises herself as a man and accepts a job delivering love poetry for melancholy pacifist Teo, the island’s irritating golden boy. The object of his affection, fair Olivia, is less than enchanted, but she is intrigued by the handsome delivery boy—Violet in disguise. While Violet struggles to sidestep Olivia’s attentions, she’s vexed by her own inconvenient but undeniable attraction to Teo.
Add a mysterious newcomer, who converts the love triangle into a square, and Olivia’s autistic sister, who’s concocting a devilish revenge against the island’s biggest bully, and odds are things will only get messier.
Release date: September 22nd
8. Exchanged by Dan Perucco
Synopsis: Enzo Rossi knows that Irontown, Michigan—the small declining mining town he calls home—isn’t exactly a study-abroad dream destination. So when his family is chosen to host an exchange student, he welcomes the opportunity to spend his senior year with a fellow music nerd from the outside world.
But when the Rossis arrive at the airport expecting Davit from Tbilisi, Georgia (the country), they’re greeted instead by Garrett Andersen, a handsome football jock from Atlanta, Georgia (the state). Apparently something got lost in translation.
Living across the hall from someone so cool, so hot, and so obviously straight is not what Enzo signed up for. He can’t stop putting his foot in his mouth, and Garrett—infuriatingly—always has a comeback ready. Enzo dismisses Garrett as a spoiled, cocky city boy, and Garrett writes off Enzo as too stuck up for his own hometown.
While Garrett dazzles the rest of Irontown with his Southern charm, Enzo starts stumbling over his feelings. The more time Enzo and Garrett spend together, the harder it is for both boys to keep their guard up . . . and the closer they come to finally seeing each other clearly.
Release date: September 29th
9. Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair by Ashley Herring Blake
Synopsis: Sasha Sinclair is used to being alone. Her parents, successful documentary filmmakers, died in a car accident three years ago, leaving her with a legacy she’s been unable to live up to. Instead, she spends her time with casual hookups and odd jobs as she travels around the country. But she can’t stop thinking about her parents’ dream project and is determined to make it a reality: the story of Alice Bishop in Clare Mountain, North Carolina.
Margot Bishop is not a witch, contrary to the town’s century-long suspicion about her family. When her ancestor Alice Bishop showed up to Clare Mountain in 1901 and opened Thornrose Apothecary, the town was flummoxed by this strange enigma of a woman, calling her the Rose Witch. Now, the Bishops also run Ghostlight, an occult-themed amusement park that fully leans into the rumors.
Despite the draw of the Rose Witch and the haunted Thornrose Woods where Alice had lived, however, the Bishops’ businesses aren’t doing well. When Margot’s mother comes up with a solution—a documentary film about their family—Margot can’t get on board, not when her family’s legacy is at stake. Even worse, she’s deemed the point person for Sasha, the charming, peppy wannabe-filmmaker. But as they spend more time together, diving deeper into the true story of Alice Bishop, the ice slowly melts and their relationship turns into a heart-fluttering rollercoaster ride, one they aren’t sure they want to get off.
Release date: September 29th
10. With All My Haunted Heart by Isabel Sterling
Synopsis: Steadily losing clients to the new DIY-magic shop on the other side of town, Pippa Ainsley is getting desperate. Instead of paying the witch to correct their magical maladies, local mundanes have been taking their chances with the cheaper—and unpredictable—crystals and herbal blends. So when Pippa’s best friend hires her to inspect his newly acquired bed-and-breakfast for ghosts, she doesn’t think twice about it.
That is, until she learns that his unfairly attractive co-owner, Elle Thompson, doesn’t want Pippa to rid their business of spirits. She wants Pippa to give them an edge over the competition by haunting their B&B.
It’s the perfect challenge for Pippa’s experimental magic, but just because she could figure it out, doesn’t mean it’s a smart or safe idea. But Elle is persistent, and the financial boost could save her own business if Pippa succeeds. Soon, Pippa finds herself testing the limits of her magic… and her ability to stop the growing attraction she feels toward Elle, a woman with a painful secret of her own.
Release date: September 8th
What LGBTQ+ books are you excited about this September? Let us know in the comments below!
Queerly Not Straight posts Saturdays on Fangirlish with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community. Posts are ONLY published on Fangirlish.
