5 Queer Books You're Gonna Love This Fall

Ranked on a scale of one to five Miss Honeys

Aug 23, 2023

I’ve had the great good fortune to read dozens of LGBTQ books hitting shelves this fall, and since summer is finally (hopefully!?) letting us out of its greedy claws, I thought it’d be a perfect time to tell you about some of my favorites. Pre-ordering books from queer authors is a great way to make sure their publishers give them the kinds of pushes they need to sell successfully, so if any of these sound good to you, go ahead and snag them or ask your library to order them for you! I’ve included a new ranking system in this newsletter; I hope you’ll let me know if it’s helpful. It’s very literary.

Fly with Me: A Novel

Andie Burke
September 5, 2023

One of the most exciting things about this fall's selection of queer books is that there's not one, but TWO fake dating romances — and they are both DELIGHTFUL. Up first is Andie Burke's debut novel, Fly with Me, which I will happily confess I have already read three times because it’s so heart-thumpingly adorable. Meet Allied Airlines pilot Stella Soriano, who is so hyper-focused on her dream of becoming a captain that she's convinced she would be a terrible girlfriend. And then meet ER nurse Olive Murphy who is a badass at her job too, and also happens to battle serious anxiety, especially when it comes to flying. They meet-cute when Olive saves the life of a passenger on a flight Stella is co-captaining.

The relationship in this rom-com is fantastic, but what really puts the book over the edge into 'favorite' territory for me is that both Stella and Olive are dealing with enormous grief, for different reasons, and in their own way. It's a cyclical through-line across both of their stories, the way real grief is, and it doesn't go away just because they're falling in love, but it also doesn't keep them from falling in love. Also just like real grief! Andie Burke has worked as a nurse through the Covid pandemic, so she knows a little something about loss and mourning, and also a little something about those incandescent moments of happiness that shepherd us through life's inevitable heartbreaks.

Swoon rating: 5/5 Miss Honeys Taking Off Her Glasses

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

Lex Croucher
November 28, 2023

I've read a lot of Arthurian reimagings over the years, including my favorite gender-flipped medieval tale, Spear by Nicola Griffith, and also two to three hundred fan fictions based on the criminally underrated 2008 BBC series Merlin. But I've never read anything like Lex Croucher's Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, which is the truest title possible. Guinevere and Arthur are both gay, betrothed to each other, and absolutely cannot stand to even be in the same room together. Gwen's our favorite kind of lesbian princess: an absolute bossy know-it-all. Arthur's our favorite kind of would-be prince: a rakish bastard with a heart of gold. They've been mortal enemies since they were children, but now the time has come for them to tie the knot. It does not go as their parents have planned. Not at all.

Lex Croucher's Infamous was one of the best books I read last year. I have never in my life wanted to climb inside a story and affectionately throttle the queer main character the way I did with that novel. And I'm happy to report that the things I loved so much about Infamous are on full display here too: Croucher's ability to write queer heroes who are so very not perfect. The celebration of the unique shapes relationships can take with groups of queer people. And the kind of happily ever after that feels both aspirational and entirely possible — if only you're brave enough to follow the deepest desires of your most hidden heart.

Swoon rating: 4/5 Miss Honeys Taking Off Her Glasses

Bookshops & Bonedust

Travis Baldree
November 7, 2023

I was nervous to read the prequel to Travis Baldree's wildly popular D&D novel, Legends & Lattes, because not only is it one of my favorite books I've ever read, it completely shaped this new and growing cozy fantasy genre that I adore getting lost in. I shouldn't have worried! Bookshops & Bonedust is more than worthy of its place alongside Baldree's first book. Much like Legends & Lattes, Bookshops & Bonedust is light on violence and heavy on baking and found family — now with even more books!

B&B is set decades before we meet Viv in her pursuit of settling down and opening a coffee shop. She's a butch lesbian orc in her prime, cutting down baddies without breaking a sweat, thirsty to prove herself to the most elite squad of mercenaries in the land. Until she gets hurt during a dungeon crawl and is forced to hole up in a sleepy seaside town to heal and wait for her party to return for her. She's never not been at full strength; her newfound weakness coupled her need to use a mobility aid really does a number on her confidence and understanding of who she is (highly relatable!). Luckily, she meets a rattkin bookshop owner and her loyal gryphet; a sexy local elfin romance author; a dwarven baker with a major crush; and my favorite supporting character that I won't actually tell you about because his arrival is one of the book's best surprises.

There's plenty of D&D inside jokes, but you don't need to know a thing about Dungeons & Dragons to enjoy this snuggly, adventurous world.

Swoon rating: 3.5/5 Miss Honeys Taking Off Her Glasses (Epilogue: 5/5)

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date

Ashley Herring Blake
October 24, 2023

Ashley Herring Blake's Bright Falls series really is just everything to me, the trifecta of queer books I've been waiting my entire life to read. This third, and final, installment won my heart as quickly and as wholly as Delilah Green Doesn't Care and Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail. PLUS! Here is the second FAKE DATING book on this list! You know Iris Kelly, of course. Or, well, you know what she's allowed you to know over the course of the previous two books. And that's kind of the point: Everyone has all these ideas about who Iris is, and she feels compelled to act the part, always, to keep her friends and family as happy as possible. But she's a ginger-haired iceberg; half of her fire has always been buried underwater. Iris meets Stevie, a barista and actress, during one of her nights out clubbing. Flirting leads to dancing leads to Stevie's bedroom, where Stevie's nerves get the best of her and she yarfs before their hookup. It's the worst one night stand ever, and they both think they'll never see each other again — until they meet on stage the next day when Iris decides to audition for some local gender-bending Shakespearian theater.

Stevie is my new favorite Anxiety Queer, and I have a feeling she'll be one of your favorites too. Her anxiety informs so many things about her life, but she refuses to let it control her. She's able to laugh about it ("God, Iris practically emanated sex. Stevie was pretty sure the only thing she emanated was stress hormones."), but she also sheds plenty of outraged tears over it too. It affects the way people see her, it affects the way she sees herself, and no matter how many strategies she tries to manage it, sometimes it gets the best of her. Iris teaches Stevie how to embrace the power of her sexuality. Stevie teaches Iris how to not FREAK OUT when holding someone's hand. If you think Love Is a Lie, you better stay away from this book because it will 100% convince you otherwise.

Swoon rating: 5/5 Miss Honeys Taking Off Her Glasses

Cleat Cute

Meryl Wilsner
September 19, 2023

Here's something you need to know about Meryl Wilsner right up front: They are not going to tease you for three full acts before paying off their queer characters' attraction. This has been true for all their books before, and it's true for Cleat Cute too. When queer women are attracted to each other, by god they're going to do something about it, again and again and again, when Meryl Wilsner is in charge of them. And, lucky for us, USWNT star Grace Henderson and newcomer Phoebe Matthews are absolutely attracted to each other. And not just attracted — they're OPPOSITES ATTRACTED.

Grace is the 26-year-old captain of every team she plays on — and it's been that way since she was a teenager. She's the most famous soccer player in the whole country, and she's got the endorsements and money to show for it. Phoebe's only a few years younger, but she didn't come up in the right club leagues, or go to a big college, so she's a rookie on the scene. Grace is always prepared, always on time. Phoebe is a whirling dervish, flying by the seat of her pants and never making it anywhere when she's supposed to, no matter how many alarms she sets on her phone. They're both neurodivergent in their own ways, which causes all kinds of misunderstandings and conflicts between them, but they also click in ways they never have with anyone else. If you're already missing the World Cup, this one's for you. But you also don't really need to know anything about sports or soccer to enjoy it.

Swoon rating: The coveted Blushing Miss Honey Taking Off Her Glasses