Hello there, lovelies!
I wasn’t planning on making this post. In fact, I literally got the idea to write it just a couple of hours ago at noon, and I’m secretly kicking myself for not planning beforehand (which is why I’m uploading this late), but whatever!
In honor of Trans Day of Visibility, I have gathered a list of 2020 and 2021 releases by trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming authors and y’all, this year is such an amazing one for trans literature! 🌈
I barely figured out my gender identity during Pride Month last year, and ever since, I feel like I can breathe a little easier. Even though I am in the closet, I can finally be myself and express myself much better. I have found a very supporting community and being my loud genderfluid self on the internet is the best feeling ever.
Seeing so many trans authors thrive is incredibly beautiful and I am proud and happy to support them all in any way I can, especially during these times of uncertainty, when so many of these releases have been greatly affected by the pandemic, which is why you should as well!
In this list, you will find something for everybody! There are books of all age ranges and a great variety of genres, from contemporary to fantasy, I assure you you’ll add something new to your Goodreads TBR! And maybe I’ll even convince you to preorder some? 👁👄👁
Well, that’s enough chatter! Let’s get started!
*All titles lead to the books’ Goodreads pages!
New & Already Released
1. Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore – In Summer 1518, Lavinia and her family get accused for provoking a strange sickness in Strasbourg that makes all women dance in the streets, some dancing until they die. Five centuries later, Rosella Oliva’s feet get tied to a pair of red shoes that make her dance uncontrollably and lead her to Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever all those years ago. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
2. King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender – After his best friend Sandy disappears, twelve-year old Kingston James finds him and agrees to help him escape from his abusive father and they set off on an adventure as their build their own private paradise among butterflies, and King is forced to confront the reality of his brother Khalid’s death and figure out his real identity. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
3. When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey – When accidental magic goes awry and a boy ends up dead, Alexis and her group of best friends come together to fix their mistake, but after countless failed spells, they must learn to live with the consequences. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
4. We Are Totally Normal by Rahul Kanakia – After hooking up with his friend Dave, Nandan decides to give a relationship with him a chance, even though he’s never been into guys. But after his growing anxiety makes him question what his sexuality means for himself, the more he wonders if breaking up with the only person who’s ever made him feel “normal” is worth it. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
Upcoming
5. Somebody Told Me by Mia Siegert (April 7) – After an assault, bigender 17-year old Aleks/Alexis moves in with their uncle, a Catholic priest, and in their new bedroom they can overhear parishioners in the chruch confessional. When Aleks/Alexis overhears another priest confessing to having sexually abused somebody, they try to uncover his identity before he can hurt anyone again. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
6. Rick by Alex Gino (April 21) – When Rick makes it to middle school, he stumbles upon the Rainbow Spectrum club, where kids of multiple identities and genders congregate, and he realizes he wants to be just as understood as them. He finds he also wants to have it all figured out like his fellow classmates, even if he has to break old friendships in the process. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
7. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (May 5) – When an anonymous student starts sending him threatening messages after deadnaming and exposing pictures of him before transitioning to the entire school, Felix Love is after revenge. But he doesn’t count on his catfish scheme putting him in the middle of a love triangle with a frenemy and his best friend, all while he comes to terms with the fact that maybe he didn’t have his gender identity figured out after all. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
8. The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke (September 15) – When the three most popular girls at West High hire outcast teenage lesbian, Sideways Pike, to cast a spell at a Halloween party, she gets swept into their clique, where the four girls bond and form a ferocious coven, party-planning, casting curses on dude-bros, trying to find Sideways a girlfriend, and escaping the hunters determined on stealing their magic. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
9. Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith (May 26) – Transgender boy Pony just wants to fly under the radar at his new school. Cheerleader Georgia plans on keeping a low profile this school year and avoid dating at all costs. But when Pony and Georgia lock eyes on the first day of school, sparks fly. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
10. Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner (May 26) – When Jo’s assistant, Emma, is photographed making the Hollywood powerhouse laugh in the red carpet, a scandal is set ablaze as the tabloids declare them a couple and paparazzis flood every part of their lives. But with Jo’s new film project, the two women get to spend even more time together and realize that the media may not be so wrong after all. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
11. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (September 1) – When his traditional Latinx family hesitates to accept his gender, Yadriel is determined to prove himself as brujo, and with the help of his best friend Maritza, he performs a ritual to find his murdered cousin’s ghost and set it free. However, he instead summons resident bad boy Julian Díaz, and the more time he spends with him trying to unravel the mystery about his death, the more he doesn’t want him to leave. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
12. Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo (August 4) – Two young witches, one grappling with her father’s abandonment and the other with the revelation that she’s intersex, accidentally resurrect a graveyard full of feuding ancestors, and must band together to perform a counter-curse to save themselves and their Appalachian community. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
13. Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp (September 15) – For five friends hiding secrets and with different demons to deal, it was supposed to be one last getaway before they went their separate ways, but things take a deadly twist when the game they’ve been playing for the past three years turns against them. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
14. Who I Was With Her by Nita Tyndall (September 15) – When Corinne Parker’s secret girlfriend of a year, Maggie, dies, she is left heartbroken and with no one to turn to, except Maggie’s ex, Elissa, the only person who knows how she’s feeling. While she battles with her grief and tries to figure out her future, she starts falling for the last person she should catch feelings for. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
15. Miss Meteor by Anna-Marie McLemore & Tehlor Kay Mejia (September 22) – Ex best friends Lita and Chicky team up to make history as they both participate in their small town’s Miss Meteor beauty pageant, where girls like them have never won and they wanna show that they are enough, and they are everything. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
16. Ana on the Edge by A.J. Sass (October 20) – When reigning US Juvenile figure skating champion Anna-Marie Jin finds out next season’s program will be princess-themed, doubt forms. And when Ana meets transgender boy Hayden and gets mistaken for a boy, comfort is found in this new boyish identity. But as the new season approaches, Ana must decide whether telling everyone the truth is worth risking all the years of work and sacrifice. [Amazon] [Indiebound]
Coming Soon… in 2021
17. Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas (March 23) – When the children of the town of Astoria begin disappearing, the questions surrounding Wendy and her brothers’ disappearance five years ago flare back to life. Attempting to run away from her past, Wendy almost runs over a boy she thought only lived in her stories, Peter, who claims that if they don’t do something, the missing children will meet her brothers’ same fate.
18. The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver – When closeted nonbinary kid Liam Cooper’s twin brother dies in a car accident, they start seeing their brother’s face and they must being contend with being half of a whole, while dealing with grief, rejection, fear, and PTSD.
19. May the Best Man Win by Z.R. Ellor – A transgender teen challenges his ex-boyfriend for the coveted title of Homecoming King, but as their campaign hijinks escalate, the two realize they may still have feelings for each other.
20. The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon – Witch and angry trans boy, Wyatt Croft, wants nothing to do with his mediocre magic or his betrothal to fae prince Emyr North, but his plans to change his fate are shattered when the kingdom is threated and Emyr comes to claim him.
21. Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve – When a closeted trans boy gets cast as Romeo in school’s play, he realizes that he can’t go back to being seen as a girl when he steps off the stage.
Other Trans Lists and Articles You Should Read!
- Recommendations: #TransDayofVisibility by Anniek @ Anniek’s Library
- 12 Young Adult Novels to Read On Trans Day of Visibility by Dahlia Adler @ Buzzfeed
- Trans YA Books by Trans Authors by YA Pride
- The Importance of Celebrating Trans Stories by We Need Diverse Books
Santana Reads 
11 replies on “21 New and Upcoming Releases by Trans, Nonbinary, and GNC Authors You Should Have On Your Radar This Trans Day of Visibility”
Thank you so much for this list! 💙💗🤍💗💙
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This is such a great list, I’m so hyped for so many of these!! Thank you for including my post💕
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Thank you so much Anniek! 💕
It was a great post, of course I had to include it 🤗
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Thank you so much for putting this list together. I am especially excited for Cemetery Boys but will definitely be adding many of these to my TBR as well ❤
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Yay, so excited to hear that, Alicia! 😍
Honestly, at this point, whoever isn’t excited about Cemetery Boys cannot and should not be trusted. I just know it’s gonna be amazing 😌
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[…] 23 New and Upcoming Releases by Trans, Nonbinary, and GNC Authors You Should Have On Your Radar – In honor of Trans Day of Visibility, I compiled this list of 2020 and 2021 releases! […]
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Thanks for this list! love your blog. -Neri
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Thank you! <33
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Great list, thanks for sharing! King and the Dragonflies, Ana on the Edge, Rick, and Cattywampus are already on my TBR (I try to keep a close eye on middle grade lit :P). I think I’m most anticipating Rick – I’m curious to read ace rep in a mg novel. I’m also interested in Felix Ever After and Miss Meteor. When We Were Magic is new to me. It sounds like a wild read, adding it to my TBR 🙂
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I’ve already read Felix Ever After and it’s become one of my favorites of the year! It’s heartwrenching but incredibly sweet at the same time and hit very close to home for me. ❤
I have a copy of When We Were Magic I’m hoping to get to VERY soon, and so far I’ve heard pretty good things about it 👀
Thank you for reading! 💓
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[…] new LGBTQ2S+ book Verona Comics; a review of Girls Save the World in This One; and a fantastic list of 23 new and upcoming books by trans, non-binary, and GNC authors! Phew. Dear Carolina, you are on fire, how do you do it? […]
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