It's 2023, so we're taking a look at some of the excellent trans and nonbinary books and comics being released this year. From spectacular YA fantasy to incredible trans memoirs, and queer graphic novels, here are 20 of our most anticipated trans and non-binary books coming out in 2023.
Note: some release dates of these books may be pushed back and some covers may change.
The Wicked Bargain - Gabe Cole Novoa
YA Pirate Fantasy
28 February 2023
Queer Rep: Trans-masc, Non-Binary
El Diablo is in the details in this Latinx pirate fantasy starring a transmasculine nonbinary teen with a mission of revenge, redemption, and revolution.
On Mar León-de la Rosa's 16th birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship.
When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up your soul to save your father by the Harvest Moon or never see him again.
Never Was - Honor Gavin
Contemporary Fiction
16 March 2023 Queer Rep: Trans-Masc, Queer
Part hallucination, part queer bildungsroman, Never Was is a beautifully strange novel about grief, addiction and working-class masculinity, taking us from a limbo of lost dreams to a small salt-mining town and exploring the way identity is both inherited and re-invented.
Daniel sits on a clifftop in the aftermath of a party at Fin's mansion, looking out over a junky sea. Daniel's not sure why they're there, or who Fin is, even though Fin seems to be somebody famous.
To find out, Daniel must tell Fin the story of their childhood, from bus shelters to playgrounds to McDonalds, from the depth of a salt mine to a nightclub toilet.
Transmogrify! 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic - G. Haron Davis
YA Fantasy Anthology
16 May 2023
Queer Rep: Trans & Non-Binary
Perfect for fans of All Out and Cemetery Boys, this anthology claims a seat at the table of fantasy literature for trans and gender-nonconforming stories.
Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.
Featuring stories from AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy, G. Haron Davis, Mason Deaver, Jonathan Lenore Kastin, Emery Lee, Saundra Mitchell, Cam Montgomery, Ash Nouveau, Sonora Reyes, Renee Reynolds, Dove Salvatierra, Ayida Shonibar, Francesca Tacchi and Nik Traxler.
Bianca Torre Is Afraid Of Everything - Justine Pucella Winans
YA Mystery/Thriller
27 April 2023
Queer Rep: Nonbinary Lesbian
Murder most fowl? In this sardonic and campy YA thriller, an anxious, introverted nonbinary teen birder somehow finds themself solving a murder mystery with their neighbor/fellow anime lover, all while falling for a cute girl from their birding group . . . and trying not to get murdered.
Sixteen-year-old Bianca Torre is an avid birder undergoing a gender identity crisis and grappling with an ever-growing list of fears. Some, like Fear #6: Initiating Conversation, keep them constrained, forcing them to watch birds from the telescope in their bedroom. And, occasionally, their neighbors. When their gaze wanders from the birds to one particular window across the street, Bianca witnesses a creepy plague-masked murderer take their neighbor’s life.
Pageboy: A Memoir - Elliot Page
Memoir - Non-Fiction
06 June 2023
Queer Rep: Trans Men
It was two months before the world premiere of Juno, and Elliot Page was in his first ever queer bar. The hot summer air hung heavy around him as he looked at her. And then it happened. In front of everyone. A previously unfathomable experience.
Here he was on the precipice of discovering himself as a queer person, as a trans person. Getting closer to his desires, his dreams, himself, without the repression he'd carried for so long. But for Elliot, two steps forward had always come with one step back.
With Juno's massive success, Elliot became one of the world's most beloved actors. His dreams were coming true, but the pressure to perform suffocated him. He was forced to play the part of the glossy young starlet, a role that made his skin crawl, on and off set.
Transitional - Munroe Bergdorf
Memoir - Non-fiction
16 February 2023
Queer Rep: Trans Women
In this thought-provoking, timely book, model and activist Munroe Bergdorf reflects on individuality, evolution, and the ever-changing nature of identity, revealing how they have shaped her own lived experience and how society shapes - and is shaped by - each.
When Munroe Bergdorf began to transition in 2009, her only goal was to blend in. More than a decade later, Bergdorf has reconsidered that thinking. For Bergdorf, transitioning is an ingrained part of the human experience, not just a process that only trans people go through. It’s universal. Everyone changes.
Part memoir, part big idea book, Transitional explores the nature of transition, its significance in Bergdorf’s life, how it impacts - and is considered and influenced by - society, and what it means for our own experiences.
Jude Saves The World - Ronnie Riley
Contemporary Middle Grade
18 April 2023
Queer Rep: Non-Binary
Twelve-year-old Jude struggles with some things: focusing at school, feeling like everything rests on their shoulders, not being able to come out as nonbinary to their old-fashioned grandparents. But Jude doesn't struggle with Dallas, their best friend in the whole world. Their person.
Jude and Dallas's world changes when they learn Stevie, a girl in their class, has been ousted from the popular clique at school. Worried it had something to do with Stevie's rumored crush on another girl, Jude reaches out to see if Stevie is okay.
As their friendship deepens and the three open up to each other, Stevie's unconditional and open acceptance when Jude comes out to her motivates them to create a queer safe space in their community. Jude has the courage and determination it takes to create the first Diversity Club in their community, but will they be able to find the support they need to make it happen?
The Borrow A Boyfriend Club - Page Powars
YA Contemporary Romance
14 September 2023
Queer Rep: Trans Men, Queer Men
When sixteen-year-old Noah starts fresh at a new school, he has a plan to ensure the students see him as his true gender: to join the school's secretive Borrow a Boyfriend Club, where members rent themselves out to their classmates for dates. But he fails the audition.
Desperate, he strikes a deal with the club's prickly president, Asher: he'll help lead the nearly-bankrupt club to victory at the school's fundraising dance competition, and Asher will allow Noah to prove his skills as a boyfriend in a series of tests that include romancing Asher himself. As Noah passes test after test and his fake romance with Asher starts to feel surprisingly real, Noah is faced with a dilemma. If he fails to win the dance fundraiser the club will go bankrupt, and he'll not only lose the new friends he's made - the whole school will know he isn't "boy enough." But if Noah succeeds in securing the club their victory, he has to face the most important, unbreakable rule of the Borrow a Boyfriend Club: no real girlfriends (or boyfriends) allowed.
Always the Almost - Edward Underhill
YA Romantic Drama
214 February 2023
Queer Rep: Trans Men, Queer Men
A trans pianist makes a New Year's resolution on a frozen Wisconsin night to win regionals and win back his ex, but a new boy complicates things in Edward Underhill's heartfelt debut.
Sixteen-year-old trans boy Miles Jacobson has two New Year’s resolutions: 1) win back his ex-boyfriend (and star of the football team) Shane McIntyre, and 2) finally beat his slimy arch-nemesis at the Midwest’s biggest classical piano competition. But that’s not going to be so easy. For one thing, Shane broke up with Miles two weeks after Miles came out as trans, and now Shane’s stubbornly ignoring him, even when they literally bump into each other.
Then Miles meets the new boy in town, Eric Mendez, a proudly queer cartoonist from Seattle who asks his pronouns, cares about art as much as he does—and makes his stomach flutter. Not what he needs to be focusing on right now.
Mimosa - Archie Bongiovanni
Graphic Novel - Adult Contemporary
07 February 2023
Queer Rep: Non-Binary, Trans Women, Trans Men, Queer Cast
Archie Bongiovanni, the comics artist behind the hit A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns, explores queerness in this shockingly frank and funny graphic novel.
Best friends and chosen family Chris, Elise, Jo, and Alex work hard to keep themselves afloat. Their regular brunches hold them together even as the rest of their lives threaten to fall apart. In an effort to avoid being the oldest gays at the party, the crew decides to put on a new queer event called Grind – specifically for homos in their dirty thirties.
While navigating exes at work, physical and mental exhaustion, and drinking way, way too much on weekdays, this chosen family proves that being messy doesn’t always go away with age.
Ander & Santi Were Here - Jonny Garza Villa
YA Contemporary Romance
06 April 2023
Queer Rep: Trans Men, Queer Men
Finding home. Falling in love. Fighting to belong. Ander & Santi Were Here is a stunning YA contemporary love story about a Mexican-American teen who falls in love with an undocumented Mexican boy.
The Santos Vista neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, is all Ander Lopez has ever known. The smell of pan dulce. The mixture of Spanish and English filling the streets. And, especially their job at their family's taquería. It's the place that has inspired Ander as a muralist, and, as they get ready to leave for art school, it's all of these things that give them hesitancy. That give them the thought, are they ready to leave it all behind?
US - Sara Soler
Graphic Novel - Romance
13 June 2023
Queer Rep: Trans & Queer Women
What happens when the life you had assumed takes a 180-degree turn? Nothing... And also everything.
Us is a love story between Sara and Diana, and also the story of Diana's transition. After fears that this sudden turn in their relationship could end things, they realize that they still like and love each other and that nothing has changed between them. Now, they'll have to come out of the closet and face the gaze of their family and social environment.
Us intends to make the trans reality visible and contribute its vision and grain of sand in the face of the great misinformation that exists about gender dysphoria, with humor and from our own experience.
Court Of The Undying Seasons - A.M. Strickland
YA Paranormal Fantasy
11 MAy 2023
Queer Rep: LGBTQ+ Cast pansexual demigirl exploring outside of gender norms, bigender, agender, aro/ace.
In becoming a vampire, I’m less than a girl. And more. Or maybe I’m becoming what I always have been, deep inside. A blade.
When nineteen-year-old Fin volunteers to take her secret love's place in their village's Finding, she is terrified. Those who are chosen at the Finding are whisked away to Castle Courtsheart, a vampire school where human students either succeed and become vampires, fail and spend the rest of their lives as human thralls... or they don't survive long enough to become either. Fin is determined to forge a different path: learn how to kill the undead and get revenge for her mother, who was taken by the vampires years ago.
As Fin begins to discover new aspects of her own identity and test her newfound powers, she stumbles across a string of murders that may be connected to a larger ritual - one with potentially lethal consequences for vampires and humans alike. Fin must uncover the truth and find the killer before she loses her life...or betrays her own heart.
A Trans Man Walks into a Gay Bar - Harry Nicholas
Memoir - Non-Fiction
18 May 2023
Queer Rep: Trans Men, Queer Men
After his relationship with his girlfriend of 5 years ended, Harry realised he was a single adult for the first time – not only that, but a single, transmasculine and newly out gay man.
Despite knowing it was the right decision, the reality of his new situation was terrifying. In this raw, intimate and unflinchingly honest book, we follow Harry as he navigates the sometimes fraught and contradictory worlds of contemporary gay culture as a trans gay man, from Grindr, dating and gay bars, to saunas, sex and ultimately, falling in love. Harry’s brave and uplifting journey will show you there is joy in finding who you are.
Breakup, Makeup - Stacey Anthony
YA Contemporary Romance
25 May 2023
Queer Rep: Non-Binary, Queer Men
Glow Up meets Comic Con in this bold, queer second chance romance where a special effects makeup artist must compete against their ex-boyfriend in a unique makeup and cosplay competition to win the scholarship of their dreams... and maybe their ex's heart.
Eli Peterson is a self-taught, up-and-coming makeup artist in the cosplay scene who is just barely making ends meet. While they might be slaying it with their breath-taking, innovative looks, they're also trying to save up enough money for top surgery and convince their parents that taking a gap year to focus on their dream of being a makeup artist is worthwhile. During a convention, Eli hears about Makeup Wars, a cosplay makeup competition that could change everything. The problem is that they be going head-to-head with some of the most talented up-and-coming makeup artists - including rival influencer Zachary Miller, who also happens to be their ex-boyfriend.
Multiversity: Teen Justice Vol. 1 - Danni Lore & Ivan Cohen
21 March 2023 - DC Comics
LGBTQ+ Rep: Non-Binary & Genderfluid, Queer Men LGBTQ+ Cast
£14.99
Kid Quick-the Future State Flash-and their fellow heroes Supergirl, Robin, Aquagirl, Klarienne the Witch Girl, and Troy take center stage in this thrilling collection that rocks Earth-11 to its core!
The secrets of Earth-11's newest heroes and villains unfold in DC's most exciting new team title! Teen Justice investigates the Church of Blood-is Sister Blood's true mission among the lost souls of New York City and will Teen Justice have what it takes to get past their growing pains and stop it? When their efforts to infiltrate the mysterious church backfire, one hero faces a devastating loss. Meanwhile, Supergirl and Robin attract surprising allies when they discover an unexpected mystery, Aquagirl finds herself out of her element (and then some), and Teen Justice discover the threat they face is even greater than they imagined! Follow along as Teen Justice uncovers the answers to all their questions in Multiversity: Teen Justice!
Chef's Choice - T.J. Alexander
Contemporary Adult Romance
30 May 2023
Queer Rep: Trans Women, Trans Men, T4T
When Luna O'Shea is unceremoniously fired from her frustrating office job, she tries to count her blessings: she's a proud trans woman who has plenty of friends, a wonderful roommate, and a good life in New York City. But blessings don't pay the bills.
Enter Jean-Pierre, a laissez-faire trans man and the heir to a huge culinary empire which he'll only inherit if he can jump through all the hoops his celebrity chef grandfather has placed in his path. First hoop: he needs a girlfriend, a role that Luna is happy to play for the right price.
She's got rent to pay, after all! Second hoop: they both need to learn how to cook a series of elaborate, world-renowned family recipes to prove that Jean-Pierre is a worthy heir. Admittedly, Luna doesn't even know how to crack an egg, but she's not going to let that any pesky feelings for Jean-Pierrestop her.
Endpapers - Jennifer Savran Kelly
Contemporary Fiction
28 March 2023
Queer Rep: Genderqueer
An accessible, character-driven story set in 2003 New York City about a genderqueer book conservator who feels trapped by her gender presentation, her ill-fitting relationship, and her artistic block, as she discovers a decades-old hidden queer love letter and becomes obsessed with tracking down its author.
It’s 2003, and artist Dawn Levit is stuck. A bookbinder who works in conservation at the Met, she spends her free time scouting the city’s street art, hoping something might spark inspiration. Instead, everything looks like a dead end. And art isn’t the only thing that feels wrong: wherever she turns, her gender identity clashes with the rest of her life. Her relationship, once anchored by shared queerness, is falling apart as her boyfriend Lukas increasingly seems to be attracted to Dawn only when she’s at her most masculine. Meanwhile at work, Dawn has to present as female, even on the days when that isn’t true. Either way, her difference feels like a liability.
World Running Down - Al Hess
Dystopian Science-Fiction
14 February 2023
Queer Rep: Trans Men, Queer Men
Valentine Weis is a salvager in the future wastelands of Utah. Wrestling with body dysphoria, he dreams of earning enough money to afford citizenship in Salt Lake City - a utopia where the testosterone and surgery he needs to transition is free, the food is plentiful, and folk are much less likely to be shot full of arrows by salt pirates. But earning that kind of money is a pipe dream, until he meets the exceptionally handsome Osric.
Once a powerful AI in Salt Lake City, Osric has been forced into an android body against his will and sent into the wasteland to offer Valentine a job on behalf of his new employer - an escort service seeking to retrieve their stolen androids. The reward is a visa into the city, and a chance at the life Valentine's always dreamed of. But as they attempt to recover the "merchandise", they encounter a problem: the android ladies are becoming self-aware, and have no interest in returning to their old lives.
All About Romance - Daniel Tawse
YA Romance
06 July 2023
Queer Rep: Non-Binary
Roman Bright has always loved love stories. But being a non-binary teenager in a small northern town means their dating pool is limited and they haven't had their own sweeping romance... yet.
When anonymous postcards from 'Big Red' start showing up in Roman's locker and shortly afterwards entire walls of brightly coloured graffiti appear around the school signed by the same person, Roman is intrigued.
Do they have a secret admirer? Roman thinks they know who is leaving these messages - their mega-crush and almost-boyfriend from last year, JJ. But when it becomes clear JJ isn't going to reveal themselves, Roman has to decide if they can be brave enough to make the first move.
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