Hi guys! I hope your weekend is going well! 🙂

One of my goals for the new year that I think some of you can agree with is wanting to read more diversely. In the past few months, I’ve added a bunch of diverse books to my TBR, and so I thought today I would spotlight a few. Some are out and some aren’t, but I’m not including sequels or other series installments. There are many more, but these are just some I’m especially looking forward to reading.

On that note, let’s dive in!

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Note: If I mislabel anything, please let me know so I can correct it. 🙂

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie – features pirates and a lesbian romance! I haven’t heard too much about this, but I know the sequel comes out soon. The story sounds interesting, and the reviews I have seen are very positive.

As I Descended by Robin Talley – a Macbeth retelling with a lesbian romance, Mexican character, and disabled character! Normally I’m not a fan of Shakespeare, but this book sounds intriguing so I’ll give it a try anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ash by Malinda Lo – a lesbian Cinderella retelling! This sounds like an epic story and I haven’t heard much about it, so I’m especially curious.

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour – a contemporary set in Hollywood with a lesbian romance! I’ve heard wonderful things about this book and I think I need a cute story in my life. 🙂

Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh (out May 16th) – can we take a minute and admire this cover? *heart eyes* This is a Mulan retelling * set in feudal Japan and I NEED IT NOW PLEASE. Like many others, I enjoyed her debut The Wrath & The Dawn, so I’m incredibly excited for this.

* Why aren’t there more of these? I mean, I can’t think of ANY and this needs to be remedied? 🙂

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (out Feb. 28th) – I think everyone has heard of and is extremely excited for this book. The protagonist is black and the story is inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. I’ve heard amazing things from just about everyone that’s received an early copy, and I can’t wait to read it. Also, the title is clever. 😉

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo (out May 30th) – This follows an Asian girl (Korean?) as she tries to navigate love for the first time. It makes me think of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, which I really enjoyed, and this sounds like a wonderful fluff book I’ll like just as much. 🙂

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde (out March 14th) – featuring a queer main character and a character on the autism spectrum! I believe this is about a queer girls falling in love while at a convention. It sounds perfect, to be honest.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate (out May 2nd) – featuring a queer Chinese protagonist! This is kind of like a modern Mulan story, and it follows a girl that pretends to be a boy to make it into the elite boys’ a cappella group at her school. I need this yesterday, please. 😉

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (out May 30th) – another book most people have heard about and can’t wait for. The main characters are Indian-American and are set to be in an arranged marriage with each other. Rishi has to make Dimple fall in love with him while they’re at their summer program. It sounds really cute and I love the cover. 🙂

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember (out May 4th) – first, can I just say that I LOVE the way the cover was designed? And second, I NEED THIS BOOK. It’s a Norse retelling of The Little Mermaid * with a queer protagonist and lesbian romance. It sounds like everything I want in a book. *heart eyes*

* Again, why aren’t there more of these??

You had to see that coming. It’s literally the perfect GIF. 😛

The Tiger’s Watch by Julia Ember (out August 22nd) – I swear to all the fictional gods, Julia Ember has the most BEAUTIFUL covers. *heart eyes* The main character Tashi is gender-fluid and falling in love with an enemy commander. They’re also an inhabitor, which is a soldier that spies/kills with a bonded animal (from Goodreads). If one dies, so does the other. This is going to be an awesome book, I just know it.

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton – this has been on my radar for a while, but I’m especially interested after my friend Erika read and loved it last year. It’s a thriller that takes place at an elite ballet school, and of the three protagonists, one is black, one is a drug addict, and one is Korean-American and suffers from anorexia. I’ve been wanting to read more thrillers, and this seems like a good one to start with.

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo – another book that was bumped up after Erika loved it. This follows a transgender girl * that starts at a new school and falls in love with a boy. It sounds like a really important story, and I want to read it as soon as possible.

* This is one thing I’m working on. The main character Amanda is a boy that became a girl. I think that would label her as a transgender girl, but I’m not sure. If this is incorrect, please let me know! I’m in the process of learning. 🙂

And that wraps up this post!

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Have you read any of these books? If so, did you like them? What diverse books are on your TBR? I’d love to know! Tell me in the comments! 🙂

I’m off to work on my February bullet journal spreads and continue reading Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi. 🙂 I hope you all have a fabulous day/night! ❤

Until next time…

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