Book Recommendations: HoliGAYS for All!
I mean I know it’s literally “The Holidays” right now, but just in case anyone wants to know what I am reading and enjoying this year, I thought I would throw together a little list of HoliGAYS for All to read and enjoy. This list will contain holiday books that have a LGBTQIA+ main characters. Seriously, it is so cool that almost every year there are new queer holiday reads releasing from major publishers and it is just my favorite!
I would be remiss to not remind you that we have a Bookshop page that has a ton of Holiday Reads listed – including all the ones below…and that shopping there (affiliate link) gives us a tiny bit of change as well as to local bookstores all over the country! You can also buy and gift Libro.fm audiobook credits for those last minute gifts!
HoliGAYS Book Recommendations
The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky – Sweet low stakes holiday romance pitched as “The Santa Clause meets Husband Material” Seriously I was laughing and going “awww this is so cute” the whole time. This is an adult book but suitable for older teens (like I don’t remember any mature scenes). Timothy has a few holiday books (which I love this niche!) and a newest one just released, A Mannequin for Christmas, and guaranteed this is on my library holds, eagerly awaiting as we speak!
I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Mariama J. Lockington – Young Adult sapphic romance, that starts out as a holiday fake dating/influencer marketing and turns into…oh maybe I AM into her!
Flopping in a Winter Wonderland by Jason June – I read this YA gay rom-com in January and it was extremely Christmasy, wintery, and so fun! Like all the winter shenanigans!
Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake – this adult sapphic second chance romance is a moody read, but also just fills a space for two folks who end up back into each others lives for a Christmas holiday away.
Joy to the Girls – A She Gets the Girl Novella by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick – This sapphic ‘college is almost over’ novella is more of a lets help our friends get together while vacationing in a christmasy town and a big dose of lack of communication. It can be little niche of a rec, as it is a sequel to She Gets the Girl, but honestly you could read it without reading the other book, they reference back with enough details…but obvs better if you read and enjoyed the characters. See more of our thoughts here!
There’s Always Next Year by George M. Johnson & Leah Johnson – Okay so this is a New Years based holiday romcom, dual POV, double love story. I haven’t read it yet, but you know for sure it is on my to be read before the end of the year, so I couldn’t leave it off this list!
Honorable Mention:
Leaving the Station by Jake Maia Arlow – Okay this YA/College-aged story takes place during Thanksgiving break technically, but it is new this year, and it is technically a HoliGay book so I wanted to include it. Themes are more along the lines discovering yourself and understanding who you are, but I really loved the messaging and of course the road trip across the country on a train!
There's Always Next Year
by Leah Johnson, George M. Johnsonon December 2, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
Bookshop, Audiobook Libro.FM
Goodreads
From New York Times-bestselling author George M. Johnson and USA Today-bestselling author Leah Johnson comes a revolutionary new holiday romcom for fans of Lynn Painter, Alice Oseman, and Nicola Yoon.
Andy was supposed to shed her too-serious student journalist persona and reinvent herself on New Year's Eve. Instead, she puked on her crush, dropped her phone in a fish tank, and managed to get her car stolen. Now, she only has the first day of the year to stop the gentrification that’s threatening her family’s business right her wrongs from the night before, and figure out why she feels so drawn to the electric new-girl-next-door. . How can Andy find her voice when everything’s being turned upside down?
Dominique is an influencer on the verge of securing a major brand deal that will ensure his future and family legacy. But when he runs into his former best friend, unresolved feelings emerge -- and in a small town, there's nowhere to hide. Not from his cousin, Andy, who has always seen him for his true self, not from his busybody manager, Kim, whose favorite color is money green, and certainly not from himself. When all the world’s a stage, can Dominique rise to superstardom without leaving the ones he loves behind?
There’s Always Next Year is a dual POV, double love story about what it means to nearly blow your life up, and race to put it back together before your time runs out. And if they fail? Well, there’s always next year.
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