(New) AAPI LGBTQIA+ Reads to Check Out!

Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month is almost over, and Pride Month is fast approaching. Below are ten (newer!) books with characters of both identities.

• Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min: Seventeen-year-old Santi Arboleda finally feels settled in his new life in Los Angeles with a growing found family and a relationship with musical prodigy Suwa--until Suwa is offered the chance to step into the spotlight that he has always denied himselfand they must finally face their dreams, their pasts, and their futures, whether together or apart.
• Chasing Pacquiao by Rod Pulido: When Bobby is unwillingly outed he turns to boxing, finding a hero in Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, but when Pacquiao publicly denounces homosexuality, Bobby must discover a hero within himself.
• Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad: When their family’s Songbird Inn on dreamy, drizzly Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest is named the Most Romantic Inn in America, the Singh sisters each question their own idea of love and who they are meant to be with.
• Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Lee Sher: Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians in this heartfelt, joyful paperback original rom-com that follows an aspiring chef who discovers the recipe for love is more complicated than it seems when he starts fake-dating a handsome new customer.
• Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko: Seventeen-year-old Coley is still grieving her mother's death when she moves to rural Oregon and feels more alone than ever, but when she meets Sonya, Coley considers risking it all and opening up her heart to love again.
• I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu: When her best friend and true love disappears, overachieving Chase Ohara finds her life turning into a series of grim snap shots leading to a shocking truth that will change everything about the way she sees Lia and herself. 
• Only this Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian: Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this sweeping intergenerational story, examining queer identity at the end of different decades, follows three boys in the same Iranian family as they each gain a new understanding of their history, culture--and themselves.
• She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran: Seventeen-year-old bisexual Jade Nguyen is spending the summer in Vietnam at the French colonial house her estranged father is fixing up as a vacation rental, but unbeknownst to her family, the house and its ghosts have other plans.
• The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar: Competing on a televised baking competition in the hope of bringing much-needed attention to her parents’ beloved donut shop, Shireen Malik finds things heating up when her fellow contestants include her ex-girlfriend and her new crush, as well as a saboteur. 
• The Loophole by Naz Kutub: When a magical heiress grants him three wishes due to his kindness, Syyed embarks on a wild ride to find his long-lost love for one last, desperate chance at rebuilding his life.