This book has already been released and will be the first story I download to my Kindle. It follows Sage Bishop, a teen witch who has dreams of developing her apothecary skills and gaining more attention for her family’s shop. As the shop gains more customers, Sage’s nana hires a girl named Ximena Reyes for help. The problem for Sage is that Ximena is her ex-best friend—and her first crush.
When someone breaks into the store and steals a tonic to erase a council member’s kid’s memory, Sage is determined to figure out who took it. She refuses to let this scandal ruin her family’s business, and decides to investigate along with her new coworker, Ximena, who she’ll have to work out her issues with for the sake of the shop.
Shelley Page aspires to represent LGBTQ+ youth of color. I am so excited for this story, especially with a second-chance romance trope that includes a best friend. The drama and tension are what have me most excited, especially with the mystery element, which I’ve already been planning my theories about. This cozy fantasy romance deserves a much greater readership than it currently has!
16-year-old Lynda Fan has the artistic talent to get into the Rhode Island School of Design. Her seemingly arrogant classmate, Angela, asks for her help and design skills for the creation of her love story-based video game. Lynda believes it will be a great way to demonstrate her experience and work on her skills, so she agrees. While she is dedicated to pursuing her dreams, she also discovers things about herself she didn’t know as she spends more time with Angela.
Alice Lin is an Asian author who has released her first book, Fireworks, and will be releasing this cute, high school-archnemesis romance in the spring. What I am most excited for is the rivals-to-lovers dynamic and to see how Lin handles an asexual main character.
Riley has decided to leave her church after her sister was shunned by the pastor for having an abortion. Riley defends her sister and slaps a girl while at school, and to avoid suspension, she agrees to go to a church camp. The best part is that her best friend, Julia, will be joining her there. What she doesn’t expect is to fall in love with her best friend—who is also the pastor’s daughter!
I am so excited for this release and to see how Voris handles the topics of abortion and the church, especially with the main character being a lesbian and engaging in a relationship with someone from the church as well. I am also excited to see if this book will be anything like the movie But I’m A Cheerleader.
This magical, dark academia novel explores Faith, a young girl attending a school of magic in a town called Ellery West. One day, Faith and another student walk into the woods, but Faith is the only one that leaves, causing her reputation to tank, and her classmates begin to believe she is a danger to them. However, Faith refuses to leave Ellery West, because if she does, so does her magic. Faith finds out that dark magic has been unleashed within her community and is determined to put a stop to it.
What I’m most excited about for this fantasy-horror book are the magical elements, the romantic interest, and the found-family trope. In the future, I hope to review this story—fingers crossed!
Nobody in Particular follows Rosemary of Henland, a princess undergoing the aftermath of a scandal that upset her country and those close to her. She seeks to revive her image; however, this becomes a struggle when a new girl at her boarding school, named Danni, catches her eye. The two begin to spend time together, and rumors circulate. The country and the royal palace will do anything to keep the two apart.
I am excited to see what Rose will do to protect her image while finding happiness. I hope to see acceptance within the royal family and a happy ending between the two girls. It’s been said that the forbidden romance is very similar to the TV show Young Royals.
2025 is offering a wide variety of sapphic young adult novels within the romance, fantasy, horror, and mystery genres from underrepresented and diverse voices. I hope my TBR has inspired you to read something new and support the authors who represent our young LGBTQ+ community.
Anasofia Alejandro, Pine Reads Review Writer