Adrian and Mark are two best friends living on opposite sides of the country. In his 20s, Adrian has enjoyed the privileges that come with his beauty: taking his pick of lovers (men and women), being offered luxurious vacations, and generally floating through life. But when the masks come off in 2021, he makes the shocking realization that he is no longer beautiful. Meanwhile, Mark has become terminally ill with the same disease his mother and sister have. He searches for answers by watching dozens of mysterious VHS tapes left to him by his sister. Adrian and Mark find comfort in their enduring friendship—even as they hide their struggles from each other. This one was recently included in NPR’s year-end Books We Love list!

In this novel by Cameroonian filmmaker Osvalde Lewat, Katmé Abbia enjoys a comfortable life by being married to Tashun, the prefect of the capital of the fictional country of Zambuena. She finds companionship, however, in her best friend, a gay artist named Samy. When Katmé visits Samy’s art exhibit that she and her husband funded, though, she realizes it’s critical of the Zambuenan government. Samy is threatened with incarceration, and Katmé is forced to choose between her marriage and her only real friend.

I just finished reading this one, and I really enjoyed it! It’s a multigenerational family story with a touch of the gothic. The Cole family is cursed. There are always two Cole women on Juniper Island, and every birth comes with a death: the older Cole woman will walk into the ocean, joining the ghosts of the women who came before her. We cycle through three generations of Cole women who struggle to accept or defy their fates. This includes a 1950s sapphic love story set in a library, and who can resist that?

It starts with an infected hangnail. Then each of Lorenzo’s fingernails falls off, and it becomes impossible to deny his illness. He leaves his lover behind to travel from Colombia to Paris, reconnecting with old friends who are also sick.

In this surreal novel, a ship of bohemian artists dying of AIDS takes a last trip through the Galapagos Islands. As their bodies break down, they drink, feast, and spin tales.

Alexis Hall is a wildly prolific author, and this latest book is the third installment in a series inspired by The Great British Bake Off. This story follows the titular Audrey, who exchanged a high-pressure life for a quieter one, and then applied to a baking reality show anyway. While there, her passions as a journalist are reignited. Her romantic passions ignite as well when a grumpy show producer has her contemplating a forbidden relationship. —Isabelle Popp

Are you into the recent boom of queer fantasy romances in translation? They always have the best premises. Here, Mo Tianliao was killed just before he completed creating a world-destroying weapon. In his dying breath, he saved his beloved white kitten. Four hundred years later, Mo Tianliao is starting life over as a tree. His master on his new and righteous path is Qingtong, whose mannerisms bear a striking resemblance to a beloved cat. If you love that “I’ll find you in every lifetime” idea, pick this one up. —Isabelle Popp

This is a powerhouse, absolute dream of a writing duo. That they’re teaming up to write a holiday rom-com makes my dark heart light up.

Andy was going to shed her too-serious persona on New Year’s Eve, but everything she planned fell apart after she got her car stolen, threw up on the person she’s been crushing on, and lost her phone in a fish tank. It’s now time to hurry to do everything she can to save the family business from local gentrification, fix everything that happened the night before, and figure out how she feels about the new girl next door.

Then there’s Dominique, who is about to score a major brand deal in his influencing work. It’s the kind of deal that would help secure the future of him and his family. But then some unresolved feelings about a former best friend bubble up, and he can’t hide them from anyone. It’s tough living in a small town and being close to people like his cousin Andy, who has always seen Dominique’s most authentic self. Can Dominique score this deal without selling himself or anyone else out?

This is a novel with two points of view and two different romances that emerge. It’s also a story about living as your true self and honoring what it is you really want—not what others expect of you. —Kelly Jensen

Danmei books—Chinese “Boys’ Love” stories—seem to have blown up this year. Now, one of the most popular danmei series has been translated and adapted into a full-color graphic novel. It follows Xie Lian, who has been cast out of the heavens twice before. When he ascends to godhood for the third time, he has to prove himself to the other gods by hunting deadly ghosts in the mortal realm. There, he meets a young man with a disarming smile who is keeping secrets of his own.