Fall is finally just around the corner and with it some great reads. From retellings to The Parent Trap level antics, there is something for everyone being released this month from Latine authors. Here are the four books I am most looking forward to.
Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore | On sale September 6, 2022
Ever since The Great Gatsby became public domain at the end of 2020, there has been an influx of retellings of the dazzling 1920s classic. None of which have grabbed my attention quite like this one. Nicolás Caraveo, a 17-year-old transgender boy from Wisconsin travels to New York for the summer to establish himself as a young professional to set up his life as a man. When he arrives, he sees his cousin Daisy has erased her Latine heritage to pass as a white woman and befriends Jay Gatsby, a trans man who wants nothing more than to reconnect with Daisy. And is Nick developing feelings for Gatsby?! Blending the themes of the original, with Latine culture and queerness, this has been one of my most anticipated books of the year!
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas | On sale September 6, 2022
Ever since reading his debut novel Cemetery Boys, I have been obsessed with everything Thomas releases and I doubt this one will be any different. The first book in The Sunbearer Duology, combines Mexican fantasy with teens competing in a fight to the death for glory and honor. And in true Aiden Thomas fashion, the characters are queer, complex, and just a little (okay.. A lot) flawed. Comped to “Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games”, this book is poised to be the next YA obsession.
Meet Me Halfway by Anika Fajardo | On Sale September 13, 2022
I love seeing middle-grade novels and immediately saying, “younger me would have loved this!” then remembering that I can still read it and love it as an adult! In a Parent Trap-esque adventure, Mattie and Mercedes discover that they have the same Columbian father that neither of them has ever met. While the two are polar opposites (and don’t really like each other), they must work together to find this elusive shared dad. This sounds like a perfect coming-of-age story and just look at the cover! Beautiful!
How Not To Drown In A Glass of Water by Angie Cruz | On sale September 13, 2022
Critically acclaimed for her 2019 novel Dominicana, Cruz is back with another strong female character we can’t help but root for. The story of late 50s, recently laid-off Cara Romero is told through her conversations with her job counselor. Over the course of their twelve sessions, Cara recounts her tempestuous love affairs, her alternately biting and loving relationships with her neighbor Lulu and her sister Angela, her struggles with debt, gentrification, and loss, and, eventually, what really happened between her and her estranged son, Fernando. I can’t wait to read these conversations that Kirkus Reviews said were “A poignant portrait of one fallible, wise woman and a corner of one of New York’s most vibrant immigrant communities.”
Sabrina Moorer (she/her) is a senior at Towson University double majoring in English and Mass Communications. Even though she works at the library, she still spends all her free time there, searching for the next 5-star read to obsess over.
