20 Books by Latinx Authors Coming Out in 2024 You Need to Read

Latinx authors had a great year in 2023 and we’re thrilled to see that 2024 will be no different. We have a long way to go in terms to increasing Latinx representation in publishing, especially showcasing more Afro-Latinx and Indigenous Latinx authors. But strides are undoubtedly being made and we’re excited that even more Latinx authors will be on the shelves this year. We put together this list to showcase just how many Latinx books will be coming out over the following months. We also made sure to round up titles in a variety of genres and including novels, short stories, and memoirs for all ages, so there’s sure to be something for everyone. This is by no means an exhaustive list but a starting place as you curate your TBR lists for the year. Read on to learn more about 19 books by Latinx authors that we’re excited to read in 2024.

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

Release Date: January 23, 2024

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James is a magical realism western following two generations of a single family. First is Antonio Sonoro, a legendary bandido known as El Tragabalas in 1895 Dorado, Mexic who is desperate to support his family after he runs out of money, bullets, and options. When he hears about a train filled with treasures, he ropes in his brother Hugo to rob it, only for Hugo to get killed by Texas Rangers and Antonio to embark on a dangerous quest for revenge. Years later in 1964, Jaime Sonoro, a renowned Mexican actor and singer, finds his life upended when he discovers a book with the entire history of his family and their horrific crimes. He soon realizes he will have to pay the cosmic debt unless he can unearth the true story about his grandfather Antonio, facing the lasting horrors of border politics, intergenerational trauma, and racism and colonialism along the way.

When Stars Have Teeth by Dani Trujillo 

Release Date: February 13, 2024

When Stars Have Teeth is the second novel from Dani Trujillo, this time following Buffy Yellowbird, a young woman who knows exactly what she wants out of life. After going to college and moving to the city, she now works at the San Francisco Urban Indian Center. It’s her dream job, other than the non-Native board that forces Buffy to fight just to give the community what they need. She doesn’t have time for love or romance, much less her family. All of that changes when she meets Santiago Morales, an immigration lawyer who only seems like a distraction, but is really serious about settling down. The sparks between the two quickly turn into flames and they agree to an associates with benefits arrangement. But just as fast, Buffy finds herself wanting more than a casual relationship with Santiago, but she will have to face the darkest parts of herself and decide once and for all if she’s worthy of love.

Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares 

Release Date: February 20, 2024

Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares is a reimagining of Zorro that takes place in sixteenth-century New Spain where witchcraft is illegal, Indigenous temples are in ruins, and myths and legends are hidden away in the night. Lady Leonora de las Casas Tlazohtzin is a fragile, silent, tragic woman who is promised to the heir of the Spanish throne. But at night she becomes Pantera, a vigilante hidden behind a mask who uses her magic and sword fighting skills to fight Spanish rule. The only thing holding her back is a horrifying prophecy, which predicts that she will die young in battle. When it seems more likely than ever to come true, Leonora must make a choice: either surrender her mask or fight the Spanish until the end. Filled with magic, treachery, and romance, this is a reimagining of the lush setting that will become present-day Mexico and the creation of a legend that lives on.

American Negra by Natasha S. Alford

Release Date: February 27, 2024

American Negra by award-winning journalist Natasha S. Alford is a powerful memoir about multiethnic experiences, race, culture, gender, class, and the search for identity. Based in upstate New York, Alford had a difficult childhood growing up in a working-class family as the daughter of an African American father and Puerto Rican mother. She is the darkest in her family, doesn’t speak Spanish fluently, and struggles to love her hair which is both “good” and “bad” depending on who’s looking at it. Things worsen when she goes to Harvard University. Surrounded by privilege and wealth, she is forced to define her ethnic identity, battle imposter syndrome, and deal with a shocking medical diagnosis. But everything changes when she studies abroad in the Dominican Republic, forever changing her views of Afro-Latinidad and her own Latin roots and setting her on a path to the newsroom as a journalist. Interspersed with cultural analysis and research, this is a spotlight on Afro-Latin identity, Black experiences in the U.S., and the wider history of the African diaspora.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez 

Release Date: March 5, 2024

Anita de Monte Laughs Last is the highly-anticipated second novel by Xochitl Gonzalez following Anita de Monte, an artist on the rise who is tragically found dead in 1985 NYC, and Raquel, an art history student at College Hill preparing her final thesis in 1998. Surrounded by privilege, Raquel feels like a fish out of water, as students of color like her are pressured to work twice as hard. But when she falls for a well-connected older art student, she suddenly finds herself on the path to her own success, even as she continues to straddle two worlds. When she stumbles on Anita and her story, she becomes hyper-aware of the eerie similarities between their two stories: the uneven power dynamics, the quick rise to fame. Alternating between the two women, Gonzalez returns to explore power, love, art, remembrance, and elitism.

Chicano Frankenstein by Daniel A. Olivas

Release Date: March 5, 2024

Chicano Frankenstein by Daniel A. Olivas is a modern, Latinx retelling of the iconic Mary Shelley gothic novel that follows a paralegal who is controversially brought back to life and forced to move through a near-future world that has no idea what to do with him. As the President of the United States is vocally anti-reanimation, giant pharmaceutical companies make millions off of him. Then the man falls in love with Faustina Godínez, a lawyer who expands his world with her own family and friends and helps him rediscover the past that was erased from his memory during the reanimation process. Blending together elements of science fiction, horror, political satire, and romance, the story explores ever-relevant issues of belonging, assimilation, bigotry, and humanity.

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk 

Release Date: March 5, 2024

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk and translated by Heather Cleary follows two women across two time periods: a vampire who travels to nineteenth-century Buenos Aires where villages are being transformed into cities, the curse of yellow fever bubbling beneath the surface; and a woman in present-day Buenos Aires who finds herself at a crossroads between her mother’s illness and her own journey toward motherhood. When she meets the vampire in a cemetery, they realize they are both confronting fear, loneliness, mortality, desire, and longing, and once they cross into the threshold together, they can never turn back.

Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura 

Release Date: March 26, 2024

Like Happiness is a debut novel from Ursula Villarreal-Moura that follows Tatum Vega, a woman who lives in 2015 Chile with her partner Vera and works at the art museum, all of which helps her forget the years she spent in New York City with renowned author M. Domínguez. But when an American reporter calls asking for an interview and tells her that Domínguez has been accused of assault, all of the walls Tatum has created come crashing down. Suddenly, she is forced to face the truth about her destructive relationship with him that completely left a mark on her early adulthood. Alternating between her present-day and a letter she wrote to Domínguez, the novel explores gender, celebrity, memory, fame, and power imbalances in relationships.

The Waves Take You Home by María Alejandra Barrios Vélez 

Release Date: March 29, 2024

The Waves Take You Home by María Alejandra Barrios Vélez follows Violeta Sanoguera, a woman who has always did what she’s been told, leaving the man she loved in Colombia to please her mother and grandmother, and fleeing to New York City to create a better life. Pursuing an education with a new partner, she finally feels like she’s made a new life for herself on her own terms. But everything changes when her grandmother dies, and Violeta returns to Colombia as the ghost of her grandmother sends her messages and signs. When she lands, she learns that she’s the heir of the family restaurant, leading her back to her home, her grandmother, her dreams, her past, and the flame of an old love.

The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez

Release Date: April 2, 2024

If you loved How García Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies, be sure to check out Julia Alvarez’s latest novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories. We follow Alma Cruz, a celebrated writer who does everything she can to avoid ending up like her fellow novelist friend who went insane trying to finish a book. She goes so far as to return to her homeland in the Dominican Republic and take possession of a small plot of land. She turns it into a burial ground for her untold stories, burying manuscript drafts and revisions, and characters who continue to haunt her. Soon, they come to life, from Bienvenida, the abandoned second wife of DR’s dictator Rafael Trujillo, to Manuel Cruz, a doctor who fought in the Dominican underground. But against Alma’s wishes, they begin to defy her, talking back to her, talking behind her back, rewriting and revising themselves. It will be up to Alma to find the meaning they yearn for in the stories of their lives.

Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa 

Release Date: April 9, 2024

Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa follows Rafael Alvarez who in the span of 24 hours manages to do the most: leading his high school mariachi team to their 11th consecutive first-place win in the Mariachi Extravaganza de Nacional, meeting a cute guy, making out with him, and almost hooking up. Eight months later, he finds himself and his family shuttling off to San Antonio right before his senior year, not to mention losing his beloved abuelo. Things get even worse when he joins the group at his new school, expecting to again become lead vocalist, only to be pitted against Rey Chavez, the boy he made out with eight months prior. Torn between his feelings for Rey and their natural rivalry, he must make a choice between staying true to his family or the boy he’s falling for.

I’ll Give You a Reason by Annell López

Release Date: April 9, 2024

I’ll Give You a Reason is a short story collection by Annell López that follows a fascinating cast of characters: a young widow who goes on a date after her husband’s death and ends up hunting a bear with a stranger; a happy wife who finds solace in her mother’s love spells; a college-student who discovers that a porn star shares her name and falls into a rabbit hole of self-empowerment and bodily autonomy. Dealing with issues of race, identity, connection, sexuality, religion, body image, Blackness, colorism, and gentrification, all the stories are tied together by their common setting of Ironbound, an immigrant neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, as well as their chase of the “American Dream.”

Oye by Melissa Mogollon

Release Date: May 14, 2024

Oye by Melissa Mogollon follows Luciana, a young high school senior who is used to being the baby of her Colombian American family and shuttled to the sidelines. But when their South Florida town is hit by a hurricane warning and her grandmother is given a troubling medical diagnosis, she finds herself becoming the caretaker, translator, secret keeper, and leader of the pack carrying all the responsibility while her older sister Mari is away at college. Structured as a series of one-sided phone calls to Mari, Luciana begins to narrate her frustrating, complicated life, from when Abue moves into her bedroom and starts throwing out unreasonable demands, to when all of her attempts to sneak out and meet girls are shut down. Heartfelt and devastating, this is one phone call you won’t want to miss out on eavesdropping on.

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass 

Release Date: May 14, 2024

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass takes place on the small Caribbean Island of St. Virgil, where a young woman named Selina DaSilva doesn’t believe in magic, contrary to what other residents believe. Instead, she spends her time dreaming of leaving the island and studying pharmacology. But when a violent attack leaves her father dead and her mother in a coma, she finds herself tethered to the island and working in tourism pushing fake talismans and protection rituals. Then she discovers that one tourist is being accused of strange murders and can no longer deny the evil lurking on the island, nor avoid her ex-boyfriend and journalist Gabriel. Intent on finding the murderer and claiming justice, Selina joins forces with him to solve the mystery, only to discover feelings for Gabriel and secrets about her family’s past that she didn’t expect.

Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders by Vannesa Angélica Villareal

Release Date: May 14, 2024

Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders by poet Vannesa Angélica Villareal is an essay collection that uses music, fantasy, and pop culture as a way to examine her marriage, her relationships, her family history, her experiences with migration and colonialism, and her assimilation into mainstream American culture. Structured in chapters that re-imagine and contextualize what has been lost, she spans a wide range of topics, from the gender performativity of Nirvana and Selena, to a racial reading of Jon Snow in Game of Thrones. Other times, she gets more personal, reflecting on her childhood, eldest daughter traumas, and her divorce and finding a new way to remember her stories through fantasy, hope, and magic.   

The Quince Project by Jessica Parra 

Release Date: May 28, 2024

The Quince Project by Jessica Parra follows Castillo Torres, the Student Body Association event chair and serial planner who could use a little fairy magic in her life. From everything going wrong at her sister’s quinceañera to her mother’s unexpected passing, Cas’s life feels beyond the help of a good planner. When she sees that a local lifestyle-guru-slash-party-planner has opened up applications for an internship, she’s determined to get it, except that she needs more party planning experience before she can apply. Soon, she manages to book a quinceañera for a teen Disneyland vlogger, only to discover that the party was a publicity stunt and that she might be falling for the chambelán. It will be up to Cas to discover if she can handle her life going off-script or if she will stay a planner for other people forever.

Isabel and the Rogue by Liana De la Rosa 

Release Date: June 4, 2024

Isabel and the Rogue by Liana De la Rosa is a love story between two unexpected people. First, Isabel Luna Valdés, an heiress and the “forgotten” Luna sister who finds her life changing when the Mexican ambassador in London recruits her to unearth British intelligence that might help Mexico win the war against the French. Then, there’s Captain Sirius Dawson, a covert agent for the British Home Office who makes a game out of befriending politicians and seducing ladies all in an effort to learn their secret. But when he spies Isabel lurking in the shadows, he can’t resist her wit or charm. The only problem? Isabel discovers private correspondence that could change Mexico’s political turmoil and she’s unwilling to sacrifice her country for anything, even if it means ignoring her heart.

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 

Release Date: July 16, 2024

The Seventh Veil of Salome is the latest novel from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, known for her gothic novel Mexican Gothic, now delving into a historical epic about film and love. It’s 1950s Hollywood and every major actress wants to play the historic figure Salome in the big-budget movie. But unexpectedly, the film’s director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican actress, in the lead role, spurring gossip, scandal, and jealousy especially from star Nancy Hartley, who is determined to do anything to get back in the spotlight after a stalled career. Alternating between the stories of these two women, we also learn the story of the princess Salome herself, longing for a prophet who predicts the downfall of her stepfather Herod and torn between duty and love. This is a tantalizing Technicolor saga you’ll want to see before the curtain comes down.

There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven: Stories by Ruben Reyes Jr.

Release Date: August 6, 2024

There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven: Stories is Ruben Reyes Jr.’s debut story collection that seeks to uncover the truth behind Central American identity through dreamlike worlds, blurred boundaries, and strange happenings. In one story, a regular man wakes up to discover that he’s a famous reggaetón star. In another, an abuela slowly transforms into a marionette puppet. Featuring a whole cast of characters including mango farmers, ex-guerilla fighters, and cyborgs, these are stories about hard choices and the longing to be heard in a world that only wants to silence you.

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez

Release Date: March 5, 2024

The Great Divide is the third book by Cristina Henríquez who is of Panamanian descent so it’s fitting that her latest centers on the building of the Panama Canal. The epic strings together the stories of a local fisherman named Francisco and his son Omar, who decided to work as a digger at an excavation site where he meets 16-year-old Ada who comes to his rescue when he collapses on the job. Researcher John Oswald is touched by Ada’s compassion and hires her to care for his ailing wife. The book highlights the stories of those rarely acknowledged in history centering on sacrifice, loyalty, and ambition.