15 Must-Read Books by Latina Writers in Every Genre

It’s Book Lovers Day! Celebrated annually on August 9, Book Lovers Day is the excuse we need to pick up our favorite libros and celebrate all the amazing books and authors we love. Though there is some progress being made, sometimes it can be hard to find books by Latinx authors because of how little we’ve been represented in mainstream publishing. Those numbers are slowly changing and we’re starting to see more voices from our community uplifted and celebrated across all genres. So if you need help picking a book to read this Book Lovers Day, we’ve put together this list of books by Latina authors in 15 different genres from middle grade to horror to historical fiction, so there’s sure to be something for everyone. From the beloved young adult novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez to sports fiction favorite Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez. Read on to learn more about some of the best books in their respective genres by Latina writers.

Romance: West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras 

Written by Puerto Rican-Mexican American author Priscilla Oliveras, West Side Love Story is the Romeo and Juliet retelling for fans of mariachi, sisterhood, and powerful Latinas. The novel follows the star-crossed love of Mariana Capuleta and Angelo Montero, who find themselves caught between their feuding families when both of their mariachi bands enter the same Battle of the Mariachi Bands competition. While the couple grows closer, fizzling out from enemies to passionate lovers, so do the stakes. Secrets, betrayals, rivalries, sacrifices, despite everything, attempts toward peace, abound in this moving, heart-wrenching story.

Young Adult: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez (soon to be a feature film directed by America Ferrera), follows a young Mexican American teen named Julia whose entire family is broken after her older sister Olga dies in a tragic accident. While everyone thought she was the perfect daughter, Julia goes on a journey of truth-seeking and self-discovery to find out that the truth is much more complicated, changing the dynamic of her family forever. She also encounters romance with a white boy, navigates cultural differences in her community, and comes to terms with her grief for her sister.

Middle grade: Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher

Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher takes places in 2032 America where all citizens are chipped and tracked at all locations. At any moment, the government could pinpoint their location from a bus stop to a grocery store. For most, it’s almost impossible to survive as an undocumented immigrant but not for 16-year-old Vali, who has carved out a stable life with her family in a small-town in Vermont. But when Vali’s mother’s counterfeit chip starts malfunctioning, the Deportation Forces raid their home and the whole family is forced to flee to California, a sanctuary state that’s being walled off from the rest of the country that’s descending into an anti-immigrant zone. After Vali’s mother is detained, Vali is forced to continue on the run with her younger brother across the country to make it to safety before it’s too late. Gripping and fast-paced, this is a powerful story of survival, power, and hope for a better future for undocumented immigrants.

Picture book: Gloriana, Presente by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris

Gloriana, Presente is the latest picture book for children by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris who also wrote the picture book Plátanos Are Love. The story centers on Gloriana’s first day of elementary school. To soothe Gloriana’s nerves, Abuela tells her family stories from their home in the Dominican Republic, which works until Gloriana enters the classroom where she’s surrounded by English phrases she doesn’t understand. Every time kids approach her at recess or she’s spoken to in class, she freezes in silence, unsure how to exist between two homes, two languages, two vastly different worlds. Recognizing her own immigration journey in Gloria’s first day of school, Abuela guides her granddaughter toward a stronger sense of confidence, pride, and self-love, celebrating what it means to exist in the in-between.

Literary Fiction: A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

Set in 1930s Spain, A Long Petal of the Sea by prolific Chilean writer Isabel Allende takes place during a period of civil war when fascists overthrow the government, forcing thousands to flee over the border and into France. One refugee, Roser, is a pregnant young widow who crosses paths with Victor Dalmau, a doctor and the brother of her deceased husband. In order to survive, they unwillingly enter into marriage and embark together on the SS Winnipeg charted by renowned Chilean poet Pablo Neruda in order to reach Chile alongside two thousand other Spanish refugees. As Europe erupts into a second world war, they embrace exile on a new continent even as they face a series of tribulations and trials. Even so, they hold onto the hope that they might return home to Spain. Yet, witnessing the ancient battle between freedom and repression, they find out that home might have been closer than they thought all along.

Horror: Goddess of Filth by V. Castro

Goddess of Filth by V. Castro follows best friends Lourdes, Fernanda, Ana, Perla, and Pauline as they hold a séance one hot summer night. While it’s fun and games at first, the evening becomes terrifying when flames burn through their prayer candles and Fernanda starts crawling toward her friends and chanting in Nahuatl. After that night, Fernanda, once so shy and modest, starts smearing herself in black makeup, shredding her hands on rose thorns, and sucking sin out of the mouths of the guilty. Though a local priest known as Father Moreno is convinced that she has been possessed by a demon, Lourdes fears it may be something even more ancient and powerful. As the Father becomes more obsessed with Fernanda overtime, Lourdes decides to enlist the powers of her friends and a local doctor to get to the bottom of what has truly overtaken her friend and whether or not this possession is for life.

Fantasy: The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta 

The Lost Dreamer is a young adult novel by author Lizz Huerta that is inspired by ancient Mesoamerica and follows Indir, a Dreamer descended from a long line of seers who is able to see beyond reality and Dream truth. When the beloved king dies, his son Alcan has no respect for the tradition and wants to bring the Dreamers to a permanent end, which he may just do if Indir discovers the two secrets she’s struggling to keep. As violence continues to wreak havoc on her world, she is forced to make an impossible choice: fight for her home or fight to survive. We also follow Saya, a seer without formal training whose mother exploits her gift by passing it off as her own as they travel from village to village, never staying in one place too long. When Saya loses the necklace she’s worn since birth, she discovers that seeing isn’t her only gift and her whole life has been a carefully-constructed lie. Filled with distrust, she is determined to do what she’s never done before, go where she’s never been, and risk it all in the search of answers. 

Science fiction: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia follows a colorful cast of characters on a luxuriant estate in the sweltering jungles of Mexico. First, there is Carlota Moreau, the only daughter of a researcher who is considered both a genius and a madman. There is Montgomery Laughton, Dr. Moreau’s assistant who helps out with experiments and comes with a tragic past and a penchant for alcohol. Many of the experiments have to do with half-human, half-animal creatures created by the doctor who are programmed to obey their creator. The group lives in a perfectly balanced world that’s as regular as it can be, until their life is shattered by the sudden arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. Moreau’s patron, who unwittingly begins a dangerous chain reaction across the estate. Secrets will be revealed, questions will be answered, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Historical fiction: The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia 

Set during the Mexican Revolution and the influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia follows Simonopio, who was found as a baby abandoned under a bridge in a small Mexican town. Disfigured and covered in bees, he became a figure of superstition, a child kissed by the devil for locals. But for landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, he is their precious adopted child who they raise as if he were their own. Over time, they notice his uncanny gift for seeing visions when he closes his eyes, visions for what’s to come, both good and bad. Followed by his swarm of bees, he exists to protect his adoptive family from human and non-human threats. But his true purpose is soon to be revealed, showcasing the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of a single family.

Sports fiction: Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

Furia by Argentine American author Yamile Saied Méndez is the story of 17-year-old Camila Hassan, both the dutiful daughter of strict parents and a fierce, unmatched player on the soccer field. When her soccer team is eligible to play in a South American tournament, she sees a chance to prove her talents and win a scholarship to a university in North America. The problem is, she needs her parents’ permission to go and, because of their traditional beliefs, they would never allow a girl to play fútbol. Not to mention that Camila’s old flame and international soccer star Diego is back in town, testing her loyalties and dreams for the future. Following its original release in 2020, Furia was the 2021 Inaugural Pura Belpré Young Adult Gold Medalist.

Mystery: Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes

Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes follows Miriam Quiñones-Smith, a food anthropologist whose move from New York to Miami put her academic career on hold in order to raise her son at home. Her unhappiness is only doubled by an opinionated mother-in-law and a husband intent on rekindling a friendship with an ex. Thankfully, her best friend Alma gets her a temporary job as a Caribbean cooking expert on a Spanish-language morning show on national TV. But when she attends a Women’s Club luncheon at the height of her fame, a socialite at the table suddenly dies and falls into a chicken salad. When the morning show’s host dies on TV, suspicion turns to controversial Cuban herbalist Dr. Fuentes, who she was interviewing at the time. Unfortunately, Miriam has also been found at the scene at every turn by the detective, who also catches her breaking into the doctor’s apothecary. He decides to enlist her help as a spy in the Spanish-speaking community and the local social scene. Everyday, Miriam gets closer to understanding how and why these women died. But as she does so, she also gets closer to the day of her own murder.

Thriller: River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan

River Woman, River Demon by Mexican-American and Indigenous author Jennifer Givhan is a psychological thriller like no other. The story follows Eva Santos Moon, a Chicana artist and practicing bruja and curandera who keeps experiencing blackouts, creative blocks, and spiritual disconnect. When her husband is accused of murdering their friend, Eva quickly becomes a suspect in the case, dredging up memories of a childhood friend who died under eerily similar circumstances. Suddenly, as past and present collide in unsettling ways, she no longer knows who to trust, least of all herself. Exploring folk magic, empowerment, revenge, and grief, this is a spell-binding tale of darkness, healing, and renewal.

LGBTQIA+: We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia  

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia follows Daniela Vargas, the top student at the Medio School for Girls for young women trained for one of two roles in their society: to run a husband’s household or raise his children. Unlike the frequent political uprisings of the lower class, both paths promise a life of comfort and luxury. But Daniela has a secret, which she must keep hidden unless she wants to be sent back to the fringes of society: she was born on the wrong side of the wall that divides Medio and was smuggled as a child. But she’s thrown into the crossfire after graduation when she’s asked to spy on her new husband for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio. Ultimately, she’s asked to make perhaps the most important choice of her life, to claim the privilege that her parents fought to win for her or to give up everything she’s fought for in order to create a free Medio and take a chance at forbidden love with her greatest enemy and rival, Carmen.

Magical Realism: Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester

Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester follows Isabel, who meets her father-in-law Omar as an apparition after his death on the day she’s supposed to marry Martin. She already knows that Martin was abandoned by his father years ago and has yet to forgive him. Still, Omar asks Isabel to help with a seemingly impossible task: to persuade Omar’s family to let him redeem himself. As Isabel and Martin settle into a Texas border town and begin their married lives together, Omar stubbornly returns each year on the Day of the Dead, where he speaks urgently to Isabel about the truth behind his disappearance and Martin’s childhood. Unfortunately, only she can see him and Martin and his mother Elda remain oblivious. Then, when Martin’s nephew crosses the border from Mexico into the U.S. and takes refuge in his uncle’s home, she realizes that questions about home, borders, and belonging may finally create a road to lead the family to forgiveness.

Memoir: My (Underground) American Dream: My True Story as an Undocumented Immigrant who Became a Wall Street Executive by Julissa Arce 

My (Underground) American Dream by Julissa Arce documents her story as an undocumented immigrant, which at first reads like a how-to guide for achieving the American Dream: she grows up in an apartment in San Antonio Texas; she works tirelessly; she achieves academic excellence, honors, and scholarships; and to top it off, she lands a job on Wall Street as a vice president at Goldman Sachs with a six-figure salary. Throughout her memoir, she’s unafraid to dig deep into the physical, financial, and emotional costs of being undocumented, which she’s had to keep secret even from her closest friends. Touching on themes of struggle, grief, and redemption, Arce shows what it’s like to live in her shoes and thousands of undocumented immigrants across the U.S.: people who live next door, sit in classrooms, work in the same office, and may very well be your boss. As she shows her journey toward becoming an American citizen, she also reveals the true cost of achieving the American dream from the perspective of a woman who had to do the unthinkable to get there.