If you’re looking for South Asian books by South Asian authors about South Asian experiences, you’re in luck! 2026 brings a bumper crop of new titles with South Asian characters to shelves.
This roundup includes a bit of everything: a luminous debut about a gay Muslim teen who has to choose between being true to himself or his faith; a beautiful and vulnerable coming-of-age family saga about life’s seismic events and the love that helps steady us; and a highly anticipated illustrated novel-in-verse that explores important social issues within the community.
Ready for a good read? Check out these eight South Asian books below.
Better Catch Up, Krishna Kumar by Anahita Karthik, January
“Kick off the year with a rom-com that’s equal parts chaos, charm, and big bi-energy,” says Out SFL of Karthik’s energetic and endearing debut. High school freshman Krishna embarks on a road trip across India to chase her summertime crush after discovering he's left her a last-minute flirty text—while also trying to avoid falling for her rival cousin’s quietly swoon-worthy best friend. A Bollywood-infused slow burn, and an absolute love letter to India.
Ms. Marvel: Remnants of the Past by Saadia Faruqi, January
Pakistani American superhero Kamala Khan journeys to Lahore—the city of her father’s youth—to return a stolen pair of bejeweled Mughal-era spectacles to where they belong. She tussles with a mysterious new bad guy and uncomfortable truths surrounding the colonial looting of treasures. Love a good heist? This “earnest and culturally grounded take on Ms. Marvel,” according to Kirkus Reviews, is fresh and timely.
As Long As You Loathe Me by Swati Hegde, March
Cheer captain Lucy Hughson wears short skirts, while Meera Rao-George wears t-shirts and sits on the bleachers in Hegde’s joyful YA debut. When Meera tries to get back at her ex-best friend Lucy for stealing her crush Sushant, she ends up rekindling their on-again-off-again friendship and feeling all the feels. This angsty romcom will have readers listening to all their favorite Tay-Tay tracks on repeat.
All That Chandni Knows by Khushboo Patel, March
In the opening pages of this gem of a novel-in-verse, 12-year-old Chandni lives a charmed life: doting parents, ride-or-die girlfriends, a new crush. But a devastating taboo threatens to unravel her family and derail her ambitions to enroll in an elite girls’ boarding school. Set in India at the turn-of-the-century, the story touches on colorism, women's safety, patriarchy, the worship of Western ideals, and religious tensions, with incredible skill and compassion.
Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions by Ahmad Saber, March
Is it possible for Ramin Abbas to love Allah and also boys? Pakistani-Canadian high school senior Ramin is a devout Muslim, but also harbors a secret crush on the soccer team's handsome captain at his deeply religious school. As Ramin wrestles with his sexuality and faith—as well as his father's mental health struggles, his mother's worries for the family, and a homophobic bully—he turns to family, new friends, faith leaders, and scripture, before ultimately searching inside himself for answers. A sparking debut: ambitious, thoughtful, and funny.
Right as Rain by Tashie Bhuiyan, March
Recent high school graduate Megh Rashid’s plans to escape her toxic household are thwarted after she’s struck by lightning in this emotional and inventive speculative novel about mental health, resilience, and the search for hope. Megh, who has lived with depression, is now being followed by a storm cloud that’s attuned to her emotions; to get rid of it, she must find a way to control her big feelings—with help from her cousin Sadia, her best friend Emily, and Lev, the gentle new friend who becomes something more.
Bad Queer by Gayathiri Kamalakanthan, June
Prema coming out as non-binary to their queer parents and best friend was a non-event, but catching feelings for Blessing, a boy whose smile has them smitten, is a whole other thing. With gorgeous illustrations by Chi Nwosu, a Black, non-binary, queer, Nigerian artist, this soulful and comical novel-in-verse explores queer families and friendships, and building more just worlds together. “[There's] a queer Tamil family. There’s a trans parent, and as a couple, they are queer, and they have this child,” Kamalakanthan said in an interview with Tamil Guardian. “[When] I'm writing, I'm also planning and rehearsing the future. What kind of parent would I want to be? What would our children learn from us? How would we want to raise children in the future? And how do I teach my child about consent and gender and freedom and bodily autonomy?”
Such Great Heights by Rajani Larocca, August
Acclaimed middle-grade author Larocca makes her YA debut in this highly original retelling of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Aspiring lawyer Siya Kumar joins her school’s mock trial team to honor the memory of her mother, and she couldn’t be happier when Raj Raghavan, mock trial team captain and soccer star, notices her. But when she accidentally gets locked in a room with another guy until dawn, Raj casts doubts on her; the circumstances look dubious. Also puzzling: the shady circumstances of her mother’s “accidental” death. An engrossing exploration of honesty, relationships, and coming of age—and the ways that facts can get distorted and the truth becomes malleable.
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