Hayley Kiyoko isn’t just the “Lesbian Jesus” of pop music anymore, she’s building a literary empire too. Fresh off the success of her debut novel Girls Like Girls, Kiyoko is returning to the page with her sophomore YA romance Where There’s Room for Us, and she’s taking it straight to fans with an intimate book tour this fall.
The tour will run from November 4–7, stopping at four cities: New York City (The Strand), Downers Grove, Illinois (Anderson’s Bookshop), Berkeley, California (Mrs. Dalloway’s), and Los Angeles (Barnes & Noble at The Grove). Expect exclusive signings at every stop, plus Q&A sessions in New York and Berkeley for those ready to dive deeper into her new world.
Love in an Alternate History
Unlike most Victorian romances, Kiyoko’s novel rewrites the rules. Set in a version of 19th-century England where queer love is openly accepted, the story follows Ivy, a poet who leaves New York after her brother inherits an estate. Her new life of ballroom dances and courting rituals takes a turn when she meets Freya Tallon, a nobleman’s daughter expected to marry for status. What begins as friendship during the social season quickly blooms into something more.
“Growing up being a fan of Pride and Prejudice, I always dreamed of seeing myself represented in that time and era,” Kiyoko told PEOPLE. “So I wanted to write a story where one could thrive as a queer WOC protagonist and have a hopeful ending.”
From Pop Star to Page Turner
Kiyoko has long been known for giving queer audiences the love stories we’ve been craving in music videos and on stage. Her hit Girls Like Girls became an anthem and later inspired her first bestselling novel. With Where There’s Room for Us, she’s expanding that mission into historical fiction, exploring what queer liberation might look like if society had allowed us to live out loud centuries earlier.
And because Kiyoko never does anything halfway, her first novel is already in development for a screen adaptation — with her set to direct.
How to Join the Party
Tickets for the book tour are live now through Kiyoko’s official site, and Where There’s Room for Us hits shelves November 4 via Wednesday Books. Preorders are available wherever books are sold.
Queer ballrooms, swooning heroines, and a pop star-turned-author? Consider us in line already.
