Sapphic Books I Want To Read

Hey pals,

My reading is lacking in f/f, I’ve read very few and the ones I have may not distinctly have a romance on the page, just discussed in abstract. So I wanted to put together a list of F/F books slash general sapphic books that I like the sound of and why. This is for any characters that have Sapphic attraction even if it may not be the main plot point of the book. Check out my LGBTQ+ book list on bookshop.

This is How You Lose the Time War: two female spies working on opposite sides, taunting each other with letters and fall in love. I love an enemy to lovers and it sounds like Killing Eve in a sense but hopefully better writing than the book.

The Legend of Korra; Turf Wars: Three part graphic novel about Korra and Asami’s relationship after the series ends. I haven’t watched this show fully yet, it’s on my list to get back to, so I would die to read in explicit detail that they are together etc. Also, I love a good graphic novel. (I also think the title ‘turf wars’ is really funny)

The Black Veins: Black teenage girl has supernatural powers and goes on a journey to find others like her after her parents were kidnapped. Bisexual main. I’ve read one other book with a MC who is a bisexual Black woman, and it had abstract f/f themes where she talked about girls she liked or loved and about sex with women but the book is spent with a boy (not a bad thing, just wish there was more f/f in the main plot) but I’m also open to reading it if there is no romance.

Daughter of the Burning City: a girl creates magical illusions for the circus she is part of, has to solve the mystery of who is murdering her fellow circusman. MC is bisexual and this is demiromantic and asexual rep. I’m all for finding a good mystery book, plus I’m more interested if it’s a little gay, and circus films and books hit me in a weird way where I’m high key obsessed with the idea of running away with a circus, so I think this would be a good combo.

The Melody of You and Me: romance between two women who work together in a bookstore. MC is Pansexual. As a book nerd, this hits me hard. I do not need to explain why I want to read this.

Her Royal Highness: a girl gets a scholarship to a boarding school in Scotland, her roommate is a princess. Bi MC and lesbian Love interest. Boarding school books have always been a weakness of mine, Harry Potter and Louise Rennison’s follow up series after the Georgia Nicolson series are two that come to mind that I LOVED but they weren’t gay. So this might be what I’m looking for, though I don’t really care for royalty plots but I’ll make an exception.

A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams: Queer Swan Lake retelling. I wasn’t interested in this whilst reading the plot, UNTIL nonbinary princen was mentioned in a polyam ship. I’m not sure how I’m gonna feel with a polyam canon ship as I’ve never read one, but hoped for one on many occasion, but hopefully this will be really good and I’M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NONBINARY REP JFC.

Sawkill Girls: horror mystery where two girls are hunting down and trying to solve why women have been disappearing from their island for decades. It gave me vague Pretty Little Liars feelings, with maybe a mix of Big Little Lies. I’ve been getting really into mysteries and crime TV/YouTube videos but not yet found a book I’ve enjoyed.

You Know Me Well: a boy and girl who sit together in class, run into each other at a queer club. MC is a lesbian. Sounds like a cute and fun book, easy read. Something I would pick up.

I Am Out With Lanterns: Group of Australian teens who are connected in ways that become more clear as the story goes on. Bi MC. The vagueness of this makes me want to read it, like Pretty Little Liars or Riverdale. Bought! In my recent book haul post.

Under The Lights: actress starring in a TV show, falls for her co-star whilst trying to navigate a friendship with another co-star she previously hated. I love reading books about being an actor, fiction and non-fiction, as it’s not really talked about or shown outside of the actual experience or behind the scenes.

Radio Silence: hard-working and high achieving student meets the creator of her favourite podcast and become friends. Biracial and bisexual MC and I think the friend is gay? Not sure though. I’ve been looking into Alice Oseman’s other books as I’ve only read the Heartstopper graphic novels, this is on my maybe list coz I’d like to see more about Aled but I’m not sure I’m that interested in the rest of the plot. So, this one is a maybe. (Now read)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: I saw when this came out, a lot of people were surprised it was queer. retired movie star, Evelyn Hugo, recounts her life to a journalist, revealing why she was married 7 times. Bisexual cuban MC. One of the few historical fictions that sound interesting to me. I’ve been wanting to read more historical queer stories (non-fiction and fiction) because a lot of our true history has been destroyed and I want to see the reimagined possibilities, and this sounds hilarious.

Little & Lion: a girl returns home and has to content with her step-brother’s bipolar diagnosis, while dealing with two crushes. One on a boy one on a girl. Jewish black bi MC. I like the sound of most of this book, but I don’t know how I feel about ‘contending with her step-brothers bipolar diagnosis’, that sounds kinda off to me, but it could be a good rep for it, I don’t know. I might have to read some reviews and see, but it’ll be on my list for maybe.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass: Snow White retelling. I’m always dead for a retelling and it sounds cool. Bi MC but the romance is a side plot. Snow White was one of the more boring fairy tales for me, so I’m interested in a reimagining.

Fearless: a mum takes her daughter to a music performance art school, but the school is snowed in and she develops feelings for her daughter’s band teacher. Lesbian Jewish MC. I’ve not read many books about queer parents so I’m very into this idea, I think there should be more stories about queer parents. It’s a novella as well so not too long.

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza: a girl develops the power to heal people and has to figure it out after accidentally saving her crush from death. YA sci-fi, which I haven’t read much of but this sounds like something I’d be here for. I love healing power stories.

Juliet Takes a Breath: a lesbian puerto-rican girl (recently out to family) takes up her dream internship working with her favourite feminist writer. She finds things are more complex than she thought. Honestly I love that vague ass hook, I wanna know why it’s more complex, a feminist writer? I’m in and here for it. (a friend of mine read this and felt it was very bioessentialist which SUCKS and can be pretty shitty and triggering for trans readers so now i dont want to read this)

The Seafarers Kiss: A dark little mermaid prequel following the origin story of Ursula. Bisexual MC. I love this idea, again, I love reimaginings but as I’ve gotten older I’ve wanted to know more about the makings of the evil women in Disney stories.

Reign of the Fallen: a necromancer whose job is to resurrect the King, has to discover who is turning the returned dead into shades, before the kingdom collapses. Black bisexual MC. I also love stories about magic that can bring the dead back to life as it’s often not that simple and tends to have a darkside to it (like Fullmetal Alchemist) so I’m interested to see what this story brings.

Carmilla: This was suggested by a friend of mine, they told me it’s basically a lesbian Dracula that was written twenty-odd years before Dracula. I’m here for historic vampire lesbians. Read and didn’t like. Talked about it in my ARCs Round Up.

Good Luck Girls: Someone described it as “Queer girls + sisterhood above everything else + adventure” which is all i needed to sell this to me! One of the characters accidentally murders a man which sparks the girls escape to finding freedom.

The Dark Wife: Lesbian reimagining of Persephone and Hades!! All I need to say!!

The Miseducation of Cameron Post: I watched the film and I’m interested in reading the book. About a girl who has to move in with her conservative aunt after her parents die in a car crash and then they discover she is gay and sent her to anti-gay camp and it all unravels from there. I enjoyed the film quite a lot but I’ve seen my friend wasn’t keen on the book… so I might read it on an ebook if it’s cheap enough to see if I actually enjoy it.

The Lost Coast: Six queer witches captures my attention. It sounds kind of like a modern version of the Craft. Murder, magic, necromancy.

My Heart Goes Bang: A group of friends living together for their second year of uni. three out of 5 are queer. Just kind of seems to be a New Adult book following these girls through their second year of uni. It sounds fun and interesting but also some themes I want to write about myself, so it would be good for research as well as enjoyment.

Honey Girl: Already excited because the MC is 28 (closer to my age than most books i see or read) and has completed her PhD in astronomy. Study nerd who goes on a trip to Vegas and marries a woman she doesn’t even know the name of. The flees her life for the summer to New York with her new wife. All sounds rather exciting and something I could imagine myself doing.

We Set The Dark On Fire: In a world where women train to be the wives of rich men, and each man has two wives, one for public and one for private. Basically the MC is the public wife and she falls in love with the in private wife.

Girls of Paper and Fire: every year eight paper girls are chosen to serve the king, MC is part of the rebellion but falls in love with one of the other paper girls.

She’s Too Pretty To Burn: a YA thriller, Summer is ending in San Diego. Lot’s of artsy characters, love, two murders and three drowning bodies. A summer they won’t survive. I like crime thrillers on TV and haven’t read many/any so this sounds like something I could enjoy.

We Are Okay: Marin left her old life in California for Uni on New York, to escape some tragedy it seems from the Goodreads info. During Winter when the campus is empty and she has to spend a lot of time in her head. I don’t really know what the plot is but it sounds intriguing.

Beauty Queens: Obviously a Beauty Pageant, I loved Miss Congeniality and Dumplin’ so I think this theme would be fun to read. Instead though, their plane crashed of a desert island.. and something about sexy Pirates… hmmm.

Let’s Talk About Love: Sapphic MC but it doesn’t seem like the book is super sapphic (fine by me) I think the MC is bi or figuring out she is bi after her girlfriend broke up with her when the MC admits she is ace. Romantic story with a male love interest, bi/ace MC and working in a library? Sounds good to me.

A lot of these came from a Twitter thread of recommendations here. There are many more, and I have also got many more to add, I’m sure. Read something that isn’t on this list? Leave a comment and give me a reason why you love it and think I will! I have plenty more still on my Goodreads lists of ‘want to read’ but these are the ones I find most interesting. You can find pretty much all of these books on my Goodreads if you want to read more about them.

~ Artie

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Some books I have read with sapphic rep! Unbearable Lightness, Killing Eve, Leah on the Off Beat, Fierce Femmes.

Leave me your suggestions, I’m looking for specifically nonbinary main characters, disabled/chronic illness rep, mental illness (specifically BPD), preferably queer but beggars can’t be choosers sometimes, and really really want some queer New Adult recommendations that are funny and romantic as this is something I wanna write more of so wanna read it too! I will take these separately but would be amazing if they can cross over coz yanno I’m a disabled nonbinary person with BPD, I’d just like to see more of myself in the books I read.