Book Recommendations That Meet All Your Sapphic Needs

If you’re anything like me and struggle to read anything that isn’t gay, then this list is for you! We’ve put together a list of recommendations for your TBR list, or push you across the finish line of your yearly reading goal.

Priory of the Orange Tree, written by Samantha Shannon

If you like fantasy and a long, slow-burn romance that takes place in a complicated political universe, then you should pick up Priory of the Orange Tree. A world filled with kingdoms, dragons, political strife, ancient evil powers, romance, and more; you will be transported completely. Following four central characters—a queen, a dragonrider, a banished courtier, and a lady-in-waiting—this book has Game of Thrones-level plotlines. 

Notes of a Crocodile, written by Qiu Miaojin

Notes of a Crocodile, using “crocodile” as a metaphor for queerness, depicts lesbian self-exploration through 8 diary entries written from a first-person perspective of the protagonist Lazi (which translates to crocodile, now commonly meaning lesbian (拉子)). It’s set in Taipei in the late 1980s, and introduces us to a group of queer misfits discovering love, friendship, and artistic affinity at a prestigious university. 

Ladies in Hating, written by Alexandra Vasti

Ladies in Hating follows Lady Georgiana Cleeve, who is a renowned Gothic novelist with a fiery hatred for Lady Darling, her rival whom she desperately wants to unmask. What happens when she figures out her sworn enemy might also be her crush? If you’ve been craving a sapphic Bridgerton, this book will certainly give you what you’ve been waiting for.

Crier’s War, written by Nina Varela

Crier’s War is a lesbian fantasy about an impossible love between two girls. The novel begins in the aftermath of a war, in which those who are “Made”—the mechanical people made to be servants to humans—took over the estates of their owners and bent the human race to their will. The novel follows two women on different sides of the new war-torn world as love sparks between them. With the distance between those who are “Made” to be perfect and the ones who are just simply born, this book challenges what it really means to be human. 

Last Night at the Telegraph Club, written by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph Club, set in 1950s San Francisco, follows Lily Hu, the teenage daughter of Chinese immigrants, as she explores her sexuality and eventually falls in love. With the Red Scare and the threat of deportation looming over her family, difficulties lie ahead. Can love truly conquer all? 

Big Swiss, written by Jen Beagin

45-year-old Greta recently moved to Hudson, New York, and took a job transcribing the sessions of a sex therapist. Greta becomes fascinated, obsessed really, with one of the boss’s clients. The novel comes to a head when she comes face-to-face with the object of her affection. Witty, humorous, and romantic, this is a great next read! 

Bloom Town: Genesis, written by Ally North

Abby Proctor is kidnapped in the middle of the night by infamous female outlaw Joey ‘JT London’ Taylor. Set in 1852, Bloom Town: Genesis is a lesbian western novel about trust, crime, and the tension between returning to the obedience you know or starting anew, even if it is with someone who is wanted dead. 

The Final Strife, written by Saara El-Arifi

In a world where your blood color determines your social status—red being the elite, blue being the poor, and clear being the enslaved—three girls combine forces to challenge a ruthless empire. This is a fast-paced fantasy inspired by Ghanaian and Arabian folklore that you should definitely add to your list! 

Carmilla and Laura, written by S D Simper

Carmilla, the classic vampire novella written by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, receives new life in this queer retelling by S D Simper. In the late 19th century, Laura is a lonely woman who longs for company. One day, when she meets the alluring Carmilla, everything changes, and attraction enters her life. But when the people of the town start mysteriously dying, Laura has to confront the truth of who Carmilla really is. 

On Stolen Tides, written by Katryna Lalock

Lydia’s father is the nation’s most respected admiral, and he plans on marrying her off against her will to keep his title intact. Lydia refuses, sneaking onto a ship—a pirate ship. She strikes a deal with the feared pirates known as The Night Spirits, but the next thing she knows, she’s falling in love with Laufitu, the second in command. How will she return to life as she knows it?