a year in sapphic books
A chronological list of every book I have read in 2024 that had two women romantically involved. I know it's February already but it took a while writing the notes and compiling. I absolutely have no regrets.
Every work has a short description that is very brief and subjective and should not be taken seriously. To get to know more about the book, you can click on the title for its Goodreads page.
If you've never read a sapphic book before, this may be your sign. Especially if you're into happy endings and lesbians not dying in fictional worlds <3
There's a Top 10 list, ones that I actually recommend, at the end!
fly with me - andie burke
Cute fake-dating trope and one of them is a pilot.
tell it to the bees - fiona shaw
Beautifully written and unlike the books released in the past few years. I don't remember how this got to my reading list but it was published way back in 2009 and I didn't even know it already has a film adaptation. Of course, stay away from the film and read the book instead.
queen takes rose - katee robert
A review back in January:
i don't even know what to say here the fact that i got through this should already tell you something
the senator's wife trilogy - jen lyon
I watch a lot women's footy and have great interest in politics. This altered my brain chemistry in so many ways. I found it so good I had to share it to my straight friends (no, I don't normally do that).
those who wait - haley cass
Started off my Haley Cass era strong! Those Who Wait is a sapphic classic. This is the kind of book I like to recommend as a starting point book to the genre. Oh, the yearning and the friends to lovers trope hits hard on this.
on the same page - haley cass
Haley Cass best friends to lovers! This was crazy. It was the first time ever that I read a book in which the chapters are in different timelines (and point of views) next to each other. Somehow, it still made great sense and the story ended so beautifully. Yes, I'm a Haley Cass fangirl.
pride and prejudice and pittsburgh - rachael lippincott
This gets recommended a lot and it was a light, cute book.
who'd have thought - g. benson
Fake marriage of two people who work in a hospital, if anyone's into that thing. Also, an ice queen!
written in the stars - alexandria bellefleur
One of the characters is named Darcy and fake dating in the holiday season.
meeting millie - clare ashton
Sometimes you don't know, until you know.
Have you ever known the ache of falling in love with a straight friend? On the other hand, what about feeling like you've discovered something about yourself and you realize it's all too late? Clare Ashton tells this story of two friends quite beautifully, you will know the pain and suffering of both.
breaking character - lee winter
Lesbians in Hollywood! My first Lee Winter book.
the rules of forever - nan campbell
I liked the third act break up, it was then again a light and soft book I enjoyed.
playing with matches - georgia beers
This one's even softer!
boss of her - anna stone
God. I reread my notes for this one and I had a single highlight of a line in the book that says: Good girl.
go around - e.j. noyes
Second chance romance. It was in first-person, and I hadn't read that in a while so I liked it.
like they do in the movies - nan campbell
Lesbians in Hollywood, this one an actress and a gossip writer, something was bound to go wrong.
count your lucky stars - alexandria bellefleur
Set in the same universe as Written in the Stars. The main characters know each other, etc, and this one has a theme for second chances and forced proximity.
objecting to her - j.j. arias
Type A lawyers, enemies to lovers. Women, in suits š
down to a science - haley cass
This was a shorter book than the others, which made me reread it again. I was swooning. I loved this story. There is a gut-wrenching revelation in the third act about a character's backstory that hit me so unexpectedly like a ton of bricks.
when you least expect it - haley cass
I love this story a lot. A divorce lawyer and a single mom. Time and time again, Haley Cass nails the friends to lovers trope. There is a Who did this to you?! moment here that is so dear to me.
and playing the role of herself - k.e. lane
Actresses! I could not believe this was from 2007!
in the long run - haley cass
Haley Cass small town romance (!!!!!) There is an email thread in one of the chapters that I loved so much. It was so dear to me, among many others.
delilah green doesn't care - ashley herring blake
Cute! Arguably the best one of the series.
the lay of you - corrie mackay
Under a mask of an erotic romance, this book actually discussed a heavy ton of topics - SA and being in a cult in particular. The author handled it well. It was interesting and actually caught me off-guard.
fool for love - rachael sommers
Another small town second chance romance that I liked.
back in your arms - monica mccallan
Another small town second chance romance that I liked. At this point, I've contributed 50% to all online streams of 'tis the damn season by Taylor Swift.
scatter - molly j. bragg
I have so many feelings about this book. I was literally just blown away. Everything in this world hit different. This also has probably the most unique plot in this list. It is so, so worth it (!!)
the red files - lee winter
This was the time I was so locked in on Lee Winter's works. She had me hooked! This one was about two journalists with a thrilling scandal as a backdrop.
the brutal truth - lee winter
Another one where one is the owner of a newspaper company and the other, a crime reporter.
chaos agent - lee winter
Hey, so this had a crazy twist! Totally did not see that coming, also maybe because I didn't read the prequel (?) but I was entertained, nonetheless.
hotel queens - lee winter
Sapphics in the hospitality industry!
vengeance planning for amateurs - lee winter
This was my last Lee Winter read of the year and arguably the one I loved the most. After the streak of writer rooms and offices and professional settings in the previous books, this one has a cozier vibe that I really liked. The leads worked together for missions in the name of vengeance. Hence the title. It was so silly. I enjoyed this one quite a lot.
truth and measure - roslyn sinclair
If The Devil Wears Prada was sapphic.
wrong number, right woman - jae
Really, really soft and sweet butch femme romance.
the lady's guide to celestial mechanics - olivia waite
STEM girlies in the 19th century! I loved this!
a game of hearts and heists - ruby roe
So that was crazy, but also the ending and plot twists were kinda nice.
bitterthorn - kat dunn
I really liked this! Gothic. Different from all the ones with the meet-cutes and all.
hearing red - nicole maser
My heart ached a lot nearing the ending. Zombies, guns, survival, one of the girls has a disability.
gwen & art are not in love - lex croucher
Remember that scene in Modern Family where Mitch and Cam explains how lesbians and gays have nothing in common? Well, add this book in the Venn diagram! I conveniently picked this up knowing I love A Knight's Tale with all my heart.
bloom town duology - ally north
You'll spend the rest of your life chasin' the echo of it.
Just read it...
her name in the sky - kelly quindlen
This was recommended to me. Two best friends in the same friend group, they all go to the same Catholic school. Homophobia, self-discovery, internalized homophobia, etc. Great writing and a whole ton of teen angst.
my top 10 sapphic books of 2024
- Scatter by Molly J. Bragg
- Those Who Wait by Haley Cass
- In The Long Run by Haley Cass
- Bloom Town Duology by Ally North
- Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter
- Meeting Millie by Clare Ashton
- Down To A Science by Haley Cass
- The Senator's Wife Trilogy by Jen Lyon
- The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
- Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn
It was great reading year for me and I'm happy I got to finally post this list. I seriously hope there are no broken links. I wrote about my thoughts after finishing this list, reflecting on romance, what this means to me and me as a future reader. You can read it here.
Thanks for coming this far!
I'd be happy to know if you take one of my recommendations. Or if you have read one of these and you want to scream about it with somebody, plz send me a message below :)
01 Feb, 2025
This list was done on VSCode. As it turns out, it already has everything I could possibly need, for now. I'm curious if there are other devs here who also use this for blogging. Really cute that Ctrl + Shift + V shows the preview ^^