In the era of Reneé Rapp, Chappell Roan, and Billie Eilish, sapphic romances have thankfully, finally, become more popular. Sapphic romance celebrates love and relationships between queer women and carves a much-needed niche in the book world.
These stories span all genres, from historical fiction to contemporary romance, fantasy, and science fiction. Historically underrepresented, the uptick in lesbian, bi, nonbinary, and trans stories reflects a major shift toward inclusivity and representation—a win for the girls and the gays.
While authors like Sarah Waters and Patricia Highsmith paved the way with their gorgeous love stories between ladies, contemporary sapphic romance novels explore the complexities of modern relationships, identity, and intersectionality. Authors like Casey McQuiston and Malinda Lo have gained a devoted readership by crafting authentic and engaging narratives about the joys and difficulties of WLW romance. And there’s so many more!
Here are some of our favorite popular and trending sapphic books to load up on your Kindle and queue up in your headphones.
There’s no better place to start than with contemporary sapphic romance
Plenty of contemporary romance books with a sapphic love story involve the characters having a journey of identity discovery. These include coming-of-age stories (often written under the young adult genre) and bisexual, lesbian, trans, and nonbinary awakenings.
Casey McQuiston’s “One Last Stop” tells the age-old tale of girl-meets-girl with the inventive twist of subway magic, and “I Kissed Shara Wheeler,” also by McQuiston, digs into the mess of teenage feelings in a small and religious Southern town.
If it’s teenage drama you’re after, “She Drives Me Crazy” by Kelly Quindlen is a must for its heartbroken and insecure basketball player and its popular mean girl cheerleader. You know how it goes. Then there’s “The Henna Wars” by Adiba Jaigirdar that not only confronts the difficulties of coming out as a lesbian to a conservative family and the harsh pains of Islamophobia and racism, but the awkwardness of developing romantic feelings for your childhood bestie in the middle of it all.
Try a few reads based on the hobbies you might share with the characters. For music lovers, “Stars Collide” by Rachel Lacey, a sweet slow-burn between a veteran pop singer and an up-and-coming starlet, puts two leading ladies together on a Grammys stage. “Cleat Cute” by Meryl Wilsner made its rounds across BookTok as a balm for Ted Lasso fans in search of something just as heartwarming with a bit more estrogen. Enemies-to-lovers and the U.S. women’s national soccer team? We’re in.
Among my treasured collection of comfort novels is “Written in the Stars” by Alexandria Bellefleur, which brings together an astrologer, an actuary, and a fake dating trope amid plenty of grumpy/sunshine romance.
“Delilah Green Doesn’t Care,” “Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail,” and “Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date” make up the Bright Falls series by Ashley Herring Blake and follows a trio of bisexual besties in search of love and the ladies they find it with. Sound addictive? It totally is. I highly recommend starting in order, because Delilah’s return to Bright Falls to face down the childhood clique she once detested while looking like a million bucks is sooo satisfying. If you want a quicker audiobook, be sure to give “Homecoming” a listen on Dipsea for a similar (and oh-so-smoltering) vibe.
Historical sapphic books span every era
Among the many delicious things about a historical romance that involves two ladies in love is the societal challenge of carrying on a queer partnership in a strict society. No, sneaking around shouldn’t ever have been necessary, but it sure makes for some delicious mishaps between femme fatales.
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid might not sound sapphic by title alone, but don’t be fooled. The truest love of Evelyn’s life isn’t one of her husbands, and the ride this book takes you on through Hollywood’s Golden Age is nothing short of glamorous.
If mid-twentieth-century historical romance is what tickles you, “The Price of Salt” by Patricia Highsmith inspired Christmas film favorite “Carol,” following a stylish and gut-wrenching affair between a New York socialite and a daydreaming department store shopgirl. The red nails. The lipstick. The jazz and martinis of it all!
If that sounds swell, “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo has got to be next on your list. Dive straight into 1950s San Francisco as a Chinese-American teenager explores her sexuality.
If it’s further back in history you’re hoping to go, “Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend” by Emma R. Alban is a recent title about two Victorian debutantes, and “The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics” by Olivia Waite is a Regency-era romance with some perfectly nerdy dark academia vibes amid a particularly tender love story.
The Regency period is also where my new favorite Dipsea series is set. "Close Companions" is a steamy audiobook that follows Charlotte and Willa, two rebellious young women about to be presented to society and stuck in painting lessons together. They’re both more into one another than the mold they’re supposed to fit (à la Eloise in “Bridgerton”), and you’ll get to listen to their kinship turn into something that’ll sweep you off your feet.
Sapphic romantasy is a world of its own (yes, please!)
As soon as you remove the typical conflicts that present a challenge to real-world partnerships between women and put them in a fantastical environment, the creativity that emerges is addictive. Science fiction and fantasy both have their share of sapphic romance stories, and they’re too delicious not to share. If you thought Hades and Persephone retellings were sexy, you’re in for a treat with Artemis and Callisto with “Goddess of the Hunt” on Dipsea.
If a cozy, low-stakes slow burn right out of a game of Dungeons and Dragons is where your heart lies, you can’t go wrong with “Legends & Lattes” by Travis Baldree. The story follows battle-toughened orc Viv as she seeks out a simpler life, sets up a coffee shop, and falls in love with a succubus. Yes, really.
“The Priory of the Orange Tree” by Samantha Shannon, on the other hand, gives a far more epic tale (nearly 900 pages is no small feat) packed with dragon riders, alchemists, and a secretive mage society.
It’s not all dragons and magic, though. “This Is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone is a sci-fi novel told in letters between agents Red and Blue, two women on opposing sides of empires at war. Meanwhile, “Our Wives Under the Sea” by Julia Armfield falls more into horror than any other genre, but the alternating perspectives (and the very real danger involved) will give you all the same heart-pounding tension with a stunning love story.
Find your next sapphic read
Just about any book involving women who have romantic feelings for each other can be categorized as a sapphic book, and these can be super spicy or sweetly slow burn, spanning every genre you can think of. There are even plenty of graphic novels and memoirs that are every bit as heartfelt and magnificent. It’s only a matter of exploration to find which sapphic story suits your fancy.
If you like the sound of these, check out Dipsea’s collection of sapphic stories under the Her + Her tag.
Or download the Dipsea app for the best listening experience.
