Hello! Lesbian visibility week was the last week of April and to celebrate I’ve curated a list of some of my favorite books that include a lesbian MC (main character). This list is by no means exhaustive. Shout out to all the beautiful queer womxn out there!
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3 books for when you want a young adult book to make you cry
6 Times We Almost Kissed (and one time we did), by Tess Sharpe 〰️ Penny and Tate are a duo brought together by their mother’s who are best friends, through grief and chronic illness. When Penny’s father died in a tragic accident, her mom all but abandoned her, and now she’s volunteered to be a living donor for Tate’s mom. The girls agree to play nice and get along, put aside their constant bickering so as not to stress their mom’s out during this scary process. This book surprised me with it’s complexity - grief, trauma, teenage heartache, will they won’t they, community, finding your voice. It’s gay, it’s angsty, it’s slow burn, it’s a really beautiful book.
The Lucky List, by Rachael Lippincott 〰️ Emily and her mom were always lucky - it was kind of their thing. Until her mom’s luck ran out three years ago when she passed away from cancer and Emily’s dad hasn’t been able to talk about her since. When she and a new friend, Blake, discover her mom’s high school bucket list, they set out on a quest to complete it before the summer is over. Emily finds herself feeling closer to her mom than ever as she retraces her footsteps and shares in her past experiences. I didn’t think this book was going to get me, but it sure got me in the end *sobs* Sweet like a high school summer, queer Sarah Dessen vibes, liked the book but loved the ending.
3 books for when you want a classic sapphic rom-rom
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Satisfaction Guarenteed, by Karelia Stetz-Waters 〰️ Cade inherits a sex toy store and business-savvy Selena has taken a vow of celibacy and decided to help Cade keep the shop in business. An opposites attract trope with laugh-out-loud zingers that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
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A Scatter of Light, by Melinda Lo 〰️ Aria is excited for a summer on Martha’s Vineyard with her high school friends until her parents ship her off to the Bay Area to stay with her grandmother, ruining Aria’s last hurrah before college. What starts off as a summer in exile becomes a summer of questioning, curiosity, and endless opening doors as Aria’s interest in her grandmother’s gardner, Steph, blossoms into desire. This book was riddled in angst. It takes place during the Supreme Courts ruling to legalize gay marriage and is a fascinating snapshot of working class queer culture.
Queerly Beloved, by Susie Dumond 〰️ Amy is a closeted-ish baker in the mid-2010’s in Oklahoma. Charley is new in town, an attractive engineer who walks into the Christian bakery Amy works in and accidentally outs her. Left without a job, Amy begins picking up gigs as a bridesmaid for hire, finding a niche hidden talent thanks to her obsession with weddings and fixing problems. This was sugary sweet and an easy read - and the epilogue was a wonderful bonus surprise.
3 books for when you want coming-of-age & coming out
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Late To The Party, by Kelly Quindlen 〰️ Codi is seventeen and her life feels very small. Her two best friends spend most summer nights binge-watching Netflix while their teenage peers are out there experiencing Life. When they uncharacteristically decide to crash a party, Codi stumbles upon one of the popular boys… kissing another boy. Entrusted with his secret, Ricky takes Codi under his wing and starts opening up her world to late nights, adventures, and a different version of herself that says yes and is a little more brave. She wants to embrace this new version of herself, but will the best friends she’s had since middle school understand the new Codi? This book is a high school hug, a tender look at changing friendships, self-acceptance, and growing into yourself.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Melinda Lo 〰️ This book swept me off my feet. San Francisco, Chinatown, 1954. Seventeen-year-old Lily finds herself at a lesbian bar, The Telegraph Club, and becomes entranced with a male impersonator, Kath. This book is about falling in love when it’s a dangerous thing, about being a child to Chinese immigrants during the Red Scare, about so many things, but ultimately about the queer women who came before us and the risks they took to be themselves. I loved this book and I’m so grateful that it exists.
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