Hope you have space on your bookshelves
BY KLARA FERRAIOLI-SCHUBERT
Need some Christmas list inspo? Look no further – these sapphic books are all you’ll need underneath the tree
When There’s Room For Us by Hayley Kiyoko
You read that right – our very own Lesbian Jesus has stepped into the literary world and we couldn’t be more excited. Coming out just ten days before Christmas Day, When There’s Room For Us is a sapphic romance set in 1880s Victorian England. The story follows Ivy, a poet from New York who is swiftly uprooted to England after her brother inherits an English estate. There, she meets Freya, a coveted socialite. The two are quickly drawn to one another and must navigate their forbidden desire in a society dictated by rules and tradition. It’s giving queer Bridgerton in the best way.
Terry Dactyl by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
If period dramas aren’t really your thing, Terry Dactyl might be a bit more up your street. Set in the 1980s, the story follows protagonist Terry Dactyl, a trans girl and the daughter of two lesbians. At the height of the AIDS crisis, she moves to New York City and becomes absorbed in the club and nightlife culture while working at the sophisticated SOHO gallery. The novel then jumps forward twenty years, when the COVID-19 pandemic is at large. After deciding to move back home to Seattle during lockdown, she slowly begins to feel suffocated and alone. But after the murder of George Floyd, she is inspired to rediscover her community within the isolation surrounding her.
Fade Into You by Amber Smith and Sam Geller
Something a bit more light-hearted now. This sapphic romance follows Jessa and Bird who bond while conspiring to break up their best friends’ toxic relationship. A classic case of “opposites attract”, the two don’t seem to have anything in common other than their secret plot. But the more time they spend scheming together, the more their feelings for each other grow. Don’t we all love a friends-to-lovers arc?
Next Time Will Be Our Turn by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Been looking for an inter-generational queer love story? Well, here it is. Izzy Chen is shocked when her grandmother and 73-year-old-matriarch Magnolia Chen arrives at the family Chinese New Year celebrations with a new partner – a woman. This unannounced addition to the gathering ruffles feathers but Izzy, who feels like an outcast herself, is fascinated by this unexpected development. As the evening progresses, Magnolia recounts her life story to Izzy: a story of emigration, isolation and sapphic desire. Sutanto’s wholesome and heartwarming novel is the perfect cosy winter read.
Beautiful Brutal Bodies by Linda Cheng
Moving on to something slightly darker now, this sapphic horror/romance is Cheng’s follow-up to Gorgeous Gruesome Faces. A “feral fairytale”, the story follows Tian, recluse and singer-songwriter, and her bodyguard, Liya, who’s hiding a monstrous secret: her sharp teeth and her unyielding appetite. After several of Tian’s fans suffer unexplained injuries, the two are joined by a friend on a spiritual healing retreat to a remote island on in the South China Sea. But this retreat turns out to be anything but relaxing, with strange rituals and a deadly presence lurking in the shadows. Horror, secrets and sapphics – what’s not to love?
The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur
Finishing off with another gothic/paranormal sapphic romance. The Devil She Knows follows Samantha Cooper who is desperate to get back together with her ex when she meets Daphne, a beautiful woman dressed pretty in pink who reveals herself to be a demon. Daphne proposes a deal: she will grant Sam six wishes in exchange for her soul. Sam accepts, desperate for any way to win back her ex. But it soon becomes clear that it’s not that simple. Daphne is cunning and each of Sam’s wishes backfires, forcing her to make another. As the two grow closer, Sam’s affections slowly shift and she begins to wonder if the woman she’s pining over is in fact the root of her problems. Bellefleur really takes making deals with the devil to another level.
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