14 Best Lesbian Romance Novels: Literary, Genre, and Steamy

The LGBTQ+ community knows the power of storytelling well — in a world that often questions the legitimacy of non-heterosexual identities, many queer people have had to rely on representation to affirm their identities.

Thankfully, modernization has paved the way for more accessible queer literature, so much so that it can be difficult to parse which lesbian romance books are actually worth the read, and which are poorly written — or worse, “queer baiting,” where, for example, two women kiss right before a man comes in and steals the plot.

A rise in lesbian literature has also led to new jargon and descriptors.

You may find yourself asking what are “WLW” books? What else are WLW books called? What is “steamy” literature? So here’s a list of the best lesbian romance books, as well as some context that will help you navigate the big wide world of queer lit.

Here we’ve separated books into sci-fi/fantasy, historical fiction, and literary fiction, though some genres bleed into others. Their defining characteristic is that romance brightens the plot; as the ancient queer poet Sappho wrote, “Love is a cunning weaver of fantasies and fables.”

*Our writers and editors choose products or services that we think might be helpful for our readers. We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. 

Best sci-fi/fantasy lesbian romance

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

If you’re in a long distance relationship, or you’ve ever yearned in your life, this one’s for you. El-Mohtar and Gadston tell the story of two agents, Red and Blue, who travel through time altering history in furtherance of their warring empires. The agents begin an unlikely penpalship that evolves into love, compromising their respective missions. During our polling, this book was the clear favorite.

You can buy This is How You Lose the Time War on Amazon. 

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir 

Oh, the many ways we could describe this one, but here’s the consensus: sapphic space opera with necromancers. The story centers around a competition where two individuals with a complicated history are forced to work together in a competition to become immortal and serve at the right hand of the emperor. Less of a romance than others on the list, this story shines for its bold and hilarious queer protagonist, Gideon.

You can buy Gideon the Ninth on Amazon.

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

A chef goes to work at an elite research community in the Italian Alps, one of the last fertile lands on earth, where the boss has a hot and successful daughter. While this book gets some criticism for its wordiness, the romance between two women is erotic and believable, at least to the author of this article, who fell a little in love with the daughter.

You can buy Land of Milk and Honey on Amazon. 

Trouble and Her Friends by Melissa Scott

This is a queer cyberpunk novel, in which queer protagonist India Carless (AKA Trouble) must come out of semi-retirement as a renowned electronic gunman to challenge whoever is using her name for criminal hacking. While it’s not a romance, there is an ongoing partnership between Trouble and her supportive ex, which highlights Scott’s ability to create deeply human queer characters.

You can buy Trouble and Her Friends on Amazon.

Best historical fiction lesbian romance

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Affectionately called lesbian Dickens (though Emily Dickens was definitely a lesbian), Waters is best known for Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet. Fingersmith is a Victorian murder mystery, wherein an orphan growing up amongst thieves is selected to help a gentleman engage in trickery–until a sapphic attraction gets in the way. The story is hugely plot-driven with shocking, occasionally absurd twists.

You can buy Fingersmith on Amazon. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Reid

Unknown journalist Monique Grant is chosen to interview Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo, who reveals her rebellious life in great detail. But in this retelling, Evelyn shares the ways their two lives intersect in deeply unfortunate ways. This book shines in its representation; among the main characters there is a lesbian, a bisexual person, and a gay man, and through their stories we learn a bit about old school hollywood homophobia and the lengths queer people go to love each other.

You can buy The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo on Amazon. 

The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden

This 2024 release is a sapphic love story taking place in 1960’s Amsterdam, about an isolated and disagreeable woman forced to be in close quarters with her brother’s energetic girlfriend. This is our most erotic book recommendation, with an entire sex scene chapter generously gifted to its readers.

You can buy The Safekeep on Amazon. 

Best literary fiction lesbian romance

Women by Chloe Caldwell 

A cult-classic, Caldwell’s tormented narrative is for yearners who enjoy the push and pull of a love not entirely fulfilled. Not much happens, except that the protagonist falls in love with a woman for the first time, and isn’t that more than enough plot for one soul? This is a story of losing your self-love in pursuit of a feeling. It’s an easy read that’s difficult to stomach, maybe in a fun way. Good luck!

You can buy Women on Amazon. 

Big Swiss Jen Beagan

This 2024 release is an unabashedly horny and psychology twisted sapphic love story that will have you running for the Hudson Valley. The story takes place in upstate New York, in a small town, where a woman tasked with transcribing someone’s therapy sessions becomes fascinated with one patient from afar–until their fiery meeting drags her back down to earth, and then some.

You can buy Big Swiss on Amazon.

Orlando by Virginia Woolf 

Albeit dense and sometimes rambling, Woolf’s prose will bring you to tears. The story follows a man who, for some mystical reason, wakes up as a woman midway through the book. There is deep romance, yearning, and fully realized love, in this feminist story spanning three centuries. Virginia Woolf wrote the character of Orlando about her real life androgynous lover, Vita-Sackville West. It’s both flattery and a roast, and it’s an absolute joy to snicker along.

You can buy Orlando on Amazon. 

The Price of Salt Patricia Highsmith 

This is the book behind beloved sapphic movie, Carol, in which a lonely Therese Belivet stalks suburban housewife Carol Aird, who is herself alone within a miserable marriage. The two fall in love and travel across the United States, until a private investigator blackmails Carol into making an impossible decision.

You can buy The Price of Salt on Amazon.

Best smutty (AKA “steamy”) lesbian romance

Smutty–or “steamy”–romance typically categorizes stories with more graphic descriptions of sex. This can be a difficult category to rate, as everyone’s sexual preferences are different. But here’s what the collective lesbian internet consciousness is liking right now.

**A note: It’s notoriously hard to find good lesbian smut, and each book listed has harsh critics. If none of these stand out to you, it may be better to explore fan fiction or browse free online erotic lit to get your fix. 

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston 

Here’s a tale of public transport crushes fully realized. A young and moody August moves to New York City and developes a fat crush on someone on her train line, only to find out shocking, highly sexy information that moves the plot forward.

You can buy One Last Stop on Amazon.

Pirates of Altheria by Britney Jackson

A lesbian pirate and a runaway witch drowning in sexual tension. Just a heads up, folks have criticized the book for being majority push and pull with little sex, but it’s still a huge favorite, and sometimes the buildup is better than the release?

You can buy Pirates of Altheria on Amazon.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake 

New York Playgirl Delilah Green returns to her hometown and seduces her stepsister’s type A friend. Heads up, there’s a lot of psychology going on here; each girl has serious baggage, which surely thickens the plot, but may stand in the way of your erotic experience.

You can buy Delilah Green Doesn’t Care on Amazon. 

The final word

One major criticism of queer content, both written and cinematic, is that the fate of its characters is often tragic. Our private aim for this article was to provide respite from that, sharing stories that are dynamic, exciting, and focused on something other than the inevitable failure of queer love. We hope you enjoy these fan favorites.