10 Sapphic YA Books Feat. Women of Colour for #Pride

Pride is a brilliant opportunity to honour sapphic stories and the amazing authors who write them from the heart. But every year – without fail – white authors are systemically overrepresented, to the exclusion of women & non-binary people of colour as both protagonists and authors. The same handful of traditionally published novels appear on list after list. And while books like Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and One Last Stop are wonderful stories, they in no way reflect the full and glorious spectrum of our community. Pride should mean celebrating stories about all lesbian and bisexual women; not simply the skinny, white, feminine, young, and able-bodied.

So, to counter that erasure, I’ve put together a list of sapphic book recommendations with by-and-for representation centring women and girls of colour. Starting with Young Adult fiction. Most of these stories are romance, and all of them taught me something new. Every last one of these novels is extraordinary, and I hope you’ll find as much joy in reading them as I did.

Afterlove, by Tanya Byrne

Afterlove is an absolutely unforgettable book featuring a girl gang of grim reapers and a lesbian love with the power to transcend death. When sixteen-year-old Ash is hit by a car on New Year’s Eve, at first she can’t believe she’s dead. With a beloved family, close friends, and a girlfriend she adores, there’s still so much Ash wants to do. She can’t stand the thought of never seeing Poppy again. But only those due to die themselves are able to see reapers, and when Poppy recognises Ash, she’ll do anything to keep Poppy from dying young. Even if it means Ash damning herself.

Whether you’re an adult who grew up loving Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or a teen coming to supernatural stories with relatively fresh eyes, Tanya Byrne’s gorgeous writing has something for everyone. This book explores complex themes like grief, class inequality, and coming out with incredible warmth. Afterlove has a fantastic cast of characters, and tells a story of extraordinary beauty.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph Club was the first ever book with a lesbian protagonist to win the prestigious National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. It deserves this accolade and every other. This is the story of Lily Hu, a young woman caught between the expectation that she’ll be “a good Chinese girl” and the desires of her heart. After seeing an ad for a local male impersonator, Lily is drawn into the underground world of the Telegraph Club, where she finds other women who love each other and falls for the only other girl in her advanced maths class.  But as Chinese people in McCarthyist America, Lily’s family are already in a precarious position. She can’t give up this crucial part of who she is, but if Lily is found out the consequences will be terrible.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a vivid, atmospheric story with a rich 1950s setting. It’s a magnificent story that delves headfirst into the question of what it means to be Other in groups where you belong. Whether you’re into romance, historical fiction, or coming-of-age novels, this book satisfies on every front. Malinda Lo’s writing is an absolute gift to our community, and Last Night at the Telegraph Club is one of the best novels I’ve ever read.

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, by Adiba Jaigirdar

Adiba Jaigirdar writes fantastic stories about young women of colour falling in love with each other. Among them the trope-tastic romance, Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating. Outgoing Hani is friends with the most popular girls in school, even if they don’t understand her South Asian heritage and insist on giving her a white-sounding nickname. But when they refuse to accept she’s bisexual and set Hani up on completely unwanted dates with boys, it’s the last straw. Desperate measures are required. So she pretends to be in a relationship with a girl they’ll never question: academic weapon Ishita Day. Ishu wants to become Head Girl, the one achievement her perfect older sister never managed, but to do it she needs to win the vote. And Hani’s her way into the popular crowd.

Though they’re polar opposites, Hani and Ishu see things in each other that nobody else does. And the line between real and fake blurs as they work together. This book is playful, light, and entertaining. It also deals very effectively with themes that countless young people face in real life, such as racism in a school setting and biphobia. You won’t be sorry if you read Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, or any of Jaigirdar’s other books. I wish I’d had access to her stories growing up, as they’d have made the world seem much less lonely, but am so grateful today’s young people do.

We Deserve Monuments, by Jas Hammonds

We Deserve Monuments is one of the most beautiful, richly textured novels I’ve ever read. When her fierce old grandmother receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, initially Avery resents leaving a school she loves and a city where she can be herself for Bardell; a small Southern town split by racism and a long way off throwing annual Pride parades. Working out her sapphic identity becomes much more complicated in a place where Avery doesn’t fit. Yet, with Mama Letty’s time running out, she feels called to solve a painful family mystery in the hope of easing the generational trauma. And along the way Avery falls hard for Simone, the girl next door, with a knack for bringing magic to the mundane.

Characterisation, plot, theme, style, and tone all fit together with perfect harmony. And though this novel deals with some extremely difficult themes, it’s also infused with hope, highlighting what’s possible when we try to make things better in the here and now.  We Deserve Monuments was my absolute favourite sapphic romance of 2023, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. And I can’t wait to read Thirsty, Jas Hammonds’ next novel.

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali, by Sabina Khan

I don’t often recommend sapphic books by authors who are not themselves part of the community, preferring the authenticity that stems from #OwnVoices work. But for The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali, I’m thrilled to make an exception. Sabina Khan wrote the first draft of this novel over 16 intense days in the wake of her daughter coming out as bisexual. Through her own life as a reader, Khan had grown acutely conscious of how little South Asian representation there was in the books of her childhood; traditionally published young adult fiction about lesbian and bisexual Muslim girls was virtually non-existent when this novel came out in 2019. Khan wrote the book so her daughter, and other girls like her, would feel represented in fiction. Which is beautiful.

Rukhsana Ali is a closeted lesbian trapped between conflicting expectations from the people she loves. As immigrants in Seattle, her parents are keen that Rukhsana holds onto her Bengali culture. But Rukhsana’s girlfriend insists that she should be open about their relationship, regardless of how her conservative Muslim parents will react. Rukhsana is desperate to start at Caltech where, with freedom and independence, she can live on her own terms. But that future is snatched away when Rukhsana’s parents find out the truth, sending her back to Bangladesh. This is a heartfelt, high-stakes story about one girl’s journey to living authentically.

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight, by Kalynn Bayron

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight is a bold and brilliant horror novel which stands out by subverting racialised and gendered expectations within the genre. Slasher film-buff Charity has the job of her dreams, working the coveted Final Girl role in a live re-enactment of the classic movie, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. With people paying to be scared, fear is the crew’s bread and butter. But when Charity’s castmates start to go missing, it quickly becomes clear that something sinister really is afoot. Armed with expert knowledge of the camp ground and an intense will to live, Charity fights back, because the Final Girl needs to survive.

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight is a spooky, atmospheric read that’s impossible to put down. With a dynamite plot and Kalynn Bayronn’s expert pacing, you could easily stay up half the night to finish this book – though I would recommend a night light! Charity is an intensely compelling protagonist, the relationship with her girlfriend Bezi a gorgeous counterpoint to this novel’s darker moments.

Juliet Takes a Breath, by Gabby Riveras

Juliet Takes a Breath is an outstanding coming-of-age story, both in its original book form and as a graphic novel. With her Catholic parents not understanding her sexuality, Juliet finds life-changing affirmation in the words of feminist author Harlow Brisbane. She applies for a summer internship with Harlow, desperate to escape after her disastrous coming out. But while Juliet finds a proud community of lesbians to draw inspiration from, Harlow’s race politics still have a long way to go. Which means that Juliet needs to stop looking to other and find her own way of being.

This book is intensely readable, and deeply perceptive about how power dynamics between its cast can shape characterisation, for better or worse. It also shines with sincerity, shaped by the author’s own experiences of community, feminism, and sexuality – which makes Juliet’s story all the more heartfelt. And while the novel deals with some challenging themes, Juliet’s warmth, humour, and the courage of her honest all infuse the narrative with joy.

Forget Me Not, by Alyson Derrick

Forget Me Not is Alyson Derrick’s solo debut, cementing her status as a brilliant author individually as well as one half of a legendary wife-and-wife writing duo. Seventeen and stuck in a conversative small town, Stevie dreams of leaving for college with her girlfriend Nora and never looking back. They’ve been dating for two years in secret – Nora’s terrified of her mother’s response, and Stevie already pays a high social penalty for being one of the two Asian kids in her school. But when an accident wipes Stevie’s memory of this love, and her parents and friends see amnesia as an opportunity to steer Stevie towards their own expectations. Only spending time with the girl who saved her makes Stevie realise that all is not as it appears.

This book took hold of my heart on the opening page and did not let go. I was absolutely frantic for Stevie to reclaim her lesbian identity and love for Nora. Forget Me Not is a profoundly moving, intensely readable book that perfectly captures the claustrophobia of being visibly different in a small town. And whether she’s collaborating with her wife or flying solo, Derrick’s writing is utterly captivating.

The Deathless Girls, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

What if I told you the legend of Dracula’s Brides had a lesbian retelling? When I learned that Kiran Millwood Hargrave was writing The Deathless Girls, it felt like this book was made just for me. Sapphic content, a classic gothic tale, and female characters claiming agency? Yes please! On their seventeenth birthday, twins Lil and Kizzy expect to have their fates divined, a ritual enabling them to claim rightful roles as Traveller women. But the Boyar’s men massacre this community, claiming Lil and her sister as slaves. And Kizzy’s beauty catches the eyes of powerful men, putting both girls in danger. When Lil falls for a fellow serving girl, the sisters’ paths diverge even further. And Lil must risk everything, including this new love, if she wants to be reunited with Kizzy.

The Deathless Girls is an otherworldly book that makes for addictive reading. Millwood Hargrave’s prose is stunning, and also streamlined enough that you’ll find yourself racing through this pacy yarn. Always, the question of “what happens next?” will keep you flipping through these pages. And while Lil is an intensely lovable protagonist, there’s also an unforgettable cast of side characters, from Mistress Malovski, who proves that the worst monsters can be human, to Kizzy, and the layers of love and resentment shaping the relationship between sisters.

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School, by Sonora Reyes

Having experienced the joys of a Catholic education firsthand, I was both intrigued by the title of Sonora Reyes’ debut, and wary of a setting I’d rather not revisit even as an adult woman. But curiosity won out, and I’m so glad it did, because The Lesbiana’s Guide To Catholic School is a bright and charming novel. And though sixteen-year-old Yamilet faces more than her fair share of challenges, the bastards never grind her down. She remains herself in glorious technicolour; more so, as Yamilet finds a path to authenticity on her own terms.

As one in a tiny minority of Mexican kids at her ultra white, elite new school, Yamilet is determined to fly under the radar by passing as straight; anything to avoid a repeat of the mess when her former bestie and first crush outed Yamilet as lesbian. She works hard and adopts a new motto: What Would a Straight Girl Do? But these are not easy words to live by, as Yamilet faces daily temptation in the form of Bo, the only openly sapphic girl in school. Fearless, charming Bo is the girl of Yamilet’s dreams. But if other people find out about her sexuality, Yamilet stands to lose everything else that she holds dear. The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School made me laugh, it made me cry, and it stayed with me long after turning the final (gorgeous rose-embossed) page.

Happy reading! And stay tuned for more Pride Month reading recommendations…