The heterosexual agenda has tried to consolidate a monopoly on the romance novel since time immemorial. They did their damnedest with Pride and Prejudice and the oeuvre of Nicholas Sparks, but like some sort of unkillable gay weed, LGBTQ+ lit has made its mark on the genre, strong, determined, and undying. These 10 great lesbian romance novels are now basking in radiant glory.
Desert of the Heart
The title of Jane Rule’s Desert of the Heart may sound depressing (like many of the best romance novels are) but I swear it has a hopeful ending. The novel begins with an English professor fleeing to Reno to get a speedy divorce, as you do. There, she meets a young, enchanting casino worker and artist. The fires of their love begin to burn bright in the high desert heat … but considering they’re in red-state Nevada, there’s quite a bit of conservatism to contend with. Like tough cactuses or freewheelin’ tumbleweeds, they find a way.
The Price of Salt
Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt is lesbian-required reading. It also happens to be lesbian-required viewing, as it was adapted into the romance blockbuster Carol. The plot, as if you don’t know it already, concerns a young department store clerk who finds herself slapped in the face with love once the erudite, soon-to-be-divorced Carol walks through the door of her shop. The pair embark on a beautiful romance, entirely forbidden by the 1950s society they find themselves in, but the opposition only makes their love burn all the stronger.
The Well of Loneliness
As the title suggests, The Well of Loneliness is indeed depressing. But it’s so much more than a story of doomed romance. Published in 1928, Radclyffe Hall’s novel about a masc English aristocrat who defies gender, family, and society to pursue relationships with other women was groundbreaking at the time. People just weren’t writing novels like this, and one could argue that it is the seed from which the modern lesbian romance novel bloomed, even if Sappho’s poetry touched on the topic first.
Honey Girl
Morgan Rogers’ Honey Girl is the story of 28-year-old straight-A student Grace Porter, who has just completed her PhD in astronomy. To celebrate, she pulls a Desert of the Heart and decides to travel out to the deserts of Nevada—Las Vegas, in particular. While she’s there, she has a really good time. SUCH a good time, in fact, that she doesn’t remember getting married to a woman whose name she still doesn’t know the night before. Rather than file for a quick Desert of the Heart-style divorce, she runs away with her new wife to the Big Apple to escape her highly structured, burnout-inducing life … and fall madly, madly in love.
Patience & Sarah
Another sapphic classic, Isabel Miller’s Patience & Sarah concerns Patience White, a painter, and Sarah Dowling, a farmer living in 19th century New England. If the setting didn’t clue you in, Patience and Sarah have a bevy of societal obstacles that they must overcome to let their love run wild and free. The pair must decide whether or not to turn away from family, faith, and the society that raised them and live for each other alone. Written in the 1960s, the novel won the Gay Book Award in 1971 and became a staple piece of literature for the growing gay rights movement.
Written in the Stars
Alexandria Bellefleur’s Written in the Stars tips its hat to Jane Austen and puts a modern twist on the age-old story of Pride and Prejudice. Darcy Lowel is ready to give up on love for good and tells her matchmaker-playing brother to stop trying to set her up. The last blind date he signed her up for was a disaster, as she and the free-spirited astrologer Elle had less of a spark than a wet match in a dark cave. To get her brother off her case, Darcy lies and tells him her date with Elle was divine. When Darcy’s brother reintroduces Elle to her as his business partner, Darcy begs Elle to pretend they’re dating to save face. In the process of pursuing a lie, real feelings begin to bloom.
One Last Stop
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is about 23-year-old August, who thinks she’s got love all figured out. Love doesn’t work. It’s messy. It’s painful. It ends in tragedy, every time. August is content to shuffle to and from her job waiting tables at a pancake shop alone until, one day, she meets the beautiful Jane on the train. Jane’s got a bit of a problem though. One of a temporal nature. She doesn’t just look like a ’70s punk, that’s the period she’s actually from. How did Jane end up in the future? Will she go back to the past? How could any human being be so damn attractive? August needs to find out.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is the story of made-up Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo, whose star and marriage-studded life was not all that it seemed. While being interviewed by a young journalist for the tell-all to end all tell-alls, Evelyn drops the bombshell that her truest love was not any of her seven husbands, but the mysterious woman Celia St. James. Taylor Jenkins Reid, you’ve written quite the romance.
And Playing The Role of Herself
Don’t judge K.E. Lane’s And Playing The Role of Herself by its cover, there’s far more to this novel than just some skin on skin. Caidence Harris is living the Los Angeles actor’s dream, starring in a new police drama. Getting to act alongside her beautiful A-lister costar Robyn Ward every day is the icing on the cake. Caidence thinks Robyn is way out of her league, but is she really? Take a chance, Caid. The answer might surprise you.
Blue Is The Warmest Color
Adapted into a less-than-stellar film of the same name, Blue Is The Warmest Color is a graphic novel about the passionate, tragic romance between two young women in France. High schooler Clementine discovers her attraction to women after meeting Emma, a charismatic girl with blue hair. The pair embark on a romance full of ups and downs that eventually culminate in one big tear-jerking tragedy. Reading this novel is like looking at two watercolor-painted cars crash in slow motion. It’s beautiful. It hurts to watch. You can’t turn away.
Published: Oct 19, 2024 12:33 pm