Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (1998)
A bildungsroman and a portrait of queer Victorian London. It follows a working-class woman who has a lesbian awakening during a music hall drag act, runs away to London with the performer, falls in and out of love, and in and out of luck and poverty.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017)
An aging film star sits down with a little-known journalist to narrate her biography and finally reveal her explosive secret: she might have had seven husbands, but the love of her life was a woman.
Borderline by Mishell Baker (2016)
A young disabled filmmaker is offered an internship beyond her wildest dreams. Unfortunately, nobody mentioned she’d basically be an immigration agent for Faerie. Very light on the wlw content but the MC is definitely queer.
Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly (2017)
A spy thriller in a 1920s-esque world full of smuggling, cabarets, street cars, and fascists. The MC winds up being blackmailed—aid the fascist rise to power or be punished for queerness when they get it—and … there’s lots more going on, but I won’t spoil it. The mlm relationship is complex and beautiful.
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (2017)
Science fiction horror. A group of scientists get hired by a TV network to “prove” the existence of mermaids for a documentary, but they actually do, and the mermaids are hungry. This is another book where the wlw relationship is there and important but not the center of the plot by any means.
Hild by Nicola Griffith (2013)
Historical fiction about a girl growing up at the court of the High King of England in the early Middle Ages. It’s a bildungsroman at heart, and very focused on women’s lives and domestic work and the ways women wielded power, and absolutely beautiful imo. Hild’s queerness is a light touch at the edge of the story. If you’re looking for a happy queer ending or solely consensual relationships, though, this isn’t it.
the Smoke trilogy by Tanya Huff (started 2001)
An urban fantasy trilogy about a gay production assistant who winds up saving his film set and/or actor crush and/or Vancouver from paranormal entities with the aid of a very shaky grasp on magic and his vampire ex.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley (2015)
A vaguely steampunk historical fantasy about a government clerk who tracks down a watchmaker after a bombing, only to get drawn into the watchmaker’s plans (whatever they are) and a friendship that’s maybe something more.
Barbary Station by R.E. Stearns (2017)
Two engineers, straight out of school, track down the best pirates in the solar system in order to join the crew and pay off student loans. Unfortunately, the pirates are trapped on a station by a murderous AI and getting everyone off-station becomes their job application. The first time I think I’ve ever seen a committed lesbian relationship instead of “she gets the girl at the end”—and there are lots of other queer folk in the story/series too, including several nonbinary/agender people.
The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite (2019)
Historical regency romance about an astronomer’s daughter and the widow of a biologist. The daughter needs a sponsor to continue her father’s research; the widow needs something to do. It’s a lovely, slow romance even though they don’t actually take that long to acknowledge their feelings.
Orlando by Virginia Woolf (1928)
The story of a young Elizabethan man who becomes immortal and experiences a lot of history—before undergoing a sex change and becoming a writer. Plays with biography and sexuality, and was deeply inspired by the woman Woolf loved.
Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner (2020)
A contemporary romance about a closeted showrunner and her assistant, who the tabloids are 110% sure are dating, and who are personally convinced they have no feelings for each other. Okay, maybe a little. Fine, it’s one-sided and they’re too professional to say anything. Oops.
