About three months ago, I moved from AO3 fanfiction to sapphic books, and I haven’t been able to stop ever since. So here’s a list of every book I’ve read, along with my personal opinions. I’m sharing this because it might be useful to someone, and also because I’d love to hear your recommendations and thoughts on any of these books.
1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 10/10. Love, love, love.
2. The Headmistress by Milena McKay - 10/10. Basically it’s the book that started this whole journey for me, because I read TSHOEH a few years ago.
3. Reverence by Milena McKay - 8/10. Even though I used to do ballet and the topic was somewhat personal to me, the ending ruined it a little.
4. A Whisper of Solace by Milena McKay - 10/10. Just brilliant.
5. The Delicate Things We Make by Milena McKay - 7/10. Just wasn’t for me, I guess.
6. Breaking Character by Lee Winter - 9/10. Really good, but not mindblowing.
7. Above All Things by Roslyn Sinclair - 8/10. I couldn’t make myself read the second book, but I enjoyed the first one.
8. Behind the Green Curtain by Riley Lashea - 8/10. I loved it while reading, but the ending felt a bit flat.
9. Those Who Wait by Haley Cass - DNF. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I didn’t like it at all. Everyone seems to love Haley Cass, and I have no idea why her books don’t work for me.
10. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden - 10/10. It absolutely ruined me. Highly recommend.
11. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone - DNF. Just wasn’t for me.
12. The Bloom Town series by Ally North - 100/10. I genuinely don’t have the words to explain how much I loved these books. Near the end of the first one, I started thinking about how much the characters reminded me of The Haunting of Bly Manor. Finding out it had originally been fanfiction somehow made it even better.
13. Ribbonwood by Ruby Landers - DNF, but I know so many people love it that I still think it’s worth trying.
14. The Wilds & The Weeds by Ally North - 10/10. I was deep in Bloom Town withdrawal, and this book healed me a little. I can’t figure out what Ally North puts in her books, but they’re somehow a perfect match for me.
15. Crier’s War by Nina Varela - 6/10. Please don’t hate me, but I think this is another case of “everyone loves it except me.” Maybe it’s just my indifference toward fantasy. Still, you should absolutely give it a try.
16. The Woman from the Waves by Roslyn Sinclair - DNF. Same situation as above. Even my beloved religious guilt themes couldn’t save it for me, unfortunately.
17. No Shelter But the Stars by Virginia Black - DNF, but writing this list reminded me how much I enjoyed it. I’m definitely going to continue reading it.
18. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters - DNF. I have the same issue with Sarah Waters as I do with Haley Cass. I genuinely want to like her books, especially because I love historical romance, but for some reason I can’t get into them. That said, I’m determined to read Fingersmith.
19. The Lay of You / The Depth of You by Corrie MacKay - 10/10. Even though I haven’t finished the second book, I have nothing but good memories of this series.
20. Backwards to Oregon by Jae - 8/10. I really loved reading it. The prose was beautiful and vivid, but the ending brought it down a little for me.
21. Hearing Red by Nicole Maser - 10/10. I was intimidated by the zombie premise, but I ended up loving it dearly.
22. Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth - 10/10. I almost skipped this masterpiece because of my dislike for first-person narration. This book genuinely changed my mind. I cried my eyes out while reading it.
23. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 100/10. I will never get tired of praising this book. I genuinely think TJR is a genius. I wish I cared more about straight romances or books without romance so I could read more of her work. Maybe someday.
24. Reality in Check by Emily Banting - DNF, but I’d still recommend giving it a try. 25. The Art of Us by K.L. Hughes - Also unfinished, but I read most of it and thought it was great.
26. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo - 9/10. Wonderful book, but the ending felt a little rushed.
27. Relinquishing Control by J.J. Arias - 10/10. It turned out to be the third book in a series, but I read it as a standalone and absolutely loved it. I tried the other books, but they didn’t have the same effect on me.
28. The Red Files by Lee Winter - 9/10. I loved the investigative storyline, though the romance didn’t do much for me.
29. Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn - 10/10. I love a misunderstood witch, and the writing was beautiful.
30. The Senator’s Wife series by Jen Lyon - 7/10. I only managed to read the first book, but it was fun.
31. One Day You’ll Leave Me by Debra Flores - 10/10. I was really hooked to this story and it made me think about many stuff.
32. Ask, Tell by E.J. Noyes - 10/10. I had my doubts about this book, but from the first chapters it captivated me.
33. Alone by E.J. Noyes - 10/10. Despite giving it the same rating as Ask, Tell, this one affected me much more deeply. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.
34. Turbulence by E.J. Noyes - 7/10. Not as strong as the two above, but still enjoyable. The main character’s indecisiveness felt a bit forced to me.
35. Don’t Call Me Hero by Eliza Lentzski - 8/10. I loved it, but at the same time I felt like something was missing.
36. Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton - 7/10. I have only positive feelings about this book.
37. Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen - 10/10. I finished it last night and couldn’t stop crying. Beautiful book.
I have no idea how someone with a fulltime job and a fairly normal social life manages to read this many books, but apparently I’ve developed some kind of obsession and can’t seem to stop.
If you’ve read any of these books, I’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you have any recommendations based on my favorites, I would appreciate them more than you know.
areudirty
izzy806
kaledo-art
andulkaphoto
yousharknotpass
titsay
