The publishing industry tends to ramp up toward October release windows, and this is the same in our little corner of sapphic fiction. If you thought September had quality releases, get your wallets ready for October!
AmEricaNo
@theamericano.bsky.social
NYC | writing about sapphic media 🏳️🌈 | she/her | comparative literature major | subscribe to my substack: https://theliterarygrind.substack.com/
September was a small but mighty month for sapphic fiction, with major releases such as Hannah Kaner’s A Snake Among Swans and Barbara Truelove’s She’s a Doll, and other, more under-the-radar (but just as exciting) releases like In These Gilded, Ghostly Hearts by Gwendolyn Kiste. 🌈📚
10 New Sapphic Books You Need to Read from September 2026
The monthly post where I collect the most exciting sapphic releases from the last few weeks
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I highly recommend Embers and Petals. This is a gorgeous, well-written sapphic romance set in a medieval world where prejudice runs high and danger lurks in every corner. A knight who only slaughters monsters is assigned to guard a vampire who is suspected of killing her father. 🌈📚
Review: Embers and Petals is a Gorgeous and Tragic Sapphic Love Story
I strongly recommend this Taiwanese manhua inspired by the medieval witch hunts.
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Overall, I think Late Bloomer struggles with the problem of sapphic abundance. Unless there’s something specific about the story that draws you in, why settle for just fine when there’s so much great out there, including Mazey Edding’s newest sapphic novel, You Won’t Forget Me? 🌈📚
Review: Mazey Edding’s Late Bloomer Has a Great Title and Cover, But Does the Story Have Enough Substance to Bloom?
A sweet sapphic romance with strong neurodivergent representation.
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At the World’s Mercy Vol. 2 is a direct continuation of the same story as Vol. 1, and we actually don't get that a lot anymore in sapphic books (or books in general). So, the question becomes: Did you like the first episode enough to continue watching, or was just one episode good enough for you? 🌈📚
Review: At the World’s Mercy Vol. 2 Keeps the Slow-Burn Lesbian Historical Drama Going—But Is It Too Slow?
It’s common for serialized fiction to go at a slow pace, but does that pacing still work when the story is released on a traditional publishing schedule?
theliterarygrind.substack.com
Someone help me get an ARC of Taylor Grothe's Lethal Kiss because I am DYING for this sapphic romance horror book. I just know from the cover and vibes that it's going to be one of my favorite books of the year. 🤞
I have one complaint about Ning Yuan's At the World's Mercy Vol. 1, and it's complicated. But if you've been looking for a Chinese sapphic fantasy in a historical setting, you'll probably love this. 🌈📚
Review: Ning Yuan’s At the World’s Mercy Vol. 1 Sets Up an Epic Lesbian Historical Drama in a Chinese-Inspired Setting
A richly imagined tale of espionage, deception, and political ambition, perfect for fans of The Traitor Baru Cormorant.
theliterarygrind.substack.com
In my opinion, August reflects how sapphic fiction has carried over touchpoints from the last half-decade, producing new stories that are not quite like anything that has ever come before them. 🌈📚
12 New Sapphic Books You Need to Read from August 2026
The monthly post where I collect the most exciting sapphic releases from the last few weeks
theliterarygrind.substack.com
This summer, I’ve been working on a secret side project: A Bookshop.org storefront that accomplishes the same goal as the blog, but for people looking for a place to buy sapphic books. You can find it here. 🌈📚
Introducing the GREATEST Sapphic Bookstore on Bookshop.org
Where you can support independent bookstores and shop for lesbian books.
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I just got the ARC for Dreamslayer by A.K. Mulford, a dark sapphic fantasy about a devout acolyte who must form an unholy alliance with the very monsters she was trained to destroy in a desperate quest for the truth. Dark romantasies are a hit or miss for me, and I'm hoping for a hit with this one!
Lucky Red is a historical novel and a smart book club read. The sapphic romance serves the story’s thematic questions: What does it mean to be lucky and unlucky, and to what extent is being unlucky choosing not to see what’s right in front of you or learning from your mistakes? Check it out! 🌈📚
Review: Lucky Red is a Swashbuckling Western Sapphic Historical Novel
For fans of Ally North’s Bloom Town: Genesis wanting more feminist coming-of-age stories set in the American West.
theliterarygrind.substack.com
Hmm...just finished At the World's Mercy and kind of itching for more political sapphic fantasy novels. Can anyone tell me if The Traitor Baru Cormorant is a finished series and worth reading or not?
🚨 Gorgeous cover art alert 🚨 Allison Saft’s newest sapphic fantasy is one of my favorite summer reads for its great character development, magical setting, and powerful themes. Also, the chess. So much glorious, modern chess. 🌈📚
Review: Allison Saft’s Sapphic Romantasy Immortal Game Is a Great Summer Read
Featuring a modern setting that combines a high-stakes chess tournament with the fae realm.
theliterarygrind.substack.com
July was a bit of a strange month for me. I did a lot of catching up on my sapphic book TBR, as well as finishing the odd ARC here and there. It feels good to be cleaning out the old (metaphorical) storage bin, even as we’re all caught in the relentless tide of new releases. 🌈📚
11 New Sapphic Books You Need to Read from July 2026
The monthly post where I collect the most exciting sapphic releases from the last few weeks
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Y'all are not ready for this book. It's the best sapphic fantasy I've read all year, hands down.
Milena McKay’s The Perfect Match is a fun, trope-filled sapphic romance. It lives in what I call in my head “cheesy romance world, where characters can regularly defy logic by miraculously ending up in the same hotel room together, or swooping in to save the day at just the right time. 🌈📚
The Perfect Match and Musings on the Modern Romantic Fantasy
Why do we spend so much time longing for connection with a romantic partner?
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You ever think, "Oh no, I'm going to love this book?" 💙📚
It’s 2026, and we all seem to have a to-read list that never gets any shorter. In this blog article, I went digging in my own TBR and found twelve great sapphic books that I haven’t talked about yet on this blog. 🌈📚
12 Best Sapphic Books to Read in Summer 2026
A dozen great sapphic book recommendations I’ve never talked about on my blog.
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Here's another traditionally published sapphic book that I think had a huge glow-up between its hardcover and paperback covers. I did not understand the vision for the hardcover, TBH.
In a cultural moment increasingly defined by the sentiment that “love is dead,” Love Bullet is a sapphic book that offers a refreshingly sincere and queer alternative: love is something worth celebrating, and the people searching for it are worth rooting for. 🌈📚
Love Bullet Gives Us Brilliant Sapphic Representation in a Modern Supernatural Manga
Set in a unique contemporary world where cupids solve problems of love with guns.
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In this blog post, I talk about my love for the growing market of premium hardcover sapphic (and other) speculative novellas, but also how hard it is to justify their price point. This is not helped by how absolutely GORGEOUS some of the covers are, especially for sapphic fantasy. 🌈📚
Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame Has The Best Cover Of 2025, And It’s Not Even Close
Neon Yang’s sapphic novella is a mythical tale wrapped in danger and allure.
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Seven Seas Entertainment announces three new baihe (Chinese sapphic romance) novels over the July 4th weekend, including Jiu Nuan Chun Shen's popular romantic thriller Miss Forensics and two novels by the author of Clear and Muddy Loss of Love. They're finally committing to some big deals! 🥰
Does 'sadist mecha pilot with mindbreak pheromones x snuffbait cyberpunk nun' entice you? You're in luck, IN HER IMAGE by me and @ciricegray.itch.io is up for preorder! Follow Madalithea and a trans woman shut-in as they're drawn into the gacha game, plot, and psychological horror of Persephone.
In Her Image by Cirice Gray, Maria Ying
A sadistic mecha pilot and the innocent nun she must have at any cost
ciricegray.itch.io
I just got the ARC for Everina Maxwell's epic sapphic fantasy Call Me Traitor! Winter's Orbit has been in *my* orbit for years, and this might be the push I need to read that novel too. I love an author who can show depth!
While this June in sapphic book releases has less blockbuster energy than 2025, it makes up for it in quiet hits and literary darlings. We also have some more cozy science fiction and fantasy releases, and a compelling new horror novel that I’m personally very intrigued by. 🌈📚
13 New Sapphic Books You Need to Read from June 2026
The monthly post where I collect the most exciting sapphic releases from the last few weeks.
open.substack.com
Rebecca Thorne's This Gilded Abyss is one of those rare sapphic books where I like the original cover a thousand times more than the new cover. Bring back my front-page lesbians. 😭
So I just realized that I accidentally wrote 2025 in the title. Just changed the title, and it should be good now. GET YOUR UPCOMING SAPPHIC BOOKS HERE.
My Most Anticipated Sapphic Novels for the Second Half of 2026
32 more upcoming sapphic novels to add to your flooded TBR.
open.substack.com
AmEricaNo@theamericano.bsky.social · 4mo agoMaking these lists of upcoming sapphic book releases is always so special to me because they show how far we've come. From getting a few releases a year to over a hundred, the sapphic book community has exploded in the last few years. I can afford to be picky. Isn't that crazy? 🌈📚
Making these lists of upcoming sapphic book releases is always so special to me because they show how far we've come. From getting a few releases a year to over a hundred, the sapphic book community has exploded in the last few years. I can afford to be picky. Isn't that crazy? 🌈📚
My Most Anticipated Sapphic Novels for the Second Half of 2025
32 more upcoming sapphic novels to add to your flooded TBR.
buff.ly
Congratulations to Ally North for her four-book deal with Delacorte/Dell, an imprint of Penguin Random House! I LOVED the Bloom Town series, and I'm so excited to see where it goes in the industry. Also, a four-book deal means more sapphic books guaranteed for everyone!
