10 Unmissable Sapphic Coming of Age Books Worth Reading ASAP

Recently updated on July 14th, 2024 at 02:16 pm

Searching for Sapphic coming of age books? Well you’re in for a treat! Here are 10+ enchanting Sapphic coming of age books.

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Something about coming of age books makes them compelling. Seeing someone’s journey unfold before you and watching a character transform from childhood to adulthood.

And I think you’ll agree with me when I say that Sapphic coming-of-age books are especially profound. Watching someone come to terms with their sexuality. And transform into adulthood.

That’s why, I’ve compiled the best Sapphic coming of age books. 

Read on for the best Sapphic coming of age books

Sapphic Coming of Age Books

1. The Falling In Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

The Falling in Love Montage features a main character coming to terms with her mother having early onset dementia.

We follow Saoirse . She is struggling to cope because her mother is in a home with dementia.

Also, it’s a hereditary condition. One day she might inherit it.

She doesn’t see the point in a relationship. Until she meets Ruby at a party.  And they have a relaxed summer fling.

Ciara Smyth wrote The Falling in Love Montage. And she previously worked as a mental health trainer. This definitely comes across in the book. And it deals with many mental health issues. It also deals with the consequences of early-onset dementia.

If you’re looking for a coming of age book that balances romance with mental health issues -then this is a great choice.

The Falling in Love Montage is also a hilarious romcom filled with 00s references and relatable lines. A great pick if you’re looking for Sapphic coming of age books.

2. The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

The Henna Wars is an incredible coming of age novel featuring a Muslim, Bangladeshi, lesbian main character. It deals with racism and cultural appropriation.

The Henna Wars follows Nishat.  She comes out to her parents as a lesbian. They’re happy for her to be whoever she wants to be.

As long as she isn’t herself – because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians.

Her life becomes harder when she is reacquainted with a childhood friend – Flavia. Especially when in a school competition they both start their own henna business.

This book includes a lovely queer wlw romance. 

But it’s also much more than a romance. 

 It navigates homophobia, bullying, racism and cultural appropriation. It also includes one of the best main characters in Nishat. Nishat bravely deals with many things being thrown at her. 

This book deals with some heavy topics. But it still manages to remain a cute, funny and romantic debut novel.

3. Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

Her Royal Highness is a coming of age novel featuring an amazing bisexual character. Flora is also a sassy, intellegent lesbian. A quick warning: readers from Scotland might not enjoy this novel.The references to Scotland are cute but not at all realistic.

We follow Millie, she is heartbroken when she discovers her kinda girlfriend has been kissing someone else. After getting into a super elusive boarding school, she moves to Scotland.

Problem is her room-mate is a complete princess.

This light-hearted enemies-to-lovers romance features royalty, an ex-girlfriend and a posh boarding school. Oh, and did I mention it’s all set in stunning Scottish highlands.

It did feel a litte rushed towards the end of the book. But this sweet book is easy to binge-read in one sitting.

Her Royal Highness has one of my favourite bisexual main characters. If you’re looking for books with bisexual main characters, you’re in luck. Check out my article on books with bisexual main characters here.

4. I kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey Mcquiston

I kissed Shara Wheeler is a cute YA rom com with a captivating mystery. A sapphic version of a John Green Novel.

We follow Chloe Green. She attends a Christian high school in the Bible Belt in the USA. The only thing that’s kept her going is winning Valedictorian. And the only thing stopping her is rival Shara Wheeler.

But a month before graduation, Shara Wheeler kisses her and then disappears.

This book launches straight into the middle of the action. And hooks you in almost straight away. Fans of Paper Towns will love this Sapphic mystery.

But it also deals with sexuality and identity in the Bible Belt. If you grew up queer in a religious area then this is a relatable read.

I found the main character a tad irritating. But the friendship groups work well and make this a fun, lighthearted read.

5. Not my Problem by Ciara Smyth

Not my Problemn is an exceptional coming of age novel, full of heart and emotion. We follow a character struggling to deal with school, friendship and her mother’s drinking problem.

We follow Aideen.  Aideen has plenty of problems she can’t fix…

 Her best (and only) friend is pulling away. Her mother’s drinking problem is a constant concern. She’s even running out of outlandish diseases to fake so she can skip PE.

But then Aideen stumbles on her nemesis, overachiever Meabh Kowalski, in a full-blown meltdown. She sees a problem that seems easy to solve. Meabh is desperate to escape her crushing pile of extracurriculars. Aideen volunteers to help. By pushing Meabh down the stairs.Problem? Solved.

Meabh’s sprained ankle is the perfect excuse to ditch her overwhelming schedule.

But then another student learns about their little scheme. And they bring Aideen another “client” who needs her “help”. It kicks of a term of traded favours,  ill-advised hijinks, and an unexpected chance at love. 

The concept behind this book worked perfectly. It allowed for hilarious antics and plenty of character development throughout the course of the books. The main character and side characters are all instantly likeable. Likewise, the writing style is easy to read. 

If you’re after light-hearted Sapphic coming of age books, you’ll love this adorable romance.

6. Ash by Malinda Lo

Ash is an adorable coming of age novel. This retelling focuses on a character dealing with grief. It also features a cute sapphic romance, but this isn’t the focus of the story. This short novel is a quick binge-read.

Ash is a lesbian Cinderella retelling. We follow Ash, she is dealing with the grief of losing her parents. And she falls in love with the king’s huntress.

I loved the descriptions of the world such as the woods and the fae. And I instantly really loved the King’s Huntress.

But, I wish that the romance had been a little better developed. The scenes they had together were fantastic. But I was left wanting more. 

However, I love that it focuses on Ash recovering from grief. Mental health is a strong theme throughout and the romance feels secondary.

 This is a really cosy read and offers great escapism. Plus you could read this short book in one sitting. 

Searching for Sapphic retellings? Check out my article on Sapphic retellings here.

7. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Girls of Paper and Fire is an incredible ya coming of age novel. But, please make sure you check the trigger warnings first. This fantasy features some dark themes.

This fantasy features magic and a dystopian society. And Asian mythology is woven seamlessly throughout.

We follow Lei. She is a member of the Paper Caste. And the people of Ikhara persecute her.

 She sees the royal guards take her mother. Afterwards, Lei suffers with trauma. But the guards return for Lei. She must learn skills fitting of a King’s Consort. But she falls in love.

The worldbuilding in this book is seriously beautiful. Natasha Ngan was inspired by her own experiences growing up in Malaysia – a country with a mix of cultures. And Ikhara was heavily inspired by this.  The worldbuilding is vivid and beautiful.  It stands apart from other ya fantasy books.

The character development is  excellent. I loved the wlw romance in the book. The grumpy/sunshine trope was executed perfectly. The plot of the book is quite dark but it was handled sensitively.

The pacing did lapse a bit in the middle for me.

But the character development was excellent. Consequently, I still enjoyed reading it. If you’re looking for Sapphic coming of age books then you need to add this to your tbr list.

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

In this ya contemporary, we follow a wlw romance with Muslim and Bengali main characters. And Adiba Jaigirdar nails the grumpy/sunshine trope.

If you like the Fake Dating Trope then you’ll love Hani and Ishu’s guide to fake dating. A ya contemporary with a wlw romance with Muslim and Bengali main characters. And Adiba Jaigirdar nails the grumpy/sunshine trope.

Hani is bisexual but she is having trouble making her friends to believe her. Ishu wants to be Head Girl.  

They  fake date so Hani’s friends believe she is bisexual. And to help Ishu in her Head girl campaign.

The bisexual representation is executed  incredibly in this book. Not enough books deal with biphobia. And this explicitly deals with biphobic bullying. 

The writing is hilarious. The grumpy/sunshine romance and fake dating trope led to many funny moments. It had me laughing out loud. And both characters learn from each other.

9. She drives me crazy by Kelly Quindlen

In this cute sports romance, we follow an enemies to lovers romance and fake dating scenario. Plus, in this novel both characters learn from each other and become better people.

We follow Scottie Zajac. She loses spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up. She finds herself in a minor car collision with the worst possible person. Her nemesis Irene Abraham.

Irene Abraham is beautiful but also  mean. And then their nosey, do-gooder moms involve themselves. Consequently the girls are forced to carpool together.

But the more time they spend together, the worse it becomes. But then Scottie discovers an opportunity for revenge on her ex. And she bribes Irene into playing along.

This book is such a cute, light-hearted read. And it makes for such escapism. I often don’t want to read books that deal with heavy issues. Or that teach you something.  If you’re looking for a cozy, feel-good ya lesbian book or a cute wlw romance then this is a great choice.

10. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

An exceptional coming of age novel features a Chinese American coming to terms with their sexuality in 1950s San Francisco.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club follows 17 year old Lily Hu. She’s questioning her identity. And she decides to visit a lesbian night club called the Telegraph Club. The Telegraph club offers sanctuary to anyone who needs it in an era of  disruption.

America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love. Especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone – including Chinese Americans like Lily.

This book is well researched and it portrays the challenges of the era beautifully. The story is heart-wrenching and takes you on such an emotional journey. Yet despite this, the book is full of such warmth.

 Lily Hu is a very lovable main character and the romance is absolutely adorable. It felt very realistic for teenagers coming to terms with who they are.

It took me a while to get into the story, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. If you love the found family trope then you need to read this book. The found lesbian trope is executed perfectly in this book.  

If you’re after books with lesbian characters, you’re in luck!  Check out my article on books with lesbian characters here.

11. Imogen Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Imogen Obviously is an incredible coming of age novel. We follow a main character coming to terms with their sexuality and compulsory heterosexuality. A topic rarely discussed in books.

It follows Imogen Scott. She may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.

Imogen has never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. And she knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends.  Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, helps keep Imogen’s biases in check. And Lili—newly out and thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.

Imogen is thrilled for Lilli and excited to visit Lilli on campus. And she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in.Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she’s told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa. Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. 

Imogen Obviously is a deeply personal story for Becky Albertalli. After writing ‘Simon vs the HomoSapiens agenda’, critics accused Albertalli of profiting from the LGBTQ+ community. Consequently, she was forced to come out.

Albertalli poors her heart out in this book. She discusses biphobia, denial and compulsory heterosexuality. However, the romance is still adorable, light-hearted and well developed. If you’re looking for Sapphic rom com books then I highly recommend this book.

Conclusion

These Sapphic coming of age books were just the tip of the iceberg.  In  recent years,  some incredible sapphic romance books have been released.

On a budget? Then I highly recommend checking out the Libby app. You can use this app to rent audiobooks from your local library for free! Check out Libby here.

I love reading Sapphic books and I have tons of recommendations. Audiobook fans, check out my article on Sapphic audiobooks here. I also have articles on historical Sapphic books, Sapphic contemporary books and wlw enemies to lovers books.