The first Pride was a riot. A riot against police.
This Pride, support Black Americans protesting for their rights. When you’re building your Pride TBR, support Black LGBTQ authors and Black-owned bookstores.
Sometimes you need a break from queer tragedy, and need to curl with a story that will make you smile. When it comes to queer books, I’ll happily pick up a tragic doorstopper, but when I’m not immersed in stories like Fingersmith, I need some cotton candy reads to remind me of queer joy. Coffee shop AU-style, fluffy, conflict-free treats.
Of course, you can’t really have a story without any conflict at all, to my deep disappointment. We can get pretty close, though! I’ll start by sharing my favourites that are as close as you can get to pure fluff, and then share some others that have a little more conflict, but still make me really happy to read.
Starting with the fluffiest stuff I can find, which is often middle grade or YA.
Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee
The first middle grade book with a bisexual girl main character! This is a very sweet story that balances Shakespeare references with the dizzying experience of middle school crushes. There is only one instance of homophobia, and it is immediately shut down.
This story revolves around the 8th grade production of Romeo and Juliet, and there is lots of discussion about the play and Shakespeare. Each chapter starts with a related quotation from the play. I was impressed with the discussion that takes place with the material–the play is not only explained, but also critiqued and complimented by the kids performing it.
Check out my full review here.
Kenzie Kickstarts a Team (The Derby Daredevils #1) by Kit Rosewater, illustrated by Sophie Escabasse
Another middle grade story, this time about a junior roller derby team, with an own voices queer main character! Now, if you’re like me, you’ve already clicked away to order a copy or request it from your library.
This is aimed at about 8-12, and it’s highly illustrated. I loved seeing the diverse group of kids come together–diverse in terms of race and personality. Kenzie’s dad is trans, and I think this is the first book I’ve come across where that is casually mentioned. This is an adorable read, and I’m excited for the next volume!
Check out my full review here.
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
If you’re looking for a fun f/f YA romcom, this is the perfect fit. Millie has been obsessed with Scotland since she first saw Brave. When she applied to stay in a fancy boarding school there, she didn’t expect to actually get in, never mind get a full scholarship that made it a real possibility. But heartbreak gives her an excuse to take the leap, where she immediately clashes with her roommate–who happens to be a Scottish princess.
A classic hate-to-love story, I was at first skeptical of ever liking Flora, but predictably, I was rooting for their relationship by the end.
Check out my full review here.
You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan
This book is a romp. Ever since I read Boy Meets Boy, I’ve been looking for a queer women’s equivalent: a cotton candy book that, despite any issues it addresses, fills you with a sense of hope, warmth, and happiness. This book seems to do the trick quite nicely, and it’s no surprise that it’s co-written by David Levithan himself (though I now have to seek out Nina LaCour’s Everything Leads To You, because if it’s anything like this, it’s a must-read.)
You Know Me Well is told in alternating chapters. Mark is head-over-heels for his best friend, but despite the fact that they’ve been fooling around for years, he still can’t seem to get them in the “relationship” category. Meanwhile, Kate has fallen in love with a girl she’s never met, and is terrified at the chance of actually meeting this mystical, circus traveler, dream girl. They’re both in a topsy-turvy point in their lives when they bump into each other in a bar during Pride. They’ve seen each other at school before, but after this chance meeting, they become the other’s main source of support and guidance for this pivotal point in their lives.
Check out my full review here.
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages edited by Saundra Mitchell
One of the challenges of finding a queer community is not only connecting with your people, but also unearthing your history. Queer people have always existed, but our existence has been covered up and buried. It can feel like we have no history, which is alienating. All Out is a much-needed book, because it locates queer people (teens in particular) through time. It is also optimistic historical fiction. It imagines not only queer teens in the past, but how they might have found happiness there. It rejects the idea that queer people don’t have a history–or that if they do, it is fundamentally tragic.
Check out my full review here.
Going Off Script by Jen Wilde
Jen Wilde’s books are my go-to for queer, escapist, fluffy, fun reads. Going Off Script is about a teenager who gets an internship at her favourite TV show. Her boss is a jerk, and when she writes a script to try to prove her worth, he takes it as his own, and straight-washes the lesbian character.
This is a real celebration of queer fandom, and it ends up being a very fluffy, geek revenge fantasy, as the queer actors and fandom team up to take down the homophobic showrunner. There’s a huge queer community in this book, which makes any homophobia not sting as much. If you’re a queer geek, definitely pick this one up.
Check out my full (video) review here.
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
This is the book that really set the bar for fluffy sapphic YA for me. Queens of Geek follows two point of view characters, Charlie and Taylor, as well as their friend Jamie. All three are going to Supacon, a big fandom convention. Charlie is a Chinese-Australian actress who is at Supacon both for the fun of it and to promote her movie. She’s also bisexual! Unfortunately, she is still living in the shadows of her ex-boyfriend and co-star, whom the fans would love if she got back together with (even though he’s a real jerk). Taylor is fat, geeky, anxious, and has Asperger’s. She’s excited to experience the fandom that she loves in real life, but she’s also overwhelmed by all of the elements of the con that can increase her anxiety.
Another celebration of fandom from Jen Wilde! I loved reading a whole book set a convention, and the f/f romance here is amazing (and between two women of colour). I was completely absorbed in this story, reading it all in one day. Besides all of the diverse elements (did I mention that it actually uses the word “bisexual”?) and geeky fun, there’s also a well-paced plot, compelling romances, and memorable and fully-realized characters. This was such a fun, heartwarming read. Just lovely.
Check out my full review here.
Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel by A. W. Jantha
I am still shocked that this exists! A Disney book, a sequel to a beloved movie, that has a lesbian main character. The first half of the book is a novelization of the original movie, which you can skip. But all sequel is just what you’d expect from a Hocus Pocus sequel, but with added adorable lesbian crushes. I really don’t know how else to describe this except as a Hocus Pocus sequel with a lesbian main character. If that doesn’t sell you on it, what will? I dearly hope that is made into a movie (though I doubt it will be), because my childhood self would be so happy to see it.
The Second Mango by Shira Glassman
This is a bit of a stand in for the whole Mangoverse series by Shira Glassman, a queer Jewish fantasy series. This is a quick, fun, fluffy read–with a dragon!
The series only gets better from here, and Shira even recommends jumping in mid-series. If you love classic fantasy novels, but want one that isn’t so painfully white, hetero, etc, this is the series you’ve been looking for.
Bearly a Lady by Cassandra Khaw
I was sold immediately when I heard “Bisexual werebear novella.” The book opens with Zelda irritated that her transformation into a bear is continually destroying her wardrobe. She works for a fashion magazine, so she doesn’t take this lightly.
This is such a fun, light read. It’s quippy and snarky and smart, and because it’s only just over 100 pages, it moves quickly. The romances are mostly M/F, but the most significant relationship is F/F. Bisexual werebear novella!
Check out my full review here.
My Lady’s Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris
Imagine reading a M/F romance novel: you’re plodding along, all the love interests have been introduced, and your friend (with whom you clearly have more chemistry than with the dudes) throws out that, hey, if you want, you can travel to Egypt with her instead. You reach that point in the book and sigh. Image if she had taken her up on that! Imagine if instead of heading to the drafty castle or trading quips with the asshole rich guy, you just skipped town and went on an Egyptian adventure instead! Only this time, you can!
Most of the storylines you can choose from in this interactive romance novel are tongue-in-cheek takes on classic romances, including a Gothic Jane Eyre-esque plot line, or more of a Pride and Prejudice angle, but the F/F storyline is totally original: search for an artifact stolen from an Egyptian museum, and encounter your lady love interest’s angry ex-girlfriend! Maybe end up in a lesbian pirate gang! (Yes, you can do that. Definitely try to get to that point.) As an added bonus, I enjoyed this so much that I even went back and read the M/F plots. That’s how good this is.
Check out my full review here.
Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman
It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Shira Glassman on this list again! She’s a paragon of queer joy in her books. This is a cute, mostly fluffy story that has a wide appeal: Jewish readers, queer ladies (including bi women), and artists will all find aspects that have special interest to them. It was also nice to read about a fat love interest. This definitely felt like a “slice of life” story. It’s realistic, and as if you’re just being dropped into a short period of these people’s lives, but the characters seem to live outside the words on the page, as well.
This isn’t entirely a traditional romance novella: there is a romance, but it’s just as much about Clara and Danielle’s art, or their relationships with their siblings, or their shared love of fandom. If you’re looking for a quick, light, but satisfying read, pick this one up!
Check out my full review here.
Roller Girl by Vanessa North
Roller Girl follows Tina, a trans woman who has recently divorced as well as retiring as a professional athlete. She’s adrift. So when she gets invited to play on the local roller derby team, she jumps at the opportunity. And it doesn’t hurt that the coach is a swoonworthy butch woman. They are drawn to each other, but Joe doesn’t want to endanger the team by admitting to dating a teammate, and Tina doesn’t want to stay a secret forever.
This is a quick, fun read with steamy sex scenes!
Check out my full review here.
The rest of this list is comics, because that’s the easiest place for me to find fluffy queer reads!
The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars by Michael Dante DiMartino
This one requires a bit of homework, because you only get that burst of joy if you’ve watched The Legend of Korra first. If you have, then you know the bittersweet ending, and how it was both more than we expected and less than we deserved.
Turf Wars: Part One picks up exactly where the last episode leaves off, and it was everything I could have hoped for. It gives Korra and Asami their happy ending, where they basically go on a honeymoon in the spirit world. They kiss and hold hands. They are unambiguously a romantic couple. And honestly, that’s all I wanted! I haven’t been as impressed by the following graphic novels, but I think that’s because the first part of Turf Wars gave me everything I wanted from the story.
Darlin’ It’s Betta Down Where It’s Wetta by Megan Rose Gedris
Megan Rose Gedris is one of my favourite artists (they did the Lesbrary banner!)
Down Where It’s Wetta is a lesbian mermaid porn made up of short arcs, all featuring the same characters. This is light on plot, but there is enough variety in setting to keep it interesting. The art is beautiful, and I also really enjoyed the humour!
Check out my full review here.
Kim Reaper series by Sarah Graley
Becka is an art school student who is crushing hard on Kim, a gothic girl in her class. Little does she know, Kim is a part-time Grim Reaper, and instead of heading off to the pub after class with a cute girl, Becka ends up being pulled into some dangerous undead shenanigans.
This is so much fun to read. The plot is silly (they fight a bodybuilder and his army of cats!) and the art is super cute. I think Becka is the cutest character I’ve ever seen in my life.
Check out my full review here.
Goldie Vance series by Hope Larson (Author) and Brittney Williams (illustrator)
Goldie Vance is a Black queer teen detective! I really love the art in this volume. The colours are vibrant, and the character designs are distinctive and engaging, and the cast is diverse.
Originally, I had though that Goldie Vance was a preteen, but she’s a teenager, and the mystery is slightly more political and intense than I thought it would be! Unsurprisingly, my favourite part of this first volume was Goldie falling for Diane, who we first see rocking a James Dean-ish look.
Check out my full review here.
Sugar Town by Hazel Newlevant
This is a queer, polyamorous, BDSM fluffy love story. Hazel is in an open relationship with her boyfriend, and she bumps into Argent, a confident and kind domme, at a party. They click instantly, and Argent helps Hazel learn more about negotiating polyamorous relationships.
Sugar Town is a sweet, soft story. Everyone in it treats each other with respect and caring. They check in. They talk about their feelings. Hazel is still figuring out jealousy and other aspects of polyamory, but that’s okay. They’re not simmering underneath, they’re freely discussed.
I also loved the art style, which reinforces that warm and welcoming feel. I want to crawl inside the pages and curl up there. This is definitely one of my rare 5 star ratings: I loved every panel, and I know I will return to it when I need something hopeful to dive into for a little while. What a treat.
Check out my full review here.
Space Battle Lunchtime Volumes 1 & 2 by Natalie Riess
This comic is an all-ages queer women comic about a competitive cooking show… in space. What could be better?? Peony agrees to be in a competitive cooking show, only to be transported onto the spaceship it’s being filmed on. That’s when she realizes that this isn’t space-themed, it’s literally in outer space. But she takes the existence of aliens in stride, and concentrates on the competition. And, okay, maybe one of the cute alien contestants.
I highly, highly recommend reading volume 1 & 2 back to back, because they really are one complete story. This is such a joyful book!
Check out my full review here.
Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Shannon Watters
I feel like recommending Lumberjanes as a queer all-ages comic should go without saying, but I will say it all the same!
This is a comic that follows a group of girls at summer camp, where they get into fantastical adventures. The strongest part of the series is the dynamic between the 5 main characters. They all have different personalities, strengths, fears, priorities, etc, but they are a tightly-knit group. They support each other. And we get to see each one spotlighted at some point.
This is also a diverse cast, including multiple trans characters, and two of the girls start dating. This is a fun series to read as an adult, but I’m especially glad it exists for kids and teens. The main characters are different ages and also a little ambiguous, so this really works as a recommendation for 9 and up, I’d say. And it’s still going!
Check out my full review here.
Jem and the Holograms by Kelly Thompson and Sophia Campbell
I love Sophia Campbell’s art style here: colourful and vibrant, with characters of all different shapes and sizes. It is unbelievably cute.
You don’t have to be familiar with the original Jem and the Holograms to pick this up: it’s a re-imagining of the original concept. 4 sisters start a band together, but their lead singer, Jerrica, has debilitating stage fright. Luckily, they get access to hologram technology, so Jerrica can perform disguised as the confident and larger than life Jem.
Also, one of the sisters gets a crush on a member of rival band The Misfits! So much fun!
So those are my recommendations for the fluffiest, lightest, most cotton candy queer lady books I can find! But a book doesn’t have to be pure fluff to make you happy, so I wanted to include a few bonus books that include some conflict and darkness, but are still books that made me happy, and that I think are overall joyful.
This is What it Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow
Honestly, the cover alone of this one makes me happy. Dia, Jules, and Hanna used to be inseparable, and they played in a band together. Meanwhile, Dia’s boyfriend, who she was just starting to get close with, was killed in a car accident. Weeks after the funeral, Dia finds out she’s pregnant and decides to keep the baby. Hanna and Dia walk away from each other, and Jules sides with Dia. Now, their city is holding a music competition that includes a $15,000 prize, and they just might have a chance to win it–but it means getting the band back together.
As you could guess from that description, there is definitely seriousness here, but it’s also about friendship, and a budding adorable F/F relationship. Also, there’s an adorable toddler who is a fan of a dog named Waffles, so what more could you want? Despite their hardships, this is an optimistic and beautiful book.
Check out my full review here.
Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan
The cover, title, and blurb of this makes it seem like it will be pure fluff, but it’s a little angstier than I expected, which is why it ended up on this list.
Lou is gearing up for The Best Summer Ever, and even being cast as the hot dog at her summer carnival job doesn’t break her stride. Sure, her crush is literally dating the Princess of the park, but she’s got a plan to snag this diving pirate for herself. And as for the apparent closing of the park, which has been one of the few constants in her life, she is determined to find a way to save it. When she ropes her best friend, Seeley, into fake dating her, Lou is surprised to find that her various schemes aren’t going exactly to plan…
This turns into a fake dating love pentagon with a slowburn F/F friends-to-lovers romance. Hot Dog Girl is a queer YA romcom that makes for a perfect summer read.
Check out my full review here.
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
Simone has enough to deal with directing the school play when she starts getting blackmailed about revealing her HIV-positive status. Despite being about the stigma of HIV and AIDS, there is a lightheartedness to this book as a whole, along with the the serious underpinnings. It’s an M/F romance, but even aside from Simone being bi, there is queer rep aplenty: she has two dads, one of her best friends in an asexual lesbian, and the other best friend is also bisexual. An undercurrent of the story is Simone coming to terms with her sexuality, and realizing that she can claim that identity.
On the whole, I found it a fun, absorbing read. Simone is passionate about musical theatre, and she is excited and intimidated to be acting as director. She is swooning over a cute guy (also involved in the production), and their romance is adorable. Simone’s friends are great–even if they have some communication issues–and so is her family. She is surrounded by support, and there is a lot of humour sprinkled throughout.
Check out my full review here.
The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde
Emmy is the drummer in the immensely popular teen band The Brightsiders, alongside non-binary hearthrob Alfie, who she’s suddenly fallen for. Like Wilde’s other queer YA, The Brightsiders is packed full of queer characters and queer joy. There is a focus on found family, especially because Emmy’s parents are abusive. Her entire life they have never stopped drinking and partying, ignoring her, insulting her, and gaslighting her in turn. Her girlfriend is also gaslighting and toxic. When Emmy’s partying lands her in the hospital, she worries that she is heading down the same path as her parents.
Although there is definitely an element of the rock star lifestyle here, there’s a lot of emotional work happening beneath the surface. Emmy is learning to accept and love who she is, and protect herself from the toxic people in her life. There is also such warmth from the queer community that she surrounds herself with: both her friends and her fans show what support, love, and family really is.
Check out my full review here.
Of Fire and Stars and Of Ice and Shadows by Audrey Coulthurst
Here’s the premise: a YA fantasy book where two princesses fall in love. I mean, there’s a lot more to it. There’s court politics and betrayal and suppressed magic and warring religious factions, but that’s the hook that got to me. Although this is a (grudging-friendship-grows-into-something-more) love story, it’s just as much about the two of them trying to find out the truth about the deadly conflict in their kingdom. The second book is even stronger than the first, in my opinion.
This warmed my heart. It’s not that this is fluffy or doesn’t have conflict, but it makes me unspeakably happy to know this story is out there for queer girls, and especially one that’s published by one of the big publishing companies, which hopefully means it will be on the shelves of enough bookstore to be discoverable.
Check out my full review of the first book here and of the sequel here.
Falling In Love With Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson
Admittedly, only the novella in this collection has queer women in it, and it’s not particularly light, but this book makes me so happy. I was hooked from the first sentence: I didn’t used to like people much. After I finished this book, I just wanted to hug it to my chest and sigh contentedly. Hopkinson introduces each of her stories and gives a little explanation, and those not only add to the experience of those stories, they also show her personality so much that she’s been added to my list of dream authors to have at a dinner party.
If you have any interest at all in fantastical or fabulist short stories, if you like sharp humor or flawed and compelling characters, definitely pick this one up.
Check out my full review here.
Stage Dreams by Melanie Gillman
In Stage Dreams, Grace is in a stage coach, on the run. The coach is being driven through an area that’s being haunted by the Ghost Hawk, a supernatural giant hawk that swoops down on carriages and robs them! When Grace’s coach is targeted, she discovers that the Ghost Hawk is, in fact, Flor: a Latina woman who robs coaches, with her (regular-sized) pet hawk–not the story stagecoach drivers like to tell about the experience!
When the stagecoach fails to produce any worthwhile goods, Flor takes Grace instead, in the hopes of getting some ransom money from her family. Her plan falls apart when she finds out that Grace is trans and is running away from her family. Instead, the two end up hatching a plan together to pull of another heist–one that could set them both up for life.
Although I would have liked for this to be a little longer, I really enjoyed the art, characters, and historical context (the end notes are packed with info). Westerns are not usually my genre, but I was sucked into this story. Definitely pick it up for a quick, engaging read with a diversity of characters not often seen in this setting.
Check out my review here.
I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up by Naoko Kodama
This short, standalone manga is about a fake marriage: Morimoto is sick of being constantly set up by her parents. Her friend Hana suggests that they get married to shut them up.
Unsurprisingly, Hana and Morimoto’s relationship changes as they live together. Morimoto also finds new confidence in herself: she is inspired by Hana, by her dedication to her passion (art) and her defiance in being unapologetically out. It was gratifying to see an out character, one who even uses the word “lesbian,” in the pages of a yuri manga. This has all of the appeal that yuri manga usually has for me: it’s a quick, absorbing, and adorable read. But it adds more depth and realism than I expect from this genre. It had me absolutely grinning as I read it.
Check out my full review here.
Girl Friends: The Complete Collection by Milk Morinaga
This seems to the quintessential yuri series: It’s school girls, and a lot of blushing, and the typical “girls don’t do this” heteronormativity. I read this in the omnibus, and talk about a slow burn! This is almost 500 pages, and mostly just about Mariko making a new friend, falling in love with her, and then (much later) realizing that she’s fallen in love with her.
Girl Friends is super cute, but with the melodrama of agonizing over a crush on a girl. This is a fun, quick, addictive read.
Check out my review of volume 1 and volume 2.
Please let me know in the comments what your favourite happy, fluffy sapphic reads are! I’m always looking for more, especially by authors of colour.
