Last month, I read a sapphic YA book involving a cult and reflected that I was disappointed it didn’t explore realistic matters, like why people are drawn to and stay in high-control situations.
This month, I chanced upon a sapphic YA book that explored exactly those questions.
Where Lost Girls Go by Kody Keplinger (out July 7, 2026) tells two asynchronous narratives, one following Caela, the other following Iris. Caela’s life slowly falls apart: she loses her father, is sent away from her friends to her mother and stepfather, and falls in with an older girl who becomes negative influence. Caela’s grief and increasing isolation eat away at her foundations.
Iris, meanwhile, lives a safe and protected life. Her name reflects how she’s seen: as a beautiful flower protected by Sol, the sun in their small garden. He loves the girls. He watches over them. He helps them grow. But newcomer Rose doesn’t seem to understand their ways or want to learn. She’s too strong-willed… and Iris is torn between her growing feelings for Rose and her loyalty to Sol.
This is a quick, emotional read. Both Iris and Caela are sympathetic leads trying to find approval and belonging from adults who have no regard for their personhood, and both find their efforts complicated by an attractive new peer. I liked the parallels. I also enjoyed the messiness of the characters. As a former teenage disaster, I always appreciate when authors are able to balance a young person’s intelligence and drive with naivete and mistakes.
As someone who has read quite a few novels about high-control religious groups, I felt this one walked exactly the right line for YA. It wasn’t simplistic or dumbed down to a story of forbidden love—you might be surprised how common that is. (And, to me, how tiresome.) And it wasn’t exploitative, either, though as an adult reader, I felt a chilling worry for Iris because I know how badly girls can be abused in these situations. Ultimately, I thought the book maintained the sense of fear and desperation, without resorting to gratuitous content. The same can be said of the homophobia portrayed in the book. It was present, but as a sort of background hum—something the characters experienced, but it never felt excessive.
If you’re looking for a quick read with tension, drama, and balance—or a teen read that recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of that developmental stage—this is a worthy pick!
Content warnings: homophobia, violence, control, emotional abuse, kicked out/homelessness, murder
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