11 New Sapphic Books You Need to Read from May 2025
The monthly post where I collect the most exciting sapphic releases from the last few weeks.
May was a strong month for sapphic novels, especially when it came to fantasy releases. My favorite author (Hiyodori) is back! But before we dive into the juicy speculative fiction, we start off the list with two contemporary sports romances with beautiful covers and universal themes of coming-of-age and belonging.
One of the Boys by Victoria Zeller
Our first contemporary sports novel, One of the Boys, is a queer story about a footballer who comes out as trans and struggles to find her place in a new social order. Grace Woodhouse has left a lot behind. She used to have a great friend group, an amazing girlfriend, and a right foot set to earn her a Division I football scholarship—before she came out.
As senior year begins, Grace navigates early transition, new social circles, and a life without football. But when her skills as the best kicker in the state prove to be vital, her old teammates beg her to come out of retirement, dragging her back into a sport—into a way of life—she thought had turned its back on her forever.
A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane
A Sharp Endless Need is a vibrant and intimate novel about growing up, first love, and competitive high school basketball. Star point guard Mack Morris’s senior year of high school begins with twin cataclysms: the death of her father and the arrival of transfer student Liv Cooper.
Playing side by side for their high school basketball team, Mack and Liv discover an electrifying, game-winning chemistry on the court. Off the court, they fall into an equally intoxicating more-than-friendship—one that feels out-of-bounds in their small Pennsylvania town. Caught between ambition and self-destruction, Mack must decide what kind of life she wants to fight for.
The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li
For Asian Heritage Month, we also got our fair share of sapphic novels from Asian authors. The Manor of Dreams is billed as Mexican Gothic meets Everything I Never Told You. It’s a novel about the secrets that lie in wait in the crumbling mansion of a former Hollywood starlet, and the intertwined fates of the two Chinese American families fighting to inherit it.
Told in dual timelines, spanning three generations, and brimming with romance, betrayal, ambition and sacrifice, The Manor of Dreams is a thrilling family gothic that examines the true cost of the American dream—and what happens when the roots we set down in this country turn to rot.
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
The Incandescent was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and the novel I was looking forward to the most in May. In my review, I praised it for its imaginative setting and its dedication to conveying the academic experience while exposing complex social issues. This is a novel about privilege and power, and it burns.
The esteemed Doctor Walden, one of the most powerful magicians in England, spends her days attending meetings, teaching A-Level Invocation to four talented students, and securing the school’s boundaries from demonic incursions. It’s her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students safe, but when old secrets unveil themselves, the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from may just be herself.
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
Nearly five years ago, I remember reading Caitlin Sterling’s sapphic sci-fi horror The Luminous Dead in the din of my parents’ basement as COVID ravaged the world. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that reading experience. In 2025, Sterling is back with yet another sapphic horror, this time set in a medieval castle rescued by the mysterious divine figures of the Constant Lady and her Saints.
As the castle descends into bacchanalian madness—forgetting the massed army beyond its walls in favor of hedonistic ecstasy— three women are the only ones to still see their situation for what it is. But they are not immune from the temptations of the castle’s new masters… or each other; and their shifting alliances and entangled pasts bring violence to the surface. To save the castle, and themselves, will take a reimagining of who they are, and a reorganization of the very world itself.
Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang
Singaporean writer Neon Yang returns with a new queer, Asian-inspired fantasy novella about a renowned dragon slayer who never takes her armor, and if gorgeous covers could sell, this one would carry the entire marketing campaign. Illustrated by Vietnamese artist Tran Nguyen, Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame’s cover artwork might just be the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. Look at that line work, those colors! I need this in paperback now!
The fiercely independent nation of Quanbao is isolated, reclusive, and something of a mystery to the rest of the world. Bearing the burden of safety for her entire people, Lady Sookhee is reasonably suspicious of the dragon slayer Yeva’s intentions and the imperial might of the throne she represents. How can she trust this stranger newly arrived to her court, an armored warrior forged in blood and fire, to understand what her people need and how best to safeguard their future?
Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake
Once upon a time, Ramona Riley was a student at a prestigious art school, with dreams of landing in Hollywood as a costume designer to the stars. But after her father’s car accident, she had to quit and return to her small New Hampshire town, Clover Lake, to help take care of her younger sister. Twelve years later, Ramona is still working at the town’s café, all but given up on her dream. But when a big-budget romantic comedy comes to Clover Lake to film, she wonders if this could be her chance. There’s only one problem—Dylan Monroe, her first kiss and Hollywood’s favorite wild child—is the star.
Dylan Monroe has always lived an unconventional life, having famous rock icons for parents. But she wants to prove that she’s not some chaotic, talentless nepo baby, that she has actual skills, that she’s just a normal person. To do that, Dylan takes on a project at a charming lake town—she even works at the town’s café (very quaint), shadowing a local waitress there (very cute), and asks her to take Dylan around to do Normal People Things. But Dylan soon realizes it’s not just some small-town waitress she’s getting to know—Ramona Riley is someone she’s met before, someone who remembers her past.
Love in Focus by Lyla Lee
When her seven-year long relationship suddenly falls apart, relationship advice columnist Gemma Cho is convinced that real love doesn’t exist. As a bisexual woman who’s had zero luck with both men and women, she’s ready to give up on her own romantic prospects when she gets paired up with Celeste Min, a world-renowned photographer, on a highly visual, potentially career-saving piece on modern love.
Celeste is extremely talented, sexy, and gay, and would be the perfect collaborator and rebound for Gemma if it weren’t for one major fact: she’s Gemma’s ex, the one that broke her heart in college and moved to a whole another country before Gemma could even make sense of what went wrong between them. Despite working on a project together about what constitutes love and romance in the modern age, when it comes to their own affairs, both Gemma and Celeste are tripping over each other’s feet…and into each other’s arms.
A Quick Stop in Paradise by Lily Seabrooke
Ryan Bell is already anxious about her family vacation. Between family drama and arguments over her career change, the last thing she needs is her boyfriend trying to cheat on her with the resort bartender. Brooklyn Sterling is perfectly content with her life in paradise, working the bar at a high-end resort and drifting from one no-strings fling to another. Attachments aren’t her thing. But an attempted fling goes bad when it turns out he has a girlfriend—and when that girlfriend dumps him, the girlfriend’s family takes the boyfriend’s side.
Brooklyn’s just trying to do the right thing by stepping up for Ryan and giving her a place to stay. Under no circumstances is she going to take advantage of the beautiful woman sleeping under her roof. And certainly, certainly under no circumstances will Brooklyn fall for her. A Quick Stop in Paradise is a vacation romance with class differences, coming-out, and kissing-the-girl-your-boyfriend-tried-to-cheat-with dynamics, starring a messy family, a useless lesbian best friend, and too much pizza, if that were a thing.
Masks Worn by Magical Wives by Hiyodori
If you enjoy mind-bending world-building and characters that are far too clever for their own good, Hiyodori’s Masks Worn by Magical Wives will deliver the spice you’ve been looking for. But maybe I’m biased because I just love Hiyodori’s writing. This story unfolds in a unique contemporary fantasy setting: a twisted yet beautiful realm where kings slowly turn amphibious and snake-worshipping nuns lurk in colossal caverns.
When the snake-worshipping nun Nemesia is hired by a benefactor to snoop on a mage named Eden by going undercover as the woman’s wife, the last thing she expects is for their marriage of convenience to begin to feel strangely comfortable. Eden is powerful and well-loved, but she would rather marry a stranger than someone who adores her. Bound by a provisional marriage contract, Nemesia and Eden tackle mystery after mystery even as their own secrets begin unraveling.
Memory of Olympus by Maria Ying
Writing duo Devi Lacroix and Benjanun Sriduangkaew return with their second installment in the Gunmetal Olympus universe starring Greek gods and giant mechs. A stand-alone anthology, Memory of Olympus is a collection of short stories taking place before The Hades Calculus, during and after the rule of the Titans.
For those who want more of The Hades Calculus but can’t wait for The Persephone Effect, Memory of Olympus will sate your hunger for more horrible lesbian gods who can’t stop touching each other. Also, Hades and Zeus’s sisterhood. (And yes, I did somehow miss the anthology’s late April release date, so here we are.)
Did any of these new releases catch your eye? Have you already read one or more? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you for once again fattening by TBR even more 💗 love these posts!
Ooooh I loved The Luminous Dead, definitely will check this new book out. Hiyodori is really keeping up an insane release schedule, and so far they haven't really missed.