Pride Day 16!
Check out the intro to my Pride project here.
Listen, I’m gay as hell and I love a good book about two ladies falling in love. That’s it, that’s my full list of requirements for things that INSTANTLY make me happy in a book. Today I’m talking about lady love, and lots of it, so get out a notebook or just be ready to open up lots of Goodreads pages because I’m talking about f/f romances and why I love them.
Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee - Abby & Jess
This f/f romances sticks out to me forever and always because of how awkward and earnest it is. It’s a highschool romance with superpowers, yes, but it’s also about two nerdy girls who are super hardcore crushing on each other but don’t totally know how to acknowledge it, and I live for that. Honestly, Jess and Abby work for me because they’re super adorable and we all know it.
Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour - Emi & Ava
This was the first book I ever read about ladies falling in love that made me fully swoon, because they are soft and they are the most aesthetic-y wlw in the world, god help me. They are invested in learning about one another, about gaining a deeper understanding of where they are each coming from, and in making space for the other in their life. I love them I love them.
Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst - Denna & Mare
So I’ve talked about my love for retellings in another post this month, and I feel like it’s pretty easy to guess that mixed in with my love for retellings and fairy tales I must have a fondness for princesses. Yes, I do. You know what’s better than one princess? Two princesses falling in love with each other. Thus why Denna & Mare occupy 90% of my heart at a given time. Don’t even talk to me about the first time they hold hands, it’s been two years and I’m still not over it.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Evelyn & Celia
I can’t really talk about this as much, but lord the number of times I cried over these two is…. a lot…. it’s a looooooot. They’re good, great, wonderful, and fantastic. And so is this book, don’t let the remarkably heterosexual title fool you. It’s gay as hell, and I don’t plan on ever recovering.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker - Celie & Shug
The whole center and heart of this book is Celie’s long-term struggle with the men in her life, finding her own strength, and eventually knowing that she can survive on her own. But along that journey, finding Shug and learning new ideas about God and life and love is so essential, and I think it’s their longterm ups and downs that really define my love for these two. They aren’t a perfect couple, they go through so many things, but they are stronger for knowing each other and that is my shit right there.
Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore - Jane & Ivy
I just knew that when a girl-meets-girl romance began with a conversation about Doctor Who that it would be all I would ever need. Throw in some Harry Potter, and a very light Lord of the Rings reference and I’m suitably done for. They’re both living in a world of really high drama and manage to be adorable and nerdy at all times, which makes them perfection in every way.
How To Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake - Eva & Grace
Soft girlfriends make me soft inside, so you can only imagine what this book did to me. Eva & Grace work because they are both going through extreme emotional times, but they’re supportive and nice and they help make each other laugh when they need that moment. Also they have cute ass dates, so that’s overwhelming for sure.
The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding - Abby & Jordi
More like *the summer of creative lesbians who are super inspired by their romantic partner* I mean wow. This is like my ultimate aesthetic: super upbeat, bright lesbian falls for all black-wearing, dramatic artsy lesbian. Plus they also go on cute ass dates, a previously established mega-weakness of mine. The two of them being thoughtful and picking out fun activities they just know the other will love, then watching their date the whole time in wonder at her beauty and fascination?? Oh my god??? Pure?????
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg - Ruth & Idgie
It’s weird how this soft, aesthetic heavy book about a small town in the south is also about murder and also about ladies falling in love. The thing with Ruth and Idgie is that their love is incredibly subtle, and goes mostly unconfirmed. It’s clearly there (I mean, they live one damn domestic life together) but it isn’t really discussed by the people around them. I just think it’s soft, and it’s an undying dedication to one another, and it’s a deep form of caring that I love with all my heart.
That’s all for today! I hope you appreciated my gushing. I feel like I’ve been so lucky to live in a time with so many more f/f romances, but I’m constantly on the lookout for more so please let me know what some of your favorite f/f romances in books are. And keep an eye out for my next post about my favorite m/m romances, coming soon!
