The other day, as I was reading a mainstream f/f romance, I thought to myself, wow so much of mainstream f/f centres feminine and/or femme characters. Where are all the butches? (I say “mainstream”, because, firstly, these are the books that seem most popular, and secondly, if you go into indie and self-published works, you’ll find a lot more butch & stud rep I can guarantee.) So, this list, which I’ve been meaning to write for a while anyway, was born. There are only lesbians on this post, but if you’re looking for masc bi women, I did make a small list for someone here.
A lot of these titles are available on Scribd, so if you want to check out that service but don’t have an account yet, use my invite code to get 2 months for free! (This also gives me one free month.)
Beebo Brinker
Ann Bannon
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc & lis, gay character
CWs: period typical homophobia & lesbophobia
Why Should I Read It?
Opening this list up with some 60s lesbian pulp fiction, starting like I mean to go on, etc and so forth. Beebo Brinker is actually not the first-written book in the series, but it’s chronologically the first, so a good place to start nonetheless. This is a series described as one of the first lesbian pulps to actually show lesbians fully claiming their sexuality and, I think, it’s always important to look to see what came before, instead of acting like everything around now sprung up from nothing.
Stone Butch Blues
Leslie Feinberg
Goodreads
Rep: Jewish butch lesbian mc, lesbian side characters
CWs: implied rape (ch 1, 3), police violence (ch 1, 3, 5), institutionalisation (ch 2), gang rape (ch 4), lesbophobic slurs, antisemitism, transphobia, rape (ch 5), sexual harassment (ch 7), injury (ch 9), homophobic violence (ch 10, 23), suicide
Why Should I Read It?
Let’s be honest: this list could not be made without Stone Butch Blues‘ inclusion. You can download this book for free from Leslie Feinberg’s website and, honestly, you should go do that right now. It’s a classic of lesbian literature and also a massive fuck you to the terfs who think that lesbian and trans experiences are so disparate. I have provided more detailed content warnings for this one because it can be a lot.
The Unbroken
C. L. Clark
Goodreads
Rep: Black lesbian mc, bi mc with physical disability due to injury, lesbian & nonbinary characters
CWs: violence, gore, past attempted rape, threats of rape, torture
Why Should I Read It?
Raise your hand if you predicted this one being in here. Everyone? Alright. At this point, I feel there’s not much new I can say about it. This is one of two fantasy books on the list with butch mcs, so if that’s the genre you’re looking for then. Here you are.
Notes of a Crocodile
Qiu Miaojin
Goodreads
Rep: Taiwanese cast & setting, lesbian mc, lesbian side characters, gay side character, bi side characters
CWs: internalised homophobia, self harm, suicidal ideation, heroin addiction
Why Should I Read It?
A kind of surrealist novel comes next, with Qiu Miaojin’s Notes of a Crocodile about Taiwanese students in the 80s. This is the kind of book that’s hard to describe. The only solution is for you to read it yourself and see. If you’re looking for more non-Western classics to dig your teeth into, you don’t want to miss this one.
Fire Logic
Laurie J. Marks
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mcs, gay mcs
CWs: torture, violence, implied suicide attempt, drug abuse
Why Should I Read It?
Fantasy, take two now. Fire Logic is the first in a series set in a fantasy land where the four elements in balance sustain the people. When we’re first introduced to the world, it’s as the death of the country’s ruler leaves a vacuum on the throne, that’s filled by an invasion. This is a slowburning fantasy, that asks you to invest time in a series of long books, but the payoff is worth it.
The Night Watch
Sarah Waters
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mcs
CWs: self harm, abortion, gore, suicide attempt
Why Should I Read It?
Historical lesbian icon, Sarah Waters, could hardly be missed from this list. The Night Watch is, perhaps, not comparatively one of her more known novels in lesbian canon (which Goodreads ratings prove, putting it as 4th most popular of her five), but it’s a classic nevertheless. There’s something so intimate about Sarah Waters’ books, the way she lets you into characters’ lives and The Night Watch is no different.
Motor Crush
Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, Aditya Bidikar, Babs Tarr
Goodreads
Rep: Black lesbian mc, lesbian li
Why Should I Read It?
Listen, I’m a simple lesbian. I see a sexy butch lesbian mc, and I’m set. It’s like that hierarchy of needs triangle, except it fulfils every need. So, obviously, Motor Crush is basically perfection. Who cares about plot when you have a sexy butch lesbian mc? You? Okay, well, it’s about motor racing, a dash of time travel thrown in, and a strange (illegal) chemical that makes you race faster. Got your attention?
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy
Alyssa Cole
Goodreads
Rep: Black lesbian mc, Black bi mc
Why Should I Read It?
Second chance romance, all in a short, sweet novella, for those times when you want something bitesize to absorb yourself in. Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series is one of my favourites in general, and she knocks it out the park with this one. You can believe in the progression of their relationship and it doesn’t feel rushed at all, despite the fact the story mostly takes place across a single day.
D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding
Chencia C. Higgins
Goodreads
Rep: Black lesbian mc, Afro-Latina lesbian mc
CWs: bigotry, colourism
Why Should I Read It?
D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding is a romance at its truest, by which I mean it’s full to the brim with attraction & affection. It’s a glorious thing to witness. And it’s not even only the romantic love between two Black lesbians we’re seeing, but also familial loves of various shades.
Can’t Let Her Go
Kianna Alexander
Goodreads
Rep: Black lesbian mcs
Why Should I Read It?
Granted, this book isn’t yet out (20th June, for those of you who want to know), but even based on that cover you can tell it’s going to be a sexy romance. Butch/femme friends to lovers? May June come all the quicker!
What would you rec?
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