2023 is about to end, and with it the Sapphic Book Bingo 2023. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

A big thank-you to all the readers who participated, all the authors who donated books for the big giveaway, and to Erin, who helped me look up all the blurbs and links for each post.

 

Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 stats

 Here are some interesting stats about the Sapphic Book Bingo 2023:

• 3,378 readers downloaded a Sapphic Book Bingo card. Many more followed the weekly book recommendation posts to find new books to read, even if they didn’t officially participate in the Sapphic Book Bingo.
• 907 readers joined the Sapphic Book Bingo Goodreads group.
• 821 readers sent in a completed book bingo card. Note: Cards are still arriving in my inbox, but I only counted the books that were send in by the deadline (10 a.m. German time on December 31).
• A total of 39,352 sapphic books were read for the Sapphic Book Bingo. Most likely, it was more than that, but that’s the official count from the bingo cards that were sent in.
• 64% of the participating readers completed not just a regular bingo card, but also at least one Book Unicorn card, which represents harder-to-find genres and themes.
• The reader with the most books read for Sapphic Book Bingo read a total of 604 sapphic books in 2023!

What’s even more important than the number of books read is how much the participating readers enjoyed the Sapphic Book Bingo. I heard from so many readers who said the reading challenge introduced them to many new authors and made them fall in love with reading all over again.

I even heard from one reader who said that the Sapphic Book Bingo brought her and her mom closer. They adjusted the book bingo for her mom, an avid reader of M/F romances, so they could do the reading challenge together. She said it was the first time they could talk about sapphic things amicably. How amazing is that?

 

The winners of the Sapphic Book Bingo giveaway

Using a random number generator, I drew 15 winners:

• 5 winners who sent in a bingo card with one complete line. They each won 1 ebook. The winners are: Emma S., Holly B., Mirielen A., Nicole M.-C., and Zoey P.
• 5 winners who sent in a completed Book Unicorn card. They each won 2 ebooks. The winners are: Ásta P., Camden M., Elyssa W., Janet M., and Lou M.
• 5 winners who sent in a completed regular bingo card. They each won a bundle of 5 books (ebooks or paperbacks or a mix of both—winner’s choice). The winners are: Ange A., Anna R., Catalina G., Deesha W., and Shannon H.

Congratulations! If you are one of the winners, keep an eye on your in-box. I’ll email you today to send you the list of book prizes to choose from.

 

The most-read books for Sapphic Book Bingo 2023

It was very interesting to take a look at the bingo cards as they came in and see what books readers were reading for each category. I put together a list of “most-read books” for each category of the main bingo card. Unfortunately, it’s a very time-consuming process, so I didn’t have time to do the stats for the Book Unicorn card too.

Here are the top 5 books for the Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 categories:

 

Sapphic age-gap romance:

1. Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
2. Truth and Measure by Roslyn Sinclair
3. The Duet by Harper Bliss
4. Destination You by J.J. Arias
5. Finding Jessica Lambert by Clare Ashton

 

Sapphic book with a bodyguard or security guard main character:

1. Guarding Evelyn by Erin Zak
2. The Bodyguard Affair by Anna Stone & Hildred Billings
3. The Roommate Arrangement by Jae
4. Her Bodyguard by Emily Hayes TIED WITH Keep Her Safe by Claire Highton-Stevenson
5. Guarded Desires by Anna Stone TIED WITH Secret Sanctuary by Nance Sparks

 

Sapphic book featuring a blind date:

1. Blind Date at the Booklover’s Lair by Jae
2. Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
3. Something in the Wine by Jae
4. The Setup by T.B. Markinson TIED WITH 30 Dates in 30 Days by Elle Spencer
5. The Game Changer by Finley Chuva TIED WITH Matzo Match by Roz Alexander

 

Sapphic book with “heart” in the title:

1. Heart Trouble by Jae
2. Heart Failure by Chris Zett
3. Ensnared Hearts by Anna Stone
4. Change of Heart by Clare Lydon
5. A Game of Hearts and Heists by Ruby Roe

 

Co-authored sapphic book:

1. The AM Show by T.B. Markinson & Miranda MacLeod
2. Good Enough to Eat by Jae & Alison Grey
3. She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick
4. Midlife Is the Cat’s Meow by Miranda MacLeod & T.B. Markinson
5. Executive Liaison by Anna Stone & Hildred Billings

 

Sapphic roommate romance:

1. The Roommate Arrangement by Jae
2. For the Long Run by Cheyenne Blue
3. Just Three Words by Melissa Brayden
4. Up on the Roof by A.L. Brooks
5. Just a Touch Away by Jae TIED WITH Warm Pearls and Paper Cranes by E.V. Bancroft

 

Sapphic book with an inheritance:

1. Just a Touch Away by Jae
2. The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
3. The Number 94 Project by Cheyenne Blue
4. Thundering Pines by Rita Potter TIED WITH The Inn at Netherfield Green by Aurora Rey
5. Cabin Fever by Addison M Conley TIED WITH Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters

 

Free sapphic book:

1. The Welcome Party by Jae
2. Third Act by Emily Banting
3. Welcome to Ruby’s by KC Luck
4. Off the Rails by Rachel Lacey TIED WITH Prelude to Murder by Edale Lane
5. The Romance Bet by Jae

 

Sapphic book set in a country or state you haven’t visited:

1. Meeting Millie by Clare Ashton (England)
2. A Curious Visit by Jess Lea (Tasmania)
3. Paper Love by Jae (Germany)
4. Velvet in Venice by Karin Kallmaker (Italy)
5. Bliss by Fiona Zedde (Jamaica)

 

Sapphic book featuring a single parent:

1. The Loudest Silence by Olivia Janae
2. Falling Hard by Jae
3. Better Than Expected by Haley Cass TIED WITH When You Least Expect It by Haley Cass
4. Dance With Me by Georgia Beers TIED WITH The Forever Factor by Melissa Brayden
5. Coming Out by Jourdyn Kelly TIED WITH Truly Wanted by J.J. Hale AND Discovery by Melissa Tereze

 

Sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance:

1. Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey
2. The Devil Wears Tartan by Katia Rose
3. Just a Touch Away by Jae
4. For the Long Run by Cheyenne Blue
5. Hotel Queens by Lee Winter TIED WITH The Red Files by Lee Winter

 

Sapphic book with a Pride scene:

1. Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
2. Howl by Lucy Bexley
3. Down to a Science by Haley Cass
4. Pride Festival by Nicole Pyland
5. Take Two by T.B. Markinson & Miranda MacLeod AND The Glow Up by Cara Malone

 

Sapphic book featuring a same-sex wedding:

1. Not the Marrying Kind by Jae
2. D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins
3. The Business of Love by Charley Clarke
4. Under Your Skin by Lee Winter
5. The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur TIED WITH I Do by Cheyenne Blue

 

New or new-to-you author:

1. Ana K. Wrenn
2. Jen Lyon
3. Anna Burke
4. Alaina Erdell
5. Frankie Fyre

 

Sapphic angsty romance:

1. A Whisper of Solace by Milena McKay
2. Conflict of Interest by Jae
3. Honey in the Marrow by Emily Waters
4. Truth and Measure by Roslyn Sinclair
5. These Thin Lines by Milena McKay

 

Sapphic low-angst romance:

1. The Roads Left Behind Us by Kat Jackson
2. Changing the Script by Lee Winter TIED WITH A Purrfect Gift by Jae
3. Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
4. Stars Collide by Rachel Lacey
5. Major Surgery by Lola Keeley TIED WITH A Lesbian’s Guide to Women by Erica Lee

 

Sapphic coffee shop romance:

1. Just for Show by Jae
2. No Strings Attached by Harper Bliss
3. Everybody Needs a Hero by KC Luck
4. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
5. When You Least Expect It by Haley Cass

 

Sapphic boss/employee romance:

1. Something’s Different by Quinn Ivins
2. The Brutal Truth by Lee Winter
3. Truth and Measure by Roslyn Sinclair TIED WITH Under a Falling Star by Jae
4. Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner
5. Love Where You Work by Anna Pulley TIED WITH If I Don’t Ask EJ Noyes AND Executive Liaison by Anna Stone & Hildred Billings

 

Second book in a series:

1. Damage Control by Jae
2. Chaos Agent by Lee Winter
3. In the Name of the Father by Gerri Hill
4. Reality In Check by Emily Banting
5. Above All Things by Roslyn Sinclair AND A Woman Ignored by T.B. Markinson

 

Sapphic book with a workaholic character:

1. Truth and Measure by Roslyn Sinclair
2. The Fixer by Lee Winter
3. Under a Falling Star by Jae
4. Hunter’s Way by Gerri Hill
5. Presidential by Lola Keeley TIED WITH Irregular Heartbeat by Chris Zett

 

Sapphic vineyard romance:

1. Something in the Wine by Jae
2. It Started With a Kiss by Clare Lydon
3. Sour Grapes by Eliza Lentzski
4. Entangled by Melissa Brayden
5. Blend by Georgia Beers TIED WITH Accidental Honeymoon by Miranda MacLeod

 

Sapphic book with a cowgirl or rancher main character:

1. Two of a Kind by T.B. Markinson & Miranda MacLeod
2. Hidden Truths by Jae TIED WITH Beyond the Trail by Jae
3. Indigo Blues by Adrian J. Smith
4. Backwards to Oregon by Jae
5. Cowboys and Kisses by Karin Kallmaker

 

Sapphic book with an interesting sibling relationship:

1. Something’s Different by Quinn Ivins
2. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
3. If the Shoe Fits by E.J. Noyes
4. A Family Affair by Harper Bliss
5. Presidential by Lola Keeley TIED WITH In a Heartbeat by RJ Nolan AND Paper Love by Jae

 

Sapphic book with a character wearing a tool belt:

1. Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake
2. Fixer Upper by Cara Malone
3. The Number 94 Project by Cheyenne Blue
4. Fool for Love by Rachael Sommers
5. Not for a Moment by Cheyenne Blue

 

Sapphic fake relationship romance:

1. The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
2. Just for Show by Jae
3. Not for a Moment by Cheyenne Blue TIED WITH Breaking Character by Lee Winter
4. Purposefully Accidental by G Benson TIED WITH No Rings Attached by Rachel Lacey
5. The Girlfriend Arrangement by Anna Stone & Hildred Billings TIED WITH Fly With Me by Andie Burke AND She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

 

Join the Sapphic Book Bingo 2024!

I’ll be running another year-long reading challenge in 2024. It will be another Sapphic Book Bingo, and you can again choose between a regular bingo card and a bingo card with harder-to-find themes—this time called Hidden Gems card.

I’ll post the rules and categories tomorrow (January 1) and the book recommendations for the first square (must-read sapphic books) on January 4.

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