This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features sapphic books with a supportive ex. One of the main characters has an ex-partner who is genuinely supportive of them and their new relationship and wants the main character to be happy.
It’s a Hidden Gems category because we often encounter the “toxic ex” as a trope, especially in sapphic romances, as an obstacle that tries to interfere with the main characters’ relationship. So it can feel really refreshing to read a book with an ex who’s actually supportive.
15 sapphic books with a supportive ex
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books with a supportive ex.
Just a Touch Away by Jae
Hannah Martin has an unusual job: she’s a professional cuddler. While she has a big heart for her clients, she hasn’t found someone special to snuggle up to in her personal life.
Winter Sullivan isn’t looking for love. She’s an aloof workaholic who’s built walls of ice around herself. She would rather drive toothpicks under her fingernails than cuddle, and she certainly doesn’t want to share her space with anyone.
When Winter’s estranged father dies, he leaves her one last surprise: she and Hannah, a perfect stranger, will inherit a building together. But there’s a catch: first, they have to live together for ninety-two days.
Winter is determined to dislike her rival, but soon finds Hannah isn’t what she expected at all. Thanks to a hilarious doormat war, a cuddle dare from Winter’s half sister, and a kiss in the most unusual of places, the frosty fortress around her heart begins to melt.
Will she be able to accept that love might be just a touch away?
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Brooke Takes Queen by Alaina Erdell
Brooke Staley doesn’t know exactly what happened to icy Elizabeth Bettancourt, but whatever it was hurt her deeply. When Brooke’s boss dies and Elizabeth inherits the Napa Valley resort, she and Brooke immediately clash. Declining profits and escalating operation costs seem to point toward selling the grand estate and grounds, but doing so would put Brooke’s job and the home where she lives with her daughter in jeopardy.
The last thing Elizabeth wants is to run a resort in her hometown of Calistoga where she lost so much thirty-five years ago. Painful memories, broken promises, and a past better left behind? No, thanks. It’s not as if she wants to make Brooke homeless, but there’s no other option.
Neither can deny their attraction, but falling in love will require making peace with the wounds of the past and the uncertainties of the future to save each other, and maybe even the resort, too.
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The Wilds & the Weeds by Ally North
On a hot summer’s day in 1975, young heiresses Willow and Ivy Wilde vanish while playing by a pond on the Stonehold estate, never to be seen again.
Now, fifty years later, Stonehold is again abuzz, this time in preparation for the homecoming of Summer Wilde and Brody Weston, whose upcoming wedding is all anyone in Echo, Washington can talk about.
Nobody knows that Summer doesn’t want to marry Brody. That she doesn’t want to inherit Stonehold and be tethered to the unshakable darkness that clings to the halls and grounds like cobwebs. Nobody knows because Summer doesn’t have a choice—she has to marry Brody, and she’s long made peace with her fate.
That is, until she sees Ford Flores—third-generation groundskeeper at Stonehold—for the first time in fifteen years. Ford is everything Brody isn’t; she’s self-sufficient, quick-witted, effortlessly kind, covered in tattoos, and a woman. And the last time Summer saw her, she’d kissed her—impulsive and electrifying—then she’d ran away like a coward.
Summer Wilde is done being a coward.
But it’s hard to take charge of your future in a place like Echo, where the past looms thick as the mountain mist tumbling down the white-tipped Cascades. From ghostly apparitions to secret rooms with mysterious paintings and an old sketchbook with a mind-blowing revelation scribbled inside, Summer begins to realize that if she wants to move forward, she’ll have to put Stonehold’s past to rest—starting with the unsolved disappearance of Willow and Ivy.
With her wedding only days away, the clock is ticking. Even with Ford’s help it won’t be easy—no one is telling the truth and everyone has something to hide. Even Summer.
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My Dream Woman by C H Clepitt
When your dreams are real there’s no-where to escape!
Andi is just holding it together. Working two jobs means she doesn’t need to rely on anyone, but doesn’t have much of a life. In her dreams, however, she is a hero: battling monsters and saving innocents. When her dream woman turns out to be very real, Andi’s life begins to spiral out of control.
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The Ghost of You Lingers by Cat Washington
When queer punk guitarist Gibson Cartwright inherits her great-aunt’s Mackinac Island cottage, she plans to fix up the house as quickly as possible, sell it for a million bucks, get off the touristy island, and return to New York City.
But there’s a catch: The house is haunted by Annabelle, the ghost of a 200-year-old beautiful British woman. Far from terrifying, this ghost is gorgeous, sweet, and flirty. As Gibson fixes up the house to sell it, she starts to fall in love with life on the island—and the ghost haunting her house. Meanwhile, Gibson’s know-it-all witchy cousin shows up and says she might know how to bring Annabelle back to life through a magic spell. Gibson doesn’t believe in witchcraft…but she starts to wonder what life would be like if she could stay on Mackinac with Annabelle.
When a smarmy developer offers Gibson more cash than she imagined possible, she must choose between a future with her new friends on the island and a love she can never touch or returning to her old life—alone but a millionaire.
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Crossing Bridges by Chelsey Lynford
Chloe Beckett has her life all planned out. Ivy League education, check. Working her way up the corporate ladder, check. A suitable marriage with two perfect kids…maybe someday. She’s a city girl at heart, but if she survives the next six months working in a Vermont ski town for the local branch of the family business empire, she’ll be one step closer to everything she ever wanted.
Enter Quinn Kennedy, a fun-loving snowboarder looking for her next good time. When she sets her sights on Chloe, the attraction is immediate and mutual. Casual is the word of the day, but that won’t be a problem. After all, their lives don’t fit together.
But hearts have a way of aligning even when nothing else does. The clock is ticking, secrets from Quinn’s past threaten to overwhelm them, and when tragedy strikes, casual might not be enough.
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Sometimes We Fly by Cheyenne Blue
At forty-six, Maren McEvoy is Australia’s most popular newsreader, but for how much longer? And now her ex-husband has moved in with his boyfriend, and her sixteen-year-old daughter has been caught carjacking. Something has to change. Laid-back Jacinta Fowler is furious. Her new neighbour’s daughter with her nightly prowling and disdain for the law, is a serious threat to Jac’s motorcycle tour business. It’d be so easy to stay mad except that the girl’s mother, Maren, is all kinds of gorgeous. And intriguing. And incredibly famous.
But there’s no way Jac should get involved with a closeted celebrity. That way leads to danger… Right?
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Hot Tea & Bird Calls by Evie Marque
Celene Vale didn’t plan to leave her curated Manhattan life for her family’s tacky old summer house. Renovations, a new façade—tangible fixes, even if she’s not handy. Once it’s sold, it’ll be out of her hair, and she can move on to what actually serves her. If only her family could be updated along with it.
Skye Florentine isn’t a stranger to letting her head drift into the clouds. Nature and managing a local art shop usually keep her grounded, but she’s restless for more. A chance encounter throws Celene into her world, and suddenly, even her daydreams can’t compete.
Can fake dating bring peace? Or will the boundaries blur beyond repair? Either way, neither of them is walking away unchanged.
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For The Price by Jen-Lea Mercy
When you find out that the enemy isn’t who you assumed they were, is it worth holding on to the anger of your past?
For seven long years, Evan Landry kept a picture of their brother’s killer taped to their prison cell wall, vowing that one day, he would be avenged. But when Evan finally comes face-to-face with the pub owner responsible, nothing is as it seems. They’re left with more questions than answers, and so Evan sets out to prove that revenge on the gorgeous femme is justified.
Frankie O’Rourke has rebuilt herself many times over, and now, as the owner of a queer friendly pub in Vancouver, she’s determined to leave the past where it belongs. Known as being dominant in and out of the bedroom, Frankie longs to find the perfect-for-her butch to tease and spoil.
When several of her staff fall ill, Frankie hires the first familiar face she sees—a handsome boi with mismatched eyes and an out-of-town ID. Evan is good at taking direction, and the way they look at Frankie makes her want to claim them for herself.
Evan’s plan to get closer to Frankie is simple at first, but the longer they share space, the harder it is for Evan to remain objective. Will they have what it takes to exact revenge before it’s too late?
Who exactly is the predator? And who is the prey?
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The Cost of Vices by Kestrel Martin
Vesper is an assassin with impressive control over her Energy magic, a penchant for whores, and a jealous ex that she just can’t seem to get rid of. Although, being trapped in a work contract with said ex isn’t always the worst, that doesn’t stop her from trying to find a way out.
Bellamy has a gambling problem that has landed her in more trouble than she can handle, but she is confident that she can fix her mistakes and get her ex back. As long as no one can take Vesper away from her, and a certain red-head keeps her hands to herself, everything will be just fine.
Until one of their assignments goes horribly wrong.
Now, they find themselves on the run, having to face their demons as dangerous secrets come to light. Marked for death by their employer, hidden away and trying to unravel the disaster that their life has become, will they be able to put the past behind them, or will their infighting lead to their demise?
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Lacey Lassiter Is Not a Lesbian by Mabel Ballard
Corey Emmons is a rising star. With an appearance in a hit TV show sealing her status as a new queer icon, suddenly, opportunities are flying her way. One of these, however, seems slightly out of place.
Lacey Lassiter is a pop sensation. Every aspect of her public image is carefully curated, from her body to her boyfriend to her signature white boots. But when she arrives on the set of her steamy new music video, she’s met with an unexpected surprise: thanks to a last-minute mix-up, Corey has been cast to appear as Lacey’s love interest, and with no time to find a replacement, they have no choice but to go through with the unexpectedly sapphic shoot.
The video’s release sends shockwaves through Lacey’s fanbase, and soon enough the two find themselves at the center of heated discourse and speculation. Amidst all of this, the two young stars are growing ever closer – but with the world watching and both their careers on the line, how can they hope to figure out what’s really between them?
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The Milky Way Hotel by Marguerite Grimaud & Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud
The day she loses her job and her apartment, a third surprise awaits Celeste Dorin: her great-aunt left her a hotel in a tiny town in the mountains. Is the universe nudging her—not very subtly—in a new direction? For the first time in years, Celeste ignores her anxiety and rushes to the French Alps. To Montlouis, where she has refused to go back since she was a child.
Rose Beauvoir has two passions: chocolate and the stars. Or three, if you count Montlouis. The arrival of the clumsy Parisian disrupts her well-oiled routines, and she’d lie if she said she doesn’t enjoy the blast of fresh air.
As Celeste learns about life at high altitude and Rose shares her love for her hometown and its surroundings, the two women can’t deny the attraction blooming between them. The shift from Celeste’s boring yet comfortable life as a paralegal in the city to that of a hotelier in the mountains isn’t for the faint of heart, however. Will the beautiful scenery, the welcoming townies, and the deceptively reserved chocolatier convince her to stay?
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In Moments Like This by Robin Clairvaux
One amusement park. Two managers under pressure. Will they doom the resort to closure?
Chained to her father’s amusement park empire, Denise Farrington is ready for this project to be her last. Traveling to the Ozark Mountains, Denise has already shut the door on this part of her life. But when she meets Maddox, Denise quickly realizes it’s not for the first time. And the one dark secret she holds close to her heart could very easily unravel. She won’t let this alluring young resort manager crack open the door to the past she’s ready to leave behind.
Maddox Daniels is the fix-it person for everyone. They juggle caring for their aging grandmother along with numerous duties at the resort. When Denise barges into their life and stirs up old hurts from their youth, Maddox knows that she’ll tear apart the community they treasure.
Deep sorrow from their pasts collide with unexpected passion, and Denise and Maddox find themselves drawn together in a complex knot of desire and uncertainty.
Can they untangle themselves enough to see the moments they need to grasp?
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Amazon
The Christmas Resort by Shannon M Harris
Sophia Newton hoped the vacation her son set up for her would help her relax after a recent health scare. What she did not factor in was her ex, Kasey, manning the front desk of the resort. From resurfacing feelings long buried to a scheming six-year-old and elves that seem to materialize into thin air, Sophia is finding it hard to keep an open mind like her friend, David, suggested. If the looks Kasey keeps throwing her way are any indication, this vacation could prove to be life changing. Before moving forward, she needs to know why Kasey dumped her over text message eight years ago.
Kasey Matthews’s life changed in the blink of an eye when her dad and grandpa died in a car accident. After a gut-wrenching decision to leave the woman she loved behind, she was thrown into the role of running The Christmas Resort in upstate New York. Seeing Sophia standing in the lobby brings back all the guilt Kasey tried and failed to bury eight years ago. Second chances are rare in life, and Kasey doesn’t want to throw this opportunity away. But how do you explain that Santa Claus is your brother and your resort has a portal to the North Pole? First, though, she needs to figure out how Sophia can see the elves and rein in her daughter, who seems to be just as smitten with Sophia as she is.
Can two women from different backgrounds find a way to reconcile, or will past mistakes and secrets prove too much to overcome?
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Chef’s Kiss by Stephanie Shea
Valentina Rosas has always known what she wants. Mostly. Sort of. At least, she does now. And what she wants is the coveted staging role at Gia, San Francisco. With four years at the top of her class in culinary school and enough tenacity to fuel the entire Mission, no one doubts she is about to land the job of her dreams—including the three-person cheer squad made up of her best friend and adorably overbearing parents.
Renowned chef Jenn Coleman is not a people person. Her rise to the top of the culinary industry stems from a cultivated blend of top-tier schooling—from her nonna—and bouts of carefully managed misanthropy. Owning and operating two Michelin starred restaurants doesn’t leave time for much else anyway. Just ask her ex.
When the new stage at her restaurant trips into her with all the grace of a baby giraffe, it’s a sure recipe for disaster. But for all of Jenn’s reserve, Valentina has twice the allure, and the chemistry between them is just… chef’s kiss.
If only Jenn wasn’t Valentina’s boss with nearly ten years between them.
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When Dreams Change by Violet Morley
As another softball season begins, Coach Lennox Clementine is juggling many balls in the air. With so many upperclassmen returning, she feels confident about Sitka High School’s chances, but only if she can manage to keep the girls in one piece. Outside of the softball field, Lennox has to keep up with the challenges of her job at the hospital. Everything would be easier if she could keep her mind from drifting to her boss, Jenna.
After separating from her husband, Jenna Macintyre is suddenly looking at the lonely blank page of her new life. She’s trying hard to keep herself from being crushed by the quiet, especially since her daughter, Wren, is finishing her senior year and is busy not only with her friends, but also softball. Left to her own devices, Jenna finds herself seeking out Lennox.
As Lennox and Jenna navigate a blossoming friendship, the two women stumble over feelings both old and new. Lennox does her best to keep her feelings hidden, but she can’t ignore the way Jenna makes her feel. All Jenna has to do is look past everything she’s known, and maybe she’ll find everything she’s been looking for.
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Dr. Jordan Williams devotes her life to saving patients in the OR and pleasuring women in the bedroom. But then single mom Emma moves in next door…
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What sapphic book will you be reading for the “sapphic books with a supportive ex” category? Let us know in the comments!
3 Responses
Patty’s Potent Potion by Robin Alexander is a great fit for this Bingo header. Quite a fun book too.
Quiver by Rachel Spangler has a particularly caring and encouraging ex.
Sweet Surrender by J.J. Hale!