Book picks similar to
Swimming Beside Me by Aleks Mitchell


ya-plus
young-adult
lesbian
lesbian-fiction

Perfect Perry (Rainbow Heights Book 1)


Carla Ryan - 2018
    But when she meets Zinnia Paradiso, beautiful artist and free spirit, her definition of perfection isn’t so perfect anymore.

The Six Pack


Erica Lee - 2021
    Ten Years. Twelve stories.When sisters Maggie and Kiera McBride bring their friends together for a night of fun, they have no idea what it will lead to. Neither of them expected this crazy group to become like family.Throughout the next year, follow this group of friends as they navigate ten years of life and love together.*This 10,000 word novelette is book one of an LGBTQ+ twelve-book series*

Gal Pals


Lily Craig - 2018
    Her life should be perfect, but something’s missing. Though she’s never deliberately concealed her sexuality, she’s also never dated anyone since landing her first job in Los Angeles. So when Tara, a free spirited photographer, snaps Vanessa’s picture—and accidentally lands her squarely in the sights of a group of paparazzi–Vanessa isn’t sure what to think. Tara’s cute, yes. Interested, probably. And their chemistry is undeniable. But is Vanessa willing to risk her personal life showing up in the public eye when she’s normally gone to such pains to keep it private? Gal Pals is a steamy contemporary lesbian romance novella with an uplifting HEA!

Full of Grace: A Monday's Child Romance


Sienna Waters - 2019
    Why would a dancer provoke the wrath of an anonymous letter writer? And when her director hires ex-soldier Sam Weaver to be Alena's bodyguard, the dancer is furious. Having her privacy invaded and her independence ripped away mean that Alena hates Sam at first sight.Sam's reeling from a job gone wrong, an incident that means she's practically unemployable in the security field. A contract with Alena could be enough to prop up Sam's failing reputation. The only problem? Alena doesn't want her there and refuses to follow her instructions, meaning she's a risk that Sam might not be able to afford to take.Alena and Sam might be stuck with each other, but that doesn't mean they have to like each other. Unfortunately, the heart doesn't always listen to the head. And as danger races closer the two must decide just exactly what chances they're prepared to take.Love has to be about compromise, but what if you've never had to compromise before? Career-oriented Alena and controlling Sam are the last people in the world willing to change themselves for love. There's no reason they should be together and every reason they should stay apart, but can Alena and Sam end up in each others' arms anyway?Full of Grace is the second in the Monday's Child series of lesbian romance novels, and features a HEA ending. Monday's Child books can be read independently and in any order.

Desert Sky


Ellie Green - 2021
    The only downside? When the nearest neighbour is hundreds of kilometres away, it’s hard to date.Newly qualified teacher, Grace, can’t wait to start a life away the town where she’s only known for one thing. Travelling across the country to take a job as a governess is about as far as she can get.Grace and Ari are easy friends, spending their time riding horses, swimming in waterholes and watching their favourite movies late into the night.But Ari’s feelings begin to extend beyond friendship. Ari has a crush, no matter how much she tries to talk herself out of it. What she doesn’t know is Grace is harbouring feelings of her own. And in close confines, the attraction is becoming difficult to ignore.Their connection is strong, but if they want to build a relationship, they will need to move beyond the shadows of the past.Can they find a way to each other’s hearts?

Their First Noelle


Leah Atwood - 2013
    Orphaned at the age of ten, she has been shuffled around and on her own most of her life. She moved west in anticipation of meeting the man who had stolen her heart, only to be crushed when she finds out she was not wanted.This Christmas, will a meddling mother's scheme bring love to those who are hurting? Find out in this short, holiday story of thirty pages.Other titles available from Leah Atwood:Unlikely Substitute (Mail-Order Husbands)The Not Quite Mail-Order BrideThe Mail Order Bride's Quilt

Ved Maya


Vineeta Malhotra Taneja - 2019
    A humble, helpful and gentle soul who is loved by all…except by the one woman he loves with all his heart. Maya, a young and vivacious girl, who has been challenged by fate time and again. From being left motherless at the tender age of three, to being shunned by her family at 22, Maya didn’t have it easy. While Ved opens his heart for Maya, she makes it clear to him that the only feeling she will ever have for him is hatred. Come and embark on this journey of emotions, misunderstandings, love...and be a part of their emotional rollercoaster ride.

Brides Of Grasshopper Creek


Faith-Ann Smith - 2016
    She and her new husband Bradley have been planning this trip for as long as they have been planning their lives together it seems, and now that they've left Independence, Missouri on the wagon train west, it appears that all of their dreams are coming true. Within just a few short weeks of leaving, however, the harsh realities of life on the wagon train strike Hannah hard and she is forced to realize that the adventure she envisioned with Bradley is not at all what it seemed. Will Hannah overcome hardship when her adventure out west takes a tragic turn for the worse? Book 2: Mail Order Bride Caroline: The Lord guides Caroline to an ad in the newspaper from a gold miner in Bannack who is searching for a lovely woman to become his bride. Soon, she joins the wagon train and anxiously makes the journey out west to start her new life. When she arrives, however, she discovers that the man she chose may not be the man she thought he was. She must decide where her loyalties lie—and if she can find it in herself to look beyond Bailey’s past and accept him for the man he is today. Book 3: Mail Order Bride Louisa: After the death of her sweetheart, Louisa feels that there is nothing left in life for her, and wonders what she could possibly do to fill the years that lie ahead. When her sister suggests for Louisa to become a mail order bride for one of the men in the frontier, Louisa is appalled, but with the prospect of her sister and brother leaving on the wagon train with their cousins, Louisa knows that she must make the decision to either be left alone without any relatives and only her painful memories, or to enter marriage with a man she doesn't know. Book 4: Mail Order Bride Emily: Emily has never quite fit in with the rest of the high society young women who are supposed to be her peers. Raised in privilege—and expected to live up to the part now that she is old enough to marry—Emily cares more about her dream of becoming a teacher than the idea of hosting fancy tea parties and being courted by potential suitors. Feeling that she cannot continue being told what to do any longer, Emily makes the bold decision to go out west so that she can start a school and teach the children of the Frontier. In order to fulfill her dream, however, she must become a mail order bride. Book 5: Mail Order Bride Charlotte: After the death of their parents, Charlotte and her brother Victor only have each other left in the world. Well past marrying age at thirty years old, Charlotte has nearly resigned herself to spending her life taking care of Victor when she suddenly discovers that he has been planning for them to move away from Philadelphia and seek out their futures in the Frontier town of Bannack. Though Victor refuses to admit it, Charlotte knows that having a single sister following him around is limiting to him, so she decides to take responsibility for herself and find a man who is looking for a wife. Book 6: Mail Order Bride Betsy: Betsy always knew that love would find her eventually, and until then, she would be happy watching the young men who lived in her mother's boarding house court their sweethearts on the front porch.

Always and Forever


Raven Cavalleu - 2015
    Ten years ago Jackie fled Mountain Ridge, her need to escape the pain and abuse her single motivation. It wasn’t until after she left that she realized she’d left her heart behind. Burying her feelings for the only woman she’d ever loved, and the only loving family she’d ever known, Jackie struggles to forget her past and move on with her life. Now ten years later, she wonders if she’ll ever find someone that can love the person she’s become. A suggestion from her therapist sends Jackie back to her old hometown in search of those she’d left behind so long ago. Can she settle the past and hope to find her future?

Off Screen: The Beginning


J.A. Armstrong - 2015
    In truth, Emma spends most of her nights alone, wondering how her life became so secluded. Surrounded by people constantly, she remains lonely. Skeptical of people’s true motives and guarded in her personal attachments, it seems the one thing Emma craves most in life is destined to allude her—love. Addison Blake is a charming and witty aspiring writer. When Addison accidentally collides with Emma, sparks immediately ignite. An attraction rivals friendship and companionship that neither woman has ever experienced. Addison is reluctant to pursue a romantic relationship with the famous television star, challenging Emma to finally demolish her self-imposed walls. Follow Addy and Emma through the first two years of their relationship as they traverse The Red Carpet, work to find their balance when they Dim All the Lights, and as Emma helps Addy overcome her Writer’s Block. The bright lights of Hollywood entice many from afar. For Addy and Emma, nothing matters more than life Off Screen. Off Screen was the first series created by best-selling author, JA Armstrong. This special edition includes the first four stories in the popular series with bonus scenes. Lights! Camera! Action! Fall in love!

Before Her


Grace Parkes - 2020
    Will Frankie's secrets shatter their relationship before it begins?A sizzling hot Age Gap Romance from Grace Parkes.Cara Taylor has spent her life in a small village without much excitement. She works in a bar, lives with her best friend and without realising is in need of something new and exciting.After meeting her best friend’s new tenant Frankie, she is desperate to find out more.Can Cara break down Frankie’s barriers and find love in the land that time forgot?

Anonymous Bidder


Robin Roseau - 2015
    Violetta's agreement is reluctant, sure the only women who might want have a screw loose. She feels her suspicions are confirmed when it is an anonymous bidder who wins the date, and things go from weird to weirder after that. This is a novella of 30,000 words.

What Memories are Made of


Diana Jayne - 2021
    She’s had to rebuild her whole life from scratch since losing her daughter and her marriage. But Chelsea’s a people person with hope and humour and love to spare.She’s a woman on a mission now; throwing herself into her job at a motorcycle shop, and dedicating her free time to taking disabled children for rides on her motorbike. Walled-up, divorced banker Madeleine Jones is not an impulsive person. But for some reason, that’s exactly how she acts around Chelsea, the cute woman with a love for motorbikes that she meets in the most unlikely of places. Is it her son giving her a nudge from the other side? Why does she suddenly need to know everything about Chelsea?Before long the two women bond over their shared experiences and reflections of a life that didn’t go to plan. But are they ready to put aside the past and discover something new? Something fresh and exciting?A heart-warming, slow-burn lesbian romance about finding love through loss.

The Goode Vet


J.J. Arias - 2020
    . . and her heart.Vanessa is content being America’s favorite reality TV veterinarian and living in her gated, island community. That all changes when a new neighbor bulldozes into her life. Literally.When Ronny wins the lottery and buys a dilapidated mansion in an exclusive south Florida town, she doesn’t expect the difficult woman next door to impede her plans of turning the home into a dog sanctuary.Can Vanessa and Ronny move beyond having gotten off on the wrong foot to nurture the spark they felt on their first meeting?Hit the jackpot with this fun enemies-to-lovers romance featuring swoon-worthy leads and a gaggle of four-legged friends!The Goode Vet is a SHORT STORY in the bestselling Goode Girl lesbian romance series, telling the stories of women loving women in and around a small, all-women’s college in Florida. Books can be read in any order.

Lady In Waiting


Jea Hawkins - 2017
    We don’t belong together, but I want her anyway. Ah, the ren faire. A time to discard the trappings of everyday life and be someone completely different... with a fancy dress, to boot. For goth Annabelle, it's an opportunity to feel like there's more to her life than just cashiering at a major chain, tending to people who are rude, stuck-up, and all-around jerks. Instead, she gets to be a lady-in-waiting to the Queen of the faire, a prized position. At the fair, she gets to tend to someone who is rude, stuck-up, and an all-around... Oh. Elizabeth is different, though. It isn't just that she's jaw-dropping gorgeous. Or the way she presents herself regally, even when she transitions back to real life. Annabelle loved her Queen while helping serve her during the faire, but when the silk and corsets come off, she finds her attraction remains. After losing the backdrop of the faire, though, Annabelle wonders if a tattooed, nerdy cashier can ever have enough in common with the educated, composed, and successful Elizabeth to act on the attraction that she thinks they both share.