One of my favorite things in a book is romance. I’m a die-hard shipper and will endure not-so-great plots if there’s a strong enough romance. I love finding stories about two characters that connect with each other on a deep level, and a lot of the time these couples decide to take the next step in their relationship and have sex. I love it when authors embrace this step in a relationship in a way that does not shame the characters for making this decision together. These stories show sex in a positive light, showing people how they can be smart and safe without being shamed. Check out my favorite sex positive stories below!
12 Sex Positive Stories You Need to Read
1. Where Secrets Lie by Eva V. Gibson
Perfect for fans of Courtney Summers, this seductive and intense thriller unfolds in interwoven timelines of two summers as three friends are torn apart by buried secrets and star-crossed attraction…then pulled back together by tragedy.
2. Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett
In this coming-of-age romance perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen, scandal and romance collide when an ambitious teen returns to her hometown only to have her plans interrupted after falling for the town’s “bad boy”—a.k.a. her childhood best friend.
3. Fall into Me by Mila Gray
An unexpected and searing romance unfolds between a young recording artist and her ex-Marine bodyguard trying to outrun his difficult past in this wrenching novel from the author of Come Back to Me and Run Away with Me.
4. Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
Jenn Bennett is a great author for realistic, sex positive stories. In Starry Eyes, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness alone. They are able to maturely handle discussions about where they’d like to take their relationship and protection. On top of that, Lennon’s moms’ even own a sex shop and it is not treated as anything particularly shameful.
5. Notes From a Former Virgin by Emma Chastain
Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Mean Girls as lovably flawed high school student Chloe Snow chronicles her junior year as she navigates the highs and lows of family, friendship, school, and losing her virginity.
6. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
When Dimple Met Rishi is about two Indian-American teens whose parents conspire to arrange their marriage. Sandhya Menon allows this couple to decide what is best for them when it comes to their relationship, despite the pressures their parent’s place on them.
7. Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel.
8. Come Back to Me by Mila Gray
Come Back to Me is a story about a young Marine and his best friend’s sister plunge into a forbidden love affair while he’s home on leave. Though their romance is forbidden, they maturely navigate what it means to be together.
9. Alex Approximately by Jenn Bennett
It’s no surprise that there is another Jenn Bennett book on this list, as she really writes some of the best sex positive romances. In Alex, Approximately Bailey has to deal with a hate to love romance, and secret aliases. But as the relationship develops, it stays away from any shame surrounding sex.
10. I Like Him, He Likes Her by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has never shied away from talking about sex in age-appropriate ways in her Alice series, starting with Alice in sixth grade. This first collection of Alice’s High School years is no exception.
11. You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon
In You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, eighteen-year-old twins deal with the life changing possibility of receiving a positive result from a genetic test for Huntington’s. This story delves deep into what this means for the girls, and also shows that it’s okay to be sexually confident and unapologetically act on your desires.
12. Four-Letter Word by Christa Desir
In Four-Letter Word eight friends engage in a high stakes game. At the heart of the story, a character thinks hard about risks and consequences of sex and ultimately embracing going after what she wants.