2026 Watty Awards Shortlist Finalist! Helena Pierce has it all. A company built from nothing, wealth, a best friend who knows her better than she knows herself, and a brother who would move mountains for her. On paper, her life is flawless. But perfection doesn't fill the emptiness. Helena is lonely and love has never come easily, and when it did, her need for control always pushed it away. She rules every part of her life with iron precision, and that same power keeps her from letting anyone in. Helena doesn't know how to surrender - and maybe, deep down, she fears what would happen if she did. ❁ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ˋˏ༻❁༺ˎˊ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❁ June Holloway refuses to back down. Words are power, and behind a screen, she wields them all. Declared deaf at six, though she had struggled to hear long before, she controls her world from home, safe from the noise and chaos she can't fully navigate... but safety has a price. She has her work, a best friend who never leaves her side, and a brother who would give his life for her. Yet love has always been complicated. Speaking, hearing, connecting - it should be simple, but for June, it's a battle she fights again and again, never easily won. Even so, she keeps trying. Even so, she refuses to be silenced. ❁ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ˋˏ༻❁༺ˎˊ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❁ Since June starts working for Helena, things begin to unfold and feelings grow quietly, almost unnoticed. Both hide behind screens, careful and measured, yet there is a pull between them they can't ignore. Every word, every message lingers a little longer, makes them think a little more. Neither is ready to admit how much they want it to go further. Helena doesn't know June is deaf, and could that secret change everything between them? #1 under #lesbian 1/9/26 #1 under #wlw 1/11/26 #1 under #sapphic 1/12/26 #1 under #girls 3/15/26

Holland Rutherford is the people's princess of her small, wealthy town. She's been put on a pedestal her whole life, and is adored by everyone. Never out of place, never out of line, and never sparking any controversy. Holland does a lot to uphold her perfect image, even if that means locking away certain feelings without ever acting on them. When she goes to college and gets close with her roommate/teammate, Grace Baker, she suddenly doesn't care about the opinions of anyone else and is ready to take any risk. New feelings arise, things get crazy, and Holland is in for the wildest year of her life- in hopes of ending up with the love of her life. This story follows a friends to lovers trope, along with a bit of "U-Haul lesbianism" ;).

Ten thousand miles from home, Freja thought she was chasing her dreams. She didn't expect to lose her footing. Struggling to hold onto a failing relationship while navigating a competitive marine biology program in New Zealand, Freja is already drowning. Then the tide turns: mounting tension, hidden truths, and an irresistible attraction that breaks every rule. When the one person she shouldn't want becomes the only thing she can't resist, staying afloat is no longer an option. How deep is she willing to sink for a spark that could ruin everything? PS sorry english is not my first language!!! This story will be finished so dont be afraid to start it. I wanted to write about love, tension, travel, university life spiced with a little mistery. I love books where I start reading and think I know how the story will end, but then things don't turn out anything like I expected, the plot takes a complete twist and has a totally unpredictable ending. That's exactly what I wanted to create, too. I hope you enjoy it!🥹 please if you like it leave a comment at the end of the chapters what you think will happen next i would really love it! Aproximately finish: september

Cassidy Miller has always been in charge. She called the shots in her team, as captain that was her job. But imagine her surprise when she can't call the shots in one place she most needs it - the physio office. Hayley Owens, the new hired assistant, determined to take over when her boss goes on leave, has to solve one problem first, the captains attitude. __ This story contains mature themes and strong language.

She came to Chicago to disappear. After her older brother's sudden death, Katherine leaves behind the only life she's ever known, hoping distance will bury the past. But when a hidden box of letters begins to unravel everything she thought she knew about her family, her quiet new life starts to fracture. Then there's the man who visits her café every morning. He doesn't recognise her. She doesn't recognise him. But some connections are made long before two people ever meet.