Sapph-Lit | Almost Life: A Novel

Almost Life: A Novel

Kiran Millwood Hargrave

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“Captivating...an entrancing read packed with the extreme highs and lows of an all-encompassing love.” —People Two young women meet in Paris one sultry summer in a decades-spanning tour de force about the enduring power of young love and the poignant heartbreak of missed chances—perfect for fans of One Day and Normal People.Erica and Laure meet on the steps of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris, 1978. Erica is a student, relishing her first summer abroad before beginning university at home in England. Laure is studying for her PhD at the Sorbonne, drinking and smoking far too much, and sleeping with a married woman. The moment the two women meet, the spark is undeniable, but their encounter turns into far more than a summer of love. It is the beginning of a relationship that will define their lives and every decision they have yet to make… Erica and Laure’s love story spans decades, marriage, children, secret trysts, and the agonizing changes—both personal and political—that might mean they can be together, after all. But when life brings them within touching distance again, will they be brave enough to seize a future together? Beautifully capturing young love and all its complexities, Almost Life is a story of longing for the paths not taken, and the almost lives we live.

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Posts about this title from Sapph-Lit

Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Mar 30

[Hello Bindery Babes!! I am so excited for Pride this year -- Sapph-Lit and grotto in NYC have some incredible events planned and I just can't wait for it to be warm and read at the beach, the pool, on the porch and in my yard.\ \ Summer to me is always when I read the most books -- there's so much sapphic romance and contemporary lit fic to get to! -- and for this upcoming Pride month Sapph-Lit has a fiction pick slotted for June.\ \ Here are all of the books that are on my radar -- What is standing out to you? Is there a title that's not here you think we should vote on? Let me know in the comments!\ \ As always, thank you so much for your support Bindery Babes!! xx Nina\ \

Girl's Girl by Sonia Feldman\ \
Nymph by Sofia Montrone\ \
Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave\ \
I Love You Don't Die by Jade Song\ \
Sweetbitter Song by Rosie Hewlett\ \
Best Woman by Rose Dommu\ \
Girls Girls Girls by Shoshana von Blanckensee\ \
Fat Swim by Emma Copley Eisenberg\ \
Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth\ \
Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn](https://sapphlit.binderybooks.com/item/FM4R6jtY5epZIDI5RSB3/)

Sapph-Lit PRIDE MONTH BOOK POLL!!

Which novel should we read in June?

10 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Gab with Gaby\ \ Gaby \ \ • Jul 7

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\ \ Join for free or login](https://gabwithgaby.binderybooks.com/item/rTgRK7DtTnot8pE8kK2r/)

This month's book club pick!

This month Lavender Lit is reading Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Join us on Fable!

2 books

Gab with Gaby\ \ Gaby \ \ • Jun 25

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Queer book recs

Some inspo for your rainbow stacks 💙

14 books

Gab with Gaby\ \ Gaby \ \ • Jun 5

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The L Word inspired book recs

Some L Word inspired book recs going into the first weekend of Pride 🌈

15 books

Gab with Gaby\ \ Gaby \ \ • Jun 4

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Sapphic book recs that show you know ball

I'm bored. Are you bored? Let's talk sapphic book recs for pride month book.

19 books

Gab with Gaby\ \ Gaby \ \ • May 31

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Sapphic books will always be the cure

28 sapphic book recs

28 books

Gab with Gaby\ \ Gaby \ \ • May 27

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Sun, Moon, & Rising

My response to the Penguin Random House book challenge (sun, moon, & rising)

3 books

Kenny 🫧 \ \ kenny girl reads\ \ • Apr 14

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pov: your favorite genre is just women going through something

it’s no secret that my favorite genre is just women going through things…and tbh the less plot driven the better 🙂‍↕️

here are some of my favorites and some that are high up on my tbr!

did i miss any? add your picks in the comments because i’m always looking to read more 🫶🏼

#litfic #womensfiction #bookrecommendations

27 books

Ronnica Reads\ \ Ronnica Fatt\ \ • Apr 1

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[Like the good corporate girlie I am, I think in quarters. So here are my top 5 new-to-me fiction reads of the 100+ I read in the first 3 months of the year. (And in full transparency, I'm writing this on the 28th in hope to tempt the book gods to give me another stellar read in the next few days!)\ \

The Poet Empress by Shen Tao - I'm as surprised as you are that a non-Robin Hobb fiction book made it on this list. But this one has everything that I love in fantasy: political intrigue, well-drawn characters, and interesting themes to explore. \ \ \
We Could be Rats by Emily Austin - Q1 2026 is when I discovered Emily Austin, an author I've been sleeping on for too long. I still have one more of her published novels to read, but this has been my favorite and is well-deserving of being on this list. I love a queer literary fiction book!\ \ \
Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave - this absolutely was a sleeper pick...when I picked it up, I couldn't even remember why I ordered it through Book of the Month subscription. But, messy lesbians books have been a theme of this quarter and this has been my favorite of the bunch.\ \ \
Midnight at the War by Devi S. Laskar- one of my favorite things of getting ARCs from publishers is getting to hype up books that absolutely deserve it, and this is one of them. This April release is incredibly timely, as our main character not only has a messy personal life, she seeks to humanize the brown people in the Middle East she reports on professionally. \ \ \
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans- I'm sure you've heard of this one. I read it because my TikTok friend Kris sang it's praises, and I'm so glad I did. This is warm and cozy, but very real. And I absolutely love that our protagonist is an older woman.\ \ \ Join for free or login](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/item/zeLz2JhplUscz3IE7I3E/)