Hey guys! Keith here ^^ So what even are visual novels? One of my friends is obsessed with them. All I know is that they're anime-like porn stories. I've heard of Western visual novels but they're hard to find. I'd like to start using them, but I don't like what I see everywhere: the innocent, stuttering, shy Japanese school girl
You've been misinformed. Just like Japanese anime, visual novels =/= porn. There are porn themed visual novels but are many non-porn themed. Romantic novels, science fiction, drama, even RPG-esque visual novels. You can start your search here: https://vndb.org/g and search for specific tags.
Exactly as as Linthras said. I can highly recommend the Science Adventure series, starting with Steins;Gate.