15 Books That Celebrate Asexuality and the ACE Spectrum

What is Asexuality?
Something important to know is that asexuality is a spectrum. There is not just one way to define it. Asexuality is an intrinsic part of people’s identities--it’s not just a choice they make, like celibacy. Though some asexual people might not experience sexual attraction or be drawn to people sexually, others might experience a little sexual attraction. Asexuality is different for everyone. Attraction and action are not the same, and while some asexual people might be repulsed by the idea of sexual activities and won’t engage in it, others might be sex-neutral or sex-positive and will have sex.Some common a-spec identities are gray-asexual and demi-sexual. Grey-asexuality describes someone who is between sexual and asexual. Grey-asexual people might not experience attraction frequently, but they sometimes do. They may experience a low sex drive, or enjoy sexual relationships with particular conditions and in certain circumstances.Demi-sexuality describes someone who does not experience primary sexual attraction or the type of attraction based on first impressions (or immediately observable characterstics, such as appearance or smell). A demi-sexual person might experience sexual attraction only after they’ve developed a close emotional connection with someone.Here are 15 books you should read to celebrate and learn about asexuality!
Let's Talk About Love
By Claire KannWhen Alice's blissful summer takes an unexpected turn and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library-employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
By Jen FergusonLou is working in her family’s ice-cream shack with her ex-boyfriend and her ex-best friend. But when she gets a letter from her biological father and her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.

Every Heart a Doorway
By Seanan McGuireChildren have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Tash Hearts Tolstoy
By Kathryn OrmsbeeAfter a shout-out from one of the internet’s superstar vloggers, Natasha “Tash” Zelenka has gone viral. When her show is nominated for an award, her cyber-flirtation with a fellow award nominee has the potential to become something real.

Scavenge the Stars
By Tara SimPacked with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.

The Romantic Agenda
By Claire KannJoy is secretly in love with her best friend Malcolm, but she’s never been brave enough to say so. Fox sees a kindred spirit in Joy—and decides to help her. He proposes they pretend to fall for each other on the weekend trip to make Malcolm jealous.

Refusing Compulsory Sexuality
By Sherronda J. BrownA Black queer feminist exploration of asexuality--and an incisive interrogation of the sex-obsessed culture that invisibilizes and ignores asexual and A-spec identity.

Radio Silence
By Alice OsemanFrances has always had one goal: elite university. Nothing will stand in her way. Not friends, not a guilty secret—not even the person she is on the inside. But when Frances meets the genius behind her favorite podcast, she finds a new freedom.

Summer Bird Blue
By Akemi Dawn BowmanRumi spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—spending her life writing music with her sister, Lea. Then Lea dies in a car accident,

Ace
By Angela ChenAn engaging exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that’s obsessed with sexual attraction, and what the ace perspective can teach all of us about desire and identity.

Sawkill Girls
By Claire LegrandFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn comes a breathtaking and spine-tingling novel about three teenage girls who face off against an insidious monster that preys upon young women. Perfect for fans of Victoria Schwab and Stranger Things.

Vicious
By V.E. SchwabIn Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

Dread Nation
By Justina IrelandIn this new America, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Education Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead.

Meet Cute Diary
By Emery LeeIn this charming novel by Emery Lee, Noah will have to choose between following his own rules for love or discovering that the most romantic endings are the ones that go off script.

The Charm Offensive
By Alison CochrunDev has always believed in fairy tales and he’s spent his career crafting them on a reality dating show Ever After. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find a happily ever after, he'll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.