By Naomi
Happy Cake Day! April 6th is International Asexuality Day, an effort to recognize the asexual community and promote the spectrum of asexuality. The asexual or ace spectrum includes asexuality, where a person doesn’t experience sexual attraction; graysexuality, which is when someone experiences little to no sexual attraction; and demisexuality, when a person only develops sexual attraction after developing a close emotional bond with someone.
If you’re looking for some more information on the asexual spectrum, take a look at last year’s blog post here, which includes a review of Angela Chen’s Ace, as well as some fiction and non-fiction recommendations on the subject. In this post, you’ll find young adult (YA) recommendations featuring asexual or acespec characters.
This is a classic title, and a great starting point for those looking to read more ace characters. The author is asexual, making this an #ownvoices book.
Georgia, who has never been in love, is ready to find the romance everyone is always talking about. It’s not as obvious as it seems, however, and Georgia starts to question why love is so easy for everyone but her. As Iris puts it:
The campus vibe, the theatre nerds and the importance of platonic relationships (while also being sex-positive) really spoke to me. I love the way Alice Oseman writes a diverse cast of characters without becoming preachy or rubbing your nose in it.
I absolutely loved this book and finished it in one day. I would highly definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in any of the above as well as Scooby Doo shenanigans & a bouncy castle sword fight!
Looking for a platonic love story? Look no further, this is the platonic romcom of your dreams. Dear Wendy is about Sophie and Jo, two asexual aromantic (which is when someone doesn’t experience romantic attraction) students who engage in an online feud while also becoming close in real life. Both are unknowingly running rival relationship advice accounts online, but in person they bond over their shared aroace identities. Can their friendship survive when they find out?
This is a warm, loving story about friendship and the power of community.
Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
In this fantasy horror novel, Andrew, an asexual teenage boy, grapples with his feelings for his best friend, Thomas. Thomas is acting strange, hiding blood on his sleeves and disappearing at night from the boarding school they live at. One night, Andrew follows him into the forest and realizes that the monsters from his stories and Thomas’ drawings have come to life, killing everyone close to Thomas. Together they battle the monsters every night, but as their bond grows stronger, so do the monsters…
It’s atmospheric and beautifully written (and dark and gruesome).
The End Crowns All by Bea Fitzgerald
Greek mythology lovers will enjoy this Sapphic retelling of the Trojan war. While it’s not entirely accurate to The Iliad, this book focuses on the women of Troy, Helen and Cassandra, instead of the war itself. Cassandra is asexual in this version, and her sexuality is handled gracefully and impacts the plot. The love story between her and Helen develops gradually and beautifully. The characters all have so much depth, and there’s much space for platonic and familial relationships, alongside the romantic one. The writing suits both the time period of the source material, as well as present day, with language that’s both poetic and modern.
The author puts a unique spin on a well known story, with a generous helping of lesbians, asexual or otherwise, as the cherry on top.
