Welcome to our the page dedicated to recommending you books with asexual representation! All of these books feature characters who identify as asexual/aromantic in some way. Below are some books we at Rainbow Stacks have LOVED along with some that are still on our TBR.
*NOTE: all books provided on this page includes a list of Trigger Warnings either provided by the author or provided with thorough research. It will be noted if the trigger warnings are directly from the author. Much of our research came from reader reviews on Goodreads or on BookTriggerWarnings.com. Even though time and care was put into researching these triggers, these lists may still not be exhaustive and may not include your specific triggers. If any of these books seem like they could be triggering, research your own triggers before reading. Take care of yourself xx.
Books We’ve Read and Loved
Loveless by Alice Oseman
Representation: MC identifies as an asexual/aromantic. There are also pansexual, lesbian, nonbinary gay asexual, and aromantic bisexual side characters. There is also a f/f relationship.
Trigger Warnings (TW): Provided by the author: internalized aphobia, verbal aphobia (including attitudes either deliberate and accidental), sex, masturbation, emotional abusive relationships (in past), bullying (in past). Other TWs provided by readers: experimentation (consensual and nonconsensual), queerphobia.
Loveless, in classic Oseman fashion, will steal your heart! This one follows a girl named Georgia as she embarks on her first semester at university. Once she gets there, she realizes she hasn’t had a lot of the “firsts” that her classmates have had. She’s never kissed someone and honestly has never really wanted to. Loveless focuses a lot of Georgia coming to terms with her sexuality and the platonic love she has for her friends she meets at school. This one is adorable, quirky, full of heart, and does a great job of explaining where Georgia falls on the asexual spectrum.
Here is the official synopsis as provided by Goodreads:
It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean?
Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.
As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.
But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.
Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Representation: MC identifies as asexual. She is also Lipan Apache (Native American).
Trigger Warnings (TW): blood, car crash, child abduction, death (of an animal in the past), grief, kidnapping, murder, violence
Elatsoe was an absolutely beautiful story that follows a girl who can see and talk to the dead. Although this features a younger heroine, we think this one can be enjoyed for all ages of young adults. Once Elatsoe’s cousin is mysteriously murdered, she makes it her mission to figure out what happened to them… no matter the cost.
Here is the official synopsis as provided by Goodreads:
Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream.
There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day.
Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
Representation: There is a prominent secondary character who identifies as asexual. All characters are also Black.
Trigger Warnings (TW): death (including parents), domestic abuse, fire, genocide, gore, mental illness, misogyny, parental abuse (emotional), rape (referenced), sex (referenced), suicide (referenced)
This lush fantasy inspired by African mythology is one of our all time favorites. The story follows a girl named Tarasai who is created in order to kill the one she loves most. What will happen when she becomes his best friend instead?
Along with the fascinating world and magic system, Jordan Ifueko is able to create lovable character you cannot help but adore. They form such close friendships and relationships with one another that you’ll never want anything bad to happen to any of them. Pick this one up if you want stunning descriptions, unbreakable bonds, and political intrigue in your YA fantasy.
Here is the official synopsis as provided by Goodreads:
Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself?
Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
Representation: MC identifies as asexual. There are also gay, bisexual, and pansexual side characters
Trigger Warnings (TW): acephobia, alcohol, cancer
This inspiring novel follows a girl who makes an online video show based off of Anna Karenina. Once she goes viral, she gains lots of subscribers and has to deal with the pressures of being a type of YouTuber. This one if perfect if you want to see some behind the scenes of what it is like for content creators from peer pressure to create certain content to hate comments. Of course, this story follows more than just Tash’s show. It also includes a hilarious group of friends and delves into the bonds they share. Pick this one up if you want a cute and hilarious story about internet fame with an ace protagonist!
Here is the official synopsis as provided by Goodreads:
After a shout-out from one of the Internet’s superstar vloggers, Natasha “Tash” Zelenka suddenly finds herself and her obscure, amateur web series, Unhappy Families, thrust in the limelight: She’s gone viral.
Her show is a modern adaption of Anna Karenina—written by Tash’s literary love Count Lev Nikolayevich “Leo” Tolstoy. Tash is a fan of the 40,000 new subscribers, their gushing tweets, and flashy Tumblr gifs. Not so much the pressure to deliver the best web series ever.
And when Unhappy Families is nominated for a Golden Tuba award, Tash’s cyber-flirtation with a fellow award nominee suddenly has the potential to become something IRL—if she can figure out how to tell said crush that she’s romantic asexual.
Tash wants to enjoy her newfound fame, but will she lose her friends in her rise to the top? What would Tolstoy do?
Books Still On Our TBR
Beyond the Black Door by AM Strickland
Representation: MC identifies as an asexual, demi-biromantic (own voices!!). The love interest also identifies as asexual. There is also a transgender asexual and a gay side character.
Trigger Warnings (TW) as provided by the author: acephobia (internalized), misgendering of a trans character, transphobia (internalized), emotional + physical abuse in a relationship, death of a parent (on page), attempted self harm/suicide (on page), birth control manipulation, violence, blood
Here is the official synopsis provided by Goodreads:
Kamai was warned never to open the black door, but she didn’t listen …
Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Soulwalkers―like Kamai and her mother―can journey into other people’s souls while they sleep.
But no matter where Kamai visits, she sees the black door. It follows her into every soul, and her mother has told her to never, ever open it.
When Kamai touches the door, it is warm and beating, like it has a pulse. When she puts her ear to it, she hears her own name whispered from the other side. And when tragedy strikes, Kamai does the unthinkable: she opens the door.
A.M. Strickland’s imaginative dark fantasy features court intrigue and romance, a main character coming to terms with her asexuality, and twists and turns as a seductive mystery unfolds that endangers not just Kamai’s own soul, but the entire kingdom.
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
Representation: MC is a Black, asexual biromantic girl. There are also Black, Japanese, and Filipino side characters.
Trigger Warnings (TW): ableist language, acephobia, anxiety, assault, bullying, manipulation, microaggressions, racism, sexism, sexual harrassment
Here is the official synopsis provided by Goodreads:
Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting–working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she’s asexual). Alice is done with dating–no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done.
But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!).
When her 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.
Tarnished Are The Stars by Rosiee Thor
Representation: One MC is an asexual/aromantic. Another MC is a lesbian. There are also other queer, bisexual, and demisexual characters. Includes a f/f relationship.
Trigger Warnings (TW): child abuse, graphic death of a child, illness, surgery, blood, emotional + physical abuse (by a parent to a child).
Here is the official synopsis provided by Goodreads:
A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher’s chest: an illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog — donning the moniker Technician — to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner’s tyrannical laws.
Nathaniel Fremont, the Commissioner’s son, has never had to fear the law. Determined to earn his father’s respect, Nathaniel sets out to capture the Technician. But the more he learns about the outlaw, the more he questions whether his father’s elusive affection is worth chasing at all.
Their game of cat and mouse takes an abrupt turn when Eliza, a skilled assassin and spy, arrives. Her mission is to learn the Commissioner’s secrets at any cost — even if it means betraying her own heart.
When these uneasy allies discover the most dangerous secret of all, they must work together despite their differences and put an end to a deadly epidemic — before the Commissioner ends them first.
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
Representation: One MC is an asexual and hinted at being biromantic (not officially stated). There are also other bisexual main characters along with a f/f romance. There is also a Black MC.
Trigger Warnings (TW): aphobia, assault, blood, child abuse, cults, fire, gore, murder, pedophilia, sexual assault (nonconsensual kissing and touching), sexually explicit scene, spiders, violence, animal death, grief, minor instances of fatphobia.
Here is the official synopsis provided by Goodreads:
Who are the Sawkill Girls?
Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.
Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.
Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.
Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires.
Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now.
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson
Representation: MC questions her sexuality and eventually identifies as asexual. There are also bisexual side characters. MC is also Métis (Indigenous). There are other Black and Indigenous side characters.
Trigger Warnings (TW): sexual assault (references), cheating, intimate partner abuse, racism (including slurs), physical assault towards Black + Indigenous teens, drug + alcohol use
Here is the official synopsis provided by Goodreads:
In this complex and emotionally resonant novel, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person—and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth.
Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She’ll be working in her family’s ice cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend—whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort—and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word.
But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists.
While King’s friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
Representation: MC is asexual and there is an asexual side character.
Trigger Warnings (TW): gun violence, death, animal death, animal cruelty, terminal illness, colonization, hate crimes
Here is the official synopsis provided by Goodreads:
Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She’s always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories.
Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he’s been cast from home. He’s found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake.
Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli’s best friend, will drive their worlds together in ways they haven’t been in centuries.
And there are some who will kill to keep them apart.
Darcie Little Badger introduced herself to the world with Elatsoe. In A Snake Falls to Earth, she draws on traditional Lipan Apache storytelling structure to weave another unforgettable tale of monsters, magic, and family. It is not to be missed.
Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno
Representation: Side character identifies as an asexual aromantic
Trigger Warnings (TW): sexual assault, gun violence, parental abuse, character death, drowning
Here is the official synopsis provided by Goodreads:
A magic passed down through generations . . .
Georgina Fernweh waits with growing impatience for the tingle of magic in her fingers—magic that has been passed down through every woman in her family. Her twin sister, Mary, already shows an ability to defy gravity. But with their eighteenth birthday looming at the end of this summer, Georgina fears her gift will never come.
An island where strange things happen . . .
No one on the island of By-the-Sea would ever call the Fernwehs what they really are, but if you need the odd bit of help—say, a sleeping aid concocted by moonlight—they are the ones to ask.
No one questions the weather, as moody and erratic as a summer storm.
No one questions the (allegedly) three-hundred-year-old bird who comes to roost on the island every year.
A summer that will become legend . . .
Learn more about what it means to be Ace on our Asexuality Explained page!
Rainbow Stacks 