Representation matters, but in YA fiction, asexual (ace) characters are still few and far between. This list features 12 YA books with ace characters, offering a variety of stories—from charming romances to high-stakes adventures—that celebrate identity, self-discovery, and the many facets of asexuality.
Whether you're part of the ace community or just looking to better understand it, these books offer heartfelt, affirming, and memorable stories worth checking out.
1. Loveless by Alice Oseman
Georgia, a university freshman, is eager to experience romance for the first time but finds herself struggling to connect with the idealized love stories she’s always imagined. As she navigates her identity and learns about asexuality and aromanticism, Georgia discovers that love comes in many forms, and that true self-acceptance doesn’t have to fit anyone else’s definition.
2. Love Letters for Joy by Melissa See
Seventeen-year-old Joy, focused on becoming her school’s first disabled valedictorian, is thrown off course when she starts questioning her feelings about love. As she navigates her asexuality and writes to an anonymous love letter writer for guidance, Joy finds herself unexpectedly falling for someone—and facing the possibility of risking her academic goals for love.
3. Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao
Sophie and Jo, two aromantic and asexual first-years at Wellesley College, unknowingly become friends in real life while feuding online through their anonymous advice accounts. As they bond over their shared aroace identities and work to create a community for a-spec students, their friendship faces a major test when the truth about their online personas comes to light.
4. Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
Alice’s perfect summer of TV marathons, buffet trips, and library work is upended after her girlfriend breaks up with her over her asexuality. Swearing off romance, she doesn’t expect to fall for Takumi—but when unexpected feelings arise, she must navigate her identity and decide if she’s ready to risk their friendship for something more.
5. Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt
Jack Shannon, son of a Las Vegas casino mogul, ropes his online asexual friend group into a daring plan to infiltrate a high-stakes gambling club and uncover the truth behind his mom’s arrest. Packed with twists, family secrets, and heartfelt exploration of identity, this thrilling caper combines high-stakes drama with the complexities of being asexual in a world that doesn’t always understand.
6. The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson
Lou, a Métis teen, navigates a summer filled with emotional turmoil as she works at her family’s ice cream shack alongside her ex-boyfriend and former best friend. When a letter from her estranged, incarcerated father disrupts her fragile sense of stability, Lou is forced to confront family secrets, her ace identity, and the strength it takes to reclaim her own story.
7. Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno
Georgina Fernweh has spent her life waiting for the magic passed down through generations of her family to reveal itself, while her twin sister, Mary, has already discovered hers. This lyrical novel offers a subtle, quiet portrayal of an ace protagonist in a whimsical setting.
8. The Loudest Silence by Sydney Langford
Sixteen-year-old Casey Kowalski, recently Deaf-Hard of Hearing after a sudden hearing loss, struggles to adjust to a new school while mourning the music she once loved. As she forms an unexpected bond with Hayden González-Rossi, a soccer player with dreams of Broadway, the two disabled, queer teens find solidarity and healing in their shared journey of self-discovery and friendship.
9. Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee
Noah Ramirez, an ace trans who runs a blog about trans love stories, faces a crisis when a troll exposes his stories as fake. To save his blog, Noah enlists Drew for a fake relationship, but as their staged romance deepens, Noah must navigate the difference between scripted love and the real thing, learning that true romance doesn’t always follow the rules.
10. Forward March by Skye Quinlan
Harper "Band Geek" McKinley, a high school senior caught between her marching band duties and her father’s presidential campaign, faces a dilemma when a fake gay dating profile is made in her name. As she navigates her own feelings about her identity and meets Margot, a drumline leader who swiped right, Harper must decide whether to embrace her truth or protect her family’s political future.
11. Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
This haunting, feminist horror story features Zoey, an ace girl caught up in a terrifying mystery involving disappearances on the mysterious island of Sawkill Rock, where a dark, centuries-old evil preys on young girls. As she unravels the island’s chilling secrets, she must work together with Marion and Val to fight the monster that has haunted their community for decades.
12. Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp
Ace teen Corey returns to her snowy hometown of Lost Creek, Alaska, after her best friend Kyra’s sudden death, determined to uncover the truth behind what really happened. As Corey digs deeper into the town’s chilling secrets, she must confront the darkness surrounding Kyra’s life and death, all while grappling with her own grief and the community’s eerie silence.
Whether you’re looking for heartfelt romances, thrilling mysteries, or stories about self-discovery, these YA books offer ace representation in all its diverse and beautiful forms. Happy reading!