Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow
Nothing Happened by Molly Booth
Keeping Her Secret by Sarah Nicolas
Lunaside by JL Douglas
On a Summer Night by Gabriel D. Vidrine
Tag Archives: Lunaside
Under the Gaydar: YAs with Underrepresented Identities in Secondary Characters
OK, so the title’s a little clunky, and the books themselves mostly aren’t Under the Gaydar (*indicates cishet allosexual MC), but bear with me. While LGB are pretty frequently found in YAs these days in both primary and secondary roles (YAY!), other IDs under the rainbow umbrella…not so much. You’ll see plenty about those characters here when they get starring roles in books, but for those seeking some more representation in significant roles, here’s where you can find some:
Not Your Sidekick by CB Lee – trans guy BFF, who’s also the MC of the upcoming sequel, Not Your Villain (MC is bi)
At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson – BFF character is genderfluid, uses alternating pronouns (MC is gay)
On the Edge of Gone* by Corinne Duyvis – MC’s sister is transgender and bisexual
Lunaside by J.L. Douglas – on-page asexual secondary (MC is a lesbian)
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman – BFF is on-page demisexual in m/m relationship (MC is bi)
Honestly Ben* by Bill Konigsberg – asexuality, pansexuality, and gender fluidity are all represented in secondary characters (Note: while book is m/m, MC does not ID as queer; you can see my personal thoughts on that execution here. Tl;dr: they are positive.)
You can find love interests using the word pansexual on the page (though some are still considering their labels) in Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley (bi MC), Looking for Group by Rory Harrison (gay MC; LI is also trans), and Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity by Kristin Elizabeth Clark (trans MC)
Coming in 2018: Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake – love interest is genderqueer (MC is bi); Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp – BFF is pansexual (MC is asexual)
Under the Gaydar: Asexual Rep
“Under the Gaydar” features books you might not realize have queer content but do! And definitely belong on your radar.
This time around we’re looking at books with major characters on the ace spectrum that don’t have that info in the blurb (and haven’t been on every post about this since the beginning of time; at this point I assume most people have discovered books like Quicksilver by RJ Anderson) – hopefully this will help expand your library a bit!
This Song is (Not) For You by Laura Nowlin – Though the book doesn’t include the label “asexual,” discussion of being a romantic asexual (and finding your place in a romantic relationship) is a significant portion of this 2016 contemporary YA.
Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate – Redgate’s debut is delightfully infamous for being the first mainstream YA to feature an on-page Pansexual main character, but among the 7 POVs is another queer character on his own journey to figuring out he’s aromantic asexual. As with the above, you won’t see the word on the page, but you won’t be able to miss it, either.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan Maguire – Portal fantasy with ace rep and atmosphere to spare, from one of SFF’s most popular prolific authors.
Overexposed by Megan Erickson – M/M NA Romance with an on-page demisexual main character. I think that’s maybe all I need to say about that?
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman – I don’t usually feature books in which the character in question isn’t a POV character, but the presence of a major on-page demisexual character in YA is just too great to ignore! If you’re not in the UK, where it released in 2016, make sure you nab this one as soon as it’s available where you are.
27 Hours by Tristina Wright – Coming out in October 2017, this sci-fi YA features a host of underrepresented POVs, including one who’s ace.
Before I Let Go by Marie Nijkamp – Releasing in January 2018, this fabulous Alaska-set contemporary YA I have read and you have not (#CPlove) features an (#ownvoices) ace MC.
For some more instances of on-page labels in non-POV characters, check out Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham, Lunaside by JL Douglas, and Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg! And do check out this interview with Erica Cameron, to see which of her books apply as well!