A charming and informative graphic novel depicting Burgess's experiences as an asexual woman, "How to Be Ace" gives a voice to a sorely overlooked demographic, depicting the mental health struggles that come with being part of an overlooked minority.

How to be Ace is great asexual representation. The story was excellently crafted and the characters were very realistic. The art is also wonderful.

This was such an empowering story. Rebecca shared so much of themself as they navigated a culture obsessed with sex, from being bullied at school and trying to fit in with friends, to forcing themself into relationships and experiencing anxiety and OCD -- all before beginning to understand and embrace their asexual identity. This was also very educational. Most importantly, everyone's story is different but all stories are valid.

This graphic novel was important and beautifully drawn. It was quite a quick read that talks about destigmatizing asexuality in a potent and easy to understand way. I would highly recommend that everyone reads this!

First of all, sorry it took so long for me to write a review.

I love to educate myself with every member of the LGBTQIA+ community and this is very insightful. I also don't usually read graphic format books but I loved this! It was definitely a great piece of work I recommend.

I haven't read a lot of books about the ace experience, mainly because there aren't many to begin with,
How can I tell you how much this meant to me? If you're not in a similar position, I don't see how you could understand, but I want you to know this is special and this is needed, not just for asexual people to read, but for everyone else too.
I could see myself in so many pages of this book, which also means anyone that reads it can see me there too and maybe start accepting my existence.

To talk a bit more "objectively" (I guess) about the book, the illustrations are stunning, it is such a wonderful visual experience, couldn't rate it any less than 5 stars.

To sum it up, GO READ IT!

This is a really great read for anyone who is struggling with their own sexual identity or is open to reading how others feel and what they go through.
I wasn't actually expecting it to read as a comic strip so that was a nice surprise and adds something extra to the story. It's a very emotional journey as we go from childhood, teens, college through to adulthood. It sounds like a lot but it's not the longest but there is a lot to take in as we follow Rebecca and everything that she both experiences and goes through mentally and emotionally.
This is well written, beautifully illustrated and is a wonderful telling of what someone questioning or working out their identity experiences goes through though it is important to note that every person's experience is different.
I received an ARC via NetGalley and am happily giving a review.

There was a lot in this book that was both very informative and cathartic for me. I too grew up with different romantic/sexual experiences than my peers and was very much misunderstood by both them and myself. My experience was different than the author's in a lot of ways, but their confusion and sense of not fitting the mold is something that I went through. This was very validating to me and, as a high school librarian, I would be more than happy to have this book purchased for my students here at our school who may need this read as well.

ALSO, media representation of Ace people and relationships is very important! A huge thanks to Rebecca for including that in this book. I'll definitely need to watch Good Omens now!

“When I was in school, everyone got to a certain age where they became interested in talking about only one thing: boys, girls and sex. Me though? I was only interested in comics.”

Growing up, Rebecca just assumed sex would be something she’d be less scared of and turned off by as they got older, and honestly, uhm, same. Like Rebecca, when all my friends were talking about sex, I’d romanticize potential relationships a little with them but was never interested in the act itself, nor did I ever meet anyone that I was attracted to in that way.

This book is great no matter your sexuality. For those who may be questioning if they are asexual, it can be a great tool to realize you’re not alone. For those on any part of the sexual spectrum, it can provide insight into your ace friends and neighbors. Plus, comics are cool.

It took me nearly 35 years to come to the conclusion that I lean heavily on the ace/aero side of the sexuality/romantic spectrum, and having access to more books like this before adulthood would have helped clear up a lot of my confusion and helped me to feel less alone.

It’s out now, so keep an eye out for it at your favorite, local book store or request a copy from your library.

I loved this book! Since I'm not ace I'm so happy to have learned more about asexuality. It is quite difficult to understand fully something so different from yourself and because of that, I think books like this one are important! We all need to educate ourselves as much as we can!

I never received a notice that I had been approved for this title and am unable to download it. As such I can't review it, I'm sad about this as it looked like such a good read.

How to be Ace is a wonderful memoir that is not only easy to read but carries a lot of heart.

It is a love letter, of sorts, and a clever one at that. Of course, there is no “right” way to be ace, nor is it a “how to” guide (obviously), but the comic follows the author’s real life struggle growing up and discovering her own asexual identity in a way that I hadn’t seen depicted so well or so relatably anywhere else.

I’m ace. Reading this comic made me both incredibly happy, if a little overwhelmed, at just how on the nose it all was. To have something close to my own experience depicted in this comic does wonders for the niggling voice at the back of your brain which says “maybe you’re all imagining it”. I am glad that books like this are becoming more commonplace to publish.

The comic itself is delightful. The artwork is expressive, emotive, and easy to follow. The messages about asexuality and what it is are informative, and the storyline is touching as we read more of Rebecca’s story and how she meets her current partner Sophie – proving that just because you’re asexual, does not mean you are incapable of forming meaningful relationships with other people.

I wasn't able to finish this however I read the majority and this was really fantastically done! This is such raw amazing ace representation. There needs to be more of this emerging in books.
Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a free copy to review.

This was a clear and insightful book. It helped me understand my friends who identify as asexual a little better. Would recommend to those with an ace loved one or those who are just starting to explore their ace identity.

A serviceable coming of age and coming to know oneself story, with cute art that is mixed in with good education around what asexuality (and all its variants) really are. Good as a educational tool and I did learn a lot but not the most exciting plot.

I’m so appreciative of the honesty and sincerity the author brings to this subject. There are lots of books available in my library on many of the facets of the LGBTQ community, but none so far about a-sexuality. This will be a welcome addition to my shelves.

I long to read more books like this. I learned so much. I feel like now I have more knowledge to help my friend. This book also thought me something's about myself.

Essentially the main character has always felt different and was treated like an outcast. For her hair being curly and messy or she just didn't look like or was interested in what everyone else was. She couldn't understand the obsession that other girls had with finding boyfriends and kissing and sex.

When she got out of high school and went to college she did a little exploring. Kissed a girl and didn't like it, then she thought well maybe I have to like the person so she kissed a boy and still didn't like it.

This book was also about her anxiety and OCD. She would do things a specific way in order to feel safe. Anxiety takes over at night and would last for about 3 hours. She would wake up feeling exhausted but still continued her routine.

I absolutely think more books like this should be written. Creating a safe space for those of us who feels like outcast because we simply don't fit the 'norm'. Great job!

When I saw that this title was available as a galley, I clicked the request button as quickly as I could. With kids/teens having so much going on within themselves and available materials not being easily relatable, I'm glad to see something so comprehensive and understandable.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

I was really looking forward to this book. I'm not sure if I didn't read the description properly or missed something, but I did not realize that it would be a comic book. It was also more of a memoir than a general book.

I will say that I wasn't thrilled with this. I do think there needs to be more awareness of asexuality, but this one was SO specific to the author. Which is not what you'd at all expect from the title. I mean, yes, it's a book about one person's journey to discovering they were asexual. That's about all I can say about it,

I will preface with saying this is an incomplete review in a rough draft form. It will be updated along with a link to the review once it leaves my drafts. I finished it over a month ago but have been having such mixed feelings that I've been unable to articulate how I feel about this graphic memoir.

On the one hand, representation of the ace community! Rare and so needed! On the other hand, as a person on the ace spectrum myself, I felt really odd and out of place reading this book as it didn't really seem so much about being ace as it did about mental health struggles amplifying the negative feelings around many of the experiences. Which there is absolutely nothing wrong with that and, I would likely pick up the memoir on that basis as well. But, when a book is entitled, "How to Be Ace", one sort of assumes it will be mostly about the asexual discovery or lived experience with heavy focus on that.

Reading through the reviews, I didn't find many out-ace voices. I found many non-ace voices talking about how excellent insight this is. It isn't though, it really isn't. It's unfortunately misleading because of its title. It isn't some guide of how to be ace, or even how to know your ace, or even general signs and spectrum experiences of being ace. I feel like this needed to be rebranded as a focus on OCD and mental health with Ace being part of the story - not the entire framework for the book. It put a LOT of pressure and implication into it.

I also REALLY strongly disliked the random, unexpected panels depicting mild sexual content without any warning and the kink panel that was wholly uncomfortably placed. Beyond that, I was disappointed to see an author who says they've been bullied a lot to shame someone's appearance.

On a technical note, the ebook received from the publisher's was very blurry and straining on my eyes to read. And personally, I'm confused about the publication date because it says 21 Oct but then my copy I was reading said 2021. I can only hope that means they are revising it and considering releasing an updated version.