I loved this book. It was so informative, while being very personal and reflective. I myself am ace, currently identifying as greysexual and panromantic, so I found this book so validating. I loved getting to hear all of the responses from the community that were interviewed for this book. It’s called ace voices and that’s exactly what you get!

The book does an incredible job of discussing terminology, and the nuance that goes along with each term, in a very positive-to-neutral way. There is zero judgment at all. There’s even an entire section on a-spec joy, which was super refreshing.

I have done some research about asexuality and aromanticism, albeit not enough haha, and I really loved getting to learn even more about the community.

I loved the section on intersectionality and how ace and aro identities interact with other aspects of identities such as religion and race. It was super well done- I especially loved the highlighting of Indigenous folks (obviously lol).

I definitely learned a ton about these identities, but I also learned more about myself and my own feelings about sex and romance. Some parts were very eyeopening and, as I said before, very validating.

Overall, I highly highly highly recommend this book. It was so educational and thoughtfully done. There are a ton of myths and misconceptions about asexuality and aromanticism and this book dispels them beautifully.

Overall, this is a very good nonfiction book about asexuality. I read Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex earlier this year and really enjoyed it, so I wanted to read another nonfiction book about asexuality and aromanticism. Both Ace Voices and Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex are informative and well written books and I recommend both of them, but I think both serve a different purpose. I think Ace by Angela Chen is maybe a slightly better book to start with and it includes more about the intersection between asexuality and race, but doesn't include much on aromanticism beyond a chapter dedicated to it. Ace Voices has a lot of perspectives from a-spec people as a lot of the book is interviews. I really liked how these interviews shows how a-spec experiences differ greater from person to person and how language and labels can mean different things depending on the person. I also liked how it placed the same weight on ace and aro identities as well as all lesser known identities that fit under the ace or aro umbrella (eg. demiromantic, gray-ace, etc.) While both these books are on the same topic, I think that reading both is definitely worthwhile as they focus and and emphasize different aspects of being ace.

The biggest issue I had with this book was not the writing, but the formatting. (For full transparency, I read an electronic copy on my Kindle.) The footnotes did not work and instead of being superscripts, were the same size and were in line with the rest of the text. While not a huge issue, and one I got used to over time, it's still a little frustrating especially because with an ebook copy, I can't just flip to the back to see the footnotes. Additionally, the quotations from the people interviewed were not integrated well into the text. For shorter quotes, quotation marks were used, which made it clear what was text and what was a quote. However, for longer quotes, no quotation marks were used and the quotes were in a smaller font. This isn't uncommon or incorrect at all, in fact, this is a requirement for MLA essay formatting so I'm somewhat used to this (I'm specifically referring to the formatting of when a quote longer than four lines, no quotation marks are used and the margins of the quote and increased to it's approximately 1/2 to 1 inch in from the body text. I'm giving the publisher the benefit of the doubt and assuming this is the case for the print version. In the digital version I read, this formatting was lost so quotes sometimes ended up where they didn't belong, making some parts confusing. (Please keep in mind I know nothing about the process of writing nonfiction, but the intended formatting for this book seemed very similar to MLA essay writing so that's what I'm going off of). Many essays follow the point (introducing the argument; statement that the author is trying to prove), proof (using evidence to back up point; this book mostly used quotes from interviews, but also referenced studies, other book, and online posts) , explanation (why the evidence supports argument) structure and that seemed to be what this book was following as well. However, due to the frequent issues with the integration of quotations, instead of the structure being point then quote then explanation, the order would sometimes get messed up and be point then explanation then quote, or point then quote then another quote not connected to the point then explanation for the first quote. While this wasn't a super frequent occurrence, it did make this book harder to understand in a number of places because things were sometimes in the wrong order. The author also chose to assign two to three random initials to interviewees' quotes to keep the sources anonymous. While it is important for the people who wish to remain anonymous to be able to do so, I found it very confusing who was saying what. Here's an example of what that's like: "SH said: 'quote', agreeing with BR on this issue." Then several pages later, it could say, "CQ had a different perspective than SH, saying, 'quote.'" I'm not really sure how to express what it was like, but just know that I couldn't keep all the initials straight in my head and wasn't able to distinguish who said what.

Formatting issues aside, this was a well-researched and insightful nonfiction book about asexuality and aromanticism that I highly recommend if you're interested in learning more. I just hope that the formatting problems are resolved for the published print and ebook versions.

My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Thoughts: This is a book that I wish I had when I was growing up, because even though I now know what I identify as, I still learned so much about myself and my identity by reading this book. It’s hard identifying as aspec in a world that is thinks its unnatural, and this book made me realize I wasn’t alone!

I loved how the author interviewed aspec individuals to get their points of view. And I also loved that the author gave their own experiences and views as well! My favorite part of the book was reading about the different types of identities in aspec. Some of them I had never heard of before and found myself relating to them! I personally like labels because it helps me put a word to how I’m feeling, but not everyone feels that way.

Overall, if you identify as aspec or want to learn more about the asexual, aromatic, demi, and grey-ace identities I definitely recommend this book. It was great reading from a knowledgeable author who kept people’s feelings in mind when writing this book!

I really enjoyed this book and I found it engaging, informative and interesting. The writing style is clear and easy to follow, and the author’s voice is compelling.

The book is divided into chapters according to different topics, and every chapter includes multiple voices of people identifying as a-spec. It is more academic in this sense because it analyses different themes from multiple perspectives. But the tone of the book isn’t academic. In fact, I found it to be the right amount of interviews, personal experience and discussion.

Many topics left me thinking about things and concepts that usually do not invite too much attention (such as what it means to be a friend, what kind of friendship there are and why we don’t have more words for our relationships). I also learned a lot.

Every chapter has a couple of discussion questions at the end, which leave the reader thinking further, examining their own bias and inviting to questions things many people take for granted or self explanatory. Another important thing that more books should include are content warnings before each chapter.

I would recommend this book to people who are not complete beginners because it may get confusing for those completely unfamiliar with the discussions.

A broad, comprehensive glimpse into asexuality and its place in the world, told through complementary research and personal anecdotes from members of the a-spec community. While this book is tailored more towards people with some knowledge of asexuality, Young does offer up an extensive list of terms under the asexual umbrella that will help the most unaware readers to follow along.

Covering a range of topics, the book takes an intersectional approach, recognizing the broad variations in experiences, cultural and racialized identities, gender, etc. that informs an individual's asexual identity and their societal perception. With such a vast array of stories that show there is no singular way of being ace, one is bound to find a sense of kinship and camaraderie in Ace Voices,

Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am always looking for more ace rep- whether it's fiction or nonfiction. I was excited to read this and to read more perspectives of being ace. And while there was a lot I liked about it, there were also things I didn't like.

Rather than having chapters or sections dedicated to specific individuals, the author uses quotes from various individuals throughout each chapter. This is fine, but because of this format, if the same person was quoted later, I couldn't remember what their perspective was from earlier. I appreciated all of the different perspectives, but it was difficult to fully form a picture of who these people are.

Nonfiction generally isn't my genre, but sometimes I can get into it. The tone of this book was very scientific and dry-- more of a textbook than a narrative. That might appeal to some people, but it's not my cup of tea.

Aside from a couple of generalizations thrown in that I didn't care for, the author does a good job of emphasizing that these identities are a spectrum and are impossible to fully define, while still showcasing a wide array of experiences. The author does a good job of explaining different labels, microlabels, and other terminology, while also explaining how different people assign these terms different meanings.

Each chapter ended with discussion questions, which I'm undecided on. I liked that they prompted deeper thinking, but I'm not sure about the intended audience.

Overall, I appreciate this book. It has a lot of great information in it and I learned a lot. It also made me feel seen and I wrote down multiple quotes that really spoke to me. As this book discusses, lack of visibility is a real issue for ace individuals (I know that personally). Books like this are so important because they are another step in the right direction.

This book is the product of the author's survey of a large number of A-spec people, and it describes a wide variety of experiences. It's a good primer for people who don't know much about the subject, but was also enlightening to me as an A-spec person. One of the most interesting parts was the exploration of intersectionality. The author does a great job in this area especially.

The data is very much skewed toward respondents who are A-spec as well as having other LGBTQ identities. There isn't much here about people who are straight and cis. As the author suggests, straight, cis people may be less likely to question their sexual identity. So it's possible that straight, cis people are simply less likely to explore whether they might be A-spec. This is an area for future research.

The book is full of stories, but it uses more of a scientific than a storytelling style. That's not a criticism, but it's something to be aware of so you know what to expect.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

An informative book about what aro/ace means. There's a lot of voices, extracts, and it made me understand more about this way of being.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I struggled a bit to get through this book, and I think it was mostly because it wasn't what I was expecting. Based on, I think, the title and subtitle, I thought this would be a compilation of several people's experiences with being aro/ace. What I got instead was part memoir part sociological study. It wasn't bad, I was just excited for what I thought the book was going to be, and was disappointed when it wasn't that.

The book was fine. It covered a lot of topics as related to being aro/ace. It was definitely informative. I don't generally read memoirs, so I found sections that were heavily laced with the author's experiences as not to my taste, but I could see why they were there. The writing was great.

I think if I'd had a better understanding of what this book was before I got into it, I would have enjoyed it more. The book wasn't really for me, but I think it's a great resource, and something I would suggest for people wanting to know more about the topic.

A very interesting and informative read. I would recommend it not only for ace individuals who want to understand themselves better but also family and friends.

As an own voices reviewer, I was looking forward to this book, but I'm not sure I loved it. There was loads of interesting info such as how the importance of a women's pleasure during sex has changed through time. That said, it felt jumbled and I think I would have liked it organized a bit differently.

The questions at the end of each chapter made me feel like I was reading a devotional or doing homework rather than a book about the ace spectrum and I would have liked them at the end of the book so they didn't interrupt the flow of someone not interested in journaling about their sexuality. I'm not sure if it was the questions at the end of each chapter or the voices throughout, but the book felt a bit young to me, like I was not the intended audience. I think that with education, many people are finding words that fit beyond their teens and 20s and yet this book felt like the intended audience was college kids.

I think Eris is very wise and has loads to contribute, but I would have preferred this book to share the same information, but organize it differently so greater flow could be achieved.

I am sad to say I am DNFing this book. I made it to 20% and am really struggling balancing my expectations with the reality of the book. I was SO excited to hear from so many different voices of A-spec people, but this book was just the author's voice with many quotes from the interviews they conducted. It was hard to keep track of anyone because the quotes were blended into the author's points, and the people were referenced by initials which made it hard to remember who was who. I didn't feel as though these quotes were representing anyone's voices. They were simply being used to confirm the author's perspectives. While I think this book is still important, as it is valid to hear one person's perspective, I wish it had been given a different title. I will still recommend it to someone wanting to read an informational, if fairly clinical, book about the ACE spectrum. I just wanted it to be more anecdotal, which I assumed it would be based on the title. I hope someone will write the book I imagined this one to be, because I am very much wanting to read a book with personal essays about some of the many different ways being ACE can look.

#AceVoices #NetGalley I would highly recommend to any of my customers. Great read for families and friends, too!

After receiving a promotional email from Goodreads, which recommended Ace Voices by Eris Young, I knew I wanted to read it immediately! I’m always looking for more books by and about a-spec people, and I was excited to find another nonfiction book on the topic. I never imagined it would turn out to be one of my favorite nonfiction books of all-time!

One of my favorite aspects of the novel was that it doesn’t read like a textbook. Sometimes nonfiction books can feel really boring, but this book was filled with emotion and soul! I loved that the author spoke to a large group of a-spec people when writing the book, incorporating their different experiences to show a more comprehensive look into what it’s like to be a-spec.

Additionally, Young provided helpful interpretations of different terminology that is frequently used in the a-spec community. I found it very helpful to have multiple clear perspectives on these terms. While I had already heard many of them, I think this feature would appeal to people who are not very familiar with the a-spec community. Likewise, those who have had more experience with the a-spec community will likely enjoy the diverse experiences and nuances that Young references in relation to each term.

On top of that, there were discussion questions at the end of each chapter that really added to the feeling of reflectiveness and introspection. I love that Young wants readers to think, not only about what being ace means, but also about many different aspects of orientation and gender identity. The questions were simultaneously thought-provoking and easy to understand.

The thing that made this book really stand out was the emotions, from those who participated in the creation of the book, from the author themself, and from me as a reader. This made the book very powerful, and I found comfort in many of the things that were shared by other ace people. So many experiences described in the book, from having a fear of being alone forever to not feeling an urge to dive into microlabels, really resonated with me, and made me feel a deeper connection to the a-spec community.

Overall, this is a book that I will be recommending for a long time to come! I’m hoping to add a signed copy to my a-spec bookshelf soon, and I know I will feel a sense of wholesomeness and hope every time I see it on my shelf!

While this was an informative and important, well-researched book, I didn't finish it. Not really, just skimmed through parts of it. Despite being ace myself, I couldn't feel engaged. This might be a "reading on my phone" issue and I will get the physical copy to read through, as well (i think this is a good book to have in my library).

Because, yes, there are good and great parts, good information, challenges structures and I liked stories from interviewees. It was just hard and sometimes boring to get through.

/ Denise

Any book published by JKP will always be engaging and informative.

This book quite literally gives a voice to people who experience asexuality at any point on spectrum, using dozens of interviews, research and the opinions of ace people to create an authentic narrative.

Easily readable and in an accessible format, this is a great look at how people experience asexuality, and while it may not go into detail if that's what your looking for, this would be a good read for anyone looking to learn a little more for themselves or to better their understanding.

This was a really interesting read and I'm glad I took the time to do so. The book defines labels and microlabels that fall under the a-spec umbrella and explores some intersecting aspects of identities in varying depth, benefiting from some interviewees' responses that are well integrated into the structure.

The writing style does well to be both accessible and critically engaged, which are both vital in such a book when there is so little literature on this subject. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the intersectionality between gender and asexuality for its nuance and depth, as well as the later chapters on aces within the wider queer community, on theorizing - while drawing on interviews - what ace relationships of all kinds can look like, and on ace joy. As the author points out, so much language associated with asexuality is to do with a lack, or is desperate to prove that "aces are normal too". I'd have loved the expansion on the ace joy chapter.

A few things were less well done. There are questions at the end of each chapter that directly address the reader, but these feel a little too pedagogical and targeted at baby aces, rather than anyone who already identifies as somewhere under the a-spec umbrella. The earlier chapters defining terms feel a little labored; and it's clear that where the author's voice really flows is in the latter half of the book. Some intersectional chapters went into more depth and more research than others.

Overall, this is a good read for anyone who's done or doing some preliminary research into asexuality, and offers some food for thought in a meaningful way on the aforementioned topics that other ace literature does not tackle. 3.75

Thanks to netgalley and Jessica Kingsley publishers for sending me the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great, robust look at asexual and aromantic experiences and identities, with a wide range of voices and a refreshingly candid discussion of the author's own gaps and limitations (as a relatively privileged white person w/ ample Internet access as a teen). I loved all of the interviews/excerpts, and I thought the book was divided into cohesive, logical sections. I'd highly recommend this, though it is a bit long.

5 stars

**HUGE thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for granting me an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!**

Aided by dozens of interviews and their own significant research, Eris Young presents a history of asexuality and aromanticism, along with discussions about aroace rights and the lives of community members. Topics include ace representation in media, the importance of representation in general, the way we describe asexuality being all English terms (such as “demi” and “grey”) and what that means for non-English-speaking people, visibility and community and how lack of technology affects this, lack of sex education, intersectionality, the pros and cons of labels, coming out, not being believed, how the U.S. and U.K. got to such sex-obsessed cultures, ace women feeling excluded from feminism as for not wanting sex, gender as a performance, society’s vilification of aromantic people, being taken seriously, found family and society's devaluation of friendship, different types of love, definitions of romance, and polyamory.

Rep: Author is asexual, greyromantic, neurodivergent, and non-binary. Interviewees are from all over the aroace spectrum, many also with other queer identities. Several are people of color, disabled, and/or neurodivergent as well.

Content warnings: Aphobia (author’s term), transphobia, racism, ace erasure, expectations of sex, sexual harassment and abuse, not being believed, exclusion, religion, sexualization of trans bodies, misogyny, gender roles, toxic masculinity, and familial control and tension. Brief mentions of child abuse, grooming and pedophilia, colonialism, war, slavery, genocide, and forced sterilization.

I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful this book is! While I’m not on the ace spectrum myself, I am demiromantic, and it was a pleasant surprise to have a chance to read about this identity. Also, my fiancée is demisexual and my sister and two close friends are asexual; it was a joy getting to share parts of this book with them, hear their insight, and celebrate their feelings of being seen.

Young ends each chapter with a list of questions for readers to consider, and I loved that. It invites the reader to engage more deeply, as does the conversational tone. Part of what contributes to this is how Young seems to have written it for EVERYONE, partially evidenced by their inclusion of dozens of interviewees. Allosexual people can read it and enjoy being educated (proof: me), and ace people can read it and enjoy being validated.

Some of the discussions that I found especially fascinating include: how asexuality was included under the bi umbrella in the early days of the queer liberation movement; the cool connection several ace people have with kink communities; and how the 18th-century erasure of female* pleasure led to the belief that people with these body parts couldn’t be ace because they were incapable of feeling sexual pleasure.

Ultimately, this book proves just how crucial LGBTQIA+ nonfiction is. Young is an incredibly talented writer, and I hope “Ace Voices” inspires even more deep dives into marginalized queer identities.

* Used here in the sense that people in power at the time would have used it, meaning people with vaginas

I’m really glad that there are more books coming out written by ace and a-spec people! This book was a little too dry/academic for my taste though, but I’m certainly glad it exists.