The Other A in LGBTQIA+

by Aurea

Do you ever feel alienated by the way society presents love? Maybe you find the idea of romantic relationships off-putting, or maybe it's just 'not your thing'. Sound familiar? Aromanticism is a spectrum of identities where people have little to no interest in romance, or only feel attraction under certain circumstances.

This essential book weaves together insights and perspectives from aromantic people across the world, sharing their stories of self-discovery and community. Chapters explore how aromanticism interacts with mental health, dealing with stigma or dismissive attitudes, intersection with different cultural expectations, and more.

Whether you're new to an aromantic identity, have been part of the community for years, or just want to know more, this book will help you understand what aromanticism is and what it means for you.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer

240 pages, Paperback

Published May 21, 2026

Reviews

[Trinity]

It's always exciting to see new nonfiction resources on aromanticism, as for a while it's been lumped up with asexuality in publications.

Maybe it's because I've read my fair share of research on the topic, but it didn't go as thoroughly or as complex as I'd wanted it to explore even despite the many, many pages of theory. My favorite parts ended up being all the anecdotes which made me feel seen and the final section of the text which made me feel quite hopeful.

Despite this, I'd still highly recommend the book to anyone exploring their sexuality or learning more about the community. It's organized, packed, and intersectional, which is all you want with nonfiction these days. Also, it is incredibly important for resources like this to exist and continue publishing in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!

[Marlo Bowman]

Thank you NetGallery for the eARC!!

Everyone needs to read this book. I’ve finally succeeded in finding a book that’s not only about arospec identities, but solely that. Since discovering my experience with being aroace, I have been searching for books/media that can help me connect and understand myself more. This book opened up doors that I previously couldn’t find easily.

This book goes through all the motions. There is discussion about what being aro is, the amounts of labels/micro-labels, how to support both as an ally and within the identity, many resources to check out, personal narratives, and so so much more.

I would say that about 50% of this book I had previously knew/partially understood what we being discussed. But that other 50% was sincerely amazing to read and have access to.

This is definitely a book to pick up when learning more about the A+ identities, and please, please support that work that AUREA does!

[Anna Makowska]

I found the blurb fairly misleading, it states "this book will help you understand what aromanticism is", but in most examples I feel that it focused on discrimination against single (unmarried) people. It's a fair point that the society both pressures people to conform to expectations of marrying and having children, and discriminates against people who don't conform to those expectations. But that doesn't help me understand what aromanticism is!

Having children or not is totally unrelated. We live in a society where people can be single parents or co-parent without being in a romantic relationship.

Being married is related, but not really the same. Half the marriages end in divorce. People can be in loveless marriages, from arranged ones to even abusive ones. It happens. There are also people in romantic relationship who never marry. Some even don't cohabit, aka "live apart together" scenarios or long-distance relationships.

What does it even mean a "romantic partner"? Does it mean a monogamous/exclusive relationship? That would exclude polyamorous people. Does it mean committed till-death-does-us-apart relationship? Again, vast majority of romantic relationships fall apart, there were volumes written about "serial monogamy of the human species" and all. Does it mean a long-term sexual relationship? "Friends with benefits" is a long-term sexual relationship that's nonetheless not romantic. And asexual but not aromantic people might have romantic relationships that aren't sexual in nature. Does it mean the kind of person you prioritize in case of emergency? That's just something everyone needs to decide for themselves, it's just easier to default to a spouse here because of how society is organized.

And yes, it's important to notice that people who lack that kind of "committed partner" (whether married or unmarried) will need to go an extra mile to ensure they have support network especially if they have medical conditions or disabilities, because they don't have a "default person" to help them. Even though again, there's plenty of statistics how often partners and spouses abandon a person who developed a serious illness or disability, so can you really count on romantic feelings to give you a safety net...

So, um, I didn't really learn much except that if you're not married, and especially if you don't have a spouse-like-partner (called here "non-partnered"), you'll be discriminated. But seriously, being single isn't the same as being aromantic, isn't it?

We still didn't define here what is romantic attraction or romantic relationship...

There's like, a mention in passing here and there about "crushes" (fairly little) and "dating culture" (actually, nothing at all). As a person who happens to be married but abhors "dating culture" I did want to learn more is this related to the alloromantic-aromantic spectrum, or is it just a bunch of silly cultural norms, or is it more wrapped in comphet and traditional cisheteronormative gender roles... But I learned nothing.

Oh, I learned a parade of microlabels, including probably 5+ different ones for people who don't understand romantic attraction, can't discern it, or due to their autism / neurodivergence "don't get it". Maybe we don't get it because nobody explains it! Neurodivergent people often express the need for clear, logical instructions before they can proceed and can't operate with the "you'll know it when you feel it" paradigm.

There were a few interesting tidbits here, namely:

Page 56-58 explains QPR (queerplatonic/quasiplatonic relationship), which is an interesting concept, even though I'm unsure what differentiates it from a romantic relationship. It provides 4 examples, explaining how it can be sexual or not, or exclusive or open/polyamorous. I used to think QPR is a non-sexual kind of relationship because I first encountered the term in asexual spaces, but apparently it doesn't have to be.

"I honestly can't find a better word to describe us in English than soulmates, because of how in sync we are. (...) This is the first time I've ever had romantic feelings, so for me a QPR doesn't have all the perceived gender roles a traditional relationship might, and therefore gives me less anxiety." (p. 58)

But the question arises to me (who relates very much to the experiences above), if romantic feelings are involved, how is it not a romantic relationship? The person can be aro-spec for example demi-romantic or grey-romantic, but what is the distinction between a romantic and queerplatonic relationship if there are romantic feelings and "soulmates" involved? Real question, because it took me decades of my life to realize I don't hate "romance", I hate gender roles, and romance in the society and culture is very intertwined with gender roles, but does it have to be? Is it only "romantic" if we perform comphet and feminity/masculinity?

There's a similar sentiment expressed on page 155:

"Yet, my decision to be non-partnering changed when I unexpectedly met someone who was attracted to me and willing to respect my boundaries."

Seriously, this is a bare minimum!!! Of course you should rather be single than in an abusive relationship where your boundaries are being violated.

Yes, our culture teaches people, especially women and minorities, that they should prioritize relationships over their own well-being, but this is considered unhealthy by psychologists. Being "desperate" to be in a relationship is equally unhealthy as being scared of them (which is different from being disinterested).

Yes, if you're from a marginalized group, you might have internalized the belief it's very hard to find someone ready to accept you as you are and respect your boundaries. I surely believed that! I believed that only if you "fit in" and are "normal" you can be accepted and loved. This is always the propaganda of the dominant group: assimilate or perish (or at best be an outcast). Some people can "hide" their marginalization (neurodivergent masking, queer being in the closet), some cannot even if they wanted to (skin colour, visible disability), but even if they can, it causes a lot of distress, exhaustion and fear of being discovered. Ideally, we should always seek a support network and close people who would accept us and respect us, whether that's romantic or not. And it's sad so many of us were made to believe we don't deserve this or will never be able to find it.

Page 93 includes an interesting confession from a Chinese-Canadian person:

"Chinese culture is slightly more accepting of my aromanticism than Canadian culture. This is because Chinese culture's definition of love is COMPLETELY different from Western culture's definition. Chinese culture does NOT focus on attraction, romance, or affection (unlike the West). Rather, Chinese culture focuses on duty, responsibility, loyalty, and honour."

I'm neither American nor Asian, I'm European, but I do agree mainstream depictions of "romance" focus too much on attraction, lust, kissing, flashy gestures, and not enough on care, trust, commitment, etc. For example I could never relate to people who break up / divorce because "the spark wasn't there anymore". Actually, I don't even know what a spark is. What I appreciate the most in my partner is reliability and caring. That's also what I usually see in happy long term relationships. That the other person cares and you can count on them.

But if the definition of what is love is cultural and subjective, it again makes it harder to define what is even a romantic relationship. For example, is celebrating Valentine Day romantic or cultural? It's probably romantic if you grew up in a country where it was always celebrated, and cultural aka "American import" if you grew up in a country where it didn't exist until Americanization reached it.

Page 222 includes a confession:

"I want social analysis of what romance is, what aromanticism is, and what these look like under social structures and social pressures (...)"

...and I only want to emphatically agree, but sadly this aspect was lacking here.

Page 185 recommends as further reading Ace and Aro Journeys: A Guide to Embracing Your Asexual or Aromantic Identity and actually I'm going to read that book next, hopefully I'll learn something that will help me clear my confusion.

So yeah, this was a mostly basic and repetitive read that muddled the ideas rather than clarified them. There were some interesting tidbits and personal confessions, and I liked the chapters explaining how race, queerness, neurodivergence, disability and other marginalizations can compound the issue.

I hesitated between 3 and 3.5 rating but I feel like I didn't learn that much and it was conflating aromanticism with being non-partnered/single by choice, and I'm unsure that's the takeaway I should have about the identity.

Thank you Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the ARC.

[Autumn Aria]

Thank you to Netgalley for the free read!

A comprehensive, clear and concise textbook guide to aromanticim. A good book to read if you're aro or questioning, as it explains the wide diversity within the spectrum. And even if you aren't, you might want to to expand your knowledge and understanding of aromaticism.

The other A is actually a trio of As ie Asexual, Aromantic and Agender also called the triple A.

The book provides excerpts of personal experiences from various communities, backgrounds and ethnicities. And how aromanticism intersects with the various other social constructs like race and disability. It also touches on its relation to the other queer spectrums of the LGBTQIA+ and introduces the split attraction model.

It does however go into an in depth analysis of the relationship between aromanticism and mental health - the connections, its influences and how aros relates it in their everyday lives, or how connections can be false positives due to confusion.

The book provides all the definitions and terms you'll probably need to know if you're arospec. What's mind boggling is the plethora of microlabels, which I'll probably won't remember all of it or use in my entire life, ever..

The final section talks about promoting awareness and visibility to the wider communities at large and to create understanding and tolerance. For its acceptance and integration into society in a positive and healthy way.

As a demiromantic demisexual myself, I can relate to some of the experiences in the book. Thinking back, during my high school and college days, I finally understand why almost all my friendships were intimate platonic (men and women inclusive). The thought of being romantically or sexually attracted never even crossed my mind. I remember how people called me naïve, childish, thick headed, a nice/shy girl or a prude! Though most were never said in a derogatory way, more in a playfully joking way.

[Bookworm]

Always looking to expand my knowledge and was curious to read up on this book. I am familiar with the more well-known parts of the LGTBQIA+ acronym but I was very excited to learn more about aromanticism. In a society where there's so much emphasis on love (romantic comedies are an entire subgenre), romance, etc. it's definitely something I have never really identified with and was curious to read more of the same.

I would rate this as a foundational book that gives you everything from basic definitions to more in-depth conversations about how aromanticism intersects with issues including but not limited to mental health, diversity, biases, etc. There are discussions, history, anecdotes from others who experience similarly, resources, etc. There is also discussion towards the end about where aromantics can go from here and how to forge a community (within its own and within the larger LGBTBQIA+ umbrella, etc.).

This was okay. I learned some things for sure, but did not care for the heavy reliance on anecdotes and honestly feel a little leery at seeing how often Tumblr pops up. I fully respect that social media is quite often an avenue for people to learn about aromanticism and being aromantic, etc. among other things but like all social media Tumblr is not without its issues.

Overall, it is probably not a bad book to read (especially if you have few resources, etc.) but should be supplemented by other resources to round out your knowledge. If anything though, if you identify as aromantic at all, this might make you feel a little less alone (and hopefully less confused, too). Might be useful for sexuality studies although you can totally read this without having to take a formal class.

Borrowed from the library and that was best for me.

[Sudenmorsian]

I picked up this book for Pride Month, because I wanted to learn more about the aromantic community. While reading, I realized how little I actually knew about aro people. I've mostly heard the abbreviation in the context of "aroace", lumping together all asexual and aromantic people. I'm more familiar with asexuality, and it was really interesting to read specifically about the aromantic perspective.

The book is divided into four parts: Background, Intersectionality, Mental Health and Aromanticism, and Moving Forward as a Community. Each chapter consists of both some theoretical background and personal experiences of aromantic people. I felt the book was accessible even for readers without an academic background — each term is explained when it is first used. But no need to worry that this is an academic textbook; the concepts are explained only so that the reader can better understand the research and personal experiences of aromantic people.

Personally, I found the part about intersectionality the most interesting, but I think this is very dependent on the reader. Because I'm alloromantic (i.e. not aro), I found it interesting to see how aromanticism intersects with other identities like gender identity and neurodivergence.

I'm glad that there's a book that focuses on aromanticism, separate from asexuality. I learned a lot reading this, and I think it's an invaluable resource for aromantic people, healthcare professionals and everyone else who wants to understand the aromantic experience better. I'm glad I had the chance to read this book and learn something new!

Thank you NetGalley, AUREA, and the publisher for the ARC.

[Bee]

The Other A in LGBTQIA+ is a fantastic introduction to Aromanticism and the many micro labels that exist not only within the aromantic community but across the wider spectrum of identities that AUREA takes the time to explore. I think this would be a valuable read for anyone questioning or exploring their identity, as well as those already part of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies who want to broaden their understanding. In short, it's a book for anyone interested in learning more about what it means to identify and live as aromantic.

I really appreciated the level of detail throughout the book, particularly as it was written by two authors who identify as Aro themselves. Not only did I learn more about Aromanticism, but I also gained a greater understanding of the intersectionality that exists within the community. The combination of informative sections and personal accounts from Aro individuals provides valuable insight and helps bring the experiences discussed to life.

Of course, the Romantic spectrum is incredibly diverse, yet AUREA manages to cover a remarkable amount of information without ever making the book feel overwhelming. The writing is accessible and engaging, making it an excellent starting point for anyone looking to learn more about Aromanticism and the experiences of those within the community. I’d highly recommend this as an introduction to learning more about Aromanticism and am so glad there’s books like this now available to help people learn, and not necessarily feel that they’re the only one to feel the way they do.

[Jessica Mather]

When I first saw this on Netgalley, I was so excited to read it. I was hoping to gain more knowledge on the asexual spectrum. Note that this is not a book focused on asexuality, but instead aromanticism and the spectrum that falls within it. I initially didn't think the 2 were different, and for some people they are synonymous, But this book deep dives into aromanticism in a way that I was not prepared for!
This was incredibly well informed and had contributions from many authors, and those on the Aro Census that AUREA holds. Through many interview statements as well as an essay/academic format, you will learn that the world of aromanticism is much larger than you first expected.
This is unfortunately where the book falls flat for me. The very academic format, mixed with the multitudes of verbatim opinions made this short book quite hard to read. As i mentioned, there is a lot of information and I feel like some of the opinion pieces could have been paraphrased in order to explore some topics a bit more. While all opinions and interviews were interesting and valuable in their own way, I feel like there was too much and it took away from the informative material of the book.
If you have ever wanted to learn about Aromanticism then this is a great book and resource, however it may not be the best book to start with because you are bombarded with a lot of information.

Thank you to Netgalley and AUREA for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie]

This book is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the aromantic spectrum. As someone who has only learned of the term fairly recently, I was able to learn a great deal from reading this. I really enjoyed the flow of the book, and how the authors presented the material and different sections. I found that the way they organized everything really helped the information build up and solidify in my mind.

I also really appreciated the inclusion of excerpts of personal narratives/experiences from folx in the community. I found it very helpful to learn about the concepts/ideas, and then be presented with the excerpts of people’s lived experiences in their own words. Additionally, I appreciated the “Reflection” sections at the end of the different parts. Each Reflection section included reflection questions and prompts “for people who identify with the aromantic spectrum” and “for allies of aromantic people.” I am also happy to say that I was able to learn a lot about myself through these reflection questions/prompts.

I want to thank the authors for doing the immense amount of research and community-building that they clearly did for this book, and, ultimately, for writing and publishing it. There is not a lot of literature out there for this topic yet, so I am happy to see it.

Thank you also to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the ARC opportunity!

[August]

This is one of those reads that seems extremely niche but is actually something that should be more broadly discussed and acknowledged. Aromanticism is one of those "silent identities" that frequently gets left out of discussions of queer identity and lived experiences. This book is an attempt to bridge that gap. I found one of the more powerful parts of this book being the way it so heavily draws on the submissions and experiences of actual aro-spec individuals and communities. This allows you (the reader) to really process how many different people, from many different cultures, experience relationships and attraction instead of just being told that it exists on some general level.

This is a great resource for people who are considering their own identities, trying to understand the identities of their loved ones, or who are just trying to further their own education. There are discussion style questions at the end of every chapter both for aro-spec people and allies which allow you to engage critically with the text.

My only drawback from this book is that it is a LOT of information thrown at you all at once. If you are trying to casually or gently ease someone into queer theory or discussion this is probably not the book for you. While it is very informative, it engages heavily with intersectionality and more complex experiences and identity that might make it difficult for a layman to understand or continually engage with.

[Audrey S]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars
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Slowly but surely we are starting to see more and more published material focused on Aromantic and it is making my heart so happy. This book is very much a textbook introduction into the Aromantic community while also leaving space for its relationship and intersectionality to gender, race, neurodiversity, privileges, and personal stories. I also really enjoyed the reflection questions at the end - especially since they were separated into different groups of questions based on whether you were Aro, learning to be an Aro Ally, and once even a section for professionals who could be working with the Aromantic community.
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It was incredibly approachable information and discussed in clear ways that also left room for things to be challenged by personal experience. It was incredibly reassuring to read this as an Aromantic Allosexual as our side of the spectrum is usually left out in favour for the AroAce side - even if their representation is also tragically small.
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This text will give you many things to think on while also giving space for those on varying degrees of the spectrum. I would happily put this in the hands of anyone who is questioning or curious about the Aromantic community and I am very glad we have this introductory text available.
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Hisses & Kisses 🐍
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*I received an eARC from Jessica Kingsley Publishers & NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

[Siobhan M]

This is an excellent, experience-led overview of aromanticism and many of its different facets & microlabels, that is written very conscientiously to be informative both for members of the aro community (like myself) and for alloromantic (i.e. not aromantic) folk who may not even have heard of the Split Attraction Model before. It's no easy feat to cater to such a varied audience, especially when describing such a broad and nebulous spectrum of aro experiences, and I think the authors handled it really well.

The information is presented as clearly as possible (at least insofar as such a variable & personal experience can be), and as an aro person myself, even I learned a lot - particularly about the aplatonic & voidpunk identities, as well as the definitions of many microlabels with which I was previously unfamiliar. I also really appreciated the resources that were signposted to, and as a Smosh fan, the acknowledgement of the excellent 'I Spent A Day With' video interview series by Anthony Padilla on YouTube (which not only showcased some very sensitively-handled & informative interviews with asexual and aromantic people, but also separated asexuality and aromanticism into their own videos instead of conflating them as many people mistakenly do).

There is some overlap in chapters, particularly relating to mental health, but overall it is a very interesting read and a fantastic resource for anyone trying to better understand the aro community!

[Beth]

One of the best resources on aromantacism, The Other A in LGBTQIA offers multiple perspectives on the issues the aro community faces in both the culture at large and queer culture. If it is true that none of us is free til all of us are free, then we all should be working to end amatonormativity, as it does harm us all.

Aromantic people will find in this book a deep dive into a variety of experiences, plenty of reflection questions to help them gain clarity on their own experience of being aro, and feel seen as the authors discuss the many ways the queer community and society in general makes it incredibly hard to hear about aromanticism, find others who are aromantic, and come out to their circle. At every turn it seems that romance is forced into daily life, and it has become so normal to equate the word love with romantic love that many aromantic people get accused of not having hearts, not being capable of love, or being non-human. While the LBTQIA+ community is supposed to provide solidarity, it is often not welcoming to people who don't see romantic attraction as the end all be all.

I would recommend this to people who are not aromantic but wish to learn more about it, or those who desire to reflect on their own impact on the aro community. There are also discussion questions for allies at the end of each part.

[Pamela]

The Other A in LGBTQIA+ is a much-needed and deeply thoughtful introduction to a community that is far too often overlooked. The highlight of this collection is the personal narratives because hearing from aromantic people in their own words provides an authenticity that standard textbooks often lack. I particularly appreciated the book's strong emphasis on intersectionality, especially the section on disability. It shows how aromanticism interacts with different physical and mental health experiences rather than presenting a one-size-fits-all identity. It is a refreshing and eye-opening read that effectively deconstructs society's obsession with romance.

While the book is a landmark resource, the final section on moving forward as a community feels a bit too tethered to the specific politics of the moment. This might make it feel dated as the movement evolves in the coming years. However, this minor critique does not diminish its overall importance. As one of the few comprehensive titles dedicated specifically to the aromantic spectrum, it is an essential read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Amélie]

mix of self-help and beginner’s guide. drags at times (strongest chapters are definitely at the end) but it’s a good that things like this exist and more importantly get published.

if you’re already well-versed in a-spec identities, i’d suggest skimming the theory to focus on the experiences shared by other members of the community. there were two short essays related to amatonormativity (a term i hadn’t even even known about before reading which says enough) that really struck me.

in one of them, someone mentioned being aware of the fact that they didn’t want to get married from a young age, and how they didn’t feel guilty about that at the time. i think this is a sentiment shared by other queer people and is an excellent example of how societal expectations get to you from a certain age when they shouldn’t! the other discusses how very western and recent ideas about the ideal relationship of today are. it’s stories like these that help battle internalised struggles because they make you stop and question yourself.

(thanks to netgalley for the arc)

[Jemma K]

I am so so happy that this books exists. Over the last ten years or so we’ve seen a lot of emerging literature on ace voices and the asexual experience, so I’m glad to see this book really focus on aromantic voices.

It’s great that the book doesn’t assume knowledge, works both as a resource within the community and for people looking to educate themselves/support the aros in their life. To that end, i do wish it got a little deeper at times. I know that’s not the function of this text, and I’m glad it exists as a first step in this literature. But I wanna dig deeper personally (and it does give a lovely bibliography as a reference there for me).

I also appreciate how it highlighted how the internet has shaped and provided a haven for the aromantic community specifically, as it was a term coined online and that’s risen to recognition in the last 25 years or so, its history looks very different and much more digital than other LGBTIA groups.

I don’t usually review nonfiction, but a solid 4/5 from me! Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

[Niké]

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC!

Really nicely written introduction to aromanticism, various microlabels, and the community around it. The information is presented in a manner that makes it easy to understand while also encompassing the many nuances that come with the definitions of aromanticism and other concepts connected to the aromantic community. I really appreciated the intersectionality and how the book introduced aromanticism from as many different viewpoints as possible, even though there were some limitations and things that could be discussed more than just in passing. But as it is with such wide spectrum, I think this book tackled its mission very well and offered a comprehensible guide to aromanticism in a way that can definitely be helpful for people who are both new and old to the community, and their allies. In this, I also liked the questions offered at the end of the chapters that presented space for reflection and discussion. Over all, this book is in my eyes a great resource for the community and AUREA did a wonderful job putting it all together.

[Laura]

Great introductory work with excellent content and some issues with structure that comes with the territory. I think this book did a great job at giving a comprehensive, yet nuanced overview of the aromantic spectrum and lots of elements that interact with it. I am also impressed by the focus on aromanticism specifically and not leaning too much on literature on and experiences of asexual people, even though much more research is available on them. The chapters on intersectionality were excellent, and the interaction and distinction of aro identity and mental health/neurodiversity was super well done. I think this book could have improved from a clearer introduction - the first two chapters mix terminology and history a lot, and although everything makes sense, having multiple smaller sections to refer back to would make it more comprehensible. The end of the book mixes what has already been done in activism, what is still needed and how to get involved - that could've been more clear as well. All in all, a great book for both aro peeps and allies alike.

[Kit]

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC!

As someone on the aromantic spectrum, I am always looking for non-fiction and fiction about the identity because they are typically few and far between. I find this an excellent introduction to the community. It gives a good basic overview of the identity and the struggles of those who share it.

Obviously, for me, the majority of the information was not new. However, there were microlabels I was introduced to in this book and important resources towards the end. I think having community contributions was also important, and has me eager to investigate AUREA a little further, as I had never heard of them before.

I will say that the chapters surrounding mental health and neurodiversity in relation to aromanticism could have been condensed into a couple of chapters, as I felt like there was a lot of repetition. However, as an introduction, I do think this book is pretty solid.

[PJ]

Since aromanticism is the orientation hidden in the shadow of the invisible orientation of asexuality, I was thrilled to be able to read the advanced readers copy of this book because it fills a gap in LGBTQIA+ resources and adds visibility to Aromanticism. While I knew about asexuality and aromanticism, this book introduced me to Aplatonicism.

So wonderfully comprehensive about the various microlabels under the Aro umbrella, dispelling stereotypes, providing personal narratives as examples, and separating aromanticism from asexuality, this is a valuable resource. I liked that each chapter provides separate journal prompts for arospec people and allies and then offers more actions and resources at the end of the book.

This book helped me reaffirm my aromantic identity. And I'm happy to see that it includes further reading recommendations for books by "Ace Dad" Cody Daigle-Orians!

[Alex Riley]

The aromantic identity spectrum feels still fairly unknown to the public, so I'm glad there's been more resources appearing on the market exploring what does it mean to different people to be aromantic and how does it affect their lives. We live in a culture where romance is pervasive and put on a pedestal, so people who don't share that point of view are often discriminated, dismissed, vilified or pathologized.

This book will help both people on the aromantic spectrum and people who want to be allies and understand the phenomenon become more educated and accepting. There's a wealth of information both from the experts and from the members of the aromantic community sharing their experiences and perspectives.

A very informative title about a subject that desperately needs dispelling some myths. Highly recommend.

[Juniper L.H.]

This was incredibly well done. I don’t know what else to say.

This is very close to being a textbook, so don’t expect a fun story full of humor or other witty writing that will draw you in. Your reading experience is going to be directly proportional to your interest in the topic. This IS well written though. Its well organized and very thorough. There is discussion of the central topic, as well as intersectionality with several other interrelated topics such as gender and sexuality.

I wish that I had this book as a physical copy that I could hang onto, and not a digital ARC that will disappear from my phone after a time.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

[Shelley Anderson]

This is a fascinating collection of personal experiences and thoughtful reflections on the other A in LGBTQIA+: Aromanticism.

Aromanticism is a spectrum of identities where people have little to no interest in romance or only feel attraction under certain circumstances.

This is the kind of book you will gobble up in one reading, then keep coming back to. It's also a very important contribution, given the rise of the manosphere and trad wives, to the current conversation about shifting gender roles and relationships.

A very readable collection on an under narrated issue (case in point: spell check keeps changing "aromanticism" to "romanticism"). I highly recommend this just published book.

[Ollie]

As with all anthologies, there's no way every single contribution to the whole book will be something I enjoy completely and wholeheartedly, which is why you'll never see me rate an anothology 5 stars. However, most of them will be four stars, because whatever they set out to do is often achieved overall. I love getting to see aromanticism covered without asexuality paired with it. Which is kind of humerous seeing as I am both, but not everyone is. Even if they are, the two labels may often be combined but they are their own things. I think this book does a great job at showing different people's experiences in a way people new to the concept can begin to understand what being aro is like, what it even means!

[Karen Shilvock-Cinefro]

Aromantic is specifically a term for individuals who experience little to no romantic attraction to others. It can also include not wanting to pursue conventional romantic relationships.
The books contains several authors and has references to articles and references at the end of each chapter.
Chapters include background, intersectionality which includes race, religion, and disability. Other chapters include Mental Health and Moving forward as a community.
Self-love is emphasized which can benefit many of the individuals but I am concerned about the possibility of isolation, which is briefly addressed.

[Kathy]

This is an extremely useful and detailed introduction to a human experience that is frequently overlooked, ignored, or actively dismissed. It provides historical context, detailed definitions, explanations and discussions, and showcases a range of voices and lived experiences. Reading this book will not only help you better understand the aromantic spectrum - it will also encourage you to think more deeply about the relational norms that underpin your society.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

[D Dyer]

I approached this book as someone with some awareness of, but not more than very basic knowledge about aromantic community and I really appreciated both the progression of the book, moving from basic definitions to more nuanced ones and from immediate interpersonal issues to larger societal ones, and how incredibly well referenced it is, both internally through personal voices on specific issues quoted throughout the text and externally with each section being accompanied by a reference list.

[Kai]

A good introduction to aromanticism. Well researched and much needed. Aromanticism, much like asexuality, is a much broader subject than many people not deep in the community may expect, and I think this did a good job hitting all of the areas it needed to while not being too excessively lengthy for an introductory text. Well done.
(I received a free copy for review)

[Claire]

3.75⭐s
This is a detailed, very well researched look at Aromanticism.
I feel like I learnt a lot from reading this, about Aromanticism in general but also about a lot of micro labels I'd never heard of before.
I did sometimes find that it was almost too detailed. I couldn't read this in one go as it was a lot to take in. It's more or a book to dip in and out of.

[Jasmine Shouse]

This is a great resource for people who want to learn about aromanticism. As someone who newly realized I'm on the aro spectrum, this helped reaffirm some things for me. A lot of it I was already aware of, but I learned some new microlabels and resources. The reflection questions were helpful to me.

Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the opportunity to read and review.