4.5☆
Thank you to netgalley for this ARC

So I would like to start with a fact that I do not read lot of non-fiction (none at all) so this was bit of a challenging read as I am not native english speaker.

As a asexual person I found this book very informative but also i related and understood some of the situations and it made me feel incredibly valid.

It disscused important topics and they were explained very well and were very understandable. I loved that there were chapters focusing on many different areas and that we got to see lot of people with different backrounds talk about their experiences and opinions.

I would recomend this book to anybody who wants to learn about a-spec experiences and be more educated. It was brilliant, loved it

This book sets out to give people on the asexual spectrum (or a-spec) (which includes a wide range of identities including aromantic ones) somewhere to find themselves and know they are not alone and, I think maybe slightly less successfully, help allosexual spectrum (people who are orientated towards sexuality and romance, giving a term to be in contrast to a-spec rather than assuming it's the default, much as we use cis- and transgender) to understand a-spec people.

I did learn a lot - there are a lot of different descriptors to define different ways of being, which can seem confusing at times: this does a good job at defining them (at this point in time, as it's an area where language is constantly changing) and also really viscerally explains how the terms have helped people to realise they are not alone/weird/wrong. It was useful to have good definitions of the difference between being asexual and aromantic and how one person will not necessarily both (so you can be open to romance but not sex, or only able to have sex with someone you know really, really well, or you can be uninterested in romance and able to have a one-night stand with a stranger, or any combination thereof, for example). Of course, in a heteronormative, marriage-industrial-complex environment that puts romantic and married pairings higher in a hierarchy of relationships than friendship, this can lead to people with such orientations being criticised to persecuted (the book is light on discussing trauma and at pains to clarify that asexuality does not arise from trauma, but it's clear that various levels of traumatic things can happen around allosexual people's reactions to a-spec people's orientations).

There are statistics from a survey the author did and then quotes from in-depth interviews which were really useful for getting feelings and orientations through to the reader. I would have maybe liked more detail on how the research sample was put together, and who was chosen for interviews. There is also discussion, with notes, on previous research and comparison with the present study to validate it. It makes a good effort to include intersectionality, looking at people with disabilities (including quite a lot about neurodivergent folk) and global majority people, as well as looking at studies from non-Western countries and the different issues faced there and conclusions that can be drawn from them. It makes sure it covers a-spec joy as well as pain and struggle.

One thing I did find a bit confusing, and I am aware I need to check my privilege here as a cis-het person, is that cis-gender heterosexual people were not really included here, and I had thought one could be a-spec and of a heterosexual orientation. The author had found out about a-spec through involvement with the queer community and it seemed that most of their participants had, too (I don't know really how I found out about it but presumably through reading and shared information on social media; I definitely knew what it was in general before my friend mentioned it). So only two people mentioned in the whole book had a heterosexual orientation, and I would think there would be more than that, just given statistics. However, I'm also aware having talked this through with a couple of friends in the LGBTQIA+ community that the last thing that community needs is to be flooded by heterosexual people (and of course I don't need my general sector of cis-het people to be represented everywhere, as we get plenty of stuff written about us), although I thought the A stood for Asexual in general (open to correction there; it's hard to find out though) and apparently only 1% of the whole UK population self-identifies as asexual. and a proportion of those would be LGBTQI. There was also a long chapter at the end about kinds of non-monogamous relationships people who are a-spec talked about being ideal which didn't really interest me in such detail, but is probably helpful to those in the community looking to find a way to be outside "conventional" relationships.

So maybe there is a rich seam of research on heterosexual monogamous people who are asexual, but it's not here, and maybe the book should have been defined as being about queer a-spec folk. It was also interesting that the author talks quite a lot about not working out things about themselves until they were writing this book, but maybe it should be then described as partly their personal journey: again absolutely fine, of course, but not what I thought the book was.

As mentioned above, the book is full of information and has a great resources section at the end, including a list of fiction that involves a-spec people which is always useful to see. There's a very good list of ways allo people can support their a-spec friends by validating their friendships as important as well as the basics of not trying to pressurise the whole world into being in relationships. It's good to have positive and detailed books like this out there, based on real people's voices, and I would recommend it to anyone exploring their a-spec identity and finding their community and, in a slightly more limited way, for those who wish to understand the community.

*3.5 Stars*

When I requested this, I really thought it would be riveting and that I would absolutely love it. I was wrong, it wasn't bad, but I was just so bored. This read like being in class felt and not for a subject you're captivated by. The good thing was, it help me sleep that week. The bad one was that it took me a week to get through it and I ended up having to skim it. I can't even tell you if something was wrong with it, maybe it was just a me problem... it made me think that nonfiction just wasn't for me but then, I read another nonfiction book a couple days later and I flew through it and it was amazing... I'm sorry this review is such a mess, I just don't know what to say. I really wanted to love it but could not. I still think it might be a me problem though so maybe read it and tell me what you thought?

This book is for anyone who's curious about the A in LGBTQIA+, wondered about their own sexuality, or needs help explaining their sexuality to others. Young not only provides definitions but gives them context and thoroughly addresses nuances and examples of why people choose to use different terms. In addition, people Young tapped for the book explain why they use different terms in different situations. Interspersed with defining terms are historical references that help further contextualize the concepts. Discussion surrounding the fluidity of asexuality is surprising and comforting. The addition of intersectionality (including a definition for those not in the know) adds depth to the concept and spectrum of asexuality.

The insurgence of LGBTQ+ literature - specifically books that spread asexual awareness - is truly the literature of the future. Eris Young doesn't shy away from making the connection between asexual and aromantic identities, specifying that someone can identify as aroace or just with one of these terms. While asexual books are rare yet discoverable, aromantic books are even less so. Having an intersectional resource like this one is super important in reminding readers that people aren't just one thing, but that race, gender, identity, and more are attributed to us. Specifically I loved that Young used up-to-date language, i.e., sex-repulsed and sex-favourable to describe the experiences and feelings that asexual and aromantic people are a part of.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It was supposed to be a discussion on what it means to be part of the ace community, based on a survey and interviews with a wide variety of people, and on the author's own experiences. While I love the premise, I don't think the execution was on point.

Somehow this book was longer than needed, while still not focusing enough on certain topics.

Rather than being a book for the readers, it felt more like something the author needed (based on the many times they mentioned "I didn't know this before starting working on the book" or "would have never known"). It felt like their journey to learn new things, not something meant to inform others as well. Nothing wrong with that, however, I still have some questions that were never addressed in the book: How did the author manage to reach out to the 160 people that responded to the initial online survey? How did they find out about the study? What about those who were interviewed? How were they selected out of the 160 participants?

With that being said, having these interviews collected together PLUS all the research cited is invaluable.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy for review.
A very straightforward read with some definitions to start but largely a book filled with stories from interviewees. The book works hard to show the large spectrum of people who identify as asexual or somewhere on the spectrum. I would definitely recommend for beginners in understanding ace people.

While the book did include some interesting points and theories on sexuality, this book did not address the topics in it as fully as it should. I felt that the book was not well organized from the start.

Ace Voices is a wonderfully informational book with enough detail to be useful for those more experienced with asexuality, while also remaining accessible to everyone. This book truly stands out from similar aspec nonfiction thanks to the wide range of aspec people whose comments are used very frequently throughout it, the eponymous ace voices. These contributors offer a wide range of experiences with gender, sexuality, sex repulsion/favorability, neurodivergence, race, class, and more, allowing for a true diversity of perspectives. As Young walks the reader through a broad array of subjects spanning the details of the ace and aro spectrums, coming out, intersectionality, love and sex, relationships, and more, these contributors walk alongside, offering lived experience and honest opinions that make this book an incredibly valuable resource.

4.5 stars

*eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

this was a great read, really informative and helped me a lot to reflect on asexuality and aromanticism and my own experiences being a-spec. it helped me think about things i hadn't before, like how Anglophone prevalence impacts asexuals in other countries, and how asexuals interact with abstinence-only sex education. the author effectively used statistics, like the Ace Survey and other studies on asexuality - great to see other studies are being done! i thought it would be an anthology from different contributors, however it was written by Eris Young with anonymised testimonies. this was good and i really liked all their perspectives - while it helped to give voices to ordinary people living their a-spec lives, it felt quite distant and impersonal compared to other comparable anthologies.

For a start, I never warmed up to Young's writing style. Then there is the fact that while they spend the entire book talking about how this is a communal project, it is still heavily weighted towards Young and they never actually end up explaining how they conducted their survey on which most quotes are pulled from. It feels particularly weird considering the title and the implications that this would feature multiple voices - I was expecting more than a few quotes from disembodied two-letter acronyms.
Not to mention the fact that the subtitle and the book try to balance both ace and aro topics but still, in my opinion, favor the ace perspective and it is obviously called Ace Voices which shows pretty clearly what the focus was. For example, there is an entire chapter on sex but not one for romance/marriage but an esoteric musing on what love means.

This is messy and I don't really think I would recommend this to people as a resource.

This book was wonderful and extremely informative. I love that it provided a personal account of being ace-spec but also provided other personal accounts to give the reader a diverse set of experiences, perspectives, and viewpoints on being ace-spec. The book was laid out really well, providing the reader with a detailed background on definitions, the identities within the ace-spec umbrella, and what different ace-spec experiences with sex, relationships, coming out, etc look like, I highly recommend this book to everyone both ace-spec and allo people. This book is very needed and I hope it helps other ace-spec folks not feel alone in their identity.

When I was younger and questioning my sexuality it would've been incredible to have this to show me "There are so many people out there who feel like you and this is what that is" and I am so incredibly overwhelmed by the writing in this book. A collection of asexual and aromantic experiences, over 140 of them. Incredibly informative and thoroughly researched. I am so glad that anyone questioning whether they are a-spec or not have this as a starting point to delve deeper into their own understanding of who they are.

As I was reading the introduction to the book I knew it was a good choice to read. It’s very personal but also very informative so I couldn’t seem to put it down. As someone who knew virtually little about being ACE, this really helped me learn and understand what it all means. Young touches on so many topics that really paint a complete picture of how an ACE person sees the world. And with challenging books becoming a big topic of conversation recently, I think books like this are important so marginalized people are able to tell their stories they way they want them to be told.

Ace Voices gives a rare and refreshing look into the actual lives of a-spec lives as we hear from more than 140 individuals living freely and proudly within their asexuality, giving visibility to a sector that needs more of it. Eris Young reminds us that allonormativity doesn't mean that's the only way to live or love.

Demisexual myself and it was really nice reading other peoples experiences being on the asexual spectrum. I think this added with Ace by Angela Chen would be a good starter point for those exploring their possible asexual identity.

This book was super informative and seemed really well-researched. I am so happy that there is more media about the ace scale that is coming out now, as it is a topic that is so forgotten and misunderstood if people do know about it. I also really liked how the author was very aware of their position and wrote in a very approachable manner. I am so glad that I had the chance to read through this!

Ace Voices is exactly as the title suggests -aroace people talking about being aroace. I love that in this book there is no one way to define yourself as “aroace” and instead it’s an examination of the many ways ace-ness embodies our lives. Finding, and accepting, the term “asexual” is so freeing for some of us. I really enjoyed the specific inclusion of traditionally marginalized BIPOC voices and their experiences in the book. The only con I found in this book is that those who aren’t as familiar with LGBTQ+ discourse terms may feel a bit left out or confused by the barrage of terminology. However, the author has done a good job of providing definitions or descriptions.

Eris Young did an excellent job collecting stories from across the wide spectrum of asexual individuals. This was an excellent read, and I've already ordered a physical copy!

This was a lovely read! As usually, it takes me awhile to work my way through non-fiction because that's how my brain works.

Starting off, this is a book for fellows queers. I'm sure other would get information and some wonderful insights into the community, but it's emotionally for a-spec folks. If you are diving in to this books, make sure you have a decent understanding of queer terms and experiences, or be willing to look things up as you go. Many definitions are laid out, but you will get more out of the book if you have a foundation of understanding. I feel it could be overwhelming if you have to learn so much on the go. But if that's something you enjoy, go for it!

The way the book is laid out is great. There are well organized sections with questions that guide the reader into self reflection at the end to help retain and further dissect the information presented. Each section also begins with content warnings, which is very helpful to have due to some of the more serious topics that are covered in the book.

The author has done a great job of leading you through various perspectives and experiences within the a-spec community. I think of it like a walk in the wood with a talented guide. In the forest, there are little places to rest along the way and meet with people who tell you a bit about their lives in the a-spec forest. The guide (author) gives you things to think about as you move along to the next discovery, pointing out things here and there within the stories that are being told.

My favorite section in this book was the topic on Cultural backgrounds. They dive into many religions and races and how they influence a-spec identities.

If you are queer or a-spec, I highly recommend giving this a read!