This was such a cute book & I liked that it had so many different genres, showing that ace characters are not just bound to coming of age/figuring yourself out novels.

This was such a perfect find to be able to read a couple of stories every day during Ace Week, but of course it’s great all year long. Not only is it nice to see asexual representation, but an anthology like this, which is intentionally diverse as well, is a great way to discover new authors.

I admittedly was mostly drawn in by the ace rep and these stories are mostly fantasy/speculative fiction which can be hard for me to get into in the short story format, but a couple that stuck with me are ‘Across the Stars’ by Akemi Dawn Bowman about a girl in space tracking down a lost video message from her deceased parents with the help of a new friend, and ‘The Mermaid’s Sister’ by Monica Hassain about Ariel’s ace sister. The collection would be great for anyone who likes YA fantasy, and I’m glad that it exists.

<i>*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*</i>

Short story collections are always hard because the reading experience and enjoyment can vary so much from story to story. As a whole, I thought this was an average collection. I didn’t absolutely love any of the stories, but I didn’t hate any of them either.

My favorite was Across the Stars by Akemi Dawn Bowman (4.75 stars), which follows an orphan who lost the last video her parents sent her on a journey across space. It was very sweet and actually had me tearing up at the end.

I also gave 3 stories 4.25 stars.
• Teen Virgin by S. E. Anderson, which is an interesting take on purity culture and follows an ace monster slayer who is stressed about losing her virginity.
• Well Suited by Rosiee Thor is set in a medieval-ish magical world where a newly raised lady is resisting the idea of getting married. There’s a reanimated suit of armor and the sweetest nonbinary love interest.
• No Cure for Doubt by Jas Brown was a fun far future thrilleresque story where our main character is an assassin in a war between “primes” and humans.

I think my biggest complaint or issue is that I wish this collection had been only speculative or only contemporary, or that they had been separated into a speculative section and a contemporary section. Most of the stories leaned speculative so then it felt jarring when I was reading the contemporary ones because I kept waiting for a speculative element to come into play.

A much needed collection. I appreciate how many of these stories feature ace characters without specifically making asexuality and/or the lack of sexuality a key component of the story. Some people are just not sexual and they have stories too.

Asexuality is everywhere, yet because it is classically the absence of something, its presence can be difficult to see. Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection is an attempt to foreground asexuality within a variety of environments. Madeline Dyer has assembled an ace team (oh, you know the puns are just starting) of authors to contribute stories and even a poem that get you thinking. Cody Daigle-Orians, who wrote I Am Ace, offers a heartfelt introduction to the collection. I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and Page Street.

Some of these authors are familiar to me, either from other books of theirs I have read or simply from following them on social media. Although I’ve pretty much always known I am asexual, it wasn’t until around university that I started to learn more about that label, and it wasn’t until later than that—2012 or thereabouts—that I started to find online community and realize that my sexuality falls under the umbrella of queerness. Following acespec authors and finding acespec stories was very important to me. The same goes for arospec authors and stories (as I am in fact aroace). Indeed, Being Ace serves as a comfortable companion text to Common Bonds: An Aromantic Speculative Fiction Anthology (and the two anthologies share contributors).

The stories take place everywhere and everywhen, from fairytale-inspired fantasy worlds to science-fictional settings on asteroids to vaguely contemporary tales in the here and now. Aces are witches; aces are asteroid miners taking on moon goddesses; aces are patients in eating disorder clinics; aces are monster hunters. The potpourri of settings seems to emphasize the anthology’s message: aces are everywhere, deal with it.

Stand-out stories in this collection for me include “Across the Stars,” by Akemi Dawn Bowman; “Give Up the Ghost,” by Linsey Miller; “Smells Like Teen Virgin,” by S.E. Anderson; and “The Mermaid’s Sister,” by Moniza Hossain. However, I would like to emphasize that this is a remarkably consistent collection, in my opinion, as far as enjoyment of its stories goes. The hit ratio is high with this one.

“Across the Stars” is really just an adorable story about finding friendship while trying to preserve one’s connection to family. I like that it is less about the protagonist needing to navigate coming out or finding acceptance and more simply about them existing as asexual in this universe. (I would also read more set in this universe.)

“Give Up the Ghost” is poignant in a really kind of sad, devastating way, as ghost stories and murder mysteries often are.

“Smells Like Teen Virgin” is a fun send-up of purity culture as well as monster-hunting schlock. The family and sibling dynamics are very compelling.

“The Mermaid’s Sister” is a quaint reimagining of The Little Mermaid told from the perspective of Ariel’s ace sister; I like that the prince was not a dick in this one.

I do think allosexual people should read this anthology and will find a lot in it that helps them better understand ace experiences. That being said, I can only review this book from my perspective as a fellow ace gal … and I didn’t expect this book to make me feel so sad at times. So emotional. I am largely having a very happy life as a single ace person, especially now in my thirties—but compulsory sexuality is a trip, and sometimes our society is not kind to single people or people who live alone. Being Ace certainly offers hope and compassion, but there are moments when it really does hold up a mirror to that toughness. Which is, I suppose, a testament to how powerful its stories are.

I’m not surprised I enjoyed this anthology, and I highly recommend it. But more than that, I hope that it encourages readers to check out other work by authors in this collection. The more ace voices we hear and read, the better we are able to question what we think of as normal or the default when it comes to our experiences of sex, love, desire, companionship, and belonging in our society.

this is a great selection of stories! like with most anthologies (for me anyways) there we some I really enjoyed, some I didn't really care for, and some I kind of skipped past because they didn't interest me, but overall I think it's a nice collection and so nice to have for those of us aces :)

I loved this book! I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but this was definitely an exception. I found myself never wanting the stories to end and to stay with all of these characters in their worlds.

Thank you to Net Galley for an Advanced Readers Copy of Being Ace. This was given in exchange for an honest review.

AHHH!
I loved this!!
First all the things I liked about it:
There was an Ace Electric Wheelchair User MC!! It's so rare I see wheelchair users as main characters let alone LGBTQIA ones that are actually written by Wheelchair Users. I've been a wheelchair user for a while and I did a little happy dance when I first read it. I will definitely be reading any books Lara Ameen writes in the future!
How many gender diverse Aces and side characters there were. There was also Neopronoun rep in one or two of the stories which was great. Plus casual mention of a character wearing a binder and gender neutral pronouns without any of the big speeches or explanations
So many Ace Autistics! Again I love seeing myself representated on page especially because the representation was written without it sounding like the poor Autistic character that can never find love that you can sadly find in a lot of books.
Aces in historical contexts is really comforting to read about too. Especially because Asexuality is seen as a very modern thing.
I know this is basically the last three points but it was so amazing to see so many non white abled cis het Asexuals.
And that they weren't all Aromantic too. (I am Aro just the stereotype or ignorance people have that all Aces are Aro too is really frustrating)

Now to things I didn't really like
Some dived into the story too quickly. I know they are short stories but I had absolutely no clue what was happening at points and often had to reread from the start of the short story to understand what was happening. Eg I'd start one story and put it down and by the time I started reading again nothing made sense.
no content warnings or author notes warning about what would occur at the start of each story. Some covered and talked about death or other potentially traumatic subjects with no warning.
How much detail was given about the only wheelchair user in the book. Given how none of these trans characters had to give so much personal information it would've been really cool to have they were a wheelchair user and not give the entire medical history. (Just my own opinion as a wheelchair user and how strangers feel entitled to my medical history.)

Overall I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to Aces who want to see themselves represented.

It feels so nice and refreshing to read such varied stories from multiple genres that sometimes talk (in very touching ways) about being ace, sometimes don't but simply feature ace MCs in a casual way.
I'm so happy that there's an anthology that I know all ace folks will be able to find themselves in, at least in one, if not all of the featured stories.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am eternally grateful to have finally found some ACE rep in the fantasy/sci-fy genre.

Being Ace by Madeline Dyer is a anthology of stories that focus on relationships across the asexual spectrum. From a wheelchair user racing to save her kidnapped girlfriend and a little mermaid who loves her sisters more than suitors, to a slayer whose virgin blood keeps attracting monsters, the stories of this anthology are anything but conventional. Whether adventuring through space, outsmarting a vengeful water spirit, or surviving haunted cemeteries, no two aces are the same in these 14 unique works that highlight asexual romance, aromantic love, and identities across the asexual spectrum.

All I can say is that I am glad to have found a great many pieces of Asexual representation, that isn't cringe. (I'm looking at you, Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland). I can't say I have a favorite story from this anthology, because almost all of them were amazing and unique in their own ways.

I went into this not knowing anything about it and I was expecting a nonfiction account of Ace people's lives. That, of course, is not what this book was. I have always struggled with short stories so I 100% recognize that my enjoyability of this book was hindered by that fact.

I absolutely love seeing lgbtq people represented and also thriving. There were a couple of stories in this book that absolutely warmed my heart. It is so refreshing to read stories with queer people at the forefront. It was also a great reading experience for me in that, while I am queer, I am not Ace. That is not an experience I can relate to so this book gave me an opportunity to connect with people in the community and see through their eyes.

Overall, I enjoyed the representation and only struggled to connect with it because I often want more out a short story and find it hard to connect to the characters. So short stories, not for me. But I appreciated the importance of this book! 3/5

Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection offers much-needed representation of identities and experiences across the asexual spectrum. The challenges of being ace in an allo-centric-world are explored, both literally and metaphorically, throughout the collection and across a range of settings and scenarios. Each author’s style is unique, and while readers may have preferences due to craft or genre, there is wide range in the fourteen stories.

Each main character in the collection longs to be truly seen and accepted for who they are (don’t we all?), and they are vulnerable, strong, and confident as they embrace their ace identity. The stories are, overall, uplifting and hopeful.

While each individual’s life experience is unique, aces will likely connect with some aspects of the characters and their stories, and allos will likely connect to aspects of the characters’ challenges and adventures…and hopefully learn more about aces along the way.

The anthology is an exciting addition to the growing number of texts featuring asexual characters, and I look forward to adding a hardcopy of the anthology to my classroom library.

Thanks to NetGalley and Page Street Published for an ARC of Being Ace.

As an ace person this was a wonderful collection to read featuring ace spectrum characters. The stories were interesting and its fantastic to see a collection like this come together. Asexual people are rarely portrayed in media and its really nice to have something like this. Hopefully things like this become a bit more mainstream.

Thanks to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this collection in exchange for my review.

As an asexual person myself, it’s a real joy to have such a diverse book in the world. Not only as a way to feel represented and to see myself in stories, but also as a way to portrait asexual experiences to people outside of the spectrum. It was also amazing to read about ace characters in so many genres, transcending the boundaries of coming out stories, and in so many different, amazing ways. No ace experience is the same, and this anthology was very successful in translating that. I’m thrilled and touched to be in a world where stories like these are out there, reaching people of all ages who might come to identify as ace.

Such a wonderful collection of stories!! It means the world to me that a collection like this exists, and I think it covered most of the ace spectrum, and I really appreciated that all the authors were ace too! You could tell - they seemed to really "get" how it feels.

There's a wide variety of stories (although most are fantasy and science fiction), and they look at both the nice and less nice sides of being ace.

As always with collections like this, is that some stories were a hit and others a miss for me, but overall I found it to be a good collection. Very much recommend for ace and allo people alike!

THIS BOOK!!

An anthology of aspec YA fiction by aspec authors..

When I first started reading I was noting how often the characters labelled themselves as aspec but after a while I got too into the book to stop. There are a few that avoid labels but describe being ace in one way or another but there was one that stood out for not giving anything at all.

Most were scifi/fantasy and one was a stand out fiction that definitely needs trigger warnings. So please check them before picking this up.

I hope that within these 14 unique stories you see yourself somewhere.

Absolutely loved this one!

As an asexual person myself, I never truly realized how little representation we were afforded in books until. I read this one, where every single character was somewhere on the ace spectrum. I liked that the central theme was asexuality (in that each story features aspec characters and was written by an aspec author), but asexuality was not the main conflict in every single story, but there's also an acknowledgement about how asexuality affects us in ways not just related to relationships. There were themes and ideas that I never realized I hadn't seen before because they were inundated in my life already and me not encountering them in books wasn't noticeable until now.

The variety of genres, plots, and writing styles means there's truly something for everyone. And I liked how not every single story used specific terms and labels, because that kind of language would be jarring and out of place in some of them just by virtue of their genre. And it acknowledges that no two ace folks are the same and how intersectionality affects our experiences.

Asexual stories are hard enough to come by as it is, and when a majority of those narratives revolve around the difficulties of being ace, it’s extremely disheartening. That’s why it was so refreshing to see a variety of ace experiences explored and so many asexual characters who were unapologetically themselves. Despite their length, these stories were complex, their themes layered. These narratives felt so incredibly authentic and true to so many identities across all spectrums, and I know that so many people - ace or not - will see themselves represented in these pages.

My personal favorites were Well Suited, The Third Star, and The Witch of Festa Falls.

Short story collections are always a bit hit and miss, I find. I've never had one where I liked all the stories. I've also never had one where I didn't like all the stories - but this one came close for me.

We definitely need more ace stories and characters out there, so I was very excited to give this a go. However, it seemed to me like all the stories have carefully thought out, intricate backgrounds - that we aren't given. I had trouble following along. This may not be an issue for all readers, of course - I hope it isn't! I really want this book to do well.

It didn't suit me, sadly, but I hope it does well for other readers.

I was so excited to find this book and finally read some stories with amazing ace representation. That seems like such a rare thing to find, especially in fiction. I will say the cover initially made me think this would be non-fiction, so it may be a bit misleading. I also found it a bit jarring how each story was a different genre and we were jumping between sci-fi and fantasy and thriller like it was nothing. Those things aside, this is a lovely collection of stories and some of them were incredibly heart warming.