Pansexual

2025 curated booklist

Always The Almost

Edward Underhill

Sixteen-year-old trans boy Miles Jacobson has two New Year’s resolutions: 1) win back his ex-boyfriend (and star of the football team) Shane McIntyre, and 2) finally beat his slimy arch-nemesis at the Midwest’s biggest classical piano competition. But that’s not going to be so easy. For one thing, Shane broke up with Miles two weeks after Miles came out as trans, and now Shane’s stubbornly ignoring him, even when they literally bump into each other. Plus, Miles’ new, slightly terrifying piano teacher keeps telling him that he’s playing like he “doesn’t know who he is”―whatever that means.

Then Miles meets the new boy in town, Eric Mendez, a proudly queer cartoonist from Seattle who asks his pronouns, cares about art as much as he does―and makes his stomach flutter. Not what he needs to be focusing on right now. But after Eric and Miles pretend to date so they can score an invite to a couples-only Valentine’s party, the ruse turns real with a kiss, which is also definitely not in the plan. If only Miles could figure out why Eric likes him so much. After all, it’s not like he’s cool or confident or comfortable in his own skin. He’s not even good enough at piano to get his fellow competitors to respect him, especially now, as Miles. Nothing’s ever been as easy for him as for other people―other boys. He’s only ever been almost enough.

So why, when he’s with Eric, does it feel like the only person he’s ever really not been enough for…is himself?

Category: Young Adult, Romance
Representation: Pansexual, transgender
Content Warnings: Homophobia, transphobia, bullying, abuse, racism, sexual activity, sexual harassment

ISBN: 9781250835208
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Perfect on Paper

Sophie Gonzales

Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.

Darcy Phillips:
• Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes—for a fee.
• Uses her power for good. Most of the time.
• Really cannot stand Alexander Brougham.
• Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.
• Does not appreciate being blackmailed.

However, when Brougham catches her in the act of collecting letters from locker 89—out of which she’s been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service—that’s exactly what happens. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach—at a generous hourly rate, at least. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.

Darcy has a good reason to keep her identity secret. If word gets out that she’s behind the locker, some things she’s not proud of will come to light, and there’s a good chance Brooke will never speak to her again.

Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could go wrong?

Category: Young Adult, Romance
Representation: Pansexual, lesbian, non-binary, transgender
Content Warnings: Homophobia, substance use/abuse, abuse, mental illness, sexual activity, bullying, violence

ISBN: 9781250769770
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Man ‘o War

Cory McCarthy

Man o’ wars are not jellyfish, and River McIntyre is not happy.

River doesn’t know why they’re unhappy—though perhaps it has something to do with the way they relate more to captive marine life at the local aquarium than to the people around them. That is, until they have a run-in with Indigo “Indy” Waits on the annual class field trip. Face-to-face with an affirmed queer person, River leaps out of the closet and into the shark tank. Literally.

What follows is a wrenching journey of self-discovery that spans years and winds through layers of coming out, transition, and top surgery, promising a free life for River with so much more than happiness: A life that’s full of trans joy and true love. 

Category: Young Adult, Romance
Representation: Pansexual, transgender
Content Warnings: Homophobia, transphobia, religion, racism, sexual activity, mental illness, sexual violence, self harm, suicidal thoughts

ISBN: 9780593353721
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Does Love Always Win?

Diane Billas

Does Love Always Win is a sapphic coming of age young adult novel that explores coming out and understanding one’s sexual orientation.

Sam “Shorty” Daniels has a plan for her senior year, but her romantic life being a hot mess was not part of the agenda. Shorty quickly discovers she’s not attracted to her newest boyfriend and fellow marching band member Zack, despite her many hours of daydreaming of what it would be like to date him. Their previous flirting had been so intense that those feelings have to come back again, right?

When Shorty’s asked to show the snarky new girl around high school, Shorty’s instantly intrigued by Kristy’s wit, and they bond over their love of writing. They quickly become inseparable, and Shorty has a breakthrough moment realizing why none of her other relationships worked out.

Just as Shorty is about to break up with Zack, her bitter ex-boyfriend Bryan threatens to out her to the entire school and Shorty’s conservative parents. Will Shorty be able to overcome Bryan’s ridiculous blackmail scheme and get her dream girl?

Category: Young Adult, Romance
Representation: Pansexual
Content Warnings: Homophobia, sexual activity, bullying, religion, substance use/abuse

ISBN: 9781956183702
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A Song of Salvation

Alechia Dow

Zaira Citlali is supposed to die. After all, she’s the god Indigo reborn. Indigo, whose song created the universe and unified people across galaxies to banish Ozvios, the god of destruction. Although Zaira has never been able to harness Indigo’s powers, the Ilori Emperor wants to sacrifice her in Ozvios’s honor. Unless she escapes and finds Wesley, the boy prophesized to help her defeat Ozvios and the Ilori, once and for all.

Wesley Daniels didn’t ask for this. He just wants to work as a smuggler so he can save enough money to explore the stars. Once he completes his biggest job yet—bringing wanted celebrity Rubin Rima to a strange planet called Earth—he’ll be set for life. But when his path crosses with Zaira, he soon finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic war with more responsibility than he bargained for.

Together, Zaira, Wesley, and Rubin must find their way to Earth and unlock Zaira’s powers if they’re going to have any hope of saving the universe from total destruction.

Category: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Representation: Pansexual, asexual, BIPOC
Content Warnings: Racism, violence, character death, abuse

ISBN:  9781335453723
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Beating Heart Baby

Lio Min

When artistic and sensitive Santi arrives at his new high school, everyone in the wildly talented marching band welcomes him with open arms. Everyone except for the prickly, proud musical prodigy Suwa, who doesn’t think Santi has what it takes to be in the band.

But Santi and Suwa share painful pasts, and when they open up to each other, a tentative friendship begins. And soon, that friendship turns into something more. . . .

Will their fresh start rip at the seams as Suwa seeks out a solo spotlight, and both boys come to terms with what it’ll take, and what they’ll have to let go, to realize their dreams?

Category: Young Adult, Romance
Representation: Gay, pansexual
Content Warnings: Homophobia, transphobia, sexual activity, sexual violence, abuse, character death, mental illness, suicide

ISBN: 9781250819093
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A Dark and Hollow Star

Ashley Shuttleworth

Choose your player. The half-fae outcast, desperate for acceptance. The tempestuous Fury, exiled and hellbent on revenge. The dutiful prince, determined to earn his place. The brooding guardian, burdened by a terrible secret. Each holds a key to solving a series of ritualistic murders that threaten to expose faeries to the human world. But they cannot do it alone. To track down the killer, they will have to form a tenuous alliance, putting their differences – and conflicts – aside. Failure risks the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. And time is running out.

Category: Fantasy, Young Adult, Series
Representation: Pansexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, non-binary
Content Warnings: Abuse, character death, mental illness, self harm, suicide, substance use/abuse, violence, racism

ISBN: 9781529366211
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Verona Comics

Jennifer Dugan

Jubilee has it all together. She’s an elite cellist, and when she’s not working in her stepmom’s indie comic shop, she’s prepping for the biggest audition of her life.

Ridley is barely holding it together. His parents own the biggest comic-store chain in the country, and Ridley can’t stop disappointing them—that is, when they’re even paying attention.

They meet one fateful night at a comic convention prom, and the two can’t help falling for each other. Too bad their parents are at each other’s throats every chance they get, making a relationship between them nearly impossible…unless they manage to keep it a secret.

Category: Young Adult, Romance
Representation: Bisexual, pansexual
Content Warnings: Mental illness, suicide, substance use/abuse, abuse, homophobia

ISBN: ‎9780525516286
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Blanca & Roja

Anna-Marie McLemore

The biggest lie of all is the story you think you already know.

The del Cisne girls have never just been sisters; they’re also rivals, Blanca is as obedient and graceful as Roja is vicious and manipulative. They know that, because of a generations-old spell, their family is bound to a bevy of swans deep in the woods. They know that, one day, the swans will pull them into a dangerous game that will leave one of them a girl, and trap the other in the body of a swan.

But when two local boys become drawn into the game, the swans’ spell intertwines with the strange and unpredictable magic lacing the woods, and all four of their fates depend on facing truths that could either save or destroy them.

Blanca & Roja is the captivating story of sisters, friendship, love, hatred, and the price we pay to protect our hearts.

Category: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Representation: Pansexual, non-binary, lesbian
Content Warnings: Violence, abuse, mental illness, bullying, homophobia, transphobia, racism

ISBN:9781250211637
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Final Draft

Riley Redgate

The only sort of risk 18-year-old Laila Piedra enjoys is the peril she writes for the characters in her stories: epic sci-fi worlds full of quests, forbidden love, and robots. Her creative writing teacher has always told her she has a special talent. But three months before her graduation, he’s suddenly replaced–by Nadiya Nazarenko, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who is sadistically critical and perpetually unimpressed.

At first, Nazarenko’s eccentric assignments seem absurd. But before long, Laila grows obsessed with gaining the woman’s approval. Soon Laila is hiking through the Catskills during a thunderstorm in March and discovering the psychedelic highs and perilous lows of nightlife, temporary flings, and instability. Dr. Nazarenko has led Laila to believe that she must choose between perfection and sanity–but rejecting her all-powerful mentor may be the only way for Laila to thrive.

Category: Young Adult
Representation: Pansexual, Lesbian
Content Warnings: Substance use/abuse, sexual activity, bullying, mental illness

ISBN: 9781419728723
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Girl, Serpent, Thorn

Melissa Bashardoust

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming…human or demon. Princess or monster.

Category: Young Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Pansexual, lesbian
Content Warnings: Homophobia, bullying, character death, violence

ISBN: 9780008244125
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In Deeper Waters

F. T. Lukens

Prince Tal has waited a long time for his coming-of-age tour – a chance to explore his family’s kingdom. When his ship’s crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a derelict vessel, Tal feels an intense connection with the roguish Athlen.

So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal is heartbroken. But it’s not long before Athlen turns up on dry land, very much alive, and as charming – and secretive – as ever. When Tal is kidnapped in a plot to reveal his powers and destroy his family, Athlen might be his only hope. But can Tal trust him?

Category: Young Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Pansexual, gay, diverse sexualities
Content Warnings: Abuse, character death, mental illness, substance use/abuse, violence, sexual activity

ISBN: 9781534480506
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The Library of the Unwritten

A.J. Hackwith

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing– a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil’s Bible. The text of the Devil’s Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell….and Earth.

Category: Young Adult, Fantasy, Series
Representation: Pansexual, diverse sexualities
Content Warnings: Suicide, violence, character death, religion, mental illness

ISBN: 9781984806376
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In The Ravenous Dark

A. M. Strickland

A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead, in this dark YA fantasy In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland, whom Richard Kadrey calls “a storyteller of both grace and power.”

In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them―and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.

Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.

Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart―if she doesn’t betray them first.

Category: Young Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Pansexual, lesbian, non-binary, diverse sexualities, asexual
Content Warnings: Suicide, violence, gore, character death, sexual activity, sexual violence, religion, transphobia, suicide

ISBN: 9781250833273
Find it in your local library (WorldCat)