Publishing always seems to be quite a few years behind what people are interested in. So, it comes as no surprise that any form of nonbinary books, but especially books with nonbinary main characters, are few and far between, even more so when you are looking for novels and books available in audio format!
But I dug deep and am immensely pleased to be able to share a list of absolutely outstanding books with you, many of which are narrated by nonbinary voice actors and written by trans and nonbinary authors.
I have also included books that make a point of not gendering their protagonist or imply that they are nonbinary but don’t use the word, as well as Romance books with nonbinary love interests even if they are not the narrator (in the literary sense) of the story themself.
With every book, I will include links to Audible, because we all use it, and I promised you books on Audible in the title. But I will add an alternative as well!
If you buy an audiobook on Libro.fm, you actually own the mp3 and can listen to it in any app. Plus, you support indie bookstores with your purchase! (I support a queer-owned bookstore in Amsterdam.)
If you have triggers, please make sure you look up the books on The Storygraph for detailed content warnings.
**The marked links and book covers on this page are affiliate links. If you use them to purchase something, I earn a fee at no additional cost for you. Disclosure**
Fiction Audio Books with Nonbinary Main Characters
Monk & Robot
Becky Chambers (Author), Em Grosland (Narrator)
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Cozy Science Fiction
Main Character is a Nonbinary Monk (they/them)
Nonbinary readers, just like everyone else, sometimes want to escape into a fun and cozy story. And while you can find more books further down this list that deal with our lived realities, the Monk & Robot series by Becky Chambers is the perfect kind of escapism! This cozy SciFi series is simply beautiful.
The Monk & Robot books perfectly transport the feeling of what it must be like to sit down with Sibling Dax, the tea monk, for a nice cuppa, to talk about topics of no consequence, or to dig deep and share things you have never shared before. And this is what Dax experiences themself in these books.
While they love being a tea monk, they also feel like it isn’t quite everything they are. And when they meet Mosscap, the robot, they are prompted to question many things they had simply accepted.
Mosscap is the first robot to make contact after the robots had gained sentience and left the humans decades earlier.
Em Grosland has a wonderful voice, and it’s an absolute delight to listen to them tell these beautiful stories! I adored their voices for Mosscap and Dax, and the Monk & Robot duology are two of the most wholesome, best nonbinary books you can listen to.
Phoenix Extravagant
Yoon Ha Lee (Author), Emily Woo Zeller (Narrator)
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Fantasy with Dragons
Main Character is a Nonbinary Artist (they/them)
In Pheonix Extravagant, Yoon Ha Lee has created a vibrant world in which queerness is fully accepted. Artist Jebi navigates this world and its politics, and as a reader, I felt like I was right there with them.
Jebi tries to create a space for themself outside of polite (political) society, to just create art and survive the ongoing conflicts and occupation. But they get drawn into intrigue and have to accept responsibility for the fates of others. And they get to meet a dragon!
I loved how Phoenix Extravagant is written and that it has an unexpected flow to the story. The audiobook is read by the wonderful Emily Woo Zeller, who is not only extremely skilled at bringing the different characters to life, but she also has a beautiful voice!
The Singing Hills Cycle
Nghi Vo (Author), Cindy Kay (Narrator)
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Fantasy Novella Series
Main Character is a Nonbinary Cleric (they/them)
Cleric Chih wanders the lands to collect stories that were about to be lost to the world in this wonderful series of short Fantasy novellas!
In The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Chih meets an old woman who was the handmaiden to an empress and tells Chih the history of the court.
In When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, Chih meets with a group of tigers who tell them the true version of a folktale Chih had heard.
And in Into the Riverlands, Chih sets out to find the true history behind the martial arts tales they knew.
The Singing Hills Cycle is a fascinating collection of stories that have a thoughtful and quiet atmosphere. The audiobooks are narrated by Cindy Kay, whose voice adds even more to this atmosphere, and listening to these books will make you feel like you are spellbound!
What Moves the Dead
T. Kingfisher (Author), Avi Roque (Narrator)
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Gothic Novel / Horror Fantasy
Main Character is a Nonbinary Soldier (they/them and neopronouns)
If the cover makes you expect dead hares and mushrooms, you are actually… entirely on the right track! The cast of characters in this creepy story is absolutely charming, though, and makes the overall atmosphere of the book – in my humble opinion – palatable to squeamish non-Horror readers (like myself).
T. Kingfisher is such a wonderful author who really has a gift for creating relatable protagonists. And Easton, the nonbinary main character of What Moves the Dead, is no exception.
Aside from the extremely weird adventure Easton finds themself on after being called for help by an old friend, the book also discusses Easton’s relationship with their gender identity and how it developed.
I loved the wonderful sense of humor in this book, and Avi Roque brought out the different facets of its atmosphere as well as the many different accents of the protagonists perfectly. Without a doubt one of the best nonbinary books you can find on Audible!
The Bruising of Qilwa
Naseem Jamnia (Author), Fajer Al-Kaisi (Narrator)
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High Fantasy
Main Character is a Nonbinary Magic Worker (they/them)
Naseem Jamnia’s The Bruising of Qilwa is an absolutely captivating Fantasy novel following a blood magic worker who tries to work as a healer.
Firuz is a refugee trying to find their place in a city that is wholly accepting of queer identities, but not so much of refugees, and especially not of blood magic.
I adored Firuz! They are a complex character with interests, passions, and history. They are a mentor and teacher to a young person with blood magic abilities, and a student and assistant to a respected healer in the community.
They struggle with trauma caused by their own blood magic training and also mention their gender dysphoria.
The narration by Fajer Al-Kaisi was fantastic and really brought out all the sides of the fascinating nonbinary main character in this book!
Base Notes
Lara Elena Donnelly (Author), Avi Roque (Narrator)
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Thriller with a Nod to “The Perfume”
Main Character is a Perfume Maker and Serial Killer (no pronouns)
Now, be warned, I am inserting here that the main character of Base Notes by Lara Elena Donnelly is nonbinary! We actually know nothing about Vic other than that they are “androgynous”, like to wear suits, and find their body a bit “too soft” in some places.
Neither the blurb nor the entire book ever uses a pronoun for Vic. The main character is never gendered. The book is honestly a work of art in how it’s written, and I absolutely loved it!
My personal impression was that the author wrote Vic as a trans-masc nonbinary character. But that’s really just my feeling. Vic might as well be a very androgynous guy, nonbinary but not trans-masc, or a trans man.
That being said, for me, as a nonbinary reader, it felt like wish fulfillment (ignoring for a moment the whole murder business LOL). It was wonderful to hear Vic never being gendered and to experience Vic being able to just be Vic. Especially read by the wonderful Avi Roque!
Make no mistake, this is a Thriller, and Vic is a very disturbed serial killer who turns people into perfume! So, there’s that. Not quite something that makes Vic a relatable character.
There were quite a few parts of the book that I did not try to picture in my head because I like to be able to sleep at night, thank you very much.
But I adored the parts of the book that let Vic be Vic with their male and female love interests!
And I think this is a very entertaining book for any nonbinary reader! (… who can look over the whole “turning people into perfume” part, you know…)
The Murderbot Diaries
Martha Wells (Author), Kevin R. Free (Narrator)
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Science Fiction Murder Mysteries
Main Character is an armed Robot that considers itself genderless (he/him or it/its)
People like to refer to Murderbot as a “he”, probably due to all the weapons and the general impression of traditional definitions of masculinity one might get when being confronted with a giant killing machine. I’m sure you get the point.
But Murderbot is agender and also ponders this at one point in the series. It mostly refers to itself as an “it”, just a machine, no feelings whatsoever. Also, no friends. No people it cares about. Nope, Murderbot totally doesn’t care about anyone! That would be ridiculous! After all, it is just a killing machine…
I absolutely cannot wait for this series to be turned into a TV show! Because really, it’s no surprise these books have so many fans.
As gruff as “Murderbot” sounds and the covers look, this is actually an utterly delightful, extremely emotional series that is incredibly entertaining and has a fantastic narration by the outstanding Kevin R. Free!
Young Adult Nonbinary Books on Audible
The Wicked Bargain
Gabe Cole Novoa (Author), Vico Ortiz (Narrator)
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Historical Fantasy
Main Character is a pirate (they/them)
The Wicked Bargain is a very captivating story set in the Caribbean Sea during the time of the Spanish conquistadors. Mar is the child of a famous pirate captain, and they can wield magic which is a very rare and feared trait.
This is a wonderful book if you are looking to read about action, adventure, and magic with a main character who is nonbinary! Gender dysphoria is a topic here, but Mar has already figured out who they are, so that is not the focus of the story.
I always enjoy listening to Vico Ortiz, and it’s fantastic to hear them bring a book with so many Spanish phrases and words to life! The Wicked Bargain is a fairly recent release, and I can highly recommend it to anyone looking for new nonbinary books!
I Wish You All the Best
Mason Deaver (Author), MW Cartozian Wilson (Narrator)
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Contemporary YA with Romance
Main Character is a student who discovers their Gender Identity, pronouns change
I Wish You All the Best is a heartbreaking novel about a young person coming out as nonbinary to their parents and being thrown out because of it.
Ben’s experience moves between the traumatic events in their parent’s house to the hopeful and healing support system they find and build throughout the story.
This is not an easy book, but I would consider it required reading for anyone looking for nonbinary books! And MW Cartozian Wilson’s narration turned it into a wonderful audiobook.
Man o’ War
Cory McCarthy (Author), E.R. Fightmaster (Narrator)
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Contemporary YA with Romance
Main Character is an AFAB student who discovers their Gender Identity, pronouns change
Man o’ War takes the reader on a journey as River discovers their gender identity. They grew up in an extremely homophobic and transphobic environment which they internalized, forcing them to question every idea they might have about who they are or who they can be, and also limiting the access to information they have so as to have words for their experience.
I fell deeply in love with River! This book gives you such an intimate look into the landscape of the thoughts and feelings of a person figuring out that they are not cis.
And the narration by nonbinary actor E.R. Fightmaster is so, so good! It fills River with so much life. Absolutely one of the best Young Adult nonbinary books!
Acting the Part
Z.R. Ellor (Author), Vico Ortiz (Narrator)
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YA Romance
Main Character is an AFAB actress who discovers their Gender Identity, pronouns change
Acting the Part is a cute yet thoughtful Young Adult Romance about an actor who knows they are a role model for queer girls but needs to acknowledge that “queer girl” is not the identity that fits them.
I personally like YA books in which the characters talk like teenagers, sometimes annoying, sometimes wrong, and sometimes a bit cringe-worthy. And that’s definitely the case here. But it also made Frey interesting and, to an extent, relatable.
And then there’s the fact that the audio version is read by Vico Ortiz, who I very much enjoy listening to!
Alice Austen Lived Here
Alex Gino (Author, Narrator)
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Middle-Grade
Main Characters are two kids who use they/them throughout the book
This is more Middle Grade than Young Adult, but I still wanted to include it here since Alice Austen Lived Here is a beautiful mix of queer joy and queer history!
Nonbinary kids Sam and TJ are best friends. When they have to do a project for school about a famous person from their home borough, the two learn about Alice Austen, a photographer in the late 1800s who lived with a woman.
Alex Gino is such a wonderful author and so great at bringing their own books to life in audio format!
Save this list of Nonbinary Books for later:
Romance Books with Nonbinary Characters
Something Spectacular
Alexis Hall (Author), Robyn Holdaway (Narrator)
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Historical Romance with two nonbinary main characters
This book is so delightful! It is truly funny but also heart-warming, and I absolutely appreciate the great length Alexis Hall went to for the poetry meeting scene (iykyk).
Peggy is a wonderful character, and Robyn Holdaway did a genius narration! They have a fantastic range of voices.
This book starts out as the story of an unrequited love. Peggy could never move on from her crush on her best friend, but Arabella could not reciprocate her feelings.
Peggy would do anything for her, though, and when Arabella asks Peggy to talk to a very attractive opera singer for her, Peggy instantly agrees. But when Peggy and Orfeo, the singer, instantly feel attraction, things get rather complicated, very interesting, and wonderfully spicy!
Something Spectacular is absolutely fabulous, and, so far, it is the only nonbinary Romance audiobook I know of that has two NB main characters.
Unmasked by the Marquess
Cat Sebastian (Author), Joel Leslie (Narrator)
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Historical Romance, dual point of view
I’m a huge fan of Cat Sebastian and Joel Leslie audiobooks, and, back in 2019, Unmasked by the Marquess was my first Romance audiobook with a main character that could be described as nonbinary.
Robin (Charity/Robert) chooses to wear men’s clothes and takes on the role of an older brother for her sister to find a good match for her in London. But being Robert feels much more comfortable than being Charity.
Alistair is bisexual and instantly feels an attraction to Robert when they meet to talk about a possible marriage between the marquess and Robert’s sister.
This is such an incredibly sweet Romance with fun banter, and I just love these two bisexual disasters! I also felt that Robert’s thoughts and feelings about their gender identity were handled well.
Unmasked by the Marquess is definitely an excellent choice if you are looking to read more nonbinary books and enjoy Historical Romance novels!
Sing Anyway
Anita Kelly (Author), Aven Shore (Narrator), Yvonne Roberts (Narrator)
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Contemporary Romance, dual point of view
Anita Kelly’s Sing Anyway has finally gotten the audio treatment!
Sing Anyway is an F/NB Contemporary Romance. Sam is nonbinary and was assigned male at birth. They are in their 40s and only recently started referring to themself as nonbinary.
They are still in the process of exploring how they want to dress and what makes them feel comfortable.
Sam is a truly lovable and adorable person. I felt their thoughts about their gender identity on a bone-deep level. And they are the perfect match for Lily.
Lily is fat and feels very comfortable in her body. She knows how to dress herself to feel and look good. And she wants to share this skill with Sam, who seems so lost and insecure.
I found this such a touching love story and a truly special book. Both main characters could bring something out in the other and support each other in being the person they longed to be.
I also thought that the voice casting with Yvonne Roberts and Aven Shore was very well done. Their voices truly do justice to Lily and Sam.
This is such a lovely, lovely nonbinary audiobook that I hope you’ll download right now!
Why We Fight
TJ Klune (Author), Sean Crisden (Narrator)
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Contemporary Romance from the point of view of bigender Corey/Kori
Why We Fight by TJ Klune is one of my favorite Romance novels! TJ Klune has this fantastic sense of humor, and I always love listening to Sean Crisden, who is such a great audiobook narrator.
Corey is about to finish college and starts working at an LGBTQ youth center, where he runs into the professor he had a huge crush on. Jeremy is now Corey’s boss, which is at least not as forbidden as a professor/student romance. But Corey is not keen on attachment and so scared of rejection that he rather stays far away from Jeremy.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, he has very meddlesome friends who, by the way, also all have their own books in this wonderful queer Romance series!
If you feel like a very heartfelt, funny, and emotional Romance with a bigender main character, I’m sure you’ll love listening to Why We Fight!
The Perks of Loving a Wallflower
Erica Ridley (Author), Moira Quirk (Narrator)
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Historical Romance, dual point of view
The Perks of Loving a Wallflower is an incredibly entertaining, beautiful love story. Since this is a Historical Romance, the characters don’t use current terms they identify with. But Philippa seems to be a demisexual lesbian, and Tommy nonbinary and sapphic.
Tommy and the rest of the Wynchesters are such a wild, unique family and completely lovable! So is bluestocking Philippa who loves books and doesn’t want anything else really, but her rich parents are set on marrying her to a titled man. Tommy has been crushing on Philippa since she first saw her, and is always in Philippa’s orbit in some disguise or other.
Despite what the cover might suggest, Tommy is most often met in men’s clothes.
Moira Quirk is a very experienced audiobook narrator and did a fantastic job with this sapphic Romance.
Chef’s Kiss
TJ Alexander (Author), Em Grosland (Narrator)
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Contemporary Romance, single point of view, nonbinary love interest
Chef’s Kiss is a captivating slow-burn F/NB Romance! The book is entirely from Simone’s point of view, a chef at a cookbook publishing house, who is very high-strung and a bit self-centered. Her new assistant Ray is not her favorite person.
But Ray was instantly MY favorite person! They are so utterly delightful and lovable, managing to charm everyone around them, including Simone, who really hates that.
This is very much an enemies to lovers Romance from Simone’s side, but at the same time, Simone wants nothing else than to be close to Ray, who is a literal ray of sunshine. And it is so romantic to see them make their way to one another!
I was delighted to hear that Em Grosland did the narration for this book. They did a beautiful job bringing Ray and Simone to life!
The Love Study
Kris Ripper (Author), Pete Cross (Narrator)
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Contemporary Romance, single point of view, nonbinary love interest
The Love Study is a Romantic Comedy with a delightful nonbinary love interest!
The story is told from the perspective of this relationship-averse gay guy who can’t even commit to a job after having left his ex-boyfriend at the altar.
Then Declan and his disaster of a dating life are adopted as their new project by YouTuber Sidney, who gives relationship advice to queer people.
This is such a sweet love story and the perfect feel-good Romance about figuring out yourself so you are ready to love again! Pete Cross has such perfect comedic timing in the audiobook narration and did a wonderful job with the different voices.
Love & Other Disasters
Anita Kelly (Author), Lindsey Dorcus (Narrator)
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Contemporary Romance, single point of view, nonbinary love interest
Love & Other Disasters is such a tender and beautiful love story.
Dahlia and London meet on the set of a cooking show where they are both contestants. This is not the best environment to give attraction room to grow, given that they have to deal with the pressure of being on national television and the competition itself with the worry of one or the other having to leave early.
On top of that, both have to deal with messy situations in their normal lives. And London has to navigate all the misgendering on set, as they are read as a butch woman, and people initially don’t show much care for their pronouns.
However, Dahlia and London are utterly lovable together, and Lindsey Dorcus did a wonderful narration of this queer love story!
Nonfiction Nonbinary Books
Before We Were Trans
Dr. Kit Heyam Ph.D (Author, Narrator)
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Before We Were Trans is a very interesting and entertaining book about trans and nonbinary characters throughout human history.
As the nonbinary author Dr. Kit Heyam explains, many historical figures were interpreted through the lens of cis, straight, white historians who would refer to a person as “a woman who wore men’s clothes” or “a woman who referred to herself as king to get more respect” instead of looking at all aspects of what we know about a historical figure to make an educated guess what their gender identity might have been in today’s terms.
Dr. Kit Heyam does the narration of the audiobook version themself, and it’s immensely enjoyable! This is a fascinating book that will make you laugh at times, teach you a whole lot, and keep you entirely captivated.
Nonbinary: Memoirs of Gender and Identity
Micah Rajunov – editor (Author), Scott Duane – editor (Author), Sarah Beth Pfeifer (Narrator)
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This collection of essays is a wonderful way for nonbinary readers – especially older ones – to hear about the experience of a range of other nonbinary adults.
I’m tempted to call this an essential nonbinary book because it gives us an overview of nonbinary lived experience that is hard to come by, even on the internet.
I personally would have preferred for the audiobook to be narrated by different voice actors. Firstly, because that is more appropriate when giving back the texts of authors of color. Secondly, because it makes it easier for us listeners to fully grasp that a new essay has started.
That being said, actress Sarah Beth Pfeiffer, who uses she/they pronouns, gave back the different voices in this book with a lot of feeling. And again, the memoirs in this nonbinary book gives room to so many voices and experiences with being genderqueer that it’s a wonderful chance to feel a connection to other nonbinary people and to see that there is a person out there who has a similar view and similar experiences with their gender as you.
Since this is an anthology, you can, of course, skip individual stories if they don’t resonate with you. And you can comfortably listen to this nonbinary book in slices between other audiobooks.
Despite not being entirely happy with the audio version, I’m still glad this book is available in this format!
The Natural Mother of the Child: A Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood
Krys Malcolm Belc (Author, Narrator)
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In this memoir-in-essays, Krys Malcolm Belc discusses his experiences as a parent. He is a trans-masc nonbinary person and has children with his partner that his partner gave birth to as well as a child he gave birth to.
He describes what it felt like to navigate the through-and-through gendered areas of gestation and birthing care in a way that, at times, took my breath away because it must have been such a hostile environment for him, filled with traumatic experiences.
But the book also includes absolutely beautiful observations about parenting and kids in general, as well as being a queer parent in particular. Hearing about a happy queer family and their daily life is absolutely delightful!
The audio version of this nonbinary book is read by Krys himself, who not only does a great job at narration but also gives back these intimate and emotional moments in a way no one else could.
Please take just a second to share this post so more people looking for nonbinary books can find this list and these fantastic books! 🙂
Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 10 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 250 audiobooks per year has become the new normal and you will rarely see Eline without a wireless earbud. Romance and Fantasy are the go-to genres for this audiobook fan.
What a great list! Thank you for your hard work and much appreciated reviews.
Thank you so much 🙂