They/them as singular pronoun has become more common than ever, but those of us who use these pronouns still hear that they’re “too confusing.” That’s why task #4 of the 2026 Read Harder Challenge is “Read a novel with a main character who uses they/them pronouns.”
Whether you use they/them pronouns and want to see yourself reflected on the page or whether you want to get more familiar with they/them pronouns, these novels are a great match. There are also nonfiction books on this topic, like A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns, but novels immerse you in these pronouns for hundreds of pages.
If you look up novels using they/them pronouns, you’ll notice a few trends: it’s a lot easier to find sci-fi/fantasy books and young adult/middle grade books than adult books in other genres. It’s not surprising SFF and YA/MG are ahead in this department: young people are more likely to use they/them pronouns, and SFF more often imagines worlds with different relationships to gender and pronouns than ours.
Still, I tried to represent a few different genres here: a genre-bending epic, fantasy novella series, satirical horror graphic novel, reality show romance, Indigenous middle grade graphic novel, cozy sci-fi, bi4bi second chance romance, and science-fantasy.
Canon by Paige Lewis (May 19, 2026)
Do you love riotously original novels that make you feel like nothing will ever be the same after you read it? Then get ready to have your brains melted by this incredible debut. It’s about Yara, who receives a message from God, telling them they need to slay one of the Earth’s Bad Guys. Not one to question a missive from above for too long, Yara strikes a deal and sets off on their assignment. Meanwhile a downcast prophet with a hidden power is hoping to get in good with the man upstairs and carries out her own plan. So prepare yourself: Canon is a mind-bending adventure about life, death, and fate that will ruin your life, in the best way. —Liberty Hardy
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
A nonbinary monk storyteller tells a series of incredible stories in this cycle of novellas from author Nghi Vo. Chih is on the road in search of stories when they run into an elderly woman who was once a handmaiden in the court of an exiled Empress. Rabbit was there for the rise and fall of Empress In-yo, and she has a story to tell unlike any other Chih has heard.
That’s only the start of Chih’s adventures, too, which continue in the sequel, When The Tiger Came Down the Mountain. —Rachel Brittain
All Access members, read on for six more novels using they/them pronouns.
Rabbit Chase by Elizabeth LaPensée and K.C. Oster
This is a nonbinary, Anishinaabe graphic novel take on Alice In Wonderland! When Aimée wanders off during a school trip to avoid the bullying they’ve faced since coming out, they are transported into another world full of traditional Anishinaabe figures. To get back home, Aimée has to help Trickster hunt down dark water spirits and avoid the land-grabbing Queen and her robots.
Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky
In this satirical graphic novel, a transfeminine person named Sammie is invited to an old friend’s bachelor party. The party is at El Campo — think Las Vegas turned up to 11 on a floating island. This is a dystopian capitalist world where you can hunt your clone as casual entertainment. There, Sammie seems to be the only one who notices a creepy cult slowly converting all the other members of the party, while everyone else tells them they’re overreacting. Even without the supernatural elements, though, the constant misgendering and micro- and macro-aggressions Sammie experiences are pretty upsetting. Luckily, they are always able to call their wife and queer friends for advice and support. There are plenty of over-the-top elements, but the emotion is grounded, and Sammie felt like a defiant character who refused to be swept up in the cult of cisheteromasculinity around them.
Love and Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
As the first openly nonbinary contestant on Chef’s Special, London has a lot to prove to the audience and their family. Dahlia, another contestant, is recently divorced and ready to reinvent herself as a shining star on the show. London can’t help but be drawn to Dahlia’s playful energy. Their chemistry is undeniable on-screen and off, but Dahlia and London are focused on winning. As London and Dahlia get closer to each other, pressure starts to weigh down their confidence. Turn up the heat with this competition romance. —Courtney Rodgers
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
This is an all-time favorite romance for me. What’s not to love? There’s yearning, a lot of steamy scenes (the working title was Sluts In Europe), decadent food and wine descriptions, and a very queer bi4bi (NB/M) romance. What cemented this in my top three, though, is the heartfelt romance built on many years of friendship. I’m not too proud to say I cried near the end. It doesn’t hurt that McQuiston is also Trojan horsing a trans romance in this book. Plus, I’m a sucker for this sentimental bisexual character who mixes horniness with poetry: “[I] wonder if heartbreak will fuck you if you learn to love it enough.”
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Possibly the coziest science fiction story in existence, this novella duology follows a nonbinary tea monk looking for meaning in life. When Dex decides to leave tea brewing behind for a while to venture deep into the woods, they discover a wandering robot. Robots haven’t been seen for generations, and this one has a question for Dex and all of humanity: “What do you need?” Dex doesn’t feel remotely qualified to answer that question, but as the two travel together and search for answers, it becomes clear that the journey is more important than the destination. —Rachel Brittain
Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
This science-fantasy novel has a nonbinary pacifist main character who accidentally acquires a dragon automaton buddy!
Jebi is an artist who finds themself recruited to work as a kind of mystical coder for the military. This is against their pacifist ideals, but they are desperate. While working for the Razanei government, though, they discover the military is even worse than they thought. And while Jebi is working, they accidentally give a dragon automaton free will. Now, Jebi finds themself with a mechanical war dragon companion and up against a tyrannical government.
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For more nonbinary books, check out 12 New Trans and Nonbinary Books and 8 Notable Nonbinary SFF Books You Need to Check Out. You might also be interested in 10 Books With Characters Who Use Neopronouns.
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