Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for an advanced copy!

First, let me be clear that I am not a member of the a-spec community, so please weigh this review with that in mind!

From the description and title, I was under the impression that this would be an essay collection, but it's more like a series of articles with the author using anonymous survey responses to support their topics. In my opinion, that format wasn't particularly well-utilized here. The quotes/responses often felt very "tacked on" and the author's system of using randomized initials instead of real names or pseudonyms felt very impersonal and awkward, not to mention occasionally confusing. Obviously I respect the desire to protect the respondent's privacy, but I think it would have been a lot more readable to use pseudonyms, as well as being easier to feel a connection to their stories.

I did appreciate getting a deeper look into aromanticism, as that's so often overshadowed by the ace side of things. And I think if you are a new to an ace/aro identity, or are questioning, this could be a helpful tool for exploring that.