Hunter and Vanilla have been boyfriends since middle school, but as they grow up they discover that Hunter is allosexual while Vanilla is a sex-repulsed asexual and this puts a strain on their relationship. Vanilla explores the aftermath of a gay couple breaking up.
Publisher’s Description:
A bold, groundbreaking novel about coming out, coming into your own, and coming apart.Hunter and Van become boyfriends before they’re even teenagers, and stay a couple even when adolescence intervenes. But in high school, conflict arises — mostly because Hunter is much more comfortable with the sex part of sexual identity. As the two boys start to realize that loving someone doesn’t guarantee they will always be with you, they find out more about their own identities — with Hunter striking out on his own while Van begins to understand his own asexuality.
In poems that are romantic and poems that are heartbreaking, Vanilla explores all the flavors of the spectrum — and how romance and love aren’t always the same thing.
Genre: Contemporary
Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Red
Cis boys: Vanilla, Hunter, Abercrombie
Agender: Angel
Sexuality:
Gay: Hunter, Abercrombie
Lesbian: Red
Asexual: Vanilla
Pansexual: Angel
Romantic Orientation:
Homoromantic: Hunter, Vanilla, Abercrombie, Red
Panromantic: Angel
Race/Ethnicity:
Not mentioned.
Trigger Warnings:
Aphobia/Amisia
Additional Notes:
There are numerous reviews by asexual readers who found the depiction of asexuality in this book harmful.
Ownvoices: Ownvoices for gay representation.
Ending: Unhappy ending.