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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 VoA 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.
This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.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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