Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away by Ciera Burch: Review

Welcome to my review of Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away by Ciera Burch! One of my goals this year was to read more aro/ace books, so this was one on my radar.

Title: Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away
Author: Ciera Burch
Genre: MG Speculative
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pub Date: 03/17/2026

Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away Description

A middle schooler navigates the challenges of feeling invisible—literally and figuratively—as she comes to terms with her asexual identity in this poignant speculative novel perfect for fans of Ellie Engel Saves Herself and Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone.

Seventh grade has just started, but Olivia Gray already knows this year is different. Her brother ignores her for his crush, and all her friends talk about is who likes who, something Olivia has never cared about—even when Robbie, the most popular boy in school, asks her to the fall formal. After unknowingly rejecting him, Olivia goes viral on the social app KruShh. As the chatter about Robbie and dating grows, Olivia starts to feel left out to the point of feeling invisible—literally.

Seen only by her new librarian and a friendly kid named Jules, Olivia flickers in and out of sight whenever the topic of romance comes up. As she begins to realize she might be asexual, Olivia struggles to actually use the label because of the negative perception behind it. All she wants is to be normal, but can she really fit in without disappearing completely?

Review

This sentiment gets shared a lot, but Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away is a book I wish I would have had when I was younger. Although I was crush-obsessed, there were so many things I wasn’t feeling that everyone around me was. I really enjoyed following Olivia’s journey of realization and acceptance because it showed how messy it can get when we don’t follow our heart. It can lead to hurting others and ourselves.

Jules and Ms. Amelia, the librarian, were two of my faves because of how they tried to guide Olivia in the right direction and because of their sparkling personalities. We need people that see us without us having to try. People that understand the parts of us we haven’t even fully uncovered.

Overall, this one had some really fun moments but also a lot of deep reflection that I think a lot of kids will find useful. Although, Olivia’s mom can fight me about the ace flag colors cause I love them.

*Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.*

Author

Photograph by Julia Xia

Ciera Burch is a lifelong writer and ice cream aficionado. She has a BA from American University and an MFA from Emerson College. Her fiction has appeared in The American Literary Magazine, Underground, Five Points, Stork, and Blackbird. Her work was also chosen as the 2019 One City One Story read for the Boston Book Festival. While she is originally from New Jersey, she currently resides in Washington, DC, with her stuffed animals, plants, and far too many books. Visit Ciera at CieraBurch.com.