My Top 5 Books of 2025 with Neurodivergent Characters

(and Why Authentic ND Representation Matters)

Looking back at my 2025 reading list, I noticed something subtle but significant: many of the books I loved most featured neurodivergent characters. Even better, most were written by neurodivergent authors drawing directly from their own lived experiences. 

Some characters explicitly identified as neurodivergent: autistic, dyslexic, OCD, etc. 

Others showed who they were without labeling it.

Some authors challenged stereotypes simply by letting neurodivergent characters *exist* without further explanation or apology. 

No portrayal was perfect. A few stumbled or over-explained. But all of them were meaningful. 

At CAYR Connections, we know that representation isn’t just about visibility—it’s about how stories are told, whose perspectives are centered, and whether neurodivergent people are allowed to exist as full, complex humans rather than tragedies, inspirational props, or puzzles to be solved. 

Authentic representation reflects the reality that neurodivergent lives are shaped not by deficit, but by our interaction with environments that may or may not offer access, understanding, or flexibility.

Below are five books that stood out to me for their neurodivergent representation, along with a few honorable mentions. For each, I share what worked well, what felt complicated, and why these stories matter.

1. The Framed Women of Ardemore House by Brandy Schillace

Genre: Cozy mystery with gothic suspense

Setting: Rural English countryside

ND Character: Explicitly autistic protagonist, Jo, informed by author's lived experience My rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Josephine “Jo” Jones is an autistic American book editor who inherits a dilapidated English manor and becomes entangled in a local murder investigation. Written by autistic, nonbinary historian Brandy Schillace, this story offers ND representation that feels grounded, intentional, and deeply human.

I liked that Jo’s autistic traits are presented as morally neutral facts of her existence. Her way of thinking, communicating, and noticing the world is not framed as a tragedy or a superpower that conveniently solves the mystery. Instead, the novel shows how Jo navigates a world structured around neuronormative assumptions—and how those assumptions, rather than her neurotype, create friction and misunderstanding.

At times, the narration did get a bit heavy-handed, explicitly spelling out how Jo’s thoughts, feelings, actions, and reactions were “because of her autism.” As a reader, I sometimes wanted to say, We know. This is just how your brain works, and we’re already with you. Still, this was a strong start to a series, and I’m very much looking forward to the sequel, The Dead Come to Stay.

2. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Genre: Contemporary young adult fiction; coming-of-age novel 

Setting: Indianapolis, IN 

ND Character: Protagonist with OCD & anxiety, Aza, informed by author’s lived experience My rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

This novel focuses on Aza, a teenager with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), in a relatable, honest, and authentic way. We experience the protagonist’s “spirals” without turning them into spectacle. It offers a realistic portrayal of OCD and anxiety, a side of neurodivergence that is less commonly discussed, inspired by Green's own experiences with OCD. Neurodivergence is shown as something that requires care, accommodation, and compassion—not as a moral failing or a deficit to fix.

The story is validating, especially for readers who have similar experiences. For healthcare providers, it’s a reminder that lived experience provides insights no clinical description can fully capture.

3. A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Genre: Whimsical romantasy (romance + fantasy)

Setting: Lancashire, England 

ND Characters: Autistic-coded love interest, Luke, and his autistic, minimally-speaking sister, Posy My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

This cozy, chaotic fantasy follows Sera Swan, an exiled witch running a magical inn alongside her found family. When she meets Luke Larsen and his younger sister, Posy, we see two very different expressions of neurodivergence. Posy is openly autistic and minimally speaking (and uses an AAC device, which I loved!) Luke is autistic-coded and highly masked. He's able to move through many spaces with fewer barriers, but at significant personal cost which he reflects upon in several memorable anecdotes.

The novel highlights the emotional labor of masking and the relief that comes from being in an environment where that labor is unnecessary. Posy is welcomed into a community built around curiosity and mutual care, and Luke learns the transformative power of being seen without "performing" neurotypicality. Some romantic scenes felt a bit awkward, but the book’s neurodivergent representation and themes of self-worth, belonging, and chosen family made it a meaningful read.

4. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Genre: Contemporary literary fiction / psychological romance 

Setting: Contemporary Ireland 

ND Characters: Strongly autistic-coded protagonist, Ivan, and his high-masking, but still ND-coded, brother, Peter My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

This novel follows two brothers as they navigate life after the death of their father. The younger brother, Ivan, is clearly autistic-coded. The older brother, Peter, appears to consider himself neurotypical but seemed to be the high-masking, high-achieving type of ND person that I relate to way more than I'd like to admit.

The novel trusts readers to notice the brothers' thought patterns without explanation or diagnosis. We are invited to sit with the characters' inner worlds, misunderstandings, and attempts at connection, and take these at face value. This subtlety reflects real-life ambiguity and offers a reminder that neurodivergence is valid even without formal recognition. It also touches on the double empathy problem, the idea that autistic people are not "bad" at socializing, they just need to find people who "get" them in order to feel a sense of success in their relationships.

5. The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley

Genre: Historical fiction with magical realism 

Setting: Jacobean Scotland and England (early 17th century) 

ND Characters: Dyslexic protagonist, Andrew Logan

My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

The protagonist, Andrew Logan, never names dyslexia (was there even a name for it back then?), but his struggles with reading and writing are a continuous thread throughout the plot. In a historical context where literacy determined social mobility, this representation carries weight. Dyslexia is not framed as a personal failure or something to “overcome”; however, Logan feels the need to hide it from others in the same way that he hides his gift of “second sight.” The story also acknowledges systemic barriers that favor certain neurotypes. For modern readers navigating education and work environments, it is a useful reminder: dyslexia doesn’t diminish intelligence or value, but environments that refuse to adapt can limit opportunities.

Honorable Mentions

• The Spellshop Series by Sarah Beth Durst — Features ND-coded librarians as main characters on faraway islands in a crumbling magical empire.

• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman — This is a controversial one. Many autistic readers relate to Eleanor, despite the author denying that the character is autistic and attributing her ND characteristics to childhood trauma. Still, the story’s focus on unlearning “shoulds” and discovering one’s authentic preferences resonates strongly with many ND readers.

• The Shadow of Leviathan Series by Robert Jackson Bennett — This fantasy/murder mystery series features Din Kol, a narrator with dyslexia and dysgraphia, and Ana Dolabra, a brilliant, autistic-coded investigator. Set in the Empire of Khanum, a vast biopunk civilization threatened by sea monsters, Din and Ana embark on a series of investigations together and make quite a team.

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus — Elizabeth Zott’s blunt honesty, rule-based thinking, and refusal to perform social norms read as strongly autistic-coded. While controversial, the book offers a portrayal of a woman whose neurodivergent traits clash with rigid, gendered expectations—without framing her as “broken” or in need of “fixing.” 

Final Thoughts

No single book can achieves perfect neurodivergent representation, because neurodiversity itself is an incredibly varied and broad landscape. Some are close, others are too on the nose, but when taken together, they reflect a literary landscape that is slowly expanding.

What stood out most to me in these books was how unapologetically neurodivergent many characters were. They showed that difference is not a problem to solve but a reality to understand and accommodate. These stories are important because they shape how society defines “normal,” whose needs are taken seriously, and whose differences are treated as natural rather than disruptive. 

One lingering question: Why do so many authentic ND portrayals seem to emerge from the UK rather than the US? What structural or cultural barriers are at play—and how do we change that?

As Marian Wright Edelman would say, “you can’t be what you can’t see.” My takeaway from writing this blog is that we need even more neurodivergent representation in books, TV, movies, and other media so that we can continue to normalize neurodiversity. 

If you’ve read any of these books—or have others to recommend—I’d love to keep the conversation going. Comment below and let me know what you think!