Exploring from

The Z Word

Lindsay King-Miller

Find similar books by

Combine common axes

Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for The Z Word. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: chaotic bisexual, messy characters, flawed protagonist, unlikeable characters, stereotyped characters, caricatures, underdeveloped side characters, drag queen, older lesbian, trans character, nonbinary character, stoner, corporate villain, political skepticism, naive protagonist, obsessive ex

Relationships labels used: bad breakup, ex-girlfriend, friend group, found family, frenemies, toxic relationship, queer community, romantic obsession, hookups, wife relationship, friend rivalry, community bonds

This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their characterization + relationships embeddings are close.

Exclude same author

Max ratings No limit

Blob: A Love Story

Maggie Su · 2025

A lonely young woman adopts a sentient blob and tries to shape it into the ideal boyfriend, with unsettling results.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: messy protagonist · unlikable heroine · lonely young woman · college dropout · hotel receptionist · self-saboteur · antihero · depressed narrator · mixed-race protagonist · twentysomething aimlessness · abrasive narrator · frenemy · supportive coworker · sentient creature · idealized boyfriend · foil character · immature protagonist

Relationships labels: toxic romance · codependency · self-love journey · family tension · coworker friendship · ex-boyfriend · friendship rupture · control dynamic · romantic projection · found companionship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1531

Continue from here

Hell Followed With Us

Andrew Joseph White · 2022

A trans teen fleeing a doomsday cult finds refuge with queer survivors, even as his body becomes their apocalypse.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: trans teen protagonist · angry protagonist · monstrous antihero · autistic character · queer ensemble · brainwashed youth · hidden agenda · traumatized characters · messy characters · one-dimensional side characters · perseverant characters

Relationships labels: found family · toxic romance · love triangle · abusive relationship · cult family · mentor dynamic · romantic tension · community bonds · betrayal

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1568

Continue from here

I Can Fix Her

Rae Wilde · 2025

A queer horror novella where a reunion with an ex turns into a week of obsession, shifting reality, and self-destruction.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: obsessive protagonist · toxic exes · flawed characters · unreliable protagonist · desperate narrator · possessive behavior · mutually destructive pair · messy characters

Relationships labels: toxic relationship · sapphic relationship · queer exes · codependency · obsession · ghosting · emotional abuse · domestic abuse · power imbalance · jealousy · mutual destruction · unrequited love · stalking

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1571

Continue from here

Bolero

Wyatt Kennedy · 2022 · Bolero

A heartbroken queer woman gets a key to multiple universes and chases a reset, but each jump forces deeper self-confrontation.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: heartbroken protagonist · messy characters · flawed characters · unlikable protagonist · self-destructive · self-sabotaging · addictive personality · recovering addict · relatable mess · toxic adults · aimless dropout · struggling millennial · college dropout · aspiring artist · aimless young adult · emotionally damaged

Relationships labels: breakup · ex relationship · WLW relationship · toxic relationship · cheating · marriage pressure · friendship · family conflict · parent-child conflict · romantic obsession · supportive friendship · relationship drama · queer romance · intimate betrayal

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1573

Continue from here

Manhunt

Gretchen Felker-Martin · 2022

In a virus-ravaged post-apocalypse, trans survivors hunt feral men, fight TERF militias, and cling to bodies, love, and hormones.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed characters · messy characters · traumatized characters · morally grey · survivors · trans women protagonists · trans man protagonist · cis woman doctor · billionaire heir · militia leader · self-loathing · resourceful

Relationships labels: found family · friendship · romantic entanglement · t4t · queer intimacy · betrayal · power imbalance · rival factions · fragile alliances

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1587

Continue from here

Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones

Torrey Peters · 2016

A trans woman’s personal vendetta collides with a hormone-crisis future where gender becomes a choice, a weapon, and a reckoning.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: trans woman protagonist · charismatic antagonist · toxic character · flawed characters · resentful protagonist · activist character · upper-class protagonist · nameless protagonist · trauma shaped · reclusive community

Relationships labels: toxic relationship · t4t · queer relationship · friendship conflict · romantic rejection · community solidarity · betrayal · power struggle

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1594

Continue from here

Girlfriend on Mars

Deborah Willis · 2023

A long-term couple is split apart when one enters a reality show for a one-way trip to Mars and the other watches from Earth.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed protagonists · unlikeable characters · co-dependent couple · slacker boyfriend · driven woman · wannabe influencer · ex-athlete · former gymnast · lapsed evangelical · stoned character · grief-stricken character · self-absorbed character · nihilistic character · ambitious character · listless character · underemployed actor · tech-bro billionaire · side characters as archetypes

Relationships labels: long-term relationship · breakup · codependency · infidelity · love triangle · boyfriend girlfriend · exes · romantic rivalry · parent-child baggage · complicated couple · relationship deterioration · dependence · attraction tension

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1594

Continue from here

Villain

Natalie Zina Walschots · 2026 · Hench

Anna, now the Auditor, escalates her war on superhero institutions while navigating power, grief, and a dangerous boss-romance.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: morally compromised · antihero · villain protagonist · disabled protagonist · intelligent protagonist · sarcastic protagonist · unreliable morals · control issues · emotionally complex · grief-stricken · alienated · calculating · messy characters

Relationships labels: toxic romance · abusive relationship · power imbalance · boss romance · coercive control · sexual tension · messy relationships · workplace relationship · found family · friendship · rivalry · loyalty conflict · betrayal · codependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1599

Continue from here

Homesick for Another World

Ottessa Moshfegh · 2017

Fourteen darkly funny, unsettling stories follow alienated misfits, bodily disgust, and failed attempts at connection.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: misfits · loners · antiheroes · antiheroines · unlikable characters · flawed characters · grotesque characters · alienated characters · self-loathing · morally compromised · unsympathetic protagonists · disturbed characters · pathetic characters · delusional characters · cruel characters · ordinary people · lonely characters · drunk characters · drug-addled characters · teachers · married couples · older couples · young adults · twins · peripheral lives

Relationships labels: estranged family · marital conflict · couples who hate each other · loneliness · failed intimacy · sexual tension · power imbalance · neighbor tension · community exclusion · unrequited desire · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1616

Continue from here

Life in the North

Tao Wong · 2017 · The System Apocalypse

Camping in the Yukon, a broken man wakes to Earth remade as a deadly RPG and must survive, adapt, and get home.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed protagonist · angsty hero · rage issues · loner · PTSD · survivor · brooder · self-destructive · reluctant leader · bisexual protagonist · POC protagonist · socially awkward · damaged goods · competent under pressure · emotionally repressed

Relationships labels: ex-girlfriend · found family · companions · friendship · ally companion · romantic tension · community conflict · town politics · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1646

Continue from here

The Archive Undying

Emma Mieko Candon · 2023 · The Downworld Sequence

A traumatized, unkillable relic is dragged back into a ruined world of AI gods, mechs, devotion, and dangerous secrets.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: traumatized protagonist · queer disaster · self-destructive · immortal · reluctant hero · pathetic man · messy characters · secretive characters · flawed protagonist · self-loathing · stubborn protagonist

Relationships labels: toxic codependency · complicated relationship · forbidden hookup · one-night stand · romantic tension · found family · power imbalance · devotion bond · betrayal · protective relationship · parental figure conflict · merging consciousness

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1708

Continue from here

Kiss Slay Replay

Rachel Harrison · 2026

At a picture-perfect wedding, a heartbroken guest gets trapped in a deadly time loop with a masked killer.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed heroine · relatable protagonist · anxious protagonist · heartbroken protagonist · messy women · young adult women · bumbly protagonist · sympathetic lead · final girl subversion · self-doubt · character-driven

Relationships labels: broken engagement · ex-fiancé · new girlfriend · best friends · college friends · friend group · romantic tension · friendship dynamics · adult friendship · relationship fallout

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1731

Continue from here