I’m back!

That is, if you noticed I was gone. I only missed Friday’s post, so I was gone less than a week, but we won’t worry about details. Long story short, Friday was just a rough day emotionally and I didn’t want to write something when I knew I wouldn’t be happy with it.

Enough of that, though!

Today I’ve got a post I’ve had in mind for a while. I’m sure you all know that I love good, strong friendships in books, and that most of you (if not all of you) agree. I’m always looking for YA stories with or about friends, so if you have recommendations let me know! For now, here are my current favorites! 😉

The Golden Trios (Harry, Ron, and Hermione + Percy, Annabeth, and Grover) won’t be included because they’re basically everyone’s favorites, if we’re being honest.

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• Aelin and Lysandra – Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

I won’t say a lot, as this is the fourth book. Many of you are familiar with and fond of the hate-to-love trope. Well, in my eyes, Aelin and Lysandra’s friendship developed in a similar way and I love it. 😀

• Feyre, Rhys, and the Inner Circle – A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

The six of them are honestly friendship goals. Mor, Azriel, Amren, Cassian… I LOVE THEM ALL. No other explanation is needed. ❤

• Juliette and Kenji – Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Kenji is an amazing friend and character, and my absolute favorite thing about him is his humor.

“Are you out of your goddamn mind? You think we can take on two hundred soldiers? I know I am an extremely attractive man, J, but I am not Bruce Lee.”
“Who’s Bruce Lee?”
“Who’s Bruce Lee?” Kenji asks, horrified. “Oh my God. We can’t even be friends anymore.”
“Why? Was he a friend of yours?”
“You know what,” he says, “just stop. Just—I can’t even talk to you right now.”

I read the trilogy in 2015 and remember laughing out loud so many times because of Kenji. There are a ton of quotes I could’ve used, but this was the first to appear on Goodreads. XD

• Mara and Jamie – The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I know a lot of people complain that Jamie becomes a convenience character, and I have to agree with that. In the second and third books he didn’t really appear unless he could help, and I wish that was different. But he was a great friend nonetheless, and he was an equally great source of comic relief.

• Cleo and Nic – Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

After the events of the first book, their friendship was so important for so many reasons. It’s so genuine and heartfelt, and I love that it never blossomed into something more.

• Kate and Jules – Revenants by Amy Plum

Certain things made this one a bit more difficult to read in the final book, but not in a bad way. Jules is a fun, understanding character that supports Kate, Vincent, and their other friends as much as he can in his state.

• Emma and Cristina – Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

I didn’t include Emma and Julian because they’re parabatai, although I do love them. Emma and Cristina are awesome too, though. Early on Cristina suggests ice cream and bad movies to help Emma through what recently happened, and that’s so realistic. Not only that, they’re a great duo in battle, too. Or at least, I imagine they are. I read this a year ago, so I’m not 100% sure.

• Rose and Lissa – Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Honestly the whole series is built on the bond between these two. They’re quite literally polar opposites, with Rose being an impulsive guardian and Lissa a dutiful royal, but they’d do anything for the other. This is displayed throughout the series and in the 10th anniversary edition novellas, and I love it so much. 🙂

• The Dregs – Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

This is the … quirkiest group on this list. In a good way. They start off as uneasy but loyal allies, with the exception being Matthias because he’s grumpy. But they all grow to like one another, some more than others, if you catch my drift. That aside, you can’t help but love the Dregs. They’re all so drastically different, but lovable all the same. One or two is great, but together they’re unstoppable … especially when it comes to breaking your heart. 🙂

• Safi and Iseult – Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Another epic girl-power friendship. This story is also built on their bond, and I think it’s great. Iseult often ends up following Safi as they run from their disastrous stunts, but it’s entertaining. Maybe that’s bad of me… it’s true though. They’re like sisters, no matter what happens. Can I have a Threadsister? Please?

• Anna, Étienne, Mer, Josh, and Rashmi – Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This group is so fun and carefree and supportive, and they get to have fun in Paris. How can it get any better? To be honest, they remind me of my real life friend group, just without an Étienne, unfortunately. Not the point, though. In all seriousness, I love these five. They’re easily my favorite friends out of all the contemporary books I’ve read. As well as Cricket, Lola, and Isla, as the trilogy progresses. 😉

• Lila and Alucard – A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Two words: witty banter. Is any more explanation really needed? Lila and Alucard are the most recent additions to this list, because they’re just great. There’s no one like them. I also like the way Lila fit into Alucard’s crew, and Lila’s teasing friendship with Rhy. But of all of those, Lila and Alucard take the cake. 😉

And finally, honorary mentions, because I didn’t think of these two until after my graphic was made and I was too lazy to fix it:

• Katy and Dee from Lux by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I love that the two of them have real fights and separate before making up. Also, girl-alien power. YES.
• Ponyboy, Soda, Darry, Dally, Johnny, Steve, and Two-Bit from The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. They’re basically extended family, and they stole my heart.

Who are some of your favorite fictional friends? Do we have any in common? What books would you recommend me with epic friendships? (Witty banter preferred.) I’d love to know! Tell me in the comments! 🙂

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I just finished watching Hairspray (no, this isn’t the third time in two weeks), so I’m going to continue reading What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum before I go to bed. 😉 I hope you all have a fabulous day/night! ❤

Until next time…

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