Top Ten Books With Strong Female Friendships

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, she posts an idea relating to books and encourages other book bloggers to respond with their own top ten lists.

This week’s topic is “top ten books that feature characters who ___,” so I chose characters that have strong female friendships. I love seeing these kinds of relationships, since it seems like all too often the best friend is only there when it’s convenient for the protagonist’s development… or, you know, the only meaningful relationship that can be focused on is a romantic one.

1. The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
Paige and her BFFs Tessa, Kayleigh and Morgan are the definition of a wonderfully caring group of friends. They’re always there for each other, and immediately put aside any jealousy/bickering to support one another. Bonus points for the fact that the group expanded to include a few guys, and there was no cattiness/drama/change in group dynamics.

2. Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
While I wasn’t a fan of the way that Reagan treated girls who weren’t Lilah, the relationship between these two girls was so sweet. They’re fiercely loyal and protective of one another, and the relationship is filled with mutual love, support, and respect, regardless of the differences in celebrity status.

3. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares
This is honestly the first book I think of when I think “strong female friendships,” even though it’s been ages since I’ve read it. I loved how despite the distance between them, the girls were still able to make time for one another and put effort into maintaining their close relationships.

4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Celaena and Nehemia are both strong and independent, which is really refreshing since there isn’t a “dominant” force in their relationship. They have absolute trust in one another, and complete each other in a way – their friendship is a sort of comfort or escape, in that they can just be themselves, without all of the pressure of their respective roles.

5. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
While Iko may be a cyborg, her friendship with Cinder is one of the high points of the story for me. Iko goes above and beyond to support Cinder in whatever way possible (and vice versa), and the two perfectly balance each other out.

6. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
I feel like the Ladies of 300 Fox Way need a special shoutout in this. While I always admired their closeness, it wasn’t until Blue Lily, Lily Blue that I fully understood just how much these women needed and relied on one another.

7. Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
Kami and Angela seem like an unlikely pair, but they’re fiercely protective of each other and stay close even when two cute guys are introduced into the picture. Even better, their duo expands to include another lovely female friend, Holly. These girls are there for one another through the good times and the bad, and are willing to listen to each other’s problems without passing judgement.

8. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
Karou and Zuzana’s friendship was one of my favourite parts of this series. Even though Karou’s the one with powers, Zuze is still a present, important part of her life, and I absolutely loved how she was willing to do anything to help Karou – even if it’s just as small as making her laugh. These girls truly love one another, and their fierce loyalty was so nice to see.

9. Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer
Gigi, Bea and Neerja have a rock-solid friendship. Their relationship is filled with unconditional love and support, while also pushing each other to drift outside of their comfort zones. Even when they’re pursuing other interests, these girls still make time for each other.

10. Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour
Emi and Charlotte have a wonderful friendship: 100% support, without any judgement. I loved how their friendship didn’t falter once Ava stepped into the picture; instead, both Emi and Charlotte formed a solid relationship with Ava, even with the hints of something more that could happen between her and Emi.

What are some of your favourite books with strong female friendships? Leave me a list or a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post in the comments below.