TPL Teens

Valentine's Day is coming up, but not everyone has a date. Or even wants to have a date. And it sucks when friends are dumped in favour of a new boyfriend or girlfriend. So here are some recommended reads for those who value friendship over romance. Platonic relationships are integral to these stories… even if they don't always end well.

Burn for Burn (Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian) Also available in eBook, and eAudiobook.

Lillia, Kat, and Mary. Three very different girls all with one goal in mind: revenge. Revenge against the boys who hurt them, the girls who wronged them, the bullies who torment them. These friends bond over their revenge pact, but how strong can a friendship built on hatred really be?

There's a surprising twist at the end of this novel. Thankfully the sequels are already available for those who have to know what happens next! Romantic relationships start to form in book 2 though, and it's possible these friendships won't survive.

Recommended for fans of revenge served cold, hot, and anywhere in between. Also recommended for fans of the expression “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.”

Sequels: Fire with Fire (eBook, eAudiobook) and Ashes to Ashes (eBook, eAudiobook)

The Fall of Butterflies (Andrea Portes) Also available in eBook.

Trying to live up to her mother’s reputation, Willa reluctantly agrees to leave her life behind and go to an east coast prep school. At least that’s how it looks from the outside. In reality, Willa plans to commit suicide, and wants to make sure that her father won’t be the one to find her. Her plans change, however, when she meets the rich and charismatic Remy. Pulled into the world of glitz and glam by her new friend, Willa also realizes it’s a world of drugs and backstabbing. Can she pull herself up from the darkness her new friendship has brought? And can she still bring Remy with her?

Recommended for fans of books set in boarding schools, makeovers, or trouble.

Bluescreen (Dan Wells) Also available in eBook.

Marisa, Sahara, and Anja are the best of friends and do everything together. When Anja gets hold of the new virtual drug Bluescreen, of course she offers it to her friends! A totally safe high, plugged right into the network in your brain. Sounds too good to be true? That’s because it is. Anja’s brain gets hacked, and now someone else is in control. Marisa has to scramble to save her friends before the hackers have them killed. With the bluescreen drug spreading throughout the city, Marisa soon learns that the problem is far, far bigger than just her and her friends.

With a slow start, this book eventually kicks up to high-gear. A mix of bad decisions and split-second decisions, Bluescreen is hard to put down. The ending of this book may make you long for a sequel, but sadly there isn't one yet! In the mean time, for an even-more-intense read, try Erebos (available in eBook) by Ursula Poznanski or The Leveller (available in eBook) by Julia Durango.

Recommended for fans of action, science-fiction, or video games.

Me and the Blondes (Teresa Toten) Also available in French.

Sophie, 14 and in her sixth school this year, is dying to fit in, but it's more than a little difficult with an incredibly embarrassing mother and a father in prison. Her newest school, Toronto's Northern Heights, offers a new chance, so this time, she has a plan. Find that clique. The blondes (they are always blondes). Make them your friends. Lie about your "dead" father. This'll work out fine, right?

This novel is full of laughs, cringe-worthy moments, and mostly, more warmth and heart and true friendship than you think a clique could offer. For anyone who knows Toten's more recent work, you'll see the same obvious fondness for her characters as she helps them find their way in the end, but not before creating some entirely relateable stress about their life. This one is a great reminder that sometimes you find the real meaning of friendship where you least expect it.

Recommended for fans of keeping secrets, really weird paren'ts, or books set in Toronto.

Sequels: Better than Blonde and Beyond Blonde.

Roomies (Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando) Also available in Audiobook, eBook, and eAudiobook.

Elizabeth, or EB, is thrilled to email her new roommate and learn all about her. Lauren is appalled that she didn't get the single room that she requested. This novel is written in alternating chapters, with different fonts. Lauren and Elizabeth email back and forth over the space of a summer, sharing secrets and giving advice. Lauren needs help with her boyfriend, and Elizabeth with her estranged father. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, Roomies remains mostly lighthearted and feel-good throughout.

At the end of the book, you might find yourself looking desperately for a sequel… Sadly, it doesn't exist. If you want a book with a similar feel, try Fangirl (also available in Audiobook, eBook, and eAudiobook) by Rainbow Rowell. 

Recommended for fans of privacy, arguing with your mother, or art galleries.

Fragile Bones: Harrison & Anna (Lorna Scultz Nicholson)

Harrison is on the autism spectrum, and has difficulty making friends. Anna is on the honour roll, and wants to pad her university applications. They're paired together in the Best Buddies program at their school because Anna's goal is medical school… and Harrison recites the names of every bone in the human body when he's nervous. At first their relationship is awkward, with conflicting motives and desires. But as this book progresses, Harrison learns a lot about Anna, Anna learns a lot about Harrison, and the reader learns a great deal about them both. Written in alternating chapters between the two narrators, this book is engaging and enlightening.

While this wouldn't count as an #ownvoices book, it's close. Fragile Bones is the first in a series of "One-to-One" novels by Lorna Schultz Nicholson. These books are based on the stories of real life teens in the Best Buddies program at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School. The next novel in the series is Born With: Erika & Gianni and is nominated for the Red Maple 2017 award.

Recommend for fans of science, hot dogs, or inclusivity.

Other Valentine's Day recommend reading lists:

• Love is Love: LGBTQ+ Valentine's Stories
• Anti-Valentine's: Recommend Reads for the Unromantic
• Butterflies: A Little Romance for Valentine's Day

Do you have a book about friendship that you'd like to recommend? Share it below in the comments!

*Edited on 02/14/17 to add the related reading lists.