Bill Clegg returns with a deeply moving, emotionally resonant second novel about the complicated bonds and breaking points of friendship, the corrosive forces of secrets, the heartbeat of longing, and the redemption found in forgiveness.
There are many types of friendship: close friends, school friends, work friends, family friends, friends you grew up with, old friends, former friends, that Twitter friend who always like your tweets about Marvel movies, group hangout friends, and of course, your BFF (best friend forever).
Once upon a time, back before I had really made any long lasting friendships, I would read YA books and yearn for a friendship like the ones I was seeing on the page. While there are many different kinds of friendship represented in YA books, perhaps the most significant and common one is that of The Best Friend. Frequently seen being extra supportive, understanding of all their BFF’s issues and problems, full of inside jokes, and a willingness to join in just about any crazy scheme, the YA BFF transcends all genres. It was a person I was desperately looking for, and it made reading books with these kind of Best Friends a little sad.
It took time, effort, and a lot of tweets to find and build the friendships that have seen me through the last decade. But now that I’m older and have several healthy relationships—including, of course, The Best Friend—it’s fun to read YA books and pick out the ways my friendships are similar and different to the ones on the page.
While you’re unlikely to find a literary friendship that perfectly matches your real life friendship, you’ve probably seen bits and pieces of it reflected back to you in a few books. Think about your best and closest friend, and take our quiz to find out which YA friendship is most like your own! Once you’ve got your result, send the quiz to your bestie and see if they get the same answer. If not, well, now you’ve got something new you both can talk about, and maybe new books to read together.
