Top 5 Wednesday | Favorite Friend Groups & Books For My Younger Self

I missed the first Top 5 Wednesday topic last week and so I’ve decided to combine last week’s and this week’s topics because I thought they were both fantastic and I didn’t want to miss out on either one 😀

Favorite Friend Groups

According to Goodreads: “We’ve discussed bromances before but let’s discuss our favorite ensemble friend groups!”

KAZ BREKKER AND THE CREW | Six of Crows

This pick is interesting because each member of the crew gets along best with one other person in the group. Kaz to Inej. Jesper to Wylan. Nina to Matthias. All with the exception of Nina and Inej’s wonderful friendship. And even though they each usually favor one person over the others, their dynamic remains unique and powerful in its own way. They may not all love one other, but they’d risk their lives for each other, which I think is still pretty impressive. Also, I love them all individually so it’s kinda hard not to like them as a whole.

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THE INNER CIRCLE | ACOTAR trilogy

I don’t even really need to explain why I love the Inner Circle so much. Each member of the group (Feyre, Rhys, Cassian, Azrael, Mor, and Amren) are fantastic both individually and together. They each have strong bonds with one another and I adore the humor, the trust, the love, and all the other emotions they share as a family. I can’t help but smile when I see them all happily together.

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BLUE AND THE RAVEN BOYS | The Raven Cycle series

Truthfully, Blue isn’t my favorite of the group, but that doesn’t mean I hold no love for her. In fact, I love reading about her and her home life. But I love it more when I see her spending time with Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. They all are so unique and they each have such compelling chemistry with one other. Over time, they break down each others’ walls and come to genuinely respect and love one another despite their differences.

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THE MAGICAL TRIO | The Harry Potter series

Well, I feel like this one’s self-explanatory for those who have read Harry Potter. I’m only on the third book but I’ve already come to love the bond between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The way that they actively have one another’s backs but also encourage each other to the make the right choices is inspiring. And I just love it when they take the time to write to each other over the summer. Just. Adorable.

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ADAM AND THE GANG | A List of Cages

This pick is a little out of the blue but I remember falling in love with Adam and his friends when I read ALOC last year. The thing that makes me love this group of friends so much is that they work together to bring Julian out of his shell, and they do their best to both protect him and to help him grow as an individual. Which, for me, is some of the best friendship dynamics one could possibly ask for in a YA book.

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Books For My Younger Self

According to Goodreads: “Books that you wish your younger self would have read to learn a life lesson, get more self-confidence, open your eyes to a new perspective, etc.”

A WRINKLE IN TIME |  Madeleine L’Engle

I read this book earlier in 2018 when I learned it was going to be released as a film. Let’s just get it out of the way and say that the film was crappy. But I blame the book mostly for that because it’s not the type of story to be easily adapted onto screen. It’s just sooooo odd, but distinct and filled with so many powerful messages about love, self-respect, and finding one’s inner strengths despite one’s youth. Which is why I wish I had read this book when I was younger.

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LOOKING FOR ALASKA | John Green

Reading this book at my age wasn’t really all that beneficial to me. By now, I’ve already read stories like this before, and when I was younger this book would have been groundbreaking. It’s insightful, unabashedly shameless and forward in its messages about sexuality and objectification. Green does well to explore thematic material well suited to a young teen audience and I just WISH I had been there when this book made its first big splash. I know I would have appreciated it more back then.

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TIGHT | Torrey Maldonado

This is the type of book I was looking for when I was much younger. It’s relatable and funny and genuine and filled with so much truth. I love the way that it touches on peer pressure, which accounts for a large part of our schooling days. And when we’re younger, we feel more pressed to fit in and be accepted. This book would have been a fantastic resource and literary friend for me and many others when we were younger.

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THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS | Leigh Bardugo

Honestly, I just wish this book had been printed when I was a child because I know for certain that it would have been one of my favorite collections of fairy tales. The illustrations and the natural lessons that come with fables and folktales would have delighted me even more when I was younger.

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HARRY POTTER | J.K. Rowling

Well, I just missed the train on this one. I know I would have been a true Potterhead if I had read this book in my youth. I’m still enchanted by it at 23 years old, but the magic would have been all the more sweeping and total if I had been younger. I appreciate it now, but I would have REVERED this series if I had read it sooner.

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time ❤