Top 10 Tuesday: Platonic Relationships

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by the wonderful ladies over at The Broke and The Bookish.

This week’s topic is…  Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who _____

This week was kind of a freebie, so I got to choose my own.  I decided to highlight female protagonists who have platonic relationships with guys.  I feel like in YA (and society in general) it is portrayed that girls and guys can’t be just friends.  However, there have been a couple of books that I’ve read that really show strong friendships between a girl and a guy.  And it’s wonderful – YA needs more books like that.  Keep in mind: just because the protagonist meets a guy that she doesn’t fall in love with, it doesn’t mean that they are a great example of friendship.  In this list, I will be showcasing girl/guy friendships that I LOVED and played an important role in the story and the lives of the characters.  Unfortunately, that means this is not a very long list.  So, now I bring you…

Top Ten Female Characters who have great platonic relationships with men

Juliette and Kenji from the Shatter Me series

Juliette and Kenji are one of my favorite male/female friendships.  Their friendship grows throughout the series, and is really best displayed in Ignite Me.  Kenji stands up for Juliette, he believes in her, and he is there for her when she needs someone to talk to.  He supports her.  Juliette, despite the goings on, is willing to do pretty much anything to get Kenji to join her.  Kenji is her best friend – and she doesn’t want to fight without him.  Their friendship was so beautiful in this book.  (That was me trying not to be spoilery)

Yelena and Ari & Janco from the Study Series

I really love the friendship that Yelena forms with Ari and Janco in Poison Study.  Their friendship is formed quite by accident, but develops quickly.  They teach Yelena and help her with so many things.  Ari and Janco act as older brothers to Yelena.  When she is sick, they watch over her.  If someone hurts Yelena, they are willing to hunt that person down.  I can’t wait to read the rest of this series and see how their friendship progresses. 

Aria and Roar from the Under The Never Sky series

I love Aria and Roar’s friendship.  This is, once again another example of a wonderful brotherly/sisterly relationship.  I feel like their friendship really develops a lot in Through The Ever Night, which is the second book in the series, and also my favorite.  Roar always stands up for Aria, when the majority of the other people in the tribe don’t like her.  Aria and Roar go through a lot together in this book.  When Roar faces a devastating loss, Aria helps him through it.  They go on a journey together, which really brings them closer - all by themselves and away from Aria’s boyfriend, and Roar’s best friend, Perry.  Not once do they think that they might have feelings for each other.  Neither of them ever wavers. It’s so nice to read about a relationship where the girl doesn’t fall in love with the guy just because he’s nice to her or they spend a lot of time together.  Aria and Roar were my first platonic ship and I love them so much,

Grace and Noah from the Embassy Row series

Grace and Noah are the newest ones to this list, as All Fall Down just came out in January.  I loved Grace and Noah’s friendship from the start.  From the minute Noah strolls right in to Grace’s life and declares that he is there to be her best friend. (Literally.  That is what he does.) Noah is always more than happy to be Grace’s partner in crime.  He is always ready to help Grace with pretty much anything at the drop of a hat (even things that may technically be illegal)  Noah is there for Grace at just the time when she really needs him.  They are just adorable together – without being romantic at all.

So, as you can see, there aren’t nearly enough great girl/boy friendships in YA.  This is something that I feel really strongly about and wanted to point out in this top 10.  It really is a wonderful thing when an author does that, and it’s something that should be included more.  

Do you know of any books with a great platonic relationship between a girl and a guy that I might not have included?  I am always looking for more books featuring them.  Leave any recommendations in the comments!  

Olivia