22 Books About Friendship to Share with Your Bestie

For fans of: Maame by Jessica George

Wahala means “trouble” in the African language Yoruba, and it’s a theme that emerges for three Anglo-Nigerian women living in London in this fun, smart debut about contemporary female friendships. In Wahala, author Nikki May serves up plenty of frenemy drama spiked with humor as three longtime pals grapple with the arrival of glamorous newcomer Isobel to their friend group. Bonds are shaken, alliances are tested and betrayal rears its prickly head in this exhilarating 2022 read. If you’re a Sex and the City fan, you’ll devour this lively book and be asking for more.

For fans of: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Eleanor, a 29-year-old office worker with no social life, becomes obsessed with a local rock star she’s never met. At the same time, she forms an unlikely friendship with a coworker, Raymond, after the two help out an elderly man in need. Even as it deals with themes of loneliness and trauma, this popular 2017 novel moves along with wit and humor, revealing the tragic past haunting a woman who simply needs friendship to make it through. And while it may be a far cry from intense thriller books that keep you on the edge of your seat, it’s still a page-turner that you won’t be able to put down.

For fans of: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

If you love feminist books with rich, truthful depictions of women’s experiences, you’ll adore this 2011 bestseller. The first in a four-book series that follows the 60-year friendship between Elena and Lila, My Brilliant Friend opens with Elena learning that Lila has disappeared. This event prompts Elena to recount their meeting, burgeoning friendship and upbringing in a rough area of Italy in the 1950s. HBO adapted the popular novels into an acclaimed TV series in 2018, and the New York Times named it the No. 1 book of the century in 2024. It remains one of our favorite books about friendship too.

For fans of: The Art of Showing Up by Rachel Wilkerson Miller

Written by the hosts of the podcast Call Your Girlfriend, this 2020 nonfiction book chronicles the authors’ decades-long friendship in a witty, humorous way. Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman write about their own challenges, alienations and personal stories in Big Friendship while weaving in studies on friendship, one of life’s most important yet neglected bonds. This thoroughly enjoyable book not only highlights the vital importance of friendship but will also show you how to give your friends more support even when life gets busy.

For fans of: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Hang out with Caitrin, Lana and Judith, best friends since childhood, in this breezy page-turner, first published in 2020. Despite their promise to remain friends no matter what, the three find themselves estranged as they cope with life’s inevitable ups and downs, and readers follow their conflicts and reconciliations across decades. The novel has surprising depth, pulling you in with the story of their friendship and keeping you hooked with plot twists that alternately make you laugh and cry.

For fans of: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Set in 19th-century China, this lyrical and emotional novel, published in 2005, explores the friendship between Lily and Snow Flower. The beautiful but sad book starts when they’re girls and continues through adulthood, following them as they endure the trials of foot-binding and arranged marriages in a society that encases and silences women. The two communicate through a secret language written on fans and hidden from men and others who would oppress them. Their strong bond provides a solace that allows them each to survive.

For fans of: Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

One of the best books by Hispanic authors, this 2020 paranormal YA fantasy dives into the rich tapestry of queer Latinx culture, family bonds and friendships. It follows Yadriel, a trans boy who tries to help the ghost of his cousin but instead summons the wrong entity. Though it’s a teen romance and coming-of age story, Cemetery Boys is a well-rounded book that explores all relationships—including familial bonds and platonic friendship—as Yadriel learns to be a brujo, someone who helps spirits pass to the afterlife.

For fans of: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

This beloved member of the classic books club was published in 1908, but Anne of Green Gables is still a must-read. It follows the spunky orphan Anne, who has a genius for friendship. When she’s finally delivered to a foster home, the caretakers are not pleased and consider sending her back; they had asked for a boy to help with chores. But Anne stays and slowly wins over everyone with her cheer and charisma. When she meets Diana, they develop that inseparable bond that signals you’ve finally found your bestie. You won’t want the book to end when you get to the final page, and the good news is that it doesn’t have to—there are seven more in the series to read after this one.

For fans of: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Khaled Hosseini’s beautifully written 2007 bestseller tells the story of two women, Mariam and Laila, who live through war and unfathomable loss in Afghanistan. Though they are a generation apart and have different backgrounds, they form an enduring friendship, and their indomitable spirits survive even amid shattering circumstances. Prepare for a harrowing and heartrending read about familial love and self-sacrifice. The title, by the way, refers to the hope that springs even within oppression.

For fans of: The Huntress by Kate Quinn

When you think of friendship books, a historical novel set during World War II doesn’t leap to mind. But maybe you haven’t read Code Name Verity.  This 2012 page-turner (and Printz Honor Book) gives a harrowing account of a young woman captured by Nazis and forced to reveal secrets or face execution. Her story uncovers the friendship she had with Maddie, the pilot she was flying with when the plane crashed in Nazi-occupied France. Like many other Holocaust books, this novel offers a searing, emotional depiction of an unthinkable time in history. Pro tip: Don’t make the mistake of assuming this YA book is only for teens. It’s an absolute must-read for adults too.

For fans of: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

In one of the most iconic books about friendship, Lena, Tibby, Bridget and Carmen find a pair of jeans that fits each of them perfectly, despite their different body shapes. The girls form a pact and decide to share the jeans. They’ll each take the pants for a stint as they embark on separate journeys for the summer. Start with the first novel from 2001 and continue with the whole series about four friends, the powerful bond between them and their adventures in love and life.

For fans of: Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

In her 2019 nonfiction book about friendship, Kayleen Schaefer weaves in her personal experiences with friendships as she presents research on the topic, including interviews with more than 100 women about their BFFs. Text Me When You Get Home challenges notions about women’s competitiveness and offers a celebration of female friendship, positioning it as a bond of love that’s just as important as a romantic relationship, even though it’s devalued in society.

For fans of: This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Legendborn quickly rose on the bestseller charts, enrapturing teen and adult readers with its innovative reworking of the King Arthur tale for a modern audience. You’ll be taken in by 16-year-old Bree, a Black girl who finds herself at odds with her best friend after she witnesses a paranormal event that unleashes her own magic. Soon, she finds herself in a new group, the Legendborn, a historically all-white secret society, as she navigates their connections to her mother’s death. Who can she trust? Like many books by Black authors, this 2020 YA fantasy novel fuses the rich history of Black culture with honest depictions of racism in America.

For fans of: Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts

One of the most beloved books about friendship, Fried Green Tomatoes focuses on two parallel tales that show how extraordinary female bonds bring strength and transformation. The novel introduces readers to Evelyn Couch, a housewife going through a midlife slump who strikes up a friendship with Ninny Threadgoode, an elderly woman living in a nursing home. Ninny entertains Evelyn with stories of her sister-in-law, Idgie, and her friend, Ruth, who eked out a living running a cafe in 1930s Alabama. Fannie Flagg’s acclaimed 1987 novel is about survival, friendship and the power of connections between women. It was adapted into a 1991 Oscar-nominated movie starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy.

For fans of: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Writers Nina LaCour and David Levithan developed a friendship as they cowrote this 2017 teen book about friendship and love, sending chapters back and forth as the story emerged. The novel proceeds from the alternate perspectives of Mark and Kate, who are in love with other people but rely on each other as they grow and change while navigating high school. It’s a sensitive, funny and moving look at queer experience geared toward young adult readers, but as with many YA novels, there’s plenty that adults will also find endearing and relatable.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

For fans of: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner, which depicts the bonds between Black women and girls, will keep you completely riveted. In The Color Purple, you’ll follow Celie and her relationships with Shug and Nettie as they navigate love and life in the harsh oppression of rural Georgia in the early 1900s. Through it all, their extraordinary friendships pull them along. This is a canonical work in Black American literature, and it has become a cultural touchstone, with an award-winning 1985 film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, a Broadway musical adaptation and 2023 film version.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

For fans of: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

This 1996 bestseller is one of those mother-daughter books you’ll want to pass on to every woman you know when you’re done. Readers love Rebecca Wells’s story about the mighty power of female friendships. Set amid the charm and color of Southern life, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood follows a mother-daughter feud that friends are determined to heal with humor, uncovered secrets and dollops of grace and grit.