Awesome YA Friend Groups!

Putting together this list was way harder than it should have been. I sat for far too long scanning my bookshelf, trying to remember if the hero/heroine had any friends apart from their love interest. But yes. Fortunately, there are some pretty awesome friend groups in the tidal wave of YA fiction that has flooded the publishing market in recent years.
These groups aren't ranked (because picking favorites is near impossible for me and I'm not even going to attempt it at this point.)

1. The Crew of the Rampion (The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer)

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Reviews forthcoming. Stay tuned. 

This series deserves a special place in my heart for being one of the first YA series' I ever read. It also has an amazing group of teens and young adults who rise above their differences to save the earth. The character interactions in this series are amazing, funny, sad, and profound at different times. I loved seeing unlikely friendships develop. 

2. The Illuminae Group (The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff)

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Reviews forthcoming. Stay tuned. 

This series captured my heart, mind, and hours of my life I should have been spending washing dishes. (Shout out to you, Dad, for putting up with my consistently late chore habits!)

The friend groups in each individual book, as well as in the trilogy as a whole were so fun. (Obsidio, anyone?) Each character has their own distinct voice and place in the group, and I just loved reading their interactions, both through video surveillance and instant messages. Sarcasm abounds. 

3. The Reckoners (The Reckoners Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

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Read my reviews for the Reckoners series: Steelheart, Firefight, and Calamity. 

In Steelheart and its sequels, the main character, David, joins with a shadowy band of rebels known simply as the Reckoners. The group he joins with is closely knit, and the character interactions between them are well written and believable. I loved that while some of the characters in the group were humorous, they still had intricate backstories and distinct voices. They weren't just there for laughs and had a real purpose. 

4. The Golden Trio (The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling)

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You know Harry Potter was bound to be mentioned at some point, right? This series is a perfect example of realistic friendships. I loved that throughout the books, the character's friendships grew with them. They became more mature, older, but at the same time, it's still easy to see the original friendship three eleven-year-olds started at the beginning of a new school year. This series has always been nostalgic for me; it was one of my favorites as a kid and still is. 

5. The Glenrock Brothers (The Safe Lands Trilogy)

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Reviews forthcoming. Stay tuned. 

Levi, Mason, and Omar are siblings from the town of Glenrock. When the village is attacked and many of the citizens taken to the Safe Lands, each of them has a part to play in rescuing their friends and family. I loved this series because of the brothers' relationships with each other. Each was different, but each illuminated parts of their personalities and deepened their characters. While they aren't always working together, eventually their ties as siblings bring them together to fight the injustices taking place in the Safe Lands. I highly recommend these books. 

6. Adrian's Team (Renegades by Marissa Meyer)

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Read my reviews for the two currently released books in the Renegades trilogy: Renegades, and Archenemies. 

Is it bad I have two series by Marissa Meyer on my list? I have no excuses, apart from the fact that she really knows how to write friend groups. While characterization in Renegades was patchy (see my review), Adrian's Renegade team was an excellent example of a friend group. I loved that we got to see many of their interactions through the eyes of Nova, the outsider, which coloured everything in a new light. 

The team is full of easy, casual friendships, which includes a lot of jokes and teasing, but they're also fiercely loyal to each other. 

7. The Pack (Blank Mastermind by Rosey Mucklestone)

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An indie book that captured my heart, Blank Mastermind is the story of a villain who gets amnesia and starts to wonder if the life he forgot was one he wants to remember.
The Pack has some really great characters and interactions. As villains, they're all incredibly flawed, but at the same time, incredibly loveable.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves superheroes, amnesia stories, or well-written stories in general. (And anyone who loves the occasional Doctor Who reference!)

8. Skyward Flight (Skyward by Brandon Sanderson)

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Review forthcoming. Stay tuned. 

Yes, I know this is another Sanderson novel. What can I say? I'm obsessed. Skyward is the first book in a new science fiction YA series, about a girl named Spensa who dreams of becoming a pilot like her father in order to battle the Krell who seek to destroy her world -- and everyone along with it. 

Her flight group is full of well-developed characters who must learn to work together in order to not only survive, but save everyone and everything they love from destruction.

And that about wraps it up! Have you read any of the books I mentioned? Have you read any other YA books with great friend groups? Let me know in the comments!