This Rec League was sent in by Sue:
In a recent episode with Kirsty Greenwood (maybe it was the bonus episode?), Sarah mentioned that books where the heroine has lost EVERYTHING and has no friends can be irritating, even if they are useful for the book plot.
This is a personal pet peeve of mine too, and can keep me from recommending a book after I’ve finished it. Tessa Bailey is maybe the most guilty of this, and yet I read so many of her books. I’ll usually enjoy the hell out of the book while I’m reading it, but afterwards I’ll realize that the heroine had NO friends. I realize that maybe a lot of book series centers around female friend groups so maybe that’s why I don’t really notice it until it’s missing?
Anyway, what I mean is, I’d love to hear your recommendations for books where you felt like the heroine had a lot going for her and had a very supportive friend group.
Amanda: I’d mention the Hudson Valley series by Alice Clayton. If I recall, two out of the three heroines are doing well in their careers. The heroine of book one is running her mother’s diner and trying to figure out what’s next for her chef career. All three are great friends and their professional expertise is what puts them in the heroes’ orbits.
There are several scenes with all three women hanging out or on a group call/chat.
Sarah: There are lots of series that center around groups of friends or sisters + friends, but I’m trying to think of titles or series where I remember the friendship and the strength and depth of it as much as the romance.
“Friendship as sequel bait” is different in my mind than “romances that have a supportive friend group in them.”
Amanda: That’s a good distinction!
Sarah: Thank you. I’m trying to be specific about how I see the difference, but basically, populating a book with “friends” who show up mostly as foundational work for future books isn’t friendship so much as a plot mechanism. It’s similar to the Bechdel Test except it’s more than a conversation as a measurement.
For example, The Diablo Lake series by Lauren Dane, which is a rural paranormal world, has a lovely set of friends who support each other, alongside a lot of local ties into the town that are separate from the romantic pairings and make the setting and the community more vivid and memorable. The romantic relationship is not the only one with narrative investment.
What books would you recommend? Let us know in the comments!
