All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
If you’re looking for a memoir that can pull you in on the first page, and leave you thinking for months afterwards, it’s this book. It’s written by a woman who was an adoptee, and decided when she was pregnant with her first child, to see if she could find out more about her birth family.
There is so much in this book that moved me, but the friendship between the author and her sister, who she meets as an adult, makes me tear up to just think about.
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
This story of four girls who grew up together in Brooklyn in the 1970s is short enough to read in one sitting, which is exactly what I did. It’s a story of coming of age, of family, of grief, of friendship, of survival, of change. I loved every word of it.
The Betsy-Tacy Series by Maud Hart Lovelace
The ten books in this classic series begin when Betsy and Tacy are five years old, and end when they’re both married and in their twenties, and I reread them at least once a year.
These are books about lifelong friendship, and how that friendship can grow and change and welcome others in and surprise and sustain you. I recommend them all to anyone, no matter how old you are.
Far from the Tree by Robin Benway
This stunning novel is about three very different teenagers who find out that they’re siblings. I cared about Grace, Maya, and Joaquin from the very first pages; I cheered for them, worried about them, and cried with them out of both sorrow and joy.
But most of all, I loved seeing the friendship and love between these three former strangers develop and blossom.
Intercepted by Alexa Martin
I had a smile on my face the whole time I read this super fun rom-com. Marlee finds out her football player boyfriend is cheating on her, just around the time her fling from many years ago joins her now ex-boyfriend’s team.
The romance in this book is great, but the star for me are Marlee’s friendships, which are so hilarious and relatable I felt like I was drinking wine and gossiping along with them.
