7 Perfect YAs Reads for Galentine’s Day

The F-It List, by Julie Halpern
This book doesn’t exactly kick off with Becca and Alex at their closest; it’s hard to maintain the peace when your best friend hooks up with your boyfriend the night of your father’s funeral. But Alex is finally ready to let go of her anger, especially when Becca is diagnosed with cancer. Alex is desperate to make up for the time spent apart and to be there for her best friend, and with Becca’s energy quickly being sapped, they decide the best thing Alex can do is help Becca complete her bucket list, even if it means doing a bunch of its entries on Becca’s behalf. Expanding her horizons with Becca’s wishes definitely has interesting and romantic consequences for Alex, but their friendship never stops being the heart of the story. This is one of those rare books that elicits both very real tears and very real laughs, and while it might be a little profane for Leslie and Ann, I like to think Donna and April would be proud.

Run, by Kody Keplinger
Bo and Agnes could not have less in common, and the combination of Bo’s wild reputation and Agnes’s overprotected life make them an unlikely duo…which is, of course, what makes them such a fabulous pair. Bo gets that Agnes isn’t a fragile flower just because she’s legally blind, and Agnes knows lousy rumors about Bo are just that. They both know what it’s like to have people see you as less than you feel, less than you know you are. So when Bo comes to Agnes in the middle of the night with the desperate need to run, Agnes jumps to join her, despite all the terrifying obstacles lying in their path. This YA has a glaring Thelma & Louise vibe, and you’ll cheer even through the pain as you watch these girls take on the world.

Under a Painted Sky, by Stacey Lee
If Galentine’s Day were celebrated during the Gold Rush, it’d probably look a little something like Lee’s debut, about two girls on the run who disguise themselves as cowboys to make their way west. Sam’s an orphan now, and to stay put in Missouri means untold dangers. Annamae is a slave, desperate for freedom. When the girls team up to run to California for a better life and the possible promise of family, they forge a bond stronger than steel that’s constantly put to the test as they pretend to be boys to stay safe on the road. Spoiler alert: their badassery and friendship and devotion to each other consistently prevail, and make for a book that’s just as cool and unique as it sounds, and would definitely give Leslie Knope some ideas.

The Revenge Playbook, by Rachael Allen
Liv, Ana, Peyton, and Melanie Jane have all been burned by the football team in one way or another, and they’re not gonna take it lying down. While they may not have been tight to start with, the girls’ unity over the ways they’ve been screwed and their anger over the deification of male athletes brings them together to help one another not just get revenge, but survive heartbreak and discuss tough questions of sexuality, morality, and personal empowerment.

Done Dirt Cheap, by Sarah Nicole Lemon
This one isn’t out just yet, but now is the perfect time to place your pre-order for Galentine’s Day 2018. (As if you’ll be able to wait that long to read it. Come on, look at that cover. Read that comparison to Sons of Anarchy. Yeah, that’s what I thought.) Both Tourmaline and Virginia know what it’s like to have their lives upended at 15, but they weren’t friends then and they certainly don’t know or trust each other now. But what started as an acquaintanceship of convenience between a girl effectively sold into a life of crime and the daughter of a motorcycle club leader develops into something deeper, truer, and fiercer than either of them expected, and it just might be what gets them through the impossible.

Cherry, by Lindsey Rosin
Four best friends. One pact. Zero virginities intended to remain intact by graduation. That’s the deal BFFs Layla, Alex, Zoe, and Emma strike, with varying feelings about actually doing the deed. But actively looking for love (or at least lust) turns out to have a lot of bonuses, and takes the girls on journeys through figuring out confidence, sexuality, relationships old and new, and the future, and as the biggest perk of all, it helps strengthen their friendship, too.

The Lonely Hearts Club, by Elizabeth Eulberg
Penny has had enough of guys and dating, and as it turns out, she’s not alone. Misery loves company, and Penny and her newly formed group of friends have determined they’re not gonna be miserable, or in relationships, anymore. But what if boys themselves aren’t the sole issue? The more time the heartbroken girls spend together, the more it strikes Penny that a lot of the problem is in the power they give guys, and maybe the key is in empowering themselves. She sure as hell hopes so, anyway, because there’s gotta be some way to balance staying true to the club and following her heart.