The Valentine's Day Book Awards

Yes, the day has nearly arrived. Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is a really important holiday for lots of people, and at the very least it's an excuse to go to bed early and read under the covers. I basically need to honour this amazing opportunity (we all need to look for them as they come, right?), so here we go. The Valentine's Day Book Awards.

I've decided to celebrate all kinds of love, not just romantic, because although everyone thinks of the kissy-kissy kind - especially with YA - some of the best-portrayed relationships are between family or friends. Not to mention the fact that if I put in too much mushy stuff, we might all vomit.

I can't be responsible for widespread mexican-wave style vomiting among the bookworm community.

Fatherly Love
Lola and her Dads from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.

I love Lola, for a start, but her relationship with her Dads is utterly amazing. They might tell her off about her boyfriends and put her under curfew, but they also bake pies together, let her wear sparkly eyelashes, and laugh together. It's so hilarious . . . just . . .

Sisterly Love
The Song sisters from To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han.

Lara Jean, Margot and Kitty have one of the most realistic sisterly relationships I've ever seen in a YA book. I mean, I think it's realistic. I'm an only child, so I'm going off the people who occasionally talk to me, but it just SEEMED SO RIGHT.

Firstly, there's how Lara Jean (the MC) interacts with her younger sister. I love how hard she tries to find the best for Kitty, despite how frustrating it is, and how rational Kitty is about fights. How she holds grudges, but the love is still there. Lara Jean also has the best conversations with Margot. Even the food is amazing:

Brotherly Love
Fred and George from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

How can I hold an award for brotherly love in YA and not mention Fred and George? Most of the best relationships, it must be said, are funny. Fred and George are the epitome of funny, but also that of love between brothers. They don't just have the best bond in the history of ever, but they care about their other siblings so much. This quote kind of says it all:

The Weasley family are the best siblings ever. And Fred and George win the brother crown with three of their hands behind their backs.

Platonic Friendship
The Spinster Club (Evie, Amber and Lottie) from Holly Bourne's Normal series. 

Oh my gosh the Spinster Club. Yes, they are rude, yes, they don't hold back from difficult conversations, but that's the point. They have meetings about feminism under a name designed to reclaim misogynist vocabulary. Any friendship that can stand that sort of battle - the battle for equality - and support each other through mental illness, stupid boys and alcoholic mothers, must deserve this award.

Also, look at the quote above. Pure, pure genius.

Kissy-Kissy Love
Eleanor and Park from Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.

It's really hard to describe, but I basically love Eleanor and Park's relationship because they're innocent, but not ludicrously so. They fall for each other ssslllooooowwwwwwwwwwllyyyyy, like people usually do in real life, and (most importantly in my opinion) they support each other through their own personal problems.

There's also the fact that both of them are exceptionally eloquent, which makes for exquisitely beautiful quotes. Quotes like this:

(Yes, there's a reason I haven't put Motherly Love up. I can't think of a relationship to celebrate at the moment, and I don't want to write something I don't believe on my blog. Not that there aren't amazing mother-daughter relationships in YA. I'm just a silly human who can't think of one.)

Have a good Valentine's Day, bloglings!

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In the comments: What YA love would you like to celebrate this Valentine's day? Why do you like it? And can you think of a mother-daughter relationship to show me up?

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Labels: recommendations