The best female friendships in fiction

Thirst Trap by Gráinne O'Hare is a must-read. Fall into the blazing, bittersweet world of Maggie, Harley, and Róise as they navigate their roaring twenties in a crumbling Belfast house share. The friends are on the brink of triumph or catastrophe, their lives filled with ruthless hangovers and questionable one-night stands. But fault-lines are beginning to show as they grieve the death of their friend, Lydia. Thirst Trap is an emotionally charged exploration of how while sometimes friends hold you together, they can also be the reason you are falling apart.

Set against the imposing shadow of Australia’s Blue Mountains, this bold and dramatic thriller follows best friends Finn and Daphne, whose uneasy bond was forged by losing their sisters young. Now in their twenties, Finn has fallen for newcomer Magdu, but after an already tense first meeting Magdu is killed in a horrific rock climbing accident. But was it really an accident, or did something far more sinister play out on the cliffs that day? As the friends become the focus of a police investigation, a mystery unravels, forcing them to confront the question: why would my best friend want to destroy my life? This compelling read is perfect for fans of Harlan Coben.

Sisters by chance; rivals by choice. In this bookish cosy fantasy about two witches uncovering dark magic in a small town, sisters Effie and Bonnie are worlds apart: reserved Effie finds solace in the library, while popular Bonnie is out and about in their small hometown of Yellowbrick Grove. They strive to stay away from one another, but that changes when their estranged Uncle Oswald draws Bonnie into a magical scheme to 'help the locals.' However, Oswald's real motives are wickedly sinister, and within a day, Bonnie’s spells start misfiring and bookish Effie notices a sinister force taking root. This is a charming and magical tale that follows the estranged sisters in their attempts to unite and reverse the magical mishap before life as they know it is over for good.

Frankie McGrath, a nursing student in 1965 California, has her world transformed when she's told "women can be heroes, too." Joining the Army Nurses Corps to follow her brother to Vietnam, Frankie faces the harsh realities of war and its aftermath. Amidst chaos and heartbreak, she finds strength in female friendship and learns the value of sacrifice and commitment. This emotionally charged novel illuminates the often-forgotten stories of women who bravely served their country. With a memorable heroine, searing insights, and lyrical beauty, The Women is a poignant tale of courage. 

If you aren’t well acquainted with Shazzer, Jude and Tom, Bridget Jones’s network of quirky friends, where have you been? This addictive bestseller is a document of Bridget’s struggles through the social minefield of her thirties and is best read when accompanied by a bottle of chardonnay on your next sad girl day.

When Katie’s nine-year relationship ends – suddenly and unexpectedly – she arrives at her friends' flat share with no idea what to do next. Friends Dee, Liv and Rosa come up with an idea to help: a handbook for heartbreak. Armed with some martinis and old sketchbook, they compile notes on crying, hangovers, music, buying new sheets and being really, really angry. But Katie is not the only one nursing a broken heart. Could they all benefit from their shared advice?

If you’re a woman wondering why life isn’t quite how you imagined it was going to be, don’t worry sister, we’re all in this together. Meet Nell, a forty-something f**k up, who in a world of perfect Instagram lives, is still desperately trying to figure hers out. But then Nell meets Cricket, an eighty-something widow with whom she forges a rare friendship. With Cricket’s help, Nell is finally starting to turn things around, but first, she has a confession. . .

It’s 1941, and while the men head off to war, the girls must stick together and create their own kind of army. Emmy is determined to do all she can to help on the Home Front, helping to recruit female supporters to the war effort. But when she and best friend Bunty meet a young woman who shows them the tough reality for women war workers, Emmy must tackle a life-changing dilemma: carry out her duty or stand by her friends. This is your charming and hilarious testament to the importance of women supporting women.

Jessica Jackson’s life is going perfectly according to plan: she has the career, the boyfriend and the cosy London flat she’s always wanted. But a shock diagnosis of breast cancer turns it all upside down. In the midst of feeling like she’s now being left behind, Jess meets Annabel, another cancer patient who may not have long left. Together, the two women face a life affirming journey about how to make every day count.

If you want your heartstrings pulled by a beautiful story of girlhood and friendship (that turns into something more), then look no further. For Hanne, a child of nature, friendship doesn’t come easily, until she meets the gentle Thea and she finds in her a kindred spirit. They say that the best relationships are built on friendship and this is no exception. Try not to be moved by these two young women who find a home in one another and whose one-of-a-kind bond cannot be broken.

Fancy a taste of Austen’s biting wit and social commentary on manners and misconstrued romance? Our charming but at times insensitive heroine, Emma, takes the pretty but unsophisticated Harriet Smith as her subject and tries to find her a suitable bachelor. But after a series of misunderstandings, she realises it isn’t the lives of others she must try to transform. Emma is a well-loved classic, so well-loved that our girl Cher from Clueless is a modern day showcase of Emma Woodhouse’s ill-fated attempt at match-making. 

Fancying the same guy is a classic example of how some female friendships can be truly tested. Brought together by a shared family history which stretches back generations, Scottish Jen and South-African born Kemi are two women with a lifelong friendship. When they meet Solam, a charming South African man with political ambitions, he sweeps them both off their feet and causes a devastating rift in their friendship. Cue betrayal and secrets when they travel to Johannesburg, where Jen and Kemi are further torn apart by politics and a devastating secret.

Each friendship group has one: a control-freak, the career girl, and the one that can’t get over her ex. Meet Katie, Georgia and Alice, who celebrated their last days as single women at each other’s hen nights. But things didn’t really work out . . . their marriages are in pieces and their friendships have been tested to their limits. In this laugh-out-loud story of three trying friends, hearts have been broken and feathers ruffled by betrayal.

My Brilliant Friend is the first novel in Elena Ferrante's bestselling Neapolitan series that follows the lifelong friendship of two young women, Elena and Raffaella. In this first novel, discover the beginnings of their epic friendship as they go from academic rivals competing to be the first to escape their impoverished Naples neighbourhood, to loyal friends who are prepared to stand by each other even through the most difficult of times.

Now a hit series on BBC iPlayer, this mordantly funny book explores a friendship between ex-girlfriends Frances and Bobbie after they become entangled with an older, married couple, Nick and Melissa. A complex ménage à quatre ensues in a world of beautiful houses, raucous dinner parties and holidays in Provence. But when left alone at the dinner table, an amusing flirtation between Frances and Nick gives way to a strange intimacy neither of them expect, causing complicated entanglements and jealousies within the group.

Queenie is a Jamaican British girl whose world is falling apart, looking for the strength she needs to put it back together. In this darkly comic read, Queenie has a warm but hilarious dynamic with her girlfriends (the Corgis) who try to keep up with her dating drama and inappropriate oversharing while supporting her with the brutal honesty all best friends should. There’s nothing more simultaneously savage but supportive than a girl’s group chat, right?

Another twisted reimagining of The Wizard of Oz? You're in the right place. When a cyclone rips Dorothy Gale, her dog, and her farmhouse away from Kansas, she wakes up in the strange, cursed land of Oz, warned to avoid forest monsters, heartless mercenaries, and wicked witches. Desperate to return home, she sets off on the yellow brick road to find a wizard, but quickly encounters the dark side of Oz. She soon rescues Rook, a ridiculously handsome and endlessly charming stranger, who joins her journey. However, when they cross paths with the infamous Tinman, it starts to look like Rook may be hiding his own secrets. This thrilling fantasy is a must-read that promises no one is safe on the yellow brick road. Nothing and no one is what they seem in Oz, maybe even Dorothy herself.

Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning powerhouse and Elphaba herself, Cynthia Erivo, believes it’s never too late to unlock the next, most fulfilled version of yourself. In Simply More, Erivo distils the profound lessons learned throughout her extraordinary journey, from training for marathons to conquering Broadway, into a compelling part-memoir, part-guide to living with intention. Through candid, powerful vignettes, she reflects on the years of self-discovery, preparation, and sheer will that propelled her to the world stage. Erivo shows us how every challenge, whether physical or emotional, is an opportunity to learn our own strength.