Heartwarming stories of found family, platonic connection, and the quiet power of kindness.
When we talk about great relationships in fiction, we often default to romance. But some of the most enduring, transformative relationships are friendships—especially the ones that bloom in unexpected places or between unlikely companions.
This list celebrates books that center non-romantic friendships, often through the beloved found family trope. These are stories where kindness, shared experiences, and quiet loyalty shape the characters—and us. These are some of the books that I believe are the best books about friendship.
A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
A big-hearted sci-fi novel about belonging and connection.
Blurb from Goodreads
Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.
Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.
My Thoughts
I really loved this series. Having now read all of them, I can confidently say that the interactions between people of all different alien species, occasionally even including humans, are utterly touching. It is a big-hearted novel that has, at its roots, that threads of kindness can connect us all. The Wayfarer’s crew doesn’t just travel through space—they travel through ideas of belonging, identity, and trust.
There isn’t a high-stakes, galaxy-ending crisis at the center of this book, and that’s precisely what makes it work. While there is a plot that is outside of the relationships on this ship, it is only the structure upon which the characters are built. Chambers gives us space (literally and emotionally) to settle in and listen—to characters with complicated pasts, shifting pronouns, plant-based nervous systems, and deeply relatable fears. It’s anti-cynical and kind, and I really enjoyed the whole series.
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
A gentle meditation on purpose, comfort, and unexpected friendship.
Blurb from Goodreads
Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.
Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of “what do people need?” is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers’ series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?
My Thoughts
Oh my goodness, yes, another Becky Chambers, with an even larger spoonful of whimsy mixed with wisdom. Perhaps this is how the best cup of tea could be brewed for all of us right now? Not a comment from nothing, as a tea monk from this story could easily fulfill their calling by sitting with us while we drink a warm cup of kindness, perhaps flavoured with cinnamon.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
A novel full of wit, grief, and the friendships that get us through both.
Blurb from Goodreads
“I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb…
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.
Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.
My Thoughts
This is one of those books that sneaks up on you with its quiet charm. The friendships in it feel lived-in and kind, full of small gestures and unexpected depths. There’s something nourishing about the way the characters show up for each other—through grief, laughter, and the love of stories. These aren’t flashy, cinematic friendships; they’re warm, steady, and deeply human.
What makes it special is how ordinary people, in extraordinary circumstances, build a chosen family. The letters they send are full of wit and generosity, and even on the page, they feel like conversations at a kitchen table. It’s a book that makes you want to write a letter, bake something comforting, and reach out to a friend just to say hello.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
A fussy angel, a rebellious demon, and the end of the world—maybe.
Blurb from Goodreads
According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter – the world’s only totally reliable guide to the future – the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just after tea…
People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. This time though, the armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. The four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road. But both the angels and demons – well, one fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel – would quite like the Rapture not to happen.
And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist…
My Thoughts
I remember loving this book, though it’s been years since I’ve read it. The book stands alone and defies genres, just one of many ways in which this book refuses to stay in a box. The friendship between Aziraphale, a fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon, is representative of the ways our differences can bring us together. Their interactions, dialogue, and repartee as they try to figure out how to prevent the apocalypse is absolute delight, and watching this project turn into a friendship where the point becomes the connection provides an excellent lesson for how, when we treat each other with kindness, we have the capacity to change the world. It’s funny, kind, and irreverent, and I loved it.
Eleanor Oliphant is Just Fine by Gail Honeyman
An unconventional heroine, a reluctant friendship, and a quiet journey toward healing.
Blurb from Goodreads
Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.
But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.
Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the smart, warm, and uplifting story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .
The only way to survive is to open your heart.
My Thoughts
One again, in line with the theme of this post, this book is immensely kind. Eleanor is a woman uniquely and defiantly herself. She navigates the world according to her own rules and structures, making her daily experience one that manages the inconsistencies and input that the world insists on throwing at each of us. She is not interested in jumping through the hoops that she is “supposed” to jump through; instead, she focuses on what is efficient and works for her. Into this comes a friendship that Eleanor opens herself to, albeit with reluctance. And once again, it is clear that kindness it the most revolutionarily quiet way to change the world.
Final Thoughts: The Quiet Power of Friendship
What all these books share is an understanding that friendship can change lives – not through grand declarations or dramatic rescues, but through small, consistent acts of care. These stories celebrate connection in its many forms: between humans and robots, demons and angels, writers and readers, misfits and coworkers. They remind us that we don’t have to be the same to stand by each other – and that chosen families often make the best ones.
For Further Reading:
The Best Reading Accessories for Book Lovers
19 YA Books with Friendship Stories More Powerful Than Romances