5 YA novels with BRILLIANT WOMEN

To celebrate International Women’s Day, here are 5 YA novels penned by brilliant female writers with absolutely great female characters!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: forget the title, which exudes romance, this book is really about Lara Jean and her three sisters. The moral of the story? Being sisters isn’t always EASY but it’s ALWAYS WORTH IT.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks: this is a feminist text but not for the reasons most people think it is; not because it’s got a girls-doing-it-for-themselves theme, but because Lockhart’s portrayal of her protagonist is cutting. She’s sensitive, ruthless and conflicted – but mostly just ambitious as she hijacks a boys-only secret society at her prestigious private school. AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR GLASS CEILINGS.

Out of the Easy: Sepetys’ books are awesome because her characters are never BLACK OR WHITE. It’s not just Josie, but her MUM, who isn’t very good, and brothel madam Willie, who is MUCH BETTER. Here’s a reminder that life is a lot more complicated than we sometimes lead ourselves to believe.

Code Name Verity: it’s not until you’ve finished that you realise the true extent of Verity’s actions in this spectacular WW2 novel about WOMEN. It’s the sort of ending that makes you reconsider every single event that lead up to it – and leaves you with a book hangover for days. GIRLS CAN FLY PLANES TOO, DAMMIT.

Pure, Fuse and Burn: fantasy and dystopian novels often have action heroines, which are awesome in their own right, but Baggott’s women are a whole different kettle of fish; not necessarily kick-ass but heroines in their own right, complete with their own fears, joys and desires. I love Lyda, who falls in love with the dirty, ashen world OUTSIDE the dome.

I’d love to hear about your favourite females in YA novels!