Todays guest post is kindly provided by Sarah Billington

In young adult fiction, particularly contemporary fiction, there is a lot of emphasis on relationships. Boy-girl relationships: love, URST, and kissy-kissy sexy times.

Don't get me wrong, my new release The Kiss Off also includes make out sessions, bad decision-making that includes the condom aisle at the chemist and a dirty picture that goes viral.'But the type of relationship I'm talking about today in young adult fiction is this: Friendships.

There are some excellent representations of BFFs in YA fiction that just don't get enough recognition for their sheer power to fight and annoy each other but be there through thick and thin when it matters, no matter what. Just how it should be.

If you're lucky, your friends will be the constant in your life, they'll be there while you're in a romantic relationship and there to pick you up and help you celebrate singledom when/if it ends.'Mates, buddies and pals in YA Fiction simply aren't given enough credit and I'm here today to change that!

Without further ado, here is my Top Girl Friends and Top Boy Friends in Young Adult Fiction.

GIRL FRIENDS

Congrats go to Tallulah Casey and her mates from A Midsummer Tights' Dream (The Misadventures of Tallulah Casey #1) by Louise Rennison!

Tallulah and her friends at Dother Hall are batshit crazy, and I love them for it. They embrace their own and each other's neuroses and uniqueness and are a great demonstration to readers that with close friends you can be yourself, no matter how weird you may be. With your true friends you can let your freak flag fly ' and boy Tallulah's good at that!

FAVOURITE BOY FRIENDS (AS OPPOSED TO BOYFRIENDS)

Carter and his boys from Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford

There are no rose-bearing, door-opening, swoon-worthy leading men here. I first read this book two years ago and Carter, Nut, Hormone, Bag and the rest of the boys are still the best, most realistic portrayal of boy friendships I have come across in YA fiction. Carter and his boys talk trash, take each other down, embarrass each other in front of the coach and the girls they like, and hit each other in the nuts just because they can. Not like fictional a lot of fictional boys, but just like real boys do. Like Tallulah and her crazy friends, there is something rewarding about reading characters that are so comfortable in each other's presence that they can have some serious disagreements and hate each other for a while, but the hating doesn't stick. The friendship does.

Who are your favourite friends in fiction?

About the author:

Sarah Billington is an Australian writer and editor who likes to write stories with love, laughs, suspense and zombies. Sometimes all in the same story. Her favouritest thing to write about are those horrendously awkward moments that come with being a teenager. Or a human being.

She loves a variety of random things, which include doggies (hers as well as yours), Swing Dancing, Ice Hockey, Roller Derby and she is a bit obsessive about paranormal investigation shows and channel E!. She writes light-hearted works under Sarah Billington, and darker, scarier and more torturous stories under her pen name, Edwina Ray.

She also runs the editing, cover design and ebook formatting company'Billington Media.

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