Why We Love Romcoms About Female Friendship (And 5 You Should Read)
Romantic comedies get a lot of credit for their love stories—and rightfully so. There is a reason ‘rom’ is in the description.
But some of the most memorable romcoms don’t just give us swoon-worthy relationships.
They give us something equally powerful: female friendship. I’m not talking about the kind of friend who passes through our life, I’m talking about the woman we met in college, who showed up when we got married, and divorced, when our Dad died, and our children were born. A lifelong friend.
- The friend who shows up when everything falls apart.
- The gal-pal who tells you the truth—even when you don’t want to hear it.
- The BFF who lasts longer in our lives than any one romance ever could.
And honestly? I love writing these characters, as secondary characters, or in series where they get to be the heroine as well as the sidekick.
WHY FRIENDSHIP-DRIVEN ROMCOMS HIT US DIFFERENTLY
There’s something uniquely satisfying about romance novels that center on a group of women navigating love together. They add depth to the stories by sharing secrets and hard truths, and while romantic relationships might change from novel to novel, the friendships can remain. They provide continuity.
Conversations between true friends allow me to give our romantic couple some extra emotional grounding, lots of humor and perspective and, in the case of my Crazy Eights, they sometimes offer a little well-meaning interference.
In my All’s Crazy in Love series, the Crazy Eights have been friends since third grade—and that shared history shapes every love story that follows in the series. These women are the ‘com’ in the romcom.
WHEN LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP COLLIDE
One of the most fun—and meaningful—parts of writing this series has been exploring how friendships influence romantic decisions.
Because let’s be honest:
How many times have your friends:
- warned you about someone
- encouraged you to take a risk
- or helped you see something you were missing?
In Crazy Lessons in Love, that influence takes center stage when Jules’s friends push her to examine her past relationships—and finally break the relationship patterns that are keeping her stuck.
Friendships like that become their own kind of love story—and I think that’s why readers connect so deeply to romcoms built around female friendship. Romantic love may drive the central relationship, but friendship is often what gives a heroine the courage to get there.
Friends are the people who see our bad behavior before we do.
They’re the ones who gently point out that maybe the guy who seems so charming isn’t actually emotionally available. Or that the “safe” choice might not actually feel safe at all, but might be worth revisiting.
These are the people in our lives who ask the hard questions, pour the second glass of wine, listen to the same story one more time, and somehow still love us enough to tell us the truth.
That’s especially true in Crazy Lessons in Love.
Jules may be interviewing her exes on the podcast to understand what went wrong in her relationships, but she’s not doing it alone. The Crazy Eights are there with opinions, encouragement, teasing, and more than a little unsolicited advice. They challenge her assumptions. They make her laugh when things get uncomfortable. And, maybe most importantly, they remind her who she is outside of who she’s dating.
Because sometimes the path to finding the right person begins with the people who’ve been beside you all along.
I think that’s what makes friendship-centered romcoms feel so satisfying. You’re not just rooting for one love story—you’re rooting for all the relationships that help make it possible.
5 ROMCOMS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP YOU SHOULD READ
Most likely, you have fallen in love with romance novels by reading two classics where the friendships are central to the story—sister friendships. These are particularly relatable to me because I have sister friendships personally. Look at Pride and Prejudice and try to imagine Lizzy without Jane, or Jo without Meg in Little Women. It’s impossible. If you haven’t read them, you should. If you have, I recommend reading them again. Okay, technically Little Women isn’t a romcom but P&P certainly has brilliantly crafted humor.
Growing up, I would devour stories like these, sometimes roping my dearest friends into acting out the stories with me, forever solidifying our friendships by recreating classic stories. Now, I am discovering great new romcoms about female friendship
Here are two more to add to your list:
…and of course: Crazy Lessons in Love by Madison Michael (yep, that’s me). It’s a romcom
about one woman interviewing her exes—with her best friends cheering (and meddling) from the sidelines.
WHY THESE STORIES MATTER
Romance novels aren’t just about finding “the one.” They have more character, more depth, they take us on a more important journey that our lead characters must complete before they can love and appreciate each other.
These novels are about:
- Personal growth
- Self-awareness
- And All the Characters who help achieve our goals
In my favorite stories, those characters are friends who’ve been with by our side all along.
If you love romcoms about female friendship, heart, and second chances:
Start reading Crazy Lessons in Love
And tell me—what are your favorite romcoms about female friendship?
Miss the previous blog post? Read it here.