Found family has become an even more popular trope in recent years and I’m here for it.
A “found family” forms by choice so this trope is also referred to as “chosen family,” because people who aren’t related choose to love and support one another. But this is different than simply friendship. Found families might celebrate holidays together, take each other to medical appointments, or do any number of the things those related by blood do. Friends might do these things on occasion but there’s a higher commitment level when it comes to a found family.
It might be easy to see the appeal of a chosen family for people who are estranged from their relatives, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community, but that’s not the only way one is formed. This can develop with work crews, apartment building tenants, motorcycle clubs, or even sports teams. There might be a formal vow, a la some motorcycle clubs, but in most cases, time and proximity forges a strong bond and people realize the connection and community they’ve found themselves in.
Today’s list celebrates the beauty and power of the found family. We’ve got a variety of genres from science fiction to dark academia and even a novel in translation to choose from. Found families aren’t perfect so you’ll see characters navigating difficult circumstances, figuring out how to communicate (or accept hard feedback), and so on. It can take effort to maintain and strengthen the bond you have but these novels show that the effort is ultimately worth it.
Found family novels
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Six of Crows
I enjoyed this novel from bestselling author Leigh Bardugo. A criminal mastermind teams up with an unconventional crew to pull off the heist of the century. They have to break into an extremely secure location and retrieve a scientist and his formula or the world as they know it will be destroyed. With twists and turns aplenty, I enjoyed experiencing another side of Bardugo’s Grishaverse. I enjoyed this on audio.
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Every Heart a Doorway
At Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children, children have a habit of stumbling into other worlds. Imagine Alice in Wonderland, but instead of one wonderland, there are hundreds—and once you visit another world, you'll never be the same. After Nancy visits the Underworld, her arrival at the Home marks a change. She and her classmates must band together to solve a spate of murders plaguing the school. Part fantasy, part mystery, part fairy tale (of the dark and creepy variety). More info →
The Gilded Wolves
Full of mystery and adventure, this YA historical fantasy set in the glittering world of 1899 Paris is part heist, part treasure hunt. In this world, the Order of Babel rules. Some people are divinely gifted with Forging affinities, allowing them to change or enhance creation. Séverin, the denied heir of House Vanth, delights in reclaiming the items sold off from his House and tracking down Order items for those who will pay him and his crew. As thrilling as it is to read about their adventures, read this for the way the friends look out for one another. More info →
The View from Penthouse B
I recommended this 2013 release to Mary Laura Philpott in What Should I Read Next Episode 195: Wanted: book enthusiast at large. Two adult sisters have grown apart, but when they each suffer their own personal and economic tragedies, necessity brings them together again. After Gwen is unexpectedly widowed, her divorced sister Margot asks her to move into her luxurious Greenwich Village penthouse. With the addition of cupcake-baking Anthony, they're soon cobbling together a new found family. Fast and fun. More info →
If We Were Villains
This campus mystery, set in the world of the theater and swimming in Shakespeare, begins at the end: Oliver Marks has just been released from jail after serving a ten year sentence, and he's finally ready to tell the truth. But the truth about what? We slowly learn that ten years ago, Oliver was part of a close-knit group of Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, where the offstage rivalries and romances hold just as much drama as their performances. Their final year—the one that lands Oliver in prison—reads more like one of Shakespeare's tragedies. This page-turning suspense novel is packed with Shakespeare references, and perfect for fans of Donna Tartt. More info →
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers Book 1)
Come for the space adventure, stay for the memorable found family. This rollicking, big-hearted, constantly surprising story is built on big themes—friendship and love, gender and politics, mortality and prejudice. With an interspecies cast, including a sentient AI, each character brings something unique to the table as they make their way to a distant planet and navigate dynamics amongst the crew. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the series unfolds. More info →
Love at First
With winning characters, a multigenerational found family, and a fun Chicago setting, this romance will make a whole lot of readers happy. Will and Nora live two floors apart from each other, where late night balcony chats bring them closer together—and their clashing plans for the building spark a surprising rivalry. I expected an absorbing plot and engaging characters from this Romeo and Juliet-inspired second-chance love story; I did not expect it to get me right in the feels. (Open door.) More info →
One Last Stop
A twenty-something overcomes the impossible to find love and the family she longs for in this time-slip romance inspired by Kate & Leopold. Adrift and lonely, 23-year-old August moved to New York City with hopes of leaving the past behind and building a new life. To her great surprise, things start going well. She bumps into Jane (literally) on the Q line, developing a serious crush on the beautiful girl with the retro punk rock look. August is terrified she’ll never see Jane again, but then she does—on the Q line. It turns out Jane has been stuck on the Q line since the 1970s. If August and Jane are to get their happy ending, Jane needs to figure out how to get her unstuck—with the help of her friends, of course. Delightfully frothy and feel-good. More info →
Honey Girl
Grace’s life has always gone according to her strict driven plans, including finishing her Ph.D in astronomy, until she graduates and her job search goes nowhere. While on a girls' trip to Vegas, her carefully constructed life is upended with one spur-of-the-moment (and intoxicated) mistake, waking up married to a complete stranger. She could rush to reverse it all, but her new wife Yuki takes her by surprise. Needing a reprieve from her father’s expectations and feeling burned out, Grace decides to see where this relationship might go and follows Yuki to New York for the summer. While they navigate their budding romance and their respective pasts, Grace's friends share hard truths with her in a way only people who have known you a long time can. Yuki's roommates are similarly great. More info →
The Cartographers
A page-turning literary mystery with a dynamite premise and a little bit of magic. Seven years ago, cartographer Nell Young lost everything—her career, her reputation, her fiancé, and her family—because of an argument over a cheap gas station map. After her esteemed cartographer father unexpectedly dies, Nell learns he’d been working on some sort of secret project connected to the map, which isn’t junk at all but an incredibly rare and hotly sought-after artifact—and her knowledge of its existence may put her very life in danger. A sophisticated scavenger hunt ensues, leading Nell to a secretive and powerful band of mapmakers called The Cartographers, and to closely guarded secrets held by her own family. A gripping and inventive story of family secrets, found family, second chances, and cartography, set against the backdrop of the storied New York Public Library. More info →
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
This historical fantasy is a cool 545 pages in hardcover, and WOW does Kuang put every one to good use. Set primarily in 1830s Oxford, the workers at the translation institute Babel literally fuel the British Empire by combining their language skills with precious silver bars. While I loved the academic setting and band of four fast friends, Kuang’s engagement with the complexities of race, power, and privilege are what really ground the novel. There's also a lot of philosophizing about the art of translation and discussion of what the practice actually involves, which I found insightful and fascinating. The publisher calls it “a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal response to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”—if that sounds a little cerebral for you, don’t worry; it’s easy to get swept up in the story. More info →
A Certain Appeal
Take Austen’s witty banter, social commentary, and beloved main characters and drop them in a crumbling burlesque club in NYC, and you have a fun and inventive reimagining of Pride and Prejudice. Assistant by day, stage kitten by night Bennet loves her burlesque found family (each one representing a different member of the Bennet family). One night, she runs into Will Darcy and his friend there to evaluate a possible investment in the club. Despite their firecracker chemistry, Darcy and Bennet make a poor first impression, and they can’t shake it off when their best friends fall in love. With a diverse cast of side characters and all the Austen references your heart could want, this contemporary romance retelling is a delight. (Open door.) More info →
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
This was a fun romp! This adorable tea shop murder mystery has serious Only Murders in the Building vibes and boasts a pleasantly large cast of (mostly) likable characters. When the titular 60-year-old widow awakes one morning to find a dead body clutching a flash drive on the floor of her tea shop, she calls in the authorities. (She doesn't want to, but her son convinces her she has to). But, unimpressed by their approach to the case and unconvinced they can get to the truth of what happened, she takes matters into her own hands, with delightful and chaotic results and a feel-good ending I didn't expect. This story proves found families can emerge from the most unexpected of places. More info →
Kitchen
You may have heard me recommend this book on What Should I Read Next Episode 395: A little touch of magic never hurts". Mikage is raised by her grandmother after her parents pass away. She’s left unmoored after her grandmother dies and subsequently turns to the kitchen, as well as her friend Yoichi and her mother, who takes her in. A lovely exploration of grief, found family, and the ties that bind us. Though Banana Yoshimoto is renowned in Japan, this is her first book to be published in English, translated from the Japanese by Megan Backus. More info →
Light From Uncommon Stars
Violin teacher Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil. She’s close to delivering her seventh and final soul when she hears trans runaway Katrina Nguyen playing. Meanwhile, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, who owns a donut shop and happens to be an extraterrestrial refugee. She doesn’t have time for romance when she’s this close to breaking the curse but who can resist fresh-made donuts? All three women’s lives intertwine in this unique sci-fi adventure that illustrates the power of chosen family. Content warnings apply. More info →
Do you have a favorite found family novel? Please tell us about it in the comments section!
P.S. 20 favorite LGBTQ+ novels and memoirs and 9 nonfiction books that will make you a better friend.
31 comments
One of my favorite “found family” stories is one from several years ago, The Ones Who Matter Most by Rachael Herron. It’s a friendship that becomes a true family and I just remember really loving the characters and how they supported each other.
I’m alway happy to see Elinor Lipman on a list. Read all her books! When Covid shut us down I decided to read all the Lipmans I owned. Then I ordered the few I didn’t have. They were such a welcome respite from the grim news—light and funny and full of characters to love. Her worlds kept me going.
I love a good found family novel -some intriguing titles on this list! I also love “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles and “This Tender Land” by William Kent Krueger.
Totally not the right season at the moment, but The Christmas Orphans Club is a wonderful found family novel. It has all my favorite holiday season tropes—found family, a one-day-each-year timeline, and it’s a love letter to NYC.
I absolutely loved Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Have recommended it to so many people. I listened to audio and the narrator was fabulous. Made the book come alive and at many points I was laughing out loud on my walks, so sure the neighbors thought I was crazy!! Highly recommend.
Omg when I clicked the link to get here, “angry planet”, “one last stop”, and “six of crows” literally all popped into my mind before I even read the list! This is a great list, but I especially co-sign for anything by Becky Chambers; nearly every book she rights is such a tender study on what it means to be human and be in a family. I’m not normally a huge sci-fi fan but she’s just so darn good!
I just read Allow Me to Introduce Myself by Onyi Nwabineli. I think this book needs more buzz. The main character is supported by two friends in such a beautiful way.
I recently finished The Garden of Small Beginnings because you Anne, had recommended it as a funny book. Not only funny, but a wonderful found family story. Loved it!
Came here to comment the same thing! Love that book so much!
House on the Cerulean Sea! It’s an amazing found family story and the audiobook narration is spectacular with all the different characters’ voices.
Station Eleven sprang to mind. This is a fun list Anne. Thanks.
A bit of a throwback, but Tales of the City is very much a found family series. I love Six of Crows and Small Angry Planet, and jotted down several other titles from this list!
I loved Don’t Let Me Go, by Catherine Ryan Hyde, about how a community within an apartment complex come together to forge a family for a child who’s mother is battling addiction. It’s a beautiful story.
The very secret society of irregular witches, a wonderful book about found family and with a nice dose of magic
I thoroughly enjoyed Vera Wong and her escapades!
I hadn’t really thought about “found family” as a trope, but I realize it’s one I like very much. There just seems to be such possibility for hope in these stories. I recommend Morning in this Broken World.
The Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire is AMAZING!!! The audiobook version is excellent also. It can be somewhat dark but the found family storylines that she weaves are perfection.
There are so many books on this list, I’m adding to my TBR list, right away! The first book I thought of was The People We Keep by Allison Larkin. I read this book about 2 1/2 years ago and still think about it often!
One of my favourite books from last year was Still Life by Sarah Winman. British soldier Ulysses does a kindness for a man in Florence and in return is willed his house. Although he’s not biologically related to any of the people who go with him or end up living with him they are most definitely family.
I agree it hits all the benchmarks of a found family. It’s beautifully written and heartfelt. You feel the family come off the pages. You know them. It’s one of my recent favorites and highly recommended particularly if you are drawn to generational narratives. It travels time well.
This is the one I had in mind. This is a top ten book of all time for me and I love the family they built.
Great list! One of my personal faves found family novels is Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher.
Yes!!! Love this book for this exact reason!
Found Family is my favorite Trope, and the Wayfarers series by Becky Chanmbers handles this trope beautifully. Some other books in this trope are:
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree;
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune;
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman;
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer.
Patricia Wood’s The Lottery, has a strong “found family” element, as do many of Alexander McCall Smith’s works, esp. La’s Orchestra Saves the World (set during WWII). While about so many other topics, the saving-grace features of A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is its found family element.
I loved Vera Wong. I laughed,I identified with her and the family she made. May I add Incredibly bright creatures. Yes Marcellus was an octopus, but look at the people he brought together.
My kids and I are reading the Percy Jackson books together for the first time and I think those are fabulous found family books.
Also Alexandra brackens Darkest Mind series for anyone after some YA dystopia!
And please don’t miss the 2024 Summer Reading Guide’s book: How to Read a Book by Monica Wood. Three different and marvelous characters find the next chapter in their lives and their own version of family. Unforgettable!
Broken For You by Stephanie Kallas has an elderly woman and young woman who fill the holes in each other’s lives; The Rose Code by Kate Quinn follows 3 women who become found family (one of my fave tropes); We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker – a man befriends a preteen with attitude & both have problems to resolve as they become family. All great reads.
Adding Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety to the list – here’s how someone described it: “Two young couples meet in 1937 as lowest-rung members of the University of Wisconsin faculty at Madison. They fall into friendship and, for the rest of their lives, through ups and downs, remain deeply bonded”. The family-like friendsip is at the center of the novel.
I just finished The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel. It’s a charming and slightly chaotic found family story. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano fits in this genre, too. I love stories about friends who become family!
I totally agree that Sweet Spot fits this too!! I want to read Hello Beautiful…it’s been on my shelf!
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