Be honest with yourself Savvy Readers – we have all had that moment when we’re partway through a great book, and the thought suddenly dons on us, “man, I would totally want to be friends with this person if they were real!”

For all you wild daydreamers out there, we came up with a list of book characters who we would want to hang out with if the genie was granting our wish! 

Detective Manon Bradshaw from Missing, Presumed and Persons Unknown

There’s that one type of friend who can quickly spice up our lives by reeling us into some adventure or night out, when life seems otherwise boring or mundane.  The main character in Missing, Presumed and Persons Unknown, Manon Bradshaw, is always trying to balance aspects of her personal life with her work. We wish we could tag along with Bradshaw to solve a good mystery!

 

The Lottery Family from The Lotterys Plus One

Reading Emma Donoghue’s The Lotterys Plus One will make you want to have dinner with the Lottery family so you can experience the chaos—and the touching family moments—firsthand. The story is centered around two same sex couples and their six children of different racial backgrounds, that they raise under one roof.  If you feel your parents were seen as unconventional, then you’d feel right at home in this group of people who regularly exchange witty barbs. 

Denny Malone from The Force

After reading Don Winslow’s The Force, going on a ride-along with Denny Malone, of the Manhattan Special Task Force, sounds equally exciting and terrifying but never uninteresting! He’s the cop at the centre of the story, who may think a little too highly of himself, effortlessly intimidates those around him, and has a moral code that slowly unravels. Trust us, after reading a few pages, you wouldn’t mind sitting in a dingy coffee shop in the middle of the night, hearing stories from this guy!

 

Hanora Oak from That’s My Baby

Sometimes you meet someone older than you, and are simply astounded by the rich life they lived – persevering through tragedy and whatever hardships they had to face.  When reading about Hanora Oak’s experience living through World War 2, I was longing to have a talk with her, one that would likely reveal all the emotional depths that are explored in the novel. 

Gabriel Allon from House of Spies

Gabriel Allon may not be the best conversationalist (he is a master of secrets after all) but we can’t help but think how fascinating it would be to see how he would interact with people in real life. Allon seems like the perfect example of tough, cool, determination that anyone would admire.

Caroline Ingalls in Caroline

Hanging out with someone like Caroline Ingalls, or “Ma” in the many Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, who is now at the centre of her own story, Caroline, by Sarah Miller, would be the best. Caroline Ingalls is a person who will make you want to stop complaining about whatever problems life comes your way, get to work, and to be happy with all the tender heartfelt moments that can last a lifetime.

 

Starr Carter and Uncle Carlos in The Hate U Give

As you get older, it can seem inevitable to become more alienated from the social issues that adolescents and teenagers struggle with every day, and as a result conversations can take on an unexpected poignancy. Imagine how interesting it would be to hang out with Starr Carter and her Uncle Carlos from The Hate U Give! Their experiences could teach anyone about how race affects the different roles we play in society and the pitfalls that may be present in the criminal justice system—something we all need to pay more attention to.

Rose and Pierrot from The Lonely Hearts Hotel

When life seems like an unconquerable mountain and we’re unsure if our greatest hopes and dreams will ever come to fruition, we hope to have friends like Rose and Pierrot, two orphans who were abandoned in Montreal 1914. Whenever we’re feeling down, we could surely use the company of this endlessly positive and romantic duo! And I mean, I’d be satisfied just listening to Pierrot play the piano for hours and hours.

Cat, Gemma, and Lyn from Three Wishes

Sometimes when we get together with those closest to us, we can’t help but relive moments from the past, good and bad, and playfully giving each other a bit of a hard time.  That’s why we would love to hangout with the triplets from Liane Moriaty’s Three Wishes. From Cat dealing her husband’s affair, Gemma’s commitment issues and Lyn’s episodes, not having your life as together as you might like has never sounded so lively and ridiculous.    

 

Ella Brooke in The Second Sister

Ella Brooke’s non-nonsense determination to find her sisters kidnapper and her unwavering ideals to do what she thinks is right are characteristics that should never go unnoticed!  Her sister Miranda disappeared a decade earlier, and now she discovers that Jason Thorne, a man locked away in a psychiatric hospital may be a key to unravelling this mystery.  We have all done things that in the moment were dangerous because we thought they were the right thing to do.  In a dark alley, we would all be lucky to have her by our side!

What do you think Savvy Readers?  Which character would you want out hang out with for a day?  Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @SavvyReader! 

Jordan

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