I’ve read a lot of books over the years. I’ve rooted for heroines, cried over chosen ones, and lived dozens of lives through the pages. Some stories change your life. Honestly, I’d say quite a few have changed mine in one way or another. Still, there will always be one trope I’ll never shut up about: found family.
It’s not “there was only one bed.” Not fake dating. Not the slow burn or the sunshine-grumpy dynamic. Not even enemies-to-lovers (though, let’s be honest, that’s up there). No, I’m looking for the emotionally unavailable group of misfits who’d rather walk into fire than talk about their feelings–but would also die for another without second thought.
They’re the outcasts. The broken ones. The loners. The ones that don’t start off trusting anyone, their self-preservation won’t let them. But then somehow, through life-or-death situations, inside jokes and shared traumas, they find a home within each other. There’s something raw and deeply human about it. That even the most guarded, emotionally damaged, baggage-carrying people can find somewhere they belong.
It’s Jesper, Kaz and Inej risking everything for power, paying off debts, and finding freedom while looking out for each other, even when it hurts (Crooked Kingdom). It’s Ruby, Liam, Chubs and Zu on the run in a world that wants them gone (The Darkest Minds). It’s Feyre clawing her way back from survival and pain to find a place where she feels safe (A Court of Thorns and Roses series). These relationships didn’t come easy, and that’s exactly what made them real.
Found family says: you still deserve love. You still deserve a home. You’re not too much for anyone to stay. That silent promise, that newfound sense of hope? That’s what makes it superior. Because the best kind of family is the one that chooses you anyway. And we all deserve that story.
