Wednesday Words: Platonic People

It's hardly uncommon for teenage girls come up to me saying they're looking for books with romance. With YA lit today, it's a fairly easy order to fill. I feel like every other book on the shelf in our YA section has some sort of element of romance tied into it even if it's not the primary focus of the story. Even stories that aren't really 'romances' have it somewhere (a la Hunger Games and Divergent - it's the end of the world, but there's also kissing!)

Which brings me to my point: where have all the platonic people gone? Where are the books where guys and girls are just friends? Is it even possible, or were Harry and Sally right when they declared that guys and girls could never really be friends because sex always gets in the way? When I do see platonic friendships in YA lately, I feel like there's always some sort of twist on it. A guy and a girl are friends because one or both of them are gay, one or both of them are in relationships with other people, or they say they're just friends but clearly there's something else going on there.

I'm looking for recommendations, people, and writers out there, I'm looking for answers. Can platonic teen/young adult/new adult friendships happen in stories in lieu of romantic relationships, or would that be asking too much? Now I love romance and happy endings as much as the next reader, believe me, but as I get older, I realize this is a type of story I'd love to read and can't seem to find anywhere!

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!