Valentine’s Day is coming.  Now is the time when friends bemoan their lack of romantic life. The amount of jewelry commercials and facebook ads border on excessive.  Whole grocery store aisles transform into dumping grounds for dorky stuffed animals and heart-shaped everything.

These sweet signs herald in the national day of love. The most profitable day for flower shops and chocolate stores; a time to purchase cheap-quality frilly bras and silky boxers.

Most young people celebrate V-Day by giving their parents a last minute gift, then spending the rest of the day with their significant other.  Typically this means a special–and expensive—date where they can dote upon their sweetie, oblivious to anyone else in their life.

This day of disappearing off into pairs is a huge let-down for those consumed by what social pressure say they don’t have: a love life.

With no girlfriend or boyfriend to spoil, many will default to an evening of Netflix and junk food.  Some would say such a night was tragic, depressing, or pathetic–at least for the overly dramatic. But in the world of YA fiction, the expression of love extends beyond having a pair of arms around you and sweet lips to kiss. YA characters are often surrounded by love: for themselves, their friends, their family, and everyone in their life.

Take Julie Seagle from Jessica Park’s Flat Out Love, for example. While she was obviously in love with Finn, her love for the rest of the Watkins family was just as evident. There was no ditching her friends for dates or expensive gifts. Instead, her everyday actions and the time she had to give proved her love. Even then, she and Finn were friends before things blossomed and they tumbled into plot twists. Their love started at the basic level of a true and profitable relationship: friendship.

At school, single teens watch the exchanges of flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals, and jewelry from afar. It is hard, when everyone else seems so happy-in-love and fulfilled by the commercialized promises of Valentine’s Day, for many to see the love they have in front of them.  YA fiction has always been great at curing temporary doubt.  These stories contain characters that set good examples for how to do Valentine’s Day right.

Think about it!  Some of the best examples of love in YA fiction were not only of the romantic kind, but also the relationship between good friends. Matt Watkins and Julie Seagle were some of the best fictional characters—everyone wished they truly existed. Matt and Julie were the epitome of friendship: they gave each other advice, went out together, and had enough playful banter to keep their relationship easy-going and free of pressure. The two had that priceless love between friends that didn’t need a national holiday to prove it.

But what about all that pressure to have a Valentine, even if they aren’t a romantic partner?  Well, who needs one? Auden West from Sarah Dessen’s Along for the Ride surely didn’t! An independent chick with good grades to match, Auden didn’t need anyone to define who she was or the love she deserved. As stubborn as she was to deny it, she couldn’t ignore love that summer before she left for college. Her gal pals taught her how to love and be capable of it. Auden had more than one Valentine to love her, spoil her, and treat her right—and not just on one Hallmark holiday.

Even if there was someone special to celebrate Valentine’s Day with, is that materialistic representation of affection going to last? Those same gorgeous girls in school that are showered with flowers and gifts will most likely have a new favorite love the next year or the year after.  They’ll find a true love, for sure, but they’re willing to try out different relationships to get there.  Others, though, are like Samantha from Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall.  Samantha dominated the halls of Thomas Jefferson High School, but that was all she cared about.  She was forced to see how her mindset of getting satisfaction from others affected the people around her in the most painful way possible. When love is expressed one day a year through material possessions, who wants that?

Flowers die and chocolate is gone too soon, but the foundation of what love is–what this glorious day is suppose to be celebrating–is not something so temporary. Emotions as priceless as love can grow and change—becoming equally as beautiful as any jewelry or as beloved as any plush animal.

Let’s not forget one of the true friendship-turned-love stories of contemporary YA fiction: Anna and Etienne in Stephanie Perkin’s Anna and the French Kiss.

Admit it. There was something between them from the very beginning. But what makes Anna and Etienne’s story great is that they weren’t supermodels. They were as real as teenagers could be; crooked teeth, insecurities and real problems that brought their friendship closer. What grew between Anna and Etienne could never come from a flash-in-the-pan day of love.

Just think about how much easier life would be if Valentine’s Day were a day free of expectations and nervousness to meet them.  This isn’t to say the message should be ignored, rather applied to every other day of the year. Couples genuinely in love are awesome!  But some people seem better off as friends—and a loving friendship is a powerful thing.

The love of friendship is worth celebrating. It is just as important as any romantic entanglement. Proven by YA protagonists themselves, friendship is so often where the best romances start.  And that isn’t something you can buy from a store!

So this Valentine’s Day, if you’re going stag, hug your friends a little bit harder that morning. If you have single friends, you can always plan a V-Day party with some great teen romance movies and plenty of heart-shaped snacks.

We recommend checking out:

– Moonrise Kingdom
– Submarine
– Show Me Love
– 10 Things I Hate About You
– But I’m a Cheerleader
– Latter Days

If you’re staying in by yourself, why not celebrate love with a good book?  If you haven’t read them already, we recommend:

– Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
– Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
– Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout
– Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
– Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle
– Ash by Melinda Lo

For tasty V-Day treats, why not try out some of these ideas:

– Red Velvet Pancakes (+ Cream Cheese Topping)
– Raspberry-Lemon Love Potion
– Chocolate-Dipped Oreos
– Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies

And, lastly, spruce up your Valentine’s party with some fun décor:

– Cute Yarn Hearts
– Heart Valentine Chain
– Heart-Felt Garland

Have fun and share the love!