Badass though reading might make us, it's time to face facts: most of the time, it doesn't leave too much room for rulebreaking. Sure, we carry twice the recommended amount of books at once and we rant about characters left and right, but ultimately - the author's word is law.

 Except when it isn't.

 Which is where non-canon comes in. Most of the time, here at The Honest Bookclub, we err on the side of canon. Whatever the author's choices, we side with them and approve of them.

 Except when we don't.

 These are the foremost of those times. Don't hate us.



1. Kady/AIDAN (Illuminae)

 Picked by: Lexie

I'm not even sorry. Not even a teeny, tiny little bit. BE HORRIFIED. BE CONFUSED. (I mean, AIDAN is a computer.) BE ALARMED.
You still won't get me to be sorry.
Because one way or another - as tentative, unlikely allies in an intergalactic space-chase, or as a full on (b)romance ship - AIDAN and Kady are one of the best dynamics that I have come across in YA as of late. It seems unlikely that a murderous, possibly psychopathic supercomputer could become in any way redeemable, let alone compelling - but AIDAN, remarkably, achieved both - without losing a bit of his aforementioned murderous ways. And while I had nothing whatsoever against the official Kady/Ezra ship - the way AIDAN came to care for (and be fascinated by) Kady was what had me actually hugging Illuminae in public. Also, their snarky exchanges are a thing of beauty and sass.

2. Kellan/Griffin (Thoughtless)

Picked by: Natalie

I guess you could say this could be made into a joke, but me and my co-blogger always entertained the thought of this when reading the series. There were subtle hints and lines that some kind of hidden undertone that could possibly suggest Kellan and Griffin either had a history or wished for something to happen.
Well, whether it happened or will, we'd be perfectly okay if anything did. I mean, they're best friends, right?
Kellan can sometimes bring out the normal in Griffin, who sometimes is a bit of a loose canon, and Griffin does the opposite for Kellan: bringing out his fun and mischievous side.
Yeah, we'd be perfectly okay if Keffin happened.






3. Ruby/Cole (The Darkest Minds)

 Picked by: Lexie

To whom it may concern, this is the easiest and fastest way for a blogger to get murdered. I have yet to come across one single person who isn't horrified by this choice.
While Liam was the purest cinnamon roll to ever grace this somewhat brutal series, and I loved him 99% of the time - Ruby and Cole shared a kind of understanding that went much deeper than any other dynamic explored throughout the series. They were the ones making all the hard choices, and validating one another along the way.
And that's not even mentioning Cole's sassy, southern "Gem". (Okay, so, yes, I read the final book in audiobook form. It added to the appeal.)




4. Clara/Christian (Unearthly)

 Picked by: Natalie

I was all for Clara and Tucker in the Unearthly series, but I wouldn't have been disappointed if Clara ended up with Christian Prescott. He understood Clara, as he himself is a fellow angel like her, and I liked how well they worked as a team and got on throughout the series.
I feel like he got the short straw at the end of the book, and because he wasn't "paired off", he was just sent away and visits occasionally with his broken heart pining for Clara. I can't help but feel bad for him. He is a nice guy and that's one of the sole reasons I was okay with Clarstian to happen. (I just made the ship name up. It sounds weird)


5. Kvothe/Bast (The Kingkiller Chronicle)

 Picked by: Lexie

While having read (and loved) the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicles, I haven't really discussed my opinions on it a great deal. But much like most of Victoria Schwab's male protagonists (to come later in this list), my gut instinct was to assume that Kvothe harbored more-than-friendly feelings for his friend and admirer? Bast.And I have been informed by my best friend just recently that this is not an unpopular opinion.Unlike most of the couples on this list, it's incredibly easy to ship Kvothe and Bast - mostly because each seems to have an atrocious taste in partners when left to their own devices. (I'm looking at you in particular, Kvothe.)
Just listen to me, guys, and you're set for life.




6.Neville/Luna (Harry Potter)

 Picked by: Natalie

I actually think this one might be a bit more popular than some. I mean, this was even put into the last movie, so we can't help but be proud that the movie makers listened to us and added that in. There's just something about these two that make them work. Whether it's just for a short fling or for life, Neville and Luna are both weirdly wonderful and similar in terms of how they got through Hogwarts - hidden heroes, lonely, smart, observant and got through the years doing what they had to do before kicking some serious arse at the end. Although they weren't together in the books, they had the same quirks which seemed to bring them together in friendship, and with the trio and Ginny, they pushed aside their differences and fought along each other for a better world. We can't help but imagine that they may have possibly grew feelings, earned mutual respect and love for one another. I'm sure there's a fan fiction for that..


7. Alina/Nikolai (The Grisha trilogy)

 Picked by: Lexie

Canon, you say? Not so. Not really. Of Alina's three possibilities, Nikolai has always been the least likely. Mostly because Alina is colloquially insane and should never be allowed to pick her own partners.
As this ship's essential non-cannonness demonstrates.Given the choice between a mass murderer, a stock best friend who doubles a douchebag, and a sassy prince who doubles as a pirate, somehow... the prince is the odd man out?This list is the perfect platform to fix Alina's atrocious life choices. (Though, in the spirit of full disclosure, I did always root for The Darkling. Partly because it made the most sense to me, partly because I'm crazy, and partly because Nikolai belongs with me.)



8.Rowan/Aedion (Throne of Glass)

 Picked by: Natalie

 "This is a bit random, Natalie!" I know. As you might all be aware, this has been and always will be kind of obsessed with Sarah J. Maas's books, so don't be surprised at all the randomness anymore. After much time spent on Tumblr, I've grown attached to the possibility of some pretty random ships, and this is one of them.
What could be wrong with two Fae warriors possibly finding love in each other? There is nothing wrong with that. Maybe if Aelin is away, Rowan can play. And we all know how much Aedion admires Prince Rowan and all of his past experiences. While I do ship Rowaelin the most out of the series, I'm just saying that I wouldn't be fine with this one, too.



9. Kell/Rhy (Shades of Magic)

 Picked by: Lexie

Ah. Victoria Schwab and her perfectly straight protagonists who I all tend to perceive as gay for their best friends, with who they routinely have a complex and troubled relationships.
Early days Victor and Eli may or may not belong on this list, too. But I digress.For all Kell's fascination with Lila, and for all of Lila's sheer, utter awesomeness, I will say that this is that one time in a million where I just never bought into the canonical relationship. Because while both Kell and Lila stole my heart individually, I'd already paired Kell off... first with Holland (oops!) and then with Rhy (lesser oops).
And come hell or high water, it seems, I'm sticking to my guns.
Don't judge me too harshly. I mean well. Sometimes.



10. Finnick/Johanna (The Hunger Games)

 Picked by: Natalie

I know a lot of people might not agree with this one. Finnick and Annie are quite popular with readers... just not me. I don't know why but the Finnick/Annie thing didn't really move me as much as it did with everyone else, but it didn't. And as I've always liked the relationship between Finnick and Johanna, that would work better for me overall. They were both tragic, bold and brave, and they loyally stood by one another to do what had to be done. Johanna was left with nobody in her life, and I felt like she could have found something to make her smile at least once in Finnick. Although I liked that Finnick had a nice, sweet girl back home, I just didn't really bond with Annie as much as I did with Johanna. I felt like Annie was just too... boring? Sorryyyy, I like sassy characters. #FINANNA






PLEASE NOTE: We are fragile little snowflakes, and our entire upper body strength comes from hauling books every which way all day long. So if you attempt to hurt us for this list, we might actually die. You have been warned.

 If you are, however, not yet feeling murderous - please let us know in the comments what your favorite non-canon ships are (if you have any) - or which you might consider (if you don't). Go crazy - we've heard them all. And after all the Snape/Hermione fanfics we had to scroll past - nothing can surprise us anymore.