The novel 'Bloodline' by Claudia Gray should have been Episode VII

And then Force Awakens should have been Episode VIII. The novel is set before events of Force Awakens with Leia and Han in leading roles, explaining a lot of the politics that was left out i.e. WHY Leia's Resistance is so small and why she can't get any help from the Republic. The answer? Because the news that she is Darth Vader's daughter leaked out and the entire Republic blacklisted her and all her supporters.

Why NONE of this was at all explained in the Force Awakens is beyond me. Anyway of course the novel is set before the events of Kylo betraying Luke by giving into Snoke and Luke then losing his temper etc so of course Han and Leia are still a couple - Han however has a hobby of podracing in his spare time. Writing could have been better for him by adapting him more as the General he became in the now 'Legends' series yet still I'd consider it some of the best Sequel Trilogy content because Luke is basically his 'training young Jedi' version while Leia including Korr Sella (the character JJ Abrams decided to remove completely from Force Awakens apart from her balcony scene of showing her get blown up by the Starkiller Base weapon) who works with Leia going on missions and as I said trying to bring the Galactic Republic and other regions together as one until it is known she is connected to Vader.