When it comes to romances in books…wow, hmm, look at them all, it’s like a plague.
JUST KIDDING. Look, I’m not the most romantic (read: n o t at a l l) person on earth, but in my old age I’ve actually softened up to reading the cute fluff romances. They’re adorable, ok?! Look at these little babies GO, being awkward and having crushes and starting the actual apocalypse! Such a fan of the last part particularly!
It’s also empowering to read romances were teens think they might never get one because they’re marginalised or mentally ill or disabled, or have to face sexism or homophobia or racism. These stories are needed.
However there is a lot of romance in YA particularly and I really do think there could be less. Just sometimes!? PLEASE THO.
And since Chloe tagged me for the Anti-Valentine’s Book Tag…I mean, WHY NOT! Even though it’s not February anmore because I am slow here! I’m also going to be devious and use my questions + some of the ones she was asked too. I can’t be reasonable ok. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And feel free to take these questions for your own blog too!
Also please appreciate the pun of my title. You know…romance, nomance!? NO IT PROBABLY DOESN’T TRULY MAKE SENSE BUT WHAT IS SENSE ANYWAY!
1. BOOK THAT SHOWS THE UPS AND DOWNS OF A RELATIONSHIP, NOT JUST ALL THE HIGH TIMES.
- HISTORY IS ALL YOU LEFT ME…although let’s be real, just pick an Adam Silvera book and nominate it because he just believes in making everyone cry. (VERY NICE.) But this one features lots of messy couples and exes and still-being-in-love-with-a-boyfriend-but-then-he-dies-and-wow-this-is-a-mess.
- ALWAYS AND FOREVER LARA JEAN…which honestly stressed me out so freaking much because I just wanted a happily ever after and the dRAMA of Lara Jean and Peter actually admitting they like each other. (Also who else is super excited for the Netflix movie?!)
- DEFINITIONS OF INDEFINABLE THINGS… I love Reggie and Snake so much. I swear I didn’t even mean to love this book and then I was full on slapping 5-stars everywhere and naming my firstborn fish Definitions in honour of it. (I do, actually, have a fish! It has 2 babies! I think it ate the rest but what can you do motherhood is hard.) Anyway I liked how this one talked so openly about how brutal depression can be, and about your ability to believe you’re worth loving.
2. BOOK WHERE ROMANCE FELT FORCED AND WOULD’VE BEEN BETTER WITHOUT IT.
Oh UGH SO MANY. Literally 95% of epic fantasies. And going to point at Tyler Johnson Was Here too because that book is so beautiful and powerful and about brothers…and then the romance felt like it was filling a quota?! And I’m obsessed with Ink and Bone alright? OBSESSED. But my love for my toaster is better than Jess/Morgan’s romance.
3. WORST / BEST LOVE TRIANGLES.
I don’t like triangles, except for sometimes…and I’d really like to see some actual triangles where we have everyone’s hearts torn in different directions?! Otherwise it’s not e v e n a triangle, C’MON BE ACCURATE.
Ash Princess (SHE SHOULD’VE KILLED HIM LIKE SHE PLANNED)
From Twinkle, With Love (actually this was a love square and I’m so tired haha)
And I Darken (I love this book and HATE Mehmed so both Radu/Lada deserve better)
Half Bad (again LOVE the story but no @ Annalise)
Any Cassandra Clare book (she just does them right?!)
The Crown’s Game (totally loved the dynamics!)
The Raven Cycle (is it even a triangle?! Blue’s in love with them all, ORLA CALLED HER OUT ON IT)
4. AN OTP THAT THE BOOK COMMUNITY LOVES BUT YOU HATE
I do not ship Ron and Hermione okay? I DON’T UNDERSTAND. He’s awful and she’s really smart! Ron is like the wilted lettuce lost in the back of your fridge. hERMIONE IS THE QUEEN WHO DESERVES EVERYTHING GOOD.
5. LOVE DOESN’T CURE ALL…BOOK WHERE THE LOVE “APPARENTLY” CURES EVERYTHING.
- Optimists Die First — also this is just an awful book that mocks anxiety
- Holding Up The Universe — cures a disability ?!? like literally not possible lmao but it’s his TRUE LOVE so it cures his face-blindness.
- Thanks For The Trouble — looool WHAT ANXIETY if there is a pretty girl !! to fix !! everything !!
ME @ THIS TROPE
6. A CONTEMPORARY EVERYONE LOVES BUT YOU’D GLADLY BURN.
13 Reasons Why is literally SO PROBLEMATIC I COULD COMBUST. I don’t actively believe books “shouldn’t exist” but this one is so heckin’ problematic because it:
- gives a “free pass” to abusive people if they’re mentally ill (no)
- it blames people who don’t speak up against bullying as basically murderers (this is so dangerous to tell teens it’s THEIR job to fix everyone’s, often time invisible, problems)
- uses suicide as a revenge tactic, making it seem like GOOD OPTION
- doesn’t actually raise awareness for suicide prevention or mental health care despite claiming to
- romanticises suicide
- the author is actually an alleged sexual harasser if that isn’t the icing on this disgusting sandwich
7. FLOWERS AND CHOCOLATES OR BOOKS? WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE AS A VALENTINE GIFT?
I actually hate being given gifts, ha! No really, I find it so awkward, I hate surprises, and then I feel like I have to give back x 1000 of what I was given? So like, oh you gave me a book? I AM INDEBTED TO YOU FOR 97 YEARS AND WILL REPAINT YOUR CEILING 12 TIMES OVER.
It’s exhausting.
However, I would be totally down to like ACCIDENTALLY INHERIT a small fortune, which I would spend, obviously, on books.
8. BOOK WHERE ROMANCE ADDED TO THE STORY.
- The Raven Cycle! beCAUSE I SHOULD MENTION IT MULTIPLE TIMES
- The Wicker King (brb sOBBING but also this was a perfect conclusion to a tumultuous relationship)
- Lady Midnight (it’s pivotal to the actual plot)
- The Art Of Feeling (I don’t talk about this one enough but it’s SO CUTE and the romance is adorable and dysfunctional…Eliot mostly just googles it and Sam whacks people with her crutches if they bully him)
9. BOOK FEATURES MALE / FEMALE RELATIONSHIP THAT DOESN’T TURN ROMANTIC.
I love LOVE love Radio Silence for doing this! It isn’t a love story between Frances and Aled. It is thoroughly nerdom, anxiety and friendship and mental illness and I loooove it so much.
Also some other books with NO romance between the main characters if you’re interested:
10. BEST VS WORST LOVE-TROPES.
Now we get to the NOMANCE. (Shhh I’m aware it still doesn’t make sense but I’m incorrigible.)
alpha male romances (puking)
instalove
love curing anything
unbalanced romances (one loves the other a LOT but it’s not deeply reciprocated)
unlikeable/mean people having 398 people crushing on them (how?!?)
falling in love with abusers
when two people with 0% in common walk into a room and fall in love (#so #tired)
soft cinnamon romances
Slytherin/Hufflepuff pairings (!!)
when it’s just really tentative and smol and you nearly miss it but it’s there
friendship-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers
when it takes forever for them to get together
endless snark that turns into romance
when they’re super busy outwitting / running schemes / juggling complex cunning plots, but accidentally fall in love toooooo
All those things you wrote about 13 reasons why is so accurate!
I actually noticed them while reading, but they didn’t register. After i watched it on Netflix, they still flew by me. When i read your list, and thought about it, i realised, it’s probably because i’m quite a lot older than the characters in the book, old enough to be the parent of some of the kids from the story, and i see these things differently.
But if i was the same age, like 16-17 as those kids in the book and read the book, maybe i’d get to the wrong conclusion too.
Also, i don’t remember if it was just in the series, or even in the book too, where Hanna’s mum was blaming everyone, which is just wrong, but poor woman… i don’t know how i would behave if my kid killed themselves. Maybe i’d turn into a monster too.
I couldn’t even watch the Netflix show! I don’t want to haha. I was a teen when I read the book and it REALLY ruined me for ages, I didn’t even want to read…and it wasn’t like being “shook” in a good way. Gah. I think the messages are super problematic in it. Like books can be ABOUT problematic themes for sure (life isn’t perfect) but it needs to be unpacked and discussed and dismantled better imo.
Okay, first of all a Ron and Hermione shipper here from book one but what can we do we won’t agree on EVERYTHING all the time lol I think the attraction there is that he kind of brings her down to earth (Hermione can be a stuck up and she can think she’s smarter than everyone else. I love the girl to pieces and would be her best friend in a heartbeat but I’m not blind lol) and she makes him see himself as more than second-best. And I’ve always loved their banter. It’s never going to be an easy relationship for them, they’re too different so the ups are going to be WAY HIGH and the lows are going to be WAY LOW but I feel like they make it work. Just an explanation from a Ron x Hermione shipper for why she loves them lol
Second, The Knife of Never Letting Go definitely has romance between the main characters??? lol Do you mean like that first first book? Because I feel like even then Patrick Ness was very obvious about it lol (also I need more books in that series. Just saying).
Third, you didn’t mention the Foxhole Court in romances that made the book better. I am SHOOKTH! Also a GREAT example for when romance doesn’t cure everything and it’s more perfect for it <3
I find this whole post hilarious and I absolutely hate the "love cures all" trope. It makes me vomit because hi hey hello that's not how it works. I think love can make you stronger and work harder and try harder, but it's not an easy fix for anything and if anything the downs of love can be devastating sooooo
Also I am actually a hardcore romance lover lol I kind of need some hint of shipping in my books to keep my fangirl heart happy haha but I do love stab stabs too so don't hate me??? lol
Favorite quote from the raven cycle:
"what she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other.”
That's all I had to say (*^-°)v
Noooooo Hermione isn’t stuck up. SHE IS PERFECT AS SHE IS. Ron literally was bullying kids when he was prefect and being jealous of everyone. 😭😭No one ever called him out on it either. BUT I’LL STOP, WE DON’T HAVE TO AGREE. 😂
Oh I didn’t mean The Knife Of Never Letting Go DOESN’T have romance…it’s just so small? It’s like barely barely there until the 3rd book. It could’ve even stayed platonic the whole time if it wanted to.😂 But I love how it went! LOVED those books afjdklsad. Some of my favourite reads of this year!!
And omg yes I agree I should’ve mentioned the Foxhole Court there. Also 100 points to them all for making the romance not cure anything at all. :’) It’s an awful trope that one and SO problematic and poisonous ugh. But I also think it can *help*, like you said. It just needs to be written so it doesn’t look like a cure.
I LOVE THAT QUOTE TOO. Also the one where Orla is like “YOU CAN’T BE IN LOVE WITH THEM ALL”. Like right @ me, Orla, thanks.
I’m a total romance cynic, so I honestly believe 99% of books would be better without romance! I can think of a handful of books where the romance was both integral to the plot and so well drawn that I enjoyed it, but for the most part, I feel like romance is shoehorned into most YA books and if it wasn’t there, I wouldn’t miss it too much. I honestly can’t really think of a love triangle that I have genuinely liked, they just annoy me, it’s like, make a choice and stick to it people! Instalove also irks me to no end, I don’t think that love at first sight exists. Basically everything on your like list for romance tropes are things I love too, particularly endless snark that turns into romance and friends to lovers! I may have to steal this one, this tag was practically made for me 🙂
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Ha! I totally understand. 😂Although I swear I don’t even KNOW MYSELF but I’m finding romances more cute these days (I mean…like the cute ones?! I way prefer them to the heavy intense ones). I just do agree that we don’t need it in EVERY book like it seems to be…
I will look forward to reading your answers though!!
I mean I do like some YA romances, and I have to admit, I do have soft spot for the sweet relationships as well, although give me two people who have insane levels of snarky banter and I will ship them forever. Yes, I don’t know if YA authors have some secret pact to include romance in all their books, but if they do, they need to break it! Thanks 🙂
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LOVE IS OVERRATED HA HA HA. BUT I STRANGELY ENJOY THE ROMANCE IN BOOKS LIKE WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??
I love the “endless snark that turns into romance” thing. THAT IS THE CUTEST THING EVER SINCE FLUFFY MARSHMALLOWS. I don’t like instalove too. How is that even possible???
I can’t think of a book that is better off without a romance. I live for romances with blood and murder in between!
And OH MY I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAID ABOUT 13RW. The book is so hyped but when I read it, I didn’t find anything special about it. In fact, it was dull and the story-telling was dry and utterly insufficient. It’s also 110% problematic. I liked the tv show but the second season was kinda forced and unnecessary. I’m also upset that they’re going to have another season. I mean, the first season was enough already.
SAME THO, RAIN, WHAT’S GOING ON WITH US. I think books just make it cuter than it really is.😂😂 (me, an endless cynic)😂 And instalove constantly feels like lazy writing, though?! Like develop their relationship, c’mon now, insta-smoosh is not what we’re here for.
UGH 13RW is so problematic and people just praise it for like “raising awareness” and it freaking glorifies horrible things. It had so much potential to unpack the topics it raised!? But it just DIDN’T. I don’t even want to go anywhere near the show ever. 😭
I don’t read romance novels but I enjoy when they are part of the story. I hate ‘insta loves’. I mean, what is that?? C’mon! It makes me feel like abandoning the book. You just reminded me I need to read The Savage Song. I don’t mind Ron and Hermione but yes, what you wrote totally makes sense.
Instalove always seems like slack writing, tbh, because where is the build up and the character development?! WE NEED THESE. And This Savage Song is just amazing, I hope you like it!! It’s the kind where I’m glad it has no romance, but I could also ship them.😂
Okay, when it comes to me: I like a good romance. Not the slutty, lustful one but a pure and true one. One that makes my heart ache. One that makes me FEEL THINGS. Because I don’t want to read about empty relashionships. I want to read about RELATABLE relationships. And I pretty much agree with you in this whole thing except for the NOMANCE to unbalanced relationships. When they’re done right, I love them. Because is there really unbalanced relationships?? Or just someone not admitting their feelings??Because I know whenever I write a romance I either have someone who is like “OH MY GOSH I HAVE TO MEET THIS HOT GUY” or someone like “OH MY GOSH WHY IS HE FLIRTING WITH ME” when all they’re doing is saying hi. 🤷🏼♀️ I say all this, because—I can be both of these. (more of the second one than the first, but when it comes to my sisters and THEY find someone attractive—*cough cough* the cute intern—I’ll go into STALKER mode for them because that what you do as sisters) So, that’s my opinion 🙈
Yes absolutely!! I like romances that aren’t just happening in the first 20 pages…ones that actually take the book to grow and make you think the characters will STAY together when the book ends?! Also when they’re just smol they seem more powerful. (all the heart eyes)
And for the unbalanced-relationships, I was thinking of the ones where two people ARE in a relationship but one will like literally DIE for the other…but the other is like “eh” the whole time??? It just freaking annoys me.😂I want people to love each other equal amounts haha.
Oh well that makes a lot of sense then! I thought you were talking about that weird transition between friends to more-than-friends. Sorry 😂
Ah haha no it’s my fault! I didn’t explain what I meant very well in my post.😂
Yes omg Cassandra Clare’s love triangles are just so good??? I’m always torn and unable to decide and loving the pain of flip-flopping all the time :’) I also don’t ship Ron and Hermione, I just don’t understand them! I think Juliette/Warner/Adam is the worst triangle I’ve read. And alpha male is my no #1 NOPE trope, I freaking hate it!
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SAAAME THOUGH. She likes to wreck our hearts (in the bEST possible way). Although lowkey hope Kieren/Mark win out in Lady Midnight because I think Cristina only likes Mark because he’s fae and not for who he is. 😭😭
Ughh Ron is so toxic. And I can’t remember the Shatter Me books really well?! I’m going to reread them before I read Restore me so wish me luck. 😂
I DON’T UNDERSTAND RON AND HERMIONE EITHER.
Also, what are some Slytherin/Hufflepuff examples? I can’t think of any.
I AM SO MAD THAT IT EVEN HAPPENED. Ron is so toxic ugh.
And oh oh I actually wrote a list on tumblr here if that helps for the Slytherin/Hufflepuff relationships!! (I’m also writing one in my second book. 😂)
I agree with most of this!! I really don’t think all YA books need to have romance and there have definitely been times when I’m sick of the romance and I just wanna skip back to the more interesting plot! 😂 However, I really do live a good, well-written, healthy love story where love enables the characters to grow or see life differently, enabling them to save the day and whatnot!! 😂😂
Love love love the worst/best trope list at the end!!!! I absolutely adore all of your faves – I actually had my Number One ship in mind when I read it because they fit all the things!!!!!!! (It’s Reylo from Star Wars)
But I 100% agree: instalove is never a good idea, and male-dominated relations are just disgusting. But anyway: great post! It makes me want to find more romance-free YA books!! 😃
Yes exactly! Plus romance can get a bit repetitive haha. But like some are amazing and I’m definitely not anti-romance, I just wish we had more options for no-romance books?!
I love most of the romantic pairings in Cassandra clare’s books (not clace tho lol). I don’t mind romance, but I prefer it to be background to the rest of the plot and I like when the romance stems from a unique dynamic between well fleshed out characters. The Wicker King is an example of that, for me. Also, the enemies-to-lovers is EVERYTHING! And everyone likes the fake dating/rship trope but I hate it 😂
Cassandra Clare’s romances ARE JUST MY EVERYTHING AGHHHHHH. *sobs with love* Although right now lowkey hate the one in Lady Midnight with Keiran/Mark/Cristina because I just ship Kieren/Mark.😂I feel like they’re going to end up all three together though, but we’ll see.
The Wicker King is perfect in every way.❤️❤️
I wish there were more YA books without romances. Can’t people just be friends? What’s wrong with friendship?! I agree with you on Ron and Hermione. Not a fan. I also agree with you on 13 Reasons Why. I was bullied in school and had severe depression as a teen, so I thought I’d find the book relatable, but no. So much no.
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I know right?! Friends are awesome! They tend to last longer than highschool romances too.😂 And UGH 13 Reasons Why triggered me so badly when I read it (as a teen too) and I just…I hate that it’s so negative and puts out horrible messages like it does.
I absolutely was not a fan of the romance in Warcross. It felt so forced and unnecessary. I did like what happened in Scythe (I think you read it but I won’t say more just in case I’m wrong). I think there is too much romance in ya (although if I wrote a book I know exactly what the I would write and there would absolutely be a romance involved). I’m not sure what my favorite trope is, but my least favorite is incestuous relationships like in the Thousandth Floor. It even bothered me in The Mortal Instruments, even though they ended up not being siblings.
Ohhh same yes! And it was kind of predictable who the “mysterious person” was haha. 😂 (But seriously why couldn’t he just TALK to the other dude instead of all the secret identities? Boys. So dramatic I can’t even.)
And I did read Scythe and I love how it went! It was like a *hint* and I’m rooting for them, but I also love that the plot/circumstances are taking the forefront and they’re not getting all lost in an angsty love fest that detracts from everything!
Favorite romance trope: when they start out hating each other and then they turn into lovers because it feels realistic since it’s not instalove. My favorite examples are
-Percy Jackson
-The Cruel Prince
-Six of Crows
And least favorite: the one that is passed off as being all steamy and romantic but is actually really abusive and toxic. Like this is dangerous especially in YA because impressionable young teens are going to be reading it. Like please go back to the fire from hence you came. Can’t actually think of any books I’ve read with that though so I must be great at picking out books (or is it just when I see a review that mentions they thought the book has that romance i go running for the hills cause ain’t nobody got time for that)
And for a book where romance felt forced I’m gonna go with an extremely unpopular opinion; Divergent. I know everyone in the Divergent fandom is all like “Fourtris forever 😍” and I’m like “where’s the chemistry? It’s so instant” and everyone’s like “TRUUUUUEEEEE LOOOOVVVVEEEEE” and I’m like “INSSSSSTTTTAAAAALLLLOOOOVVVEEEE”
Also I FINALLY GOT ATPN!!!!! SO GOOD!!!!! NOT FINISHED YET BUT SO GOOD!!!! 😍 actually funny that bring such a big fantasy\sci-fi fan I’m such a sucker for contemporary with Hufflepuff characters who deserve better. And is Joey based off your actual siblings? Cause it feels like she is
YES I love that one too!! Just provided it’s not abusive at first?! But like enemies who are all staby and snarky…but then fall in love…yes I ship that.😂 The Cruel Prince is so freaking amazing and like I don’t even know if those two are even in love?! Or they just are kissing before they stab?! So here for it.
And yeah I hate toxic/abusive romances too. And I HATE how popular they get (looking at Sarah J Maas books) because it sets this idea that those are okay and desirable when they’re really extra not.
I’m with you on Tris!😂I felt 0% chemistry for her and Four hahaha. Plus the movies made me feel SO weird about it because she looked about 16 like she was supposed to be BUT FOUR LOOKED AT LEAST 30 AND JUST EW.
Awwwww THANK YOU FOR READING ATPN. I will be keen to know what you think of my little romance there.😂It’s so smol and they are so awkward and every time August says she likes him, Beck has a mental breakdown and refuses to see her for like 90 years.😂 Bless. (Joey is half based off some of my nieces.😂)
Yesssssss for nomance!!! Cait, shall we begin a revolution?!?!
In my book, my characters barely like each other at first and then they start to get along and then my MC is leaving but this guy she’s grown to like is kissing her on the cheek and what? Aaaaargh. The beauty of it all!!!
Was that just a plug for my own book? Sorry if it sounded that way. It’s just…#NOMANCE! I will use that hashtag on Twitter. WE WILL START A REVOLUTION!!!!!
And now this is what happens to me on Saturday mornings when I think too much about books? I go crazy with obsessive plans to take over the bookdragon community and leave long, rambling comments detailing my cunning plans?
Sorry.
Aww I love the sound of your romance!! That’s honestly how I like to write them too. 😂😂 Although I do get proud of myself if people actually ship my characters because I work reeeally hard to make it work on page since I’m the most unromantic soup ever.😂The Nomance thing has got to take off. Just look how CLEVER it is. *chokes and falls over* 😂
I just reread the Raven Cycle, and I can 100% confirm that that is the one of the best uses of romance in a YA book. BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY MATTERS. Everything about that book is perfect.
I lowkey love this tag. Love is gross. XD Nomances as the way (I don’t even know what that means, but it feels right).
YES EXACTLY. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS PERFECT AND PURE AND RIGHT AND IT DOES EVER ROMANCE TROPE PERFECTLY LIKE CAN I JUST EAT IT I LOVE IT SO MUCH.
(Honestly who needs love when you can have potatoes which turn into delicious chips. I am just saying.)
*Nomances ALL the way.
I for sure don’t know what “as the way” means, and it for sure doesn’t feel right. XD
My head nearly popped off from nodding so hard at all your answers.
And 13 Reasons Why…. Yes Yes Yes! I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT THESE THINGS and everyone else was crazy.
WE CAN STAND TOGETHER ON 13RW. IT IS SUCH A BLACK HOLE OF A THING AGHHHH. I generally don’t aggressively rant against books, but it’s just: no. To that one…no. So freaking problematic. 😭
I also made the mistake of watching the TV show. Like I thought it would somehow make it better? No. No it didn’t..
*screams quietly into a void*
I may just casually fangirl for a while cause you like…did the tag I tagged you in and….!!!!!! (your ! reaction is the only way to describe my feelings rn xD) Literally as soon as I saw the notif I got distracted and began fangirling a wee bit ooopsies. Literally though I agree with pretty much everything you’ve said. Also can we just talk about how Queen of Air and Darkness is coming out in December, near Christmas time to then rip our hearts into itty bitty pieces?! Like, Jules and Emma stress the heck out of me soooo much!
I actually read 13 reasons why back in like…2013/2014 something like that, and at the time I sorta liked it. It made me think about a lot of things, but looking back on it I just…it’s problematic. It’s the only way to describe it really. Hope you enjoyed the tag!
I’M SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG!! 😂😂I’m basically the most unorganised person of ever, we can definitely all agree hahhaha. Ahem. But thank you so much for tagging me!! 😉 I really loved this one hehe.
And um, yeah thanks Cassandra Clare, for this oncoming CHRISTMAS PRESENT THAT’S GOING TO RUIN US. I 1000% am going to be an emotional pinecone of death afterwards, I just know it. I’m already sobbing in preparation. 😭😭If Julian does something unforgivable, I swear…
NO! THE FISHIES!!!!! AAAAAAA! BAD MOMMA FISH! I had fishes once (2 different kinds that the place we bought them from said “would live well together”)….. THEY TURNED TO CANNIBALISM!!!!! WE WERE FEEDING THEM PERFECTLY AND THEY STILL ATE EACHOTHER!!! That last fishy had the last laugh though…. haven’t bought any fishies after that….. but I think I might purchase, discuss some plot points with a fishie…. a magical fishie (input would be worthwhile I’m sure)
I was going to read 13 Reasons Why, but I never bought it. Then I saw all the things people were saying about the TV show and I just kinda decided to avoid it like the plague. I have no room for that in ma life…. nu-uh. I much prefer the fluffier contemporaries where mental illness is taken seriously and not as side factor or worse, an excuse.
I just prefer fluffy romances in general really XD I NEED THEM BECAUSE THEY GIVE ME FEELINGS AND STUFF AND I WILL NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT IT! JUST GIVE ME MORE!!!
What on earth is WRONG with fish, that’s what I want to know. Like I give them food??? Why eat your children, you stupid lumps of scales. 😭😭
You saved your money by skipping 13RW! I mean, I don’t usually so aggressively not-recommend a book, but that one just ticks me off for how badly it handles the topic. And how horribly it tells the story.😭
Fluff and cute and smol romances though = 💕💕💕 YES 💕💕💕
Is The Raven Cycle really a triangle though? I mean, I know we have Adam – Blue – Gansey and Ronan – Adam – Blue, but Adam and Blue have broken up before Ronan realises he’s interested in Adam, and Blue wasn’t originally interested in Gansey so… I don’t know! The Raven Cycle is ridiculously complicated romance-wise! In a good way!
I’m trying to be really mindful of the “love fixes everything” trope whilst writing my current story because I don’t want it to be interpreted that way. Just because it’s emotionally healthy for the character to have it in his life that doesn’t mean it makes everything magically better.
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It’s like a love hexagon because Blue is absolutely in love with them all *nods* (Okay shh fine it’s platonic love.😂) And it’s like…interesting, because it’s definitely not a true triangle? Or square? But Gansey was having Feelings right up front and he was feeling all odd when Adam/Blue were together…but like he wasn’t letting himself put anything into concrete thought, I guess, because Blue was Adam’s thing? But I just reread book 1 and he legit spends half of it trying to impress Blue.😂😂
And yeah I hear you with the “love fixes everything” sometimes being misinterpreted! I was SO scared of that for ATPN because it could be interpreted that way…but at the same time, just because you’re mentally ill DOESN’T MEAN YOU DON’T DESERVE LOVE OR FRIENDS. And these things CAN help your mental health! It just can’t totally fix it or make it disappear.
I also love endless snark and hate to love romances they are FABuLous!! Also don’t mind when they finally get together after forever but that’s only when I’m in a patient mood *hehe* also I think this might be the same tag I created on my blog so yay! Great post 👍
Omg did you create it?! YAY THANK YOU JAMIE YOU ARE A FABULOUS TAG MAKER!! (I’ll try and find your post so I can credit you properly.)
THANK YOU about 13 Reasons! I haven’t read the book, but I watched the first season of the show out of curiosity, and I had a huge spike in depression after I finished it. It was legitimately scary. It glamorized revenge suicide, which makes me sick to think about. I know people say the book is better blah blah, but if it is even remotely related, I’m not interested. Noooo thank you.
Also Ron and Hermione is a big ol’ no for me. Girl deserves better than a guy who basically spent the entirety of the series being kind of awful to her.
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Ugh ugh yes just don’t even bother with the book. Like there are barely ANY books that I hate with a fierce passion, but one that glamorises and romanticises suicide and literally leads to teens in real life killing themselves because they’re being told it’s a viable option!?? The hell = no. It’s awful.
(And YES! That’s why I hate the Ron/Hermione thing! Like it’s the whole “oh he’s mean because he likes you” which is rooted in toxic masculinity. Ugh and NO.)
I am trying to plan out a ship in my book (the romance kind) and it’s kind of all over the place currently. There’s “I don’t know I can love you” and “I want to reveal myself” and “TADA” and “AAAAAH” and then “Okay” and I am simultaneously spoiling it and making no sense at all. 😂 #achievement
I’m laughing that you clarified the romance kind.😂😂Honestly I’m writing a book with ACTUAL ships in it too, and it makes talking about shipping on a ship super fun. Ah. The fandom life. Good luck with your romance though!! I swear they’re harder to write than they seem.😂
…romance? what is that??? the horrible thing that ruins alll YA books? OHHH YES I REMEMBER. NOMANCES. (i love the puns)
TO ALL THE BOYS IVE LOVED BEFORE HAS A TRAILER!! and it looks amazing ahh. i haven’t read the boos (*whacks self*) but i really want to!! and morgan and jess…i enjoyed their romance at first but i hatttte morgan and i dont get why they love each other SOSOoooOoOoO much (reading smoke and iron ARC right now and loving it thooo!) THIS SAVAGE SONG HAS NO ROMANCE I was sooo happy but ODD was better becasue AUGUST and KATE!?!? a ship im onboard with. (puuuuns)
YOU NEED TO READ THE LARA JEAN BOOKS THOUGH, THEY’RE SOOO CUUUUUTE!! I mean I’m literally writing a post on nomances but flailing over Lara Jean, whose plot is 100% romance. 😂😂I make no sense. But I am HERE FOR IT. Ahem. So yes, I do have so many romances I enjoy, but we still seem to be too flooded with them? Or at least more quiet smol romances please…
And Jess and Morgan…😂why do they even. They don’t even KNOW each other. But then all pales in comparison to the true wonders of the universe, Wolfe and Santi. 😭💛💛💛They are so pure and perfect ajdfklsad. (Also I’m about to start Smoke and Iron too!! Just trying to convince myself that I remember the ending of the last one haha. Haha…oh no.)
(Also I heard Schwab intended that kiss in ODD to be a “failed kiss”??? 😳They were cute tho, I shipped them as friends and lovers or whatever they wanted to be PURE PRECIOUS HEARTS.)
Okay so I looked up the thing about the author of 13 Reasons Why and he didn’t sexually assault anyone but he was cheating on his wife from women from work and also cheating on them with one another and just EW. I can’t deal with that. I never read or watched 13 Reasons Why, but the more I hear about how freaking horrible and disgusting it is, the more I despise it. I’ve seen some people in the YA community arguing that the show has actually been a reason for increased teen suicides since it came out and, I hate to say it, but I believe it, and it’s so sad.
I’ve actually heard he’s been accused of sexual harassment though. And I KNOW the internet isn’t always great with facts and things, so IDK what to believe. Just that I’m 1000% done with the messages and themes in that book and bleh. I can’t believe they made a show of it.
And yes I heard that teens have actually been tipped over the edge by the show into suicide and that breaks my heart. The book was NOT there to support people or offer help or encouragement, so why the hell does it exist? To make suicide a “thrill” factor in a book!? Disgusting. 😭😭
It really encourages teens, who are kinda already emotionally unstable, to view suicide as a way to “get back at” people who hurt them, but, like, most of the time the people who hurt you won’t give a crap…
Honestly, I’m a sucker for romances so like… get me a quality ship and I will flail for a thousand years.
Like, 99% of my books feature romances (as of right now, they’re all m/f, but that’s just because I haven’t gotten around to the GAYYY) but then I wreck like 50% of them so *shrug*
What’s the point of a good book if you don’t get attached to random character #5 and their s.o., only to cry when nothing happens?
AGREED THO. Like we’ve come here to ship things and flail and this is fine and good.😂Although I do get excited when there isn’t romance, because I think most teens don’t end up finding their one true love when they’re, um, 16?!😂 I write a lot more romances now than I used to, but I’d love to write just a friendship story at some point. 😊
Friendships stories ARE amazing! There are an innumerable amount of times when I find myself wanting a best friend over a significant other, and YA definitely needs some help portraying that.
Honestly I’m an emotionless dark void, so I can’t relate to the whole intense-feelings-of -love thing that so many YA characters seem to experience, even though I’m around their age ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But I feel like recently I don’t mind it too much in books, as long as it isn’t the main focus.
My least favorite trope is definitely when one person is wayyyy more powerful & also abuses that power over the other one (ughhhh). Or the “love cures all” one. Also instalove needs to just stoppp.
On a more positive note, I do like the “enemies-to-friends-to-liking each other” trope. I also don’t mind if it’s subtle and romance isn’t 89% of the plot.
I actually find romance more tolerable in books than IRL these days.😂 Like when my sister got a boyfriend, I was just like…why tho. But I do ship so many book couples, so WHAT CAN I SAY.😂
And omg agreed about that power-abuse-trope. It’s really bad and often can be portrayed so problematically!? Blehhh.
(And I LOVE enemies-to-lovers, provided the enemies part isn’t abusive!)
Love this list! Some of these books look fantastic can’t wait to check them out over the summer!
Aww glad you like my recs too ah!
I don’t ship Ron x Hermione either!! Honestly I just ship Hermione x The Hogwarts Library because it would NEVER do wrong by her 😂
OMG GOOD. I’LL COME STAND WITH YOU.😂 Honestly Hermione deserved the WORLD and all the opportunities of ever. Not??? Ron??? Ew???
I tend to enjoy books more when there’s romance, but I do love a good book without romance. I was a huge fan of the Chaos Walking trilogy. Also, I so agree that Blue was in love with all the raven boys. I mean, how could she not be? That was such a great series.
I really need to get on the Cassandra Clare bandwagon. I’ve tried getting into TMI a few times, yet I only ever have made it through book two. I even own all of the infernal devices series. Maybe this summer I’ll finally get around to it.
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
AGREED about Blue! I mean it was just the only option to love them all. *shrugs and collects all 4 raven boys so has the full set* 😍😍
THANK YOU. I read 13 Reasons Why when I was twelve, during a time when I wasn’t doing well. It really made it worse. I had a boost of serious suicidal thoughts.
Omg I feel so bad for you. 😭😭I read it when I was about 17 and it absolutely wrecked me…I couldn’t read for weeks and it triggered so many of my mental health issues gah. It’s NOT an okay book and it only causes harm.
Is there a book that I think would have been better without romance? ALL OF THEM. Haha, I joke, but honestly, I do feel like throwing a romance in is way too overdone. Sometimes I wish there were more books with strong friendships instead of romantic sub-plots. Then again I am like the grinch of romance, so take that as you will! My least favourite romantic trope is usually insta-love. I just doooooon’t get how these people are all falling in love at the drop of a hate without even knowing the person. That kind of love can only happen with cake and burritos. That’s the true romance. I’m also not a fan of romances where one person is mean to the other or teases cruelly for most of the book, and it’s ok because ‘they did it out of love’. Just…no. I have got to check out some of your recommended books with no romance between the characters. I need a few more of those in my life.
I used to be so so against all romance haha, but I do love a LOT of them now!! I just prefer the soft, quiet romances and the ones that don’t take centre stage.😂And I do think instalove feels like lazy writing too!? Like it skips all the actual important character development…and that makes it sooo hard to ship the couple because they don’t even KNOW each other!!
And ugh ughg absolutely HATE that whole “oh he’s mean because he likes you”. That needs to die and the cruel/”teaser” can just be stabbed. *gets out the knives* It’s built from toxic masculinity for sure.
OMG THAT TROPE WHEN LOVE “CURES” STUFF. LIKE NO. WHY. STOP. How about… love, but also they learn to ACCEPT and love themselves?? Also when I watched the new Lara Jean movie I actually screamed and I’ve been watching it at least 15 times per day. I know.
Also only you would post a tag like. four months late. (but same tho)
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Agh I know right?!? I’m so tired of it and just when I think people have learned…nope, it resurfaces to be problematic as anything.😭😭
The Lara Jean movie is everything we deserve to be blessed with *all the heart eyes*
(AND I KNOW RIGHT?! 4 MONTHS LATE GO ME. 😂😂)
Yay! Another post that promotes books without romance (yes, I saw the other romance books but shh!)
Radio Silence. More people ought to read that book. It’s one of those books that you have to recommend to everyone who wants a non romance book! WHY DON’T MORE PEOPLE READ IT?! *screams*
When it comes to books, the only romances I could tolerate was the one between Lara Jean and Peter and Harriet Manners and Nick Hidaka (who is a biracial Australian, c’mon CAIT, you need to start the Geek Girl series by Holly Smale. PLEEEEEEEEEASE.
Radio Silence is just AMAZING and I love Alice Oseman’s books and style so so much ahhhhh.
(I’m sorry for not having read the Geek Girl series yet!! 🙊I swear, my TBR is just a living thing with its own opinions these days.😂)
I agree! Romances are overdone and need to be scaled back! I don’t like enemies-to-lovers tropes, though.
Elizabeth Goudge’s books are adult, not YA, but they have beautiful romances that are actually realistic.
It just would be nice to be able to find non-romance books more often if we want them!
I actually don’t mind romance in YA books! But GOOD romance! Lately I’ve been feeling like authors just throw the romance in and the characters actually have no real reason to like each other?? Like, why, personality-wise, do you like the other person? Are you even compatible??
Yes exactly! GOOD ROMANCES ARE AMAZING!! And most of my most favourite books have amazing romances in them, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. :’) It’s just the ones that are thrown in or problematic??! Ugh. And it shouldn’t be so hard to find non-romantic books too…
That trailer for To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before looks super cute?? Just added the book to my TBR lol.
I vaguely remember reading 13 Reasons Why and NOT liking it at all and I was upset by Hannah having the wherewithal to plan out making the tapes and their order and all of that instead of actually seeking help. I also heard too many awful things about the show, and agree with all of your points and I just don’t understand why they were that graphic with their depictions and continue to do so in the second season.
I really like the romance tropes you mentioned including Slytherin/Hufflepuff (they make the best ride or die friendships too), and they’re super busy running schemes and then whoops this was us falling in love the whole time?! I’m also a sucker for the Beauty and the Beast sh*t, not the Stockholm syndrome, but the gifting of something that the other person lives/breathes/cherishes. Like really knowing who someone is and trying to give them something that reflects that. Yes.
I frickin love that you used that The Good Place gif. Chidi Anagonye is the most precious mixed up anxiety riddled philosophy obsessed bean. And OH romance tropes where one or both parties remember their past relationship but wacky plot circumstances means everything is different now and can they ever get that back?? I love that one too, when it’s done well.
Sooo cute. And the books are AMAZING! My favourite fluffy cute books and so much cake love ahhhh.
And omg 13RW was so problematic. Like sure it could’ve run with that plot but it nEVER CALLS HANNAH OUT for her decisions. It kind of does the “now that she’s gone, she’s perfect” mentality, and it just supports that whole idea that suicide can be a viable and good option. It’s devastating. The show, I’ve heard, is even worse since it’s showing so much (and apparently has way more rape in it than the book). I’m disgusted that it’s so highly promoted.
But aaanyway. YES. To the good romances and the healthy and fun ones!And Chidi is the absolute best thing in the world and I ship him and Eleanor so much. 😂 Sooo can’t wait for the next season!
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS POST! I haven’t visited your blog in sometime and it’s so nice to just have this wonderful long list of posts i have to read haha.
I totally agree with just about everything you said – romances that ADD to the book are the best versus when they make up 80% of the plot make me gag.
I refuse to touch anything 13 Reasons Why for the EXACT same reasons – it’s so full of shit and i totally freaking agreeeeeee.
Romance has definitely plagued the library and we need a little less of it 🙁
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Ahhh I’m so glad you liked the post!! 💛And exactly. Romances should be a fantastic addition, and make the plot and characters more complex. Not just thrown in to fill the quota?!
Ugh 13RW makes me feel sick every time and I’m so freaking angry that it keeps getting promoted. It’s more damaging than anything else.
I do think that in The Siren by Kiera Cass and in The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (unpopular opinion here!) romance is not necessary. It just felt like it was too much, you know? I honestly agree with you about the fact that Blue Sargent loves all the boys. In those books everyone loves everyone :’)
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I remember liking The Coldest Girl in Coldtown but I have ZERO remembrance about the romance, so clearly it made little impact on me.😂 I need to reread!!
Yes, I always hated romantic stuff, but now I love YA romance, but I also want to read YA with no romance sometimes, is it too much to ask?
Also “Ron is the wilted lettuce lost in the back of your fridge” is a quote and I agree why would Hermione end up with Ron?
And I still don’t understand why 13 reasons why is so popular, like why?? I watched some episodes on netflix and it just made me anxious and sick.
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Haha yes exactly, right?! I DO like YA romance, I just think it shouldn’t be so hard to find books without it.😂 And omggg HERMIONE WHY DID YOU SETTLE SO LOW. Also I forgot to say (but someone else mentioned it), the Ron/Hermione thing has the whole “he’s being mean to you which means he likes you” which is toxic masculinity so much. Argh.
As a high school teacher, 13 reasons why is the most aggravating thing in the world!!! Such a TERRIBLE message for teens. Ugh. Now, as a romance junkie (aka romance book blogger), I always want the romance. However, all the ones you pointed out are things I agree with!! I think romance stories can be amazing but sometimes they are not written in an amazing way and that sucks. Great post!
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I’m glad you agree! I honestly feel ill every time I think about it…I was a teen when I read it, and it affected me so badly I stopped reading books and was just horrified that it could be promoting such a corrupt and damaging message. I kept waiting for it to call the characters out?? But no.
And I think romances are good to! haha, don’t get me wrong.😂Sometimes there’s an over-saturation is all, and I do like the healthy and sweet ones a LOT.
Oh I loved all your favourite tropes for romance, and agree with those ones, they are great, particularly “when it’s just really tentative and smol and you nearly miss it but it’s there”. That is a favourite for me. 🙂
You know, this might be a rather unpopular opinion, but I actually LOVE romance in the books I read. It is actually one of the main reasons I am so drawn to YA, because usually, mostly, YA books will have a focus on romance no matter what genre the story is in but adult books don’t have that same focus. I really love it.
And to be honest, I also quite love love triangles too!!!! I think I just adore anything with a strong focus on romance, and books with love triangles usually have that focus, as does YA, which is why I love it so much.
HOWEVER…. I am also MASSIVELY picky about the romantic elements actually being GOOD. And although I want to read heaps of romance in every single book I read, I don’t want to read about insta love or really unhealthy gross romance where one party is all horrible or whatever. I prefer my romance nice and subtle and also real. For instance, I HATE things like grand gestures and roses and confessions in front of crowds, I really don’t find that stuff romantic because I always feel it’s more about the show they are putting on for other people, but I adore sweet, genuine romances where people connect on a deep level.
Sigh…. I love romance!
(P.S – that was a long comment, I feel I shouldn’t have gotten started on this topic!! :hehe )
Yesss! The smallest romances can often be the most powerful and I love them so much for that! And hey loving romance is definitely not an unpopular opinion, lmao, it’s more like the not-wanting-romance is more uncommon.
And yeah it’s the unhealthy/gross romances that aren’t called out that seem to sour the whole thing? Like teens are so vulnerable (I definitely was) and we don’t need to be told that abusive romances are okay or acceptable. Like write about them, sure! But also call them out, books.
Loved seeing which books you chose. I love romance, but I also get sick of the inst and just totally forced or fake types, which are just way too common in YA. A recent read, Zombie Abbey, had hints of the possibility of romance but wasn’t a focal point amid the characters figuring out there were zombies. That one totally worked for me and I appreciated that romance was basically nonexistent and took a back seat. Fun post!
Yes agreed! I love reading romances, but it just feels odd that it’s in EVERY book.😂I mean, I wrote a book with a romance though, so I don’t mean to be too much of a downer on it haha.😂
What do you mean? Nomance makes TOTAL sense! It’s definitely a word. XD And insta-love and love fixes everything and really problematic ones are the WORST! Shatter Me bothered me SO MUCH because of all the stuff with Warner. The whole love triangle totally got in the way of that one and I think I would’ve liked it better without it. :/
Oh and I tagged you for the Summer Reader Tag if you want to do it. 🙂
EXCELLENT. Petition to make nomance a THING.😂😂 And honestly I don’t remember the Shatter Me books hardly at all haha, but I’m going to reread to read Restore Me? So I’ll be interested to see if my opinions have changed.😂
(Aw thanks for the tag! I’ll check it out, but it’s…winter for me, so…😂)
Oh right. 😂 Duh. I just couldn’t think if very many original me to tag. 😂
Ugh that’s supposed to say people not original me????? 😂
It’s okay!! I generally love tags, I just struggle to do the season ones haha.😂
IF THERE IS A BOOK I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE IT IS THIRTEEN REASONS WHY!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THAT LIST!!! NOW IMMA BE SHOVING THAT IN EVERYONE’S FACES!!
I’m glad you agreed but uughghghg 😭😭 that we even had to go through it when reading.😭
I really hate that romance is a requirement for YA (unless you’re established and can get away without it). I liked the romance wasn’t a huge part of Tyler Johnson, but it definitely didn’t need to be there at all. And Radio Silence is just perfect. 😍
It does suck… 😭Although Alice Oseman didn’t have to be established before her no-romance books worked?! So there is hope?!
Does she have an independent publisher? Almost no one knows her books. So yeah, she did it, but…she’s not the kind of author I know you want to be.
She’s actually with Harpercollins!! Which is…huge! So I’m always confused that her books aren’t very well known?
Okay I am back! Just woke up after the trip and I’m cleaning up my email xD
Actually, I was pretty surprised there was romance in your book! I thought it would just be friendship. What prompted to make it romance, especially because I know you’re kind or like me about romance xD (nomance.) I’ve been curious about this but never got around to asking you.
And actually I SO do not ship Ron and Hermione. Ron is a jerk and actually my post about this should post later today! It’s so annoying that such a smart and cool girl ends up with a jerk like that ‘just because he was there’. It’s like guys don’t even need to try and they’ll get the good girl. It’s so annoying.
Oh, and I also really dislike enemies to friends xD it’s unrealistic and often harmful (like how girls will fall for their bullies).
But I’ve lately starred thinking I SHOULD be reading more romance because I’m such a grumpy cat xD although maybe not YA romance because that just makes me feel bad about my own shitty teens xD
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Aww I just finished saying I like cute romances!! 😉 So I wrote the kind of romance I like to read!
I just don’t like the toxic masculinity that Ron has…like he’s so jealous all the time and he’s mean to Hermione because “he likes her” and that kind of behaviour needs to s t o p so bad. ugh.
I feel like it’s different for the “enemies to lovers” trope, though?? I mean everyone has viewpoints on this! But I’m not meaning like “he abuses her and now they’re in love” ewww gross no that’s so harmful. More like, they’re on opposite sides of a war in a fantasy realm or something but they fall in love. Or like in A Darker Shade of Magic! Kell and Lila meet by stealing from each other. They ain’t getting along at first. But there’s no harmful abusive or toxic behaviour.
That’s true, the ATPN romance was very in the background and unassuming 🙂 and hey, I have picked up Shade so I will soon be finding out about the enemies to lovers, I guess 🙂 because yes, actually, so far I’ve basically only encountered it as a girl falling for someone who was actually, you know… mean to her. Or like had really questionable values and was an enemy for good reason xD I’ll be curious to see a goof depiction of that. Now that you mention it… I guess this was also the case in Happily, a book I really liked – except of course I still rolled my eyes at the romance because I’m simply just a grumpy cat xD
As for Ron… I actually haven’t even reached those parts yet (my post explains why xD) – but I mean just in general. Ron’s kind of a crap person! He’s superficial, I am not sure where his values lie, he’s not a very good friend… even aside from Hermione or their connection, he’s just… not a brilliant specimen of a human being, I feel xD
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I really hate the assumption that life will be perfect once a romance happened, because no. All relationships take work, there is no such thing as the perfect relationship. Even between two people who are compatible, you have to put effort in. This literally drives me up the wall, because people assume that because their relationship isn’t perfect, it’s not right, or trying to force their relationship into a perfect box at the expense of discussing actual issues that arise in it.
Oh, right, tangent, so point: why do we never see after the relationship develops in YA? Teens and even adults need to see this to learn about healthy relationships.
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Oh absolutely! And I don’t think YA always does the “perfect flawless” relationships, but it generally does the meet-cutes and we don’t actually get to see if the couple will last?! Half the time, I close a book and feel like they definitely WON’T last. Which isn’t really fun to read, gah. And yeah, it’s all the characters who are so incompatible but they go through an adventure together so they’re in love now. I want to see how they actually MAKE THAT WORK outside of the adventure!!
I wasn’t a big fan of Jess and Morgan’s relationship either :/ It didn’t seem to fit, you know? Ugh, I hate the love cures all trope. It’s actually a harmful thought to instill! Speaking of which, I HATE 13 REASONS WHY! It is sooooo bad and it hurts when I see people I admire promoting the book and show! Please, no, it’s really harmful for us with a mental illness. I hated how it portrayed suicide and rape culture; even though it was said that the portrayal needed to make readers & viewers uncomfortable to show how bad it is, it felt more like exploitation, you know. Ugh.
I know right?! They would’ve been fine as friends or whatever…IDK. Maybe it’s because Morgan doesn’t actually have a personality, whereas ALL the other girls do and they’re so awesome. 😂
UGH BUT 13RW MAKES ME SO ANGRY. I hate how it’s got a show and everything and people are just using the mental illness as like a “shock” thing. It’s horrible and damaging. There’s a difference between “showing how bad something is” and, yeah, like you said, exploiting it and just trying to shock/thrill and audience. If, at the end of the day, the book/show/whatever doesn’t actually HELP give answers for mental illness…then it’s not okay.
Yep, I’m really glad you recognize that and are talking about it! Thank you <3
YES to Lara and Peter K stressing me out! I just them to have their happily ever afters and all their insecurities and miscommunications made it so hard!! I completely agree with Cassandra Clare’s love triangles. One that I didn’t really like was in The Hunger Games! I thought it was kind of obvious who she was going to “pick” and thought it was also VERY unnecessary. I want to see her take down the Capital, not have stupid conversations with Gale or Peeta! Have you read The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han? I absolutely love that love triangle, and it’s even more dramatic because it’s between brothers. But it’s also done with a lot of respect to all three characters, and none of them are presented as the “wrong” choice or the villain, which I loved!
I completely agree with you with your pros and cons list for tropes! I’m okay with insta-lust, but I hate it when in one night, the two MC”s just kick off a relationship and seem to be each other’s everything. Like…are they never awkward? Do they never make small talk?? I think “when it’s just really tentative and smol and you nearly miss it but it’s there” literally describes the Bellarke ship for the 100. At least, the show. If they’re endgame, I’ll die happily, lol. The books are completely different!
Also, I completely agree that there should be less romance overall in YA. Most of my friends didn’t have a big romance in high school, and if they did, it wasn’t that romantic. A ton of my friends my age (sophomores in college, so around 19 years old) haven’t even been kissed! There are always people who have epic relationships in high school and move fast physically, but I rarely see accurate depictions in YA where nothing romantic happens! It’s pretty frustrating, tbh! ~rant over~
ANYWAYS, awesome!! I’m sure you could tell I have a ton of feelings, haha!
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I mean To All The Boys is supposed to be all fluffy and wonderful, BUT I WAS SO FREAKING STRESSED THE WHOLE TIME 😂😂 I just love them so much and ship them so much so like?!? Pls get together.😂ANd STAY THAT WAY. And I havent’ read The Summer I Turned Pretty but I absolutely want to…I should push it up the TBR maybe?!
And instalust is a lot better, at least, than instalove, right?! Like if they’re super attracted to each other, that’s really cute! But it’s all the “WE ARE SOUL MATES AND I WILL DIE FOR YOU” after 2 days that’s hard to actually believe.😂
I think YA almost makes it seem like every teen has to have been super into romance in highschool?! But like a lot of people are really busy studying and don’t even have TIME. So it’d just be nice to have balance…
YESSSS to SLytherin/Hufflepuff, they’re my jam.
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I hate to admit this but I’m…actually…a little nostalgic for love triangles?? I don’t know why, but I just really enjoy all of the love triangle tension when it’s done well. There is probably something wrong with me for liking love triangles still.
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I’m glad you like them!! There are some that I do really like (basically all of Cassandra Clare’s tbh) I just prefer when all sides are fleshed and it’s not super obvious who the endgame is?!
What are some examples of soft cinnamon romances and Slytherin/Hufflepuff pairings? I’m looking to read more of them!
I actually made a list here on Tumblr if that helps!
OH MY WORD YES. There are SO many books that could do without romance (and, I read a lot of Christian romance fiction, and I’m SiCK and tiREd of it).
I’m super excited to hear Our Savage Song has no romance!!! It’s one of the books on my summer TBR, and I’d kill, ahem, LOVEEEEEEEEEEE to read a book with no romance (foR ONCE).
I haven’t finished the series yet, but The Lunar Chronicles doesn’t have romance, if I recall correctly???? or maybe it comes later in the series idk??? Also John Green does romance sO well (even if I don’t agree with the having-had-four-boyfriends-and-still-like-16 thing that Society seems to like so much and that he writes)
Hahha it’s just really tedious to continually read romance right!? It all feels the same after a while anyway.😂 THIS SAVAGE SONG IS AMAZING AND I LOVE IT AND I HOPE YO UDO TOO AHHH!!! (I love John Green’s romances though, agreed. Turtles All The Way Down was amazing.)
AAAAMMMMENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
saving this post for all those no romo book suggestions because the lAST BOOK I picked up said ‘mc doesn’t want to get married’ in the book flap and I was like YASSS then I read it and it was like rOmAnCe sHe cHaNgED hER mIND BECAUSE HE’S SO FAB!!!! I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED. (It was The Traitor’s Kiss which I did enjoy but still. misleading. ick.)
Romance in books is just 70% of the time WRONG HELP ME
OKAY WHAT. That’s such a disappointing book gahhhh. I mean, it’s okay to like romance?! It’s great even! But *not everyone does* and I feel like books just ignore that demographic completely sometimes. 😭😭
I’m a hopeless romantic and usually I’m all for romance but sometimes it’s refreshing to have a little break…buuut I don’t know if I could think of a book I’d rather have without romance xD My favorite trope is hands-down enemies-to-lovers and I also love slow-burn romances where it takes forever for them to get together. Tropes I hate are insta-love and when love cures ALL their problems because like, what?? It’s not like everything else/your entire history just disappeared!
I agree that romances are great!! But like a bit of variety would be good at times too?! 😂But I just LOVE it when they’re sassing each other and in denial right up till the end and then they admit they love each other.😂
LOVED THIS TAG! Who needs Valentine’s Day anyways? Lol.
I swear I get sooo anxious over Lara Jean and Peter, and I still need to read the third book to get ever moore anxious.
I’d say The Young Elites… that romance never convinced me :/
I haven’t read any good triangle so far so I shall be a good girl and read The Crown’s Game. Also, I finished The Raven Boys and BLUE AND THE BOYS ARE TOO CUTE FOR THIS WORLD AHHHHHHHH
Wow, then it’s a good thing I didn’t want to read 13RW.
It also feels awkward for me to receive gifts. From anybody, really. But I love giving gifs to other people so, BOOKS FOR THEM ALL. Though, I’m accepting any chocolate anyone wants to give away.
We seriously need more female/male relationships that ARE NOT ROMANCE. And totally agree with the love-tropes list. SLYTHERINS + HUFFLEPUFF ARE EVERYTHING ! ! ! !