Here's the thing. The more books I read, the more certain things bother me. I'm not usually one to rant, but the love relationships in YA novels? Well, they're getting me all kinds of frustrated. Srsly folks. These things? These things make me want to throw a novel across the room and then hunt down the author with an unsanitized pitchfork. These things fall a little flat.
1. Lopsided love triangles
It seems like every novel these days has to throw in a love triangle. But see, here's the thing. Most novels? THEY DON'T NEED THEM! You know the drill ... the story starts with a Heroine who meets boy A. Let's call him Adam. They fall madly, desperately, make-you-sick-just-by-reading-their-kissing-scenes in love. Then Heroine meets boy B (Bernie - not an attractive name, but you know she's going to end up with Adam anyway). Heroine gets all conflicted because Bernie loves her too. The novel then focuses entirely on the Heroine's FEELINGS, completely ignoring the rest of the plot while she vacillates back and forth between the two boys like a ping pong.
Some people might claim this adds conflict, but I say it just makes the Heroine seem flighty and stupid. The argument here is that it makes Couple A's love stronger and more meaningful in the end when they've triumphed over their obstacles (aka, Bernie). To me though, it just puts a time limit on their love because I don't really feel it's real anyway. When you love someone, you don't start looking at someone else.
2. Instant love at first sight
I get the fact that people can get crushes almost instantly. I get the fact that you can find someone attractive when you first see them. In fact, this happened with me and the hubby. I met him and I liked him. BUT. Those novels where Heroine meets Boy and they instantly feel a connection sooooo deep that NOTHING can shake it? I don't believe it. They fall so madly in love (after one conversation usually) that the Boy can tell her he's a werewolf/vampire/fairy/some-other-crazy-half-breed with something evil out to kill them, oh, and Heroine has to forsake her family and give up everything else that she loves all for the sake of Boy-She-Just-Met? Then the Heroine says "No problem! I love you sugar pie!" Yeah ... not working for me.
3. Good girl falls for bad boy, who of course, reforms for her
Why, oh why, are there so many YA novels about a girl reforming the bad boy??? There are so many "bad boys" in YA I think we could man a whole planet with them. In these books, the bad boy always finds there's something different about the Heroine that makes him want to get all gushy and change his bad boy ways. Just a hint all you teenage readers out there? THIS IS NOT THE GUY YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH. Not only is this a silly trend in YA, I think it's damaging for young readers who think it's true to real life. Stalkers are not cute. Not even vampire ones who spy on you at night through your window. Boys who love you so much they'll go into a rage and hurt others when you're having a fight are NOT GOOD BOYFRIENDS.
And, DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED on books where all three of these relationship elements are combined. (Heroine meets Boy A, who of course is a bad boy with abusive tendencies and instantaneously falls outrageously in love with him. Then she meets Boy B who is good for her, the guy she should choose, and then she gets conflicted. But of course, true love *don't make me gag* wins out in the end and Bad Boy A reforms and they live happily ever after). *Snorts*
I'm sure there are books where love triangles/love at first sight/bad boy reformations work. I'm not saying these things are always wrong. But, these are not plot elements to just throw into your novel to "spice things up". They have to be handled with care.
What ever happened to love stories where boy meets girl and they fall in love? Is it because there isn't enough conflict for it to be an interesting story? Is it possible to have a good love story without all the relationship drama mentioned above? I'm seriously curious.
Am I being too harsh? I dunno. I've rarely seen a book where these elements are pulled off well. I'd love to be proven wrong though. Are there any books where you think these things actually worked and added to the story?
Thank you!!!!!!!! Everything you mention seems to be obligatory story elements for anything YA, at least my limited sampling of it. Unless the author can coerce you into choosing TEAM A or TEAM B, won't have succeeded. :)
ReplyDeleteOh this post made me laugh! I agree with everything you said. It's so over done! Unfortunately, I think all of these issues make for some sad real life relationship fiascoes.
ReplyDeleteSorry I haven't been by in a while! School has been pretty demanding. Hope all is well with the new baby and the new year :D
Jen
I agree, especially the love-at-first-sight one.
ReplyDeleteI was nervous when one of my beta readers mentioned in my query that the love interest has a bad boy reputation. My friend said (as did two others who read both it and the book) that it's obvious from the query he isn't really a 'bad boy'. It's just his reputation that's bad due to past mistakes (the heroine doesn't reform him. He did that on his own). Fortunately two agents agreed since they request the ms. Phew!
Haha, I didn't mean to "call out" any writers who have some variation of these themes. Like I said, I'm sure there are some cases that are different that work. Congrats on the agents requesting your work!
DeleteAh-hahaha!!!!!! At this moment, Tiana, you are my favorite person on the planet!!!!!
ReplyDelete*still laughing*
Ok, I think I'm calm now. Love it. You are so spot on. In the story I'm querying, the MC has a thing for a guy who is kind of Jeckyl & Hyde--a split soul. I like this dynamic because I feel like it gives conflict without being cliche. (or just because it's mine, lol) Anywayzzzzz, my point is there are ALWAYS ways to not do the predictable--to not fall into the formulaic story that seems to be running rampant.
It's a pity--because time is precious, and we don't want to be wasting it on the same story over and over again ;)
Fun post! :D
AWESOME POST.
ReplyDeleteAWESOME.
I actually think that it is possible for someone to write a good story about a couple that meet and their love grows through the normal stages of lasting love. But they'd have to be a great writer because no one cares about reading something normal. We all feel our lives are normal and boring and read to get away from that. Why read a book that just describes the life we're currently living.
ReplyDeleteYou're quite right. Sarah Dessen did a good job of breaking the good girl-bad boy-and-they-lived-happily-ever-after mould in her book Dreamland.
ReplyDeleteI agree! It's like you're reading my mind. Ha ha!
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm either doing something right because my current WIP should pass your test or I won't be following the trend and will never get published.
Oh, well! I'd rather stay true to myself. :)
Ha, ha. I'm not a big fan of love at first site. And sometimes my eyes roll when we as readers are always reminded about how "hot" a guys is.
ReplyDeleteI would love more YA jovels where the heroine is doing more than falling in love.
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ReplyDeleteAmen, sister! I've thought these things for so long now (and legitimately have trouble reading YA romance now, because one or all of these elements are usually present.) I'm glad someone else sees it too!!
ReplyDeleteAMEN to everything you said! I think the problem is that many authors whose books include these elements are more concerned about wish fulfillment than the writing itself. Creating a character who is SO hot and gorgeous and whip-smart and perfect that no male can NOT fall in love with her. Embarking on this passionate connection with a bad boy and changing him for the better. Falling in love with him at first sight. It's all just them wishing these things had happened to them. We all indulge in a little wish fulfillment sometimes when it comes to writing, but some books take it a bit too far!
ReplyDeleteYES!!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha, I loved this post! Found you out through Darci at Page Traveler Tales.
It is truly the mark of a good writer to bring something new to the table. Thanks for the inspiration and determination to NOT follow the crappy-sappy mold!
Crappy-sappy mold <--- I lolled :)
DeleteHi again Tiana! Just letting you know you've won 3rd place in my blog giveaway, so you're 3rd in line to choose a prize :) I'll shoot an email your way when it's your turn to pick! Woo!
ReplyDeleteSo true! These trends in YA romance just smack of lazy writing to me. It's easy and brainless to write, and it allows them to manufacture fake drama. I've worked hard in my novel to present a very non-typical romance. The unexpected is so much more compelling to read!
ReplyDeleteLazy writing - that's a good way to explain it. Formulaic books are always easier because you don't need to think of your own plot elements. My hubby always wonders how I can predict the ends of books and movies - and the answer is because they're all following the same formula!
DeleteTotally agree! The abusive stuff drives me absolutely crazy - some of them are terrible role models! :)
ReplyDeleteI think the abusive stuff is the worst. A lot of authors argue that their books aren't meant to act as role models, but I think literature is what shapes young minds.
DeleteVery nicely put, Tiana! I think you're so right about this trend and it is a dangerous one.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or have these things been more prevalent in the last five years? (Or maybe I'm just reading more YA now ...)
DeleteIf you're being harsh, then I'm harsh alongside you. Every single one of these points makes me insane. Now and then, someone switches it up and I truly appreciate that. The 3rd point, though? It sends me into fits. On multiple levels.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, how when someone switches it up, we appreciate it so much more. That's ironic, because hopefully all stories would be somewhat unique in the first place ... (that obviously doesn't happen...)
DeleteI've been feeling meh about some YA romances. The examples you listed are not only in contemporary-realistic, which is what I mainly read, but in other genres as well. Many times these relationship types seem obvious and forced.
ReplyDeleteThey're in a lot of YA now, no matter the sub-genre. The funny thing is, usually I can read a book and by the time I've read 5 pages I can already tell you the entire plot ...
DeleteI couldn't agree more! I thought of you while reading the first of a YA series this weekend. I was thrilled with the first book, but when I read about the triangle that was going to take over the rest of the series, I decided against it. Enough already!
ReplyDeleteI should let you know, I was unable to reach the comments section on this posting through Internet Explorer. I came up with a blank page, both at the end of last week and today. It came through fine on Firefox, though.
Woah! I just tried it in IE, and you're right. There's some kind of glitch. I'll look into it - thank you so much for letting me know! Also, what book series were you reading?
DeleteThe glitch is fixed! I'm on IE right now.
ReplyDeleteAs for the book series I was reading...It was "Hunger Games." I loved the first book! I finished it over a weekend of hardly ever putting the book down. I'm still glad I read it.
I was all set to buy the next two in the series, but I read the reviews for them on Amazon first. That ruined it for me. I wasn't interested in the continued triangle or the dark ending.
Haha!! This is fantastic!! The last young adult novel I tried to read was Twilight, and, well, that just killed the whole genre for me. I just couldn't stand it, for exactly these reasons. I stalled halfway through it and ended up getting a call from the library three months later saying I had never returned the book. I found it communing with the dust bunnies under my bed. No doubt some poor tween somewhere was biting her fingers bloody waiting for me to return it.
ReplyDeleteI have read so many "Twilight sucks" posts, but you said everything so concisely, and I love that you didn't necessarily single out Twilight, but that all of these could be applied to it (I think...I'm not super familiar with them, so I'm not sure about the "bad boy reforms" one), but anyway... YES, YES, YES!! I love that this is an intelligent, well-written rant!!
So the next time some poor Twihard *shudder* accuses me of being prejudiced for no good reason, I'll just refer that poor gal to your blog here. Well said!! BRAVO!!
Smiles, Jenn @Misadventures in Motherhood
You're preaching the the choir. I think teen readers deserve better than these tired cliches writers keep writing for them. If teen girls think this is what love it, then writers aren't doing a good job preparing them for real life relationships. And these books get boring to read.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne, you saved yourself the trouble.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne, thanks for pointing out the glitch. I had to switch back from threaded comments back to the original commenting system. It's amazing Google didn't test that feature before it rolled it out!
ReplyDeleteAlso, about the Hunger Games, I loved the first one, but then didn't like the triangle aspect or the ending - so maybe it's like Theresa said and you saved yourself the trouble.
Jenn - I actually didn't mind Twilight, mostly because it was one of the first books I read in the YA genre. Then I started to read more and realized how a lot of them were alike. So maybe I only liked it because it was the first one I read? Who knows. I don't expect everyone to feel the same way though, and I'm certainly not one of those people who would die defending it! :) There were definitely things about it that I rolled my eyes at.
Theresa - I agree. It's like I've read the same book over and over.
LOVE THIS!! There are very few YA books that I love because of this. To me, romance novels are the ultimate fantasy because real guys don't act anything like they do in YA fiction.
ReplyDeleteHi Tiana, bumped into your blog via Morgan's! The love triangle thing definitely drives me crazy, along with the bad boy thing--like in Fallen when whatshisname flips the girl off and she's instantly attracted to him? How does that make any sense? :-p I'm with you on the Hunger Games, loved the first book, not so much the last one. And I do love Twilight too, they're what also got me reading YA. Nice to meet you!! :)
ReplyDeleteHahahaha! Loved this post :-) The one that ticks me off the most is the instant-love-at-first-sight. Seriously not buying that one!
ReplyDeleteCourtney - Thanks for stopping by! Look forward to getting to know you :)
ReplyDeleteRachel - I can't even tell you how many books I've read lately where the heroine sees the main guy and feels a "zap" of some sort. Then she goes on to say she feels an instant "connection" though she has no idea why. Yeah ... like you, I'm not buying it!
I have had all your gripes with YA romance and decided to do them all!
ReplyDeleteNo, really.
The triangle :
I made it a physical necessity for the guy to make a love with two different girls work or he would die ... literally. He can imagine how thrilled they were! {LOVE LIKE DEATH}
Love at first sight :
I said to myself, "How could I make this work and be believed?"
Being an urban fantasy, I had their very thoughts and memories blend for long minutes, seeing one another's bruised and lonely hearts will all the walls down. It made sense to me. {THE LEGEND OF VICTOR STANDISH}
BAD GIRL MEETS GOOD GUY AND REFORMS ... AH, GOES ON A DIET.
Alice Wentworth is a Victorian ghoul that loves street kid, Victor Standish. Their love breaks the chain of reason. If she cannot find a way to curb her hunger for human flesh, she will never be able to kiss him. Talk about incentive! {THE LEGEND OF VICTOR STANDISH & UNDER A VOODOO MOON.}
Whew! I've talked your ear off.
Enough about me. What do you think of me?
Ouch! I sound like one of my YA characters now.
Love your blog. Blessings on your little baby, Roland
Oh, I would follow, but I cannot see how.