Favorite YA Love Interests

Belle_91 · May 3, 2012

So I recently did a blog post on YA Love Interests *points to signature*. I'm having a tinsy bit of trouble with my own MC and LI, and I thought I might make a list of the LIs and MCs I've fallen in love with over the years.

*Some of them aren't necessarily from YA fiction, but I love them anyway.

First and foremost, I love Laurie in Little Women. He was funny, sweet, and seemed like a real person. He had some temper problems and Jo chides him on his drinking and gambling, but all in all, I could see myself with that kind of guy. The fact that he is played by Christian Bale in the 1998 film doesn't hurt either.

I also like Jo and Meg from the same novel. I can relate to both. I write like Jo and have her temper, but I can also be shy and I care so much about what people think of me like Meg.

I was also a fan of Teddy Cutting in the captivating Luxe series. Again, another sweet and reliable guy who I instantly fell in love with. He was always there for his gal even when she got knocked up by the stable boy and ran off to California.

Another man I swoon over is Jane Austen's Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey. He put up with Catherine's delusional nonesense--even though she was kind of right about his dad--and knew ever so much about muslin.

He wasn't over the top or Mr. Suave, but just a down-to-earth fellow who could be entrusted with the purchase of a gown.

I can't think of anymore right now, but who are yours?

Violeta · May 3, 2012

Well, Gone With The Wind probably qualifies as a YA novel looking at
the MC's age, so... Rhett Butler seems to me like a nice start. And he was awesome. :heart:

missesdash · May 3, 2012

Robert Pattinson, probably.

Wait.

vintagegirl · May 3, 2012

I really loved Augustus Waters from the Fault in Our Stars, as well as Joe Fontaine from the Sky is Everywhere.

Also, Peeta Mellark.

LadyA · May 3, 2012

I can't think of any of my own at the moment (except Sam Roth, at the risk of sounding like a paranormal fangirl - I swear, I only read that series

) but I totally agree with you about Henry Tilney and Teddy Cutting. The sweet non-brooding boys are always my faves

Becca C. · May 3, 2012

I loved Teddy Cutting, too. Way more than Henry.

Another awesome Teddy: Teddy Kent from Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery. He's an artist

I liked Augustus Waters too, but there's just something so unreal about him. I'm aware, at all times, that he's a character, a construct. He never comes really alive for me, the way Hazel does.

Etienne St-Clair from Anna and the French Kiss is probably one of my all-time favourite love interests.

With every re-read of Pride and Prejudice, I love Mr. Darcy more. He and Severus Snape are some of my most favourite fictional characters in general.

legendary bum · May 3, 2012

This is hard. YA, even good YA, is full of so many awful love interests. But Po from Kristin Cashore's Graceling springs to mind. I adore him.

Netz · May 3, 2012

legendary bum said:
This is hard. YA, even good YA, is full of so many awful love interests. But Po from Kristin Cashore's Graceling springs to mind. I adore him.

But he shares his name with a Teletubby! How can he be taken seriously?? :ROFL:

Smiley0501 · May 3, 2012

You asked the wrong girl. I have a 2-page list of fictional boyfriends. (No lie. A friend once asked me to give him a list and that's what happened)

Tops:
- Tobias from An*morph$
- Laurie from Little Women
- Peeta Mellark from THG
- Wes from The Truth About Forever
- Macon from Someone Like You
- Dexter from This Lullaby
- Will Parry from His Dark Materials
- Lord Asriel from His Dark Materials
- Archer from F!re by Kr*st!n Ca$hore
- St. Clair -- someone else mentioned him above. He's the most realistic to me - at least the way his and Anna's relationship developed.

mellymel · May 3, 2012

Jace, from The Mortal Instruments
Etienne, from Anna and the French Kiss
Sam from The Shiver series (thouhg I know that's not the right name of the series)
And I'm about 35 pages away from finishing Perfect Chemistry and I just LOVE Alex's character.

KateSmash · May 3, 2012

I might lose my YA-cred for this

scared

but I've never actually found a LI I really liked as a LI. Plenty of LIs I've enjoyed as characters. But you could have made them not have a relationship with the MC and not much would have changed for me.

I've resigned myself to being forever horrible and hopeless with the whole romance side of things.

Becca C. · May 3, 2012

KateSmash said:
I might lose my YA-cred for this scared but I've never actually found a LI I really liked as a LI. Plenty of LIs I've enjoyed as characters. But you could have made them not have a relationship with the MC and not much would have changed for me.

Same for me. The LIs I like, I like because they're interesting characters. Only a very select handful actually make me swoony.

thebloodfiend · May 3, 2012

I've never swooned over a YA LI. It's hard for me to even like most of them. I picked them for character, more than if I wanted them to hook up with the MC. This is just off the top of my head.

Dexter, from This Lullaby
Sumner, from That Summer
Kate, from Kissing Kate
Lio, from Gone, Gone, Gone
Sam, from The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Kira, from The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl
The Colonel, (from an alternative reading of) Looking for Alaska
Marco, from the Animorphs
John, from Looking for Alibrandi
Tara Finke, from The Piper's Son

And I pretty much hate, Etienne, Jace, Sam of Shiver, and just about any other PNR/UF/Chick-Lit love interest.

Becca C. · May 3, 2012

Craig and Lio from Gone, Gone, Gone are amazing. I loved everything about that book.

Part of what I like about Etienne St-Clair is how I picture him as Alex Day from Youtube

Belle_91 · May 3, 2012

missesdash said:
Robert Pattinson, probably.

Wait.

You know, he actually seems like a nice guy. :Shrug:

I haven't seen a lot of his interviews--or actually any of them lol--but I saw him on Ellen once and he seemed decent. However, Ellen makes anyone look awesome...but anyways I understand it that he hated Edward Cullen and only did the role for the cash. Again, I can't verify this, but it's just what I've heard.

Personally, I don't think he's that attractive. He was a whole lot cuter as Cedric Digory in Harry Potter.

Just my personal opinion.

MKrys · May 3, 2012

St.Claire-Anna and the French Kiss
Edward Cullen-Twilight
Po-Graceling
Prince Kai-Cinder

Off the top of my head. None YA I go for a little Jamie Fraser from Outlander

Niiicola · May 3, 2012

OK, I'm just going to say it. I liked Edward Cullen.

(cringes and runs off to hide)

ETA: I also really liked Kartik from the Gemma Doyle trilogy.

Belle_91 · May 3, 2012

I also liked Kyle/The Beast from the book Beastly.

I know the next two aren't literary, but I adore Riley Poole from Disney's National Treasure series and Phil Dunphy from Modern Family. I like guys with a good sense of humor and a heart of gold.

As for the Edward Cullen things, each to his/her own. If that's what floats your boat.

missesdash · May 3, 2012

Belle_91 said:
You know, he actually seems like a nice guy. I haven't seen a lot of his interviews--or actually any of them lol--but I saw him on Ellen once and he seemed decent. However, Ellen makes anyone look awesome...but anyways I understand it that he hated Edward Cullen and only did the role for the cash. Again, I can't verify this, but it's just what I've heard.

Personally, I don't think he's that attractive. He was a whole lot cuter as Cedric Digory in Harry Potter.

Just my personal opinion.

I actually think he's hilarious. He gives the best interviews, really:

http://rpattztalks.tumblr.com/

I should probably contribute to this thread in a meaningful way. I really liked Eric Poole in Tenderness. I don't know if he counts as a love interest.

KateSmash · May 3, 2012

MKrys said:
Prince Kai-Cinder

Ok, I take it back. I forgot about Kai. I really enjoyed the dynamic between him and Cinder and the way they were getting a slow, burning build. And geeze why isn't it January yet?!

Belle_91 · May 3, 2012

missesdash said:
I actually think he's hilarious. He gives the best interviews, really:

http://rpattztalks.tumblr.com/

I should probably contribute to this thread in a meaningful way. I really liked Eric Poole in Tenderness. I don't know if he counts as a love interest.

See now the fact that's he humerous makes him more attractive. I hate all of these YA guys who have no funny bone or no personality what so ever. They just sit in a dark corner and glare at everyone. I like guys with personality.

casualrungal · May 3, 2012

Ummm... can I get a shout-out for Sydney Carton?! Maybe he was never really a contender in the "love game," but... swoon!

Smish · May 3, 2012

Great YA LIs:

Ed, Graffiti Moon
Nils, Nothing Like You
The LIs in Sarah Ockler's novels
Michael, Some Girls Are
Not a Sarah Dessen fan, but I did love Eli in Along for the Ride
Adam, If I Stay and Where She Went.

Chracters I have slight crushes on:

Professor Lupin, from Harry Potter series.
Jane Austen's Colonel Brandon.
I'd marry them.

Violeta · May 3, 2012

Oh, let me add Dimitri :LilLove:

, from the Vampire Academy series, by Richelle Mead.

Yeasayer · May 3, 2012

Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door
Noah from Boy Meets Boy
Kent from Before I Fall

Favorite YA Love Interests

With her nose stuck in a book

All I Ever Wanted Was The World

You can't sit with us!

Always lurking, never posting...

needs to change her sheets

Freshly caught writing bug lives!

Lurker, now activated. :-)

this was a triumph

Cory

With her nose stuck in a book

Quietly obsessing

Twitchy

With her nose stuck in a book

You can't sit with us!

this was a triumph

With her nose stuck in a book

Reads more than she writes.

All I Ever Wanted Was The World

see you on a dark night