Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This meme allows bloggers to connect with one another and share their top ten lists on specific topics. Today's topic is our top ten favorite love stories, which seems appropriate because yesterday was Valentines Day. While I have you here, I would love your input on my booklists: Love Will Tear Us Apart, Bizarre Love Triangle, and I Can't Help But Fall in Love, which I created for Valentines Day. Feel free to add your suggests in the comments!
I would like to preface this list by saying that Elizabeth Bennett and Darcy along with Bella Swan and Edward Cullen are a given. I wanted to create a list of other fabulous couples that you may or may not have heard of, who also deserve the spotlight. Without further ado...
Top 10 Favorite Love Stories (in no particular order)
Benedict and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare- While they may not be the central couple of this romantic comedy, I can't help but laugh at their bickering and love how they fall in love despite how much they are reluctant to accept it.
Grace and Sam from The Wolves of Mercy series by Maggie Stiefvater- Grace and Sam's chemistry is undeniable. Pure, passionate, rich, and real. Stiefvater's writing is magical and before you know it you begin to become the characters and know exactly what they are feeling and thinking.
Katsa and Po from Graceling by Kristin Cashore- I love how Po does not feel insecure by Katsa's strength, but rather encourages her to trust and accept it. He accepts Katsa for who she is and does not try to change her. For once, to fall in love is not seen as a step back, but rather a step forward.
Kate and Curran from the Kate Daniel series by Ilona Andrews- I hope by now that I have convinced you to read this series. Kate and Curran's chemistry is off the charts. They are both incredibly strong characters who are also vulnerable and flawed as humans.
Anna and St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins- I love how Anna and St. Clair develop their relationship from mere acquaintances to friends to something more. I find St. Clair's nervous ticks, imperfect teeth, and his British accent completely adorable and swoon worthy.
Auden and Eli from Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen- Dessen has written several teen romances and it was hard to choose just one, but Along for the Ride struck a strong cord for me. Auden and Eli are both trying to come to terms with issues in their lives. For Auden, it is trying to understand her parents divorce and living a carefree teen life which she has been denied. For Eli, it is to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend. Auden and Eli's relationship is the catalyst that helps them both accept their short comings and move forward to the future.
Jenna and Cameron from Sweethearts by Sara Zarr- Zarr has a way in telling a rich, complex story in a very small amount of pages. Sweethearts is a story of two people: Jennifer aka Jenna and Cameron. Jennifer and Cameron have been childhood friends. One day, Cameron doesn't go to school. Jennifer hears a rumor at school that Cameron has died in an accident, which her mother later confirms. Eight years later, Cameron reappears on Jennifer's birthday. What happened between those eight years? How will Jennifer and Cameron work it out? Their relationship is hard to define-more than sister & brother, lovers, friends. I would say they are kindred spirits.
Adam and Mia from If I Stay by Gayle Forman- I know I've mentioned this book several times in several different lists, but it's honestly one of the most incredible books I've ever read. The book centers around Mia, who is lying in a coma after a tragic car accident that claims her parents and her sibling. Mia now has to decide whether or not to stay and be alive or join her family in death. Adam is Mia's boyfriend who could have easily walked away from the situation, but instead he fights to stay by her side and visit her regardless of what the hospital visiting rules are. I can't wait to revisit Adam and Mia in Where She Went, the sequel to If I Stay.
Jessie and Henry from Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern- A charming, witty romantic comedy that makes you think. Jessie is a sophomore in high school. A self-professed “mathelete,” she isn’t sure where she belongs. Her two best friends have transformed themselves into punks and one of them is going after her longtime crush. Her beloved older brother will soon leave for college and has started dating the prom princess of all people. With things changing so fast, Jessie needs new friends. And her quest is a hilarious tour through high-school clique-dom, with a surprising stop along the way—the Dungeons and Dragons crowd. Will hanging out with them make her a nerd, too? And could she really be crushing on a guy with too-short pants and too-white gym shoes? Jessie and Henry reminds us that it is completely okay to be quirky and to love one another for just they way we are.
Paul and Noah from Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan- In a society where people's sexual orientation does not make or break a person, Paul meets and falls for Noah. Things were going great, until Paul blows it and now he has to win Noah back. Paul reminds us that sometimes things need to fall apart to make us understand how it all really fits together. Paul and Noah's relationship is sweet as they both compliment each other very well. Boy Meets Boy is a heart warming, meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back that anyone despite their sexuality can enjoy and relate to.
Labels:
Adult,
Fantasy,
Friendship,
GLBT,
Kate Daniels,
Realistic Fiction,
Romance,
Shakespeare,
Top 10 Tuesday,
Urban Fantasy,
YA
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Katsa and Po are so good together! They don't necessarily need eachother, but they choose to be together, which is much healthier than a lot of the relationships in YA books..
I am really gonna read Anna and the French Kiss soon! It's on a lot of lists this week.
I only I was finished with Anna and the French Kiss. It's so good and I can't wait to see what happens.
Katsa and Po and Sam and Grace made my list too.
I'm fairly certain Benedick and Beatrice are my favorite Shakespeare couples. As much as I adore the bard, for some reason I didn't put any of his couples on my list today. Huh.
Great list! Love some of your choices
Anna and the French Kiss is a gentle read (though I suppose I'm at an age that it becomes more and more difficult for me to understand that sense of entitlement that our main character has and acts upon).
I loooove Much Ado! And I totally melted into a fangirly puddle while reading Shiver. Great list!!