I'm a little different from most readers because I don't actively seek out romance books anymore. I don't know why but I'm so sick of reading about romance. It's not that it's awful- I can enjoy it. I hate however that it's beyond a norm, almost like a rule in YA. It's almost impossible to find a book without the main character having some sort of love interest. I thought I would do an "experiment".Procedures
Look at the last 10 YA books I read and discern whether the main character had any type of romance going on. I'll categorize what I find into four groups. All groups are chosen based on the "end state" of the novel. Everything here is subjective.- Crush
- Relationship
- Angst (they broke up, etc.)
- None
Hypothesis
I don't seek out romance so I'm expecting 70% of the books I read to have some sort of romance.
Observations
| Book | Romance Level |
|---|---|
| The Color of Rain | Relationship |
| Boy Nobody | Angst |
| Seizure | None |
| Black Heart | Relationship |
| The Madness Underneath | Angst |
| White Lines | Relationship |
| Sanctum | Relationship |
| The Piper's Son | Relationship |
| Prophecy | Relationship |
| Pretty Girl 13 | Crush |
Conclusions
90% of the books I read had some sort of romance in them. The only one that didn't, had a 14 year old main character. There's nothing wrong with romance; it's like sprinkles. Even if there's a lot of them, they can be enjoyable. However, I think 90% is a way too high figure.
There's a lot more to teenage life than crushes and relationships. Sometimes I get so fed up with romance because it's unrealistic: why can't characters be single, and enjoy being single? Looking at this list, most YA books end off with the characters in a relationship. I can only speak from experience and looking around at my school, but 60% of the teens there don't have relationships. More like 10-20%. There's nothing wrong with being single and enjoying it.
The reason I did this was to say that not every book needs a romance. They're not necessary. Why not have a super strong parental bond? A sibling relation? How about a variety of friends? Epic Reads hosts an event called #TeaTime and they were talking a little along these lines yesterday, about womances (girls that are BFFs) or the lack of womances. It's obvious that most people would enjoy a focus on other relationships.
Well, we don't necessarily think there needs to be less romance in books... but maybe fewer books that are just romance dressed as other things. Like, well over half of the paranormal, scifi, or fantasy books that we've read in the YA category are really just love stories dressed in genre clothing. We'd much rather read stories that happen to involve a relationship, instead of being *about* that relationship. As you said, there's a lot more to life than crushes and kissing. (Although, we would argue, love in all its many forms is the most powerful force on the planet. ;D)
ReplyDeleteI'm a little less into the romance, but that would be an awesome alternative too. I try to seek out books where romance isn't the focal point but it is way too often, like you said. I'd also like stories that involve a relationship, but aren't about that relationship. Thanks for your thoughts.
Delete-P.E.
I totally understand what you're saying. I think why so many YA books have romances is because that way the book can have more fans. You have no idea how everyone ships a certain couple and stuff like that. It just keeps them interested in the book, you know? Or something I like that. I think I like crushes more than relationships / angst (I enjoy my MG crushes). Great post, P.E.!
ReplyDelete-Ariella @ Secrets of Lost Words
I do understand that, and I'm probably in the minority that sometimes wants a book with no romance at all. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Delete-P.E.
I haven't even thought of this but it's very true - almost every book I read features a romance of some sort. I do love it, I think it goes along with my love for reading as an escape - having a story that has romantic love as this idealized, almost perfect thing is appealing to me, but stories with strong parental relationships or friendships can be just as moving as a good love story and something different which is always good!
ReplyDeleteLoved how you set up this post so scientifically! :)
Haha, the scientifically thing was because I took my last science course a few weeks ago and I'm a little sad (and a lot relieved). I understand though- most fantasies, or escapes, feature some sort of romance.
DeleteThanks for visiting!
-P.E.
I like reading books that have a separate plot with an intertwined love plot. I think romantic relationships are always a good way to watch a character grow, and of course, in my opinion, romance is so fun to read! Although I don't read too many books that are just solid Romance, those get a little bit too much.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, they can totally help characters develop when done well. I'm glad you find romance fun, and yup, like all things, too much isn't very good. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Delete-P.E.
I actually seem to prefer books without romance these days. But you are right. They seem to almost be in every YA book these days, which is why I have a tendency to prefer books with a male protagonist because the romances seem to be diminished. Weird, I know
ReplyDeleteNot weird. I do the same. It's also a little bit more interesting imo to get the guys' perspective on the romance if it's there. I agree that it is diminished, almost refreshingly so. Romance is almost never the focal point of "guy" books.
DeleteGlad to know I'm not alone :p
-P.E.
Hey, you're not the only one who doesn't deliberately seek out romance novels, because I'm the same! I call myself a hopeless romantic when really, I'm a skeptical one (kudos to Chri for coming up with that word) - most romances, I'm sure we can agree, are a little far-fetched and most probably won't ever happen to us. "There's a lot more to teenage life than crushes and relationships." I agree with this 1,000%! I wish authors would just understand that. Being a teen myself, I know for sure that my life isn't all about my crush... even if I do spend a fair bit of time thinking of him. *awkward cough*
ReplyDeleteThis was an awesome post, P.E. You're right: not all YA novels need to have romance in them. I'm sure there're authors out there who know that, too, so the question I'm asking now is whether the YA audience will be able to adapt well to YA books without romance? It's because we're so used to it, seeing love interests and crushes in nearly every novel that romance ALMOST defines YA. Will we be able to handle such a huge change? Just food for thought.
Still, this was a cool experiment. :)
Aw thanks! Glad you liked it! And this experiment was spawned due to me thinking there were too many unrealistic relationships. There are too many soulmate type relationships in YA for my liking.
DeleteI also think you brought up an awesome point. Just based on the comments here, I can see that most people seem to enjoy romance. I wish I could redo this post and add a poll! Anyway, I'd hope YA would be just as appealing without the romance. However, I know I'm in the minority. Most people adore romance and I've heard some people tell me if it's not in a book, they won't read it. It's often acknowledged as one of the best elements in a novel and it's so common because it can be universally applied to every genre. I also think most authors are big readers so they probably write what they'd like to read, and that seems to include romance.
Obviously, people like intimate relationships. Romance seems to be the way to go when it comes to that, but I'd like to read more about close friendships, or relationships with parents, or if you're lonely, not the gorgeous guy changing your life, but the little things like, idk, getting a pet. Or throwing yourself into a hobby.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
-P.E.
I think that starting to have and act on romantic feelings is a central part of being a teenager, but it seems to me that romance in YA is often completely unrealistic. Love triangles, teen romances that are supposed to last forever, perfect love scenes, perfect guys….
ReplyDeleteLove your chart! Yeah, Madness Underneath… not sure where that angst is headed!
You can find me here: Jen @ YA Romantics
I think that would make it better, if it were even a little realistic. Maybe if the romance was less perfect and less "forever", it wouldn't feel so strange to me for it to be so prominent.
DeleteAnd yeah. That ending... *shakes head*
-P.E.