Illustration by NinnyTreetops @DeviantArt
I have often been asked why I like Ron and Hermione so much. I mean, they only kiss exactly once, after thousands of pages of them bickering and teasing and giving each other the silent treatment. But that’s not at all what I see. I publicly discussed my Potter fangirl love of Ron and Hermione the summer “Deathly Hallows Part 2” came out, and I stand by what I wrote. They aren’t the make-you-weak-in-the-knees type of couple with tons of steamy snogging scenes (after all, this series is more middle-grade than young-adult), but they are definitely an epic YA romance nonetheless.
The romance, you see, is mostly off the page. It’s passionate and emotional and intense, but it’s still chaste, and there’s something to be said for a good kiss rather than a full on “everything but” scene, or worse, pages and pages and pages of the protagonist (usually a young woman) going on ad nauseam about the object of her affection/infatuation/lust/love’s statuesque proportions, ripped abs, and rock hard — well, you get the picture. Of course, Ron and Hermione are an exception, because they aren’t the protagonists, so we’re not in their heads. But J.K. Rowling spent more than half a book describing Ron’s various snogfests with Lavender from Harry’s point of view, and they never once conveyed as much as Ron and Hermione’s one, mid-battle declaration of their feelings.
If I think about some of my favorite YA couples from the past couple of years: Sean and Puck; Tessa and Will; Anna and Etienne; Tris and Four; Frankie and Will; Lola and Cricket; Evanjalin and Finnikin — they’re all couples who have a heated push and pull with each other, who have more to say than how much they have the hots for the other. Even those who went all the way (Jonah and Taylor; Hazel and Augustus; Mia and Adam; Tessa and Adam; Sam and Grace; Katsa and Po) weren’t constantly thinking about their significant other in an overtly sexual way (except for Clary, who really does have a hard time not reveling in Jace’s body).
I’ve noticed that in many YA books the couple meets once, and all of a sudden BOOM, the person is IN LOVE, and ten pages later they’ve kissed and it’s true love forevah. It’s eye-rollingly lazy of a writer not to give the “why,” not to let love blossom, whether through friendship or circumstance. I’d rather read about the relationship growing, maturing, not just the physical stuff with a few high-stakes or life and death situations standing in for time and conversation.
I’m not saying fast and furious romances aren’t thrilling and fabulous; I loved Gayle Forman’s “Just One Day,” for example, but I want to see more connection not merely attraction in YA romances.
LOVE this post Sandie! Totally agree with you there. I’d much rather see a love develop than have to read pages and pages and pages of the character infatuation with the love interest.
Exactly. Some authors get it really right but others are just about the lust!
Hear hear!!!
I agree Sandie. I wonder if part of wanting that slower burn doesn’t come from being older and wiser in the ways of love?
Probably. It’s also why I tend to dislike the “douchebag with a heart of gold” trope in love stories or triangles. I just want awesome guys, not jerks you have to reform (but that’s a different story altogether!).
I know exactly what you mean! It’s those romances that we (the readers) can see blossoming that stick with us. Because we get to feel all the feels. Not just the lust, but seeing how these two characters would be perfect for each other. Those are the swooniesy moments, if you ask me.
Yes! It’s the development that is romantic and exciting to me, not the sexy bits. But then again I’m not the intended audience and have not been a virgin for a long, long time [cuz, you know, I’m 36, married and have three kids] 😉
“they’re all couples who have a heated push and pull with each other, who have more to say than how much they have the hots for the other”
YES YES YES. Yes to this post times a million! (And oh god, the swoonage you caused just by reminding us of some of these couples… Sean and Puck, Anna and Etienne, Katsa and Po…)
lol, yes those are some of my favorite, swooniest couples! I guess this is why I don’t read so-called “chick lit” (a term I hate, but it serves a purpose some times) unless it’s highly recommended. It’s largely the same formula. I applaud authors who get romance right and show the emotional intimacy, not just “oh I’d like to see him shirtless” aspect of the relationship.
I love this post! Yes times a million. THOSE are the couples that really pay off, the ones you see lasting past The End. That post on Will and Frankie was just fantastic too; God, I forgot how much I love the way Melina Marchetta writes romance. It really does always feel like forever, doesn’t it? AND I BELIEVE IT.
This is SO true! If they kiss and fall all over eachother right away, where should it go from there? The slow build up, the tension, the question if they really do like eachother… if they’ll expose their feelings just a little more in the next pages… that’s what holds me.
I totally agree! I loooove the slow burn relationships. I think they have so much more depth and make a better connection with the reader a lot of the time, at least for me. Great post!