Saturday, May 7, 2011

Abandoned Love

I'm all for happy endings. I'm not one of those readers/writers who wants to see the main couple go through various trials and mood swings just to prove how in love they are. I believe relationships can be happy and healthy, and that they can start and continue this way. I think I might be the only one who thinks this because I've noticed that in the second book of most paranormal YA romances, the male love interest ALWAYS leaves. Let me break it down:

1. BOY is increasingly moodier than in first book.
2. BOY isn't there for main character.
3. BOY leaves.
4. BOY returns in the end only to declare his love and validate his moodiness/absence by said declaration. All this occurs in like one paragraph and then the main character rushes to accept the reasoning.

Now, I know no relationship is perfect and thus the need for conflict, but this device is something I'm growing tired of. Can't the couple face some other form of conflict? And why does the love interest have to leave? Did New Moon start this trend? (I'm sure it didn't, but I thought I'd throw it out there, haha)

So, my friends, what do you think of this trend? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Are you guilty of using it? :-)
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9 comments:

  1. Kelley VitolloMay 7, 2011 at 12:33 AM

    No, no, no! I totally agree with you. Why does it always happen that way?? AND, yes I know we need conflict, but to me, it doesn't always have to come from the couple. The outside conflict can be enough--if its done right--so we don't always have to have something major happen to the couple or for the boy to bail.

    Good post, DJ.

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  2. TrishaMay 7, 2011 at 12:33 AM

    I agree, maybe it's good for one or two storylines, but why must everyone pick up the same idea and run with it?? A little originality never hurt anyone ;)

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  3. Sari WebbMay 7, 2011 at 2:03 AM

    Yep, completely agree. I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I'm also a sucker for romance, and love books with the romance as either the main plotline or a subplot. For me, if for most of the book the two supposedly in love characters are apart because of what usually amounts to miscomminication, I get irritated. I want to see them in love!

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  4. Mundie MomsMay 7, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    I completely agree! I love a happy endings, romance and realistic relationships. Not every romance needs to have the boy leave and come back, and even if does come back, why does the girl always have to take him back? I think that's overly written about. I agree with Kelley's comment- conflict can happen outside the relationship. To me that's more realistic and something I enjoy reading more. I also don't like that so many YA books have to have love triangles. Don't get me wrong, I do love a good love triangle, but sometimes I feel it's overly done in YA books.

    I guess my short answer would be yes, I enjoy this, but I think it's been overly done and I like to see things changed up a bit and given a more realistic approach. I don't want to see the main love interest leave, I want to see how they grow and work things out with the conflict that happens around them.

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  5. Tara MartinMay 7, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    I hate, hate HATE this trend. It's a big reason why I've stopped reading a lot of YA paranormal romances. I don't like what it says, that romance should be difficult and full of drama. I get that a romance needs to be interesting in order to captivate the reader, but the boy doesn't need to be an aloof jerk. :p

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  6. SarehMay 7, 2011 at 12:16 PM

    I don't read alot of paranormal romances but I do agree with this. I've actually seen it in other genres too. I agree, while it is a type of conflict, something else needs to happen. Just because the boy left, that doesn't mean it's going to help test your love. It can even come in the form of cancer! There's tons of different ways to test someone's love. Personally if a guy ever left me and then return months later to declare his love, heck, I'd laugh at him and move on unless he had a valid reason to leave.

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  7. Shannon LawrenceMay 7, 2011 at 5:37 PM

    I agree, not a good trend. Just because something is successful in one book, doesn't mean every other book needs the same deal!

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  8. Kristia S.May 8, 2011 at 12:23 AM

    Well...in my book it's the total oppisite. It's my MC girl that leaves him, when he's about to declare his love to her. She doesn't want to take the chance of getting involved just yet, but she may when she gains justice for her parent's death. So she doesn't want him risking his life to protect her, while she's searching for her mom and dad's murderer. My girl doesn't come back to him though, but he puts himself back in her life by force. It takes her a bit to accept that he's in her life for the worse and tough, but she does. ^_^

    I think it's a nice trend in certain books because they can rock it. But if it keeps showing up in books, it is going to grow tiresome.
    I haven't read many, yet. Too many books, not much time I have. *shrugs*

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  9. Shiela Calderón BlankemeierMay 8, 2011 at 7:42 PM

    I'm with you! New conflicts, please. And I'm doing all I can to avoid that in my own :)

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