Top Ten Favorite Romances

hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Well, this just might be the hardest Top Ten Tuesday assignment ever. Fifty percent of what makes me like a book is how I feel about the central romance. I have so many favorite literary couples I don't even know where to begin! I'm the kind of person who, no matter how good the book is, is always a tiny bit bored if there's no romance going on. I'm always like, "Yes, wonderful prose, but when is the kissing going to happen, please?"

What I'm saying is, I LIKE ROMANCE. A lot a lot a lot.

To make this a little easier on myself, I'm only going to list couples I love from YA literature. That means I'm skipping over couples like Elizabeth and Darcy, Laurie and Jo (IF ONLY, amirite?), Jane and Rochester, and other non-YA couples. So only YA couples here. Also, spoilers ahead, folks, so be wary.

So, in no particular order, and bearing in mind I have left out about fifty other possible couples:

1. Tris and Four from the Divergent series



These two are true equals, and in some ways are all the other has in the world. Not only do they respect each other, but there's some serious chemistry between them. They know each other through and through and are familiar with their partner's strengths and flaws. What I love about this relationship is that it's not based on attraction or a shallow crush, although there's certainly heat between them, but respect. There's friction sometimes, and sometimes their trust in one another is challenged, but in the end these two always come through for each other.

2. Ron and Hermione/Harry and Ginny from the Harry Potter series



I'm sure a lot of lists this week are going to swoon all over Ron and Hermione, and just like any diehard Harry Potter fan, I ship these two something fierce. I may or may not have shrieked and hugged my book the first time I read DH and a certain kissing scene came up. I could talk about why these two are perfection personified for quite a while. But I'm going to take a moment to talk up a couple I think is kind of underrated: Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley.

I think they're perfect. They're both fierce and brave and funny. (Seriously, older Ginny Weasley is the awesomest. She's got Fred and George's sense of humor and Mrs. Weasley's tenacity, absolutely enviable hair.) Ginny's the only one who can get Harry to snap out of his emo self-loathing moments. They both love Quidditch. And by marrying her, Harry finally became a part of the only real family he's ever had. Cue the awwwww's.

3. Juliette and Warner



Most of my review of Unravel Me was inarticulate flailing over how much I love this couple. These two are HOT, HOT, HOT. Twisty, dark, sexy, way too similar, way too different. They connect on such a deep emotional level, more than Juliette would ever like to admit. And OH YEAH, they've got some serious physical connections going on as well... *fans self furiously*

4. Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games

“You love me. Real or not real?”
I tell him, “Real.” 

SWOON. For me, Peeta was the only possible choice for Katniss. Don't get me wrong, I got the appeal of Gale, but Peeta? The sweet, sensitive baker with a heart of gold and a talent for painting? No brainer. He and Katniss are a perfect match and are always connected, even when motives get muddled. Not even tracker jacker venom can fully destroy their relationship. She's all fire and spikiness and fierceness, while he's solid, strong, and calming. His steadiness of heart and character bring out the best in Katniss. He creates a safe, loving place that she needs. Plus when they kiss it makes my HEART FLUTTER.

5. Mia and Adam from If I Stay and Where She Went



Bring out the tissues, ladies and gentleman. This couple is put through the emotional ringer like almost no other contemporary YA couple I know. I mean, Mia stayed for him. I can't even. And yes, they rip each other's hearts out, but they understand each other like nobody else does. They speak the language of music, after all.

6. Elisa and Hector from The Crown of Embers

So. Hot. Seriously, these two have scenes together that just... I had to put the book down and take a lap around the apartment just so I could breathe again. These two are so fiercely loyal to each other it's amazing. She's the queen, and he's her guard, so obviously there are some obstacles there, but they're both willing to die for each other. They respect each other more than any other person, and the way TCOE ended made me sob big fat baby sobs. Any couple able to shred my heart into little pieces is a couple worth reading about.

7. Georgia Nicolson and Dave the Laugh from the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series



Dave the Laugh, I have loved you since I was fourteen-years-old, and it absolutely devastates me that you are not a real person. You are my ideal man: British, handsome, and absolutely, mind-bogglingly hilarious. Seriously, Georgia may have swooned over Sex Gods and Italian Stallions for most of the series, but it was always Dave who was the one for her, he of the never-ending pants jokes ("The hills are alive with the sound of PANTS!") and Hornmeister expertise. They share the exact same sense of humor and disregard for sanity. All of Georgia's other boyfriends were always somewhat appalled by her completely lunacy, but that's why Dave loved her (that and her enormous "basoomas". GOD I MISS THE LANGUAGE OF THIS SERIES).

8. Alina and Mal from Shadow and Bone

Amazing fan art by Irene Koh

I'll admit, I am deeply fascinated by The Darkling. He is so sexy and evil and powerful and I would have his twisted, gruesome little babies in a heartbeat. HOWEVER, Alina and Mal definitely have a healthier romantic connection. They've been best friends forever, having grown up together as fellow orphans. Then they joined the Ravkan army together, and Alina's feelings developed into something more than friendship. I love these two together. Mal is cocky and confident but ultimately extremely loyal. Alina loves Mal more than anybody. She tamps down her own power just to stay with him, finally releases it to save his life, and is willing to do a whole bunch of crazy shizz to save his life (see the end of Shadow and Bone).

Just so you can all see the gorgeousness that is one Mal Oretsev. You're welcome.

9. Daine and Numair from The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce

This is the cover I grew up reading and I
refuse to believe there are any other covers.
Don't disillusion me. 

It was hard for me to choose just one Tamora Pierce couple, but I ultimately had to go with Daine and Numair. Daine is a teenager who can talk to animals (and can ultimately shapeshift into them) and Numair is her teacher. Yes, there's a slight age difference here, but Daine is so mature and they're such equals that it's not even an issue. Plus, it's high fantasy. Different rules apply. She's lower class, fiery, and no-nonsense. He's highly educated, flamboyant, and can do magic. It takes them three and a half books to finally admit they lurrrrve each other (although they came CLOSE at the end of the third book, when one of them thought the other one was dead and I cried and cried). Their big kiss scene in The Realms of the Gods is one of my favorite kiss scenes of all times. It really affected me as a kid. I practically have it memorized.

10. Anna and Etienne from Anna and the French Kiss



THE SINGLE CUTEST COUPLE IN ALL OF CONTEMPORARY YA. I defy you to read this book and not squeal and flail like a thirteen-year-old at a Justin Bieber concert. Seriously. These two. They're quippy, and adorable, and they're best friends who not-so-secretly love each other, and who make out on top of world-famous Parisian landmarks. And he's British and has a lot of hair and she's American and awesome and aaaaaagh. Why is that book not my life? Why?!

Extremely Honorable Mentions:
Po and Katsa from Graceling, Lyra and Will from His Dark Materials (a tragic couple who SHATTERED MY HEART when I was eleven years old. I have never recovered), Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables, Sophie and Howl from Howl's Moving Castle, Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie from Sloppy Firsts, Mia Thermopolis and Michael Moscovitz from The Princess Diaries, Lily Evans and Severus Snape (ALWAYS! *bursts into manic tears*) from Harry Potter, Alec and Magnus from The Mortal Instruments series, Alek and Deryn from the Leviathan series, Annie and Finnick *bursts into more tears* from The Hunger Games, Jase and Samantha from My Life Next Door, Logan and Rachel from Defiance, Celaena and Chaol from Throne of Glass, I could do this probably for the rest of my life, so I'll stop.

Tell me which couples you love, and leave me links to your Top Tens if you have them!