tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post3973927038437055313..comments2023-11-26T08:55:00.075-05:00Comments on Steph Su Reads: "Tru Luv" Teen Romance: Pulling YA Down One Genre at a Time?Steph Suhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834692034486125015noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-71751897050413263532011-08-29T20:31:51.344-04:002011-08-29T20:31:51.344-04:00"I'd rather read about the speculative fi..."I'd rather read about the speculative fiction protagonist who slays the dragon, saves the community, overthrows the government, defeats the physical manifestation of evil, or whatever else they can do, AND gets the hot guy/girl somewhere along the process.."<br /><br />You should read Karen Marie Moning's Fever series!! it is what you are looking for!! (not Y/A thou...) its an awesome book...action w/ little romance. More Urban fantasy!! <br /><br />I loved the post BTW!! Exactly what i've been thinking!! Twilight is not a good film..it makes women seem week and needy!!The ParaNormal Romance Partyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03417631326598005294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-76433014514102759212011-04-05T15:05:31.187-04:002011-04-05T15:05:31.187-04:00Very interesting and thoughtful post. I agree with...Very interesting and thoughtful post. I agree with most of what you said; I also agree with the poster above who said that there is room in the YA world for both kinds of stories: those "tru love" stories that for many grow tiresome, and the stories that either tell a different kind of love story, or no love story at all. And I think that both kinds of books are out there. Don't give up, readers! For example: The Dairy Queen trilogy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is an excellent contemporary series, in my opinion, and I think portrays a realistic, open-ended high school romance (and there's so much more going on than just the romance). Kristin Cashore has kick-ass heroines who have their own adventures, with maybe a little romance along the way -- but it's far from typical. And I agree with the mentions of John Green and Patrick Ness. I'd also add The Agency series by Y.S. Lee. It's historical fiction (which you didn't mention specifically), and while there is some romance, the books are really all about the mystery. Anyway, I know those are only a few examples, but I wanted to throw them out there.Amanda Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12900346984562574300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-35804111602143706242011-04-05T09:33:31.064-04:002011-04-05T09:33:31.064-04:00Holy crow, you just said what's been sitting i...Holy crow, you just said what's been sitting in the back of my brain for months, that I couldn't seem to articulate.<br /><br />What bothers me most is that it's not just in YA that these issues are coming up. Have you seen a RomCom lately? I grew up watching the originals from the 50s and 60s, even the ones in the 80s, and women were all strong, knew themselves, and found love along the way of doing other things. Now, it's like no one can love you unless you're a little broken, clumsy, and obsessive.<br /><br />And I'll say this: when I was a teen tearing my way through books to escape my crappy life, I gravitated to the ones with women who had a better life than mine, not the ones where the girl was just as dull and dumb as I often felt. It's nice to fall in love, but I had enough friends to know that always finding eternal lasting love when you're fifteen is ridiculous.<br /><br />Thanks for the good read!<br />Samantha HollowaySamantha Hollowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02976242240657795974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-945612479952388022011-04-04T19:28:41.236-04:002011-04-04T19:28:41.236-04:00Interesting post Su - can I just say that you shou...Interesting post Su - can I just say that you should read Divergent by Veronica Roth. I think you'd like that ;)Lynsey Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01565424842334968772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-54998093287891754462011-04-04T17:40:59.899-04:002011-04-04T17:40:59.899-04:00Followed you here from LT :) you got me hooked on ...Followed you here from LT :) you got me hooked on YA books 2 years ago.<br /><br />First I have to say that I met my bf when I was 18 during 'O week' of my first year at Uni... 8 years later we're still together and looking for our first house. It does happen :)<br /><br />Secondly I love teen romance, if it's GOOD teen romance, to me it is a talent and sometimes I get the feeling that the authors editor has said something along the lines "if it's YA novel you have to have romance" so these authors are writing teen romance with no real talent or desire to.<br /><br />Once in a while I get the urge to read a romance. (Typically when BF is overseas on business) Doesn't have to be YA, doesn't have to be a bodice ripper, just an honest to god goey, tears in my eyes, awesome romance. And I'll think: but that YA book I just read was romantic, it had the angel dude and that girl who was sad all the time coz of a craptastic life and they were meant for each other... soulmates... but it didn't have the magic a romance should have! It's just a formula.kiwiflowahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02683052222443425219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-64194541878257624492011-04-03T02:53:44.694-04:002011-04-03T02:53:44.694-04:00Excellent, excellent post. Defining what love, or ...Excellent, excellent post. Defining what love, or true love, or whatever is hard, because our understanding stems from movies and books. I often wonder how teens in books know they've "fallen in love", especially in such a short time, and what did the guy do to get that love anyway (often it's by bullying or just existing prettily). <br /><br />So yes, I agree with you. I've read some awesome books about the perception of love *cough*JohnGreen*cough*, and because it's different, I could recall it instant. It stands out. <br /><br />Again, great post.Dazzling Magehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00995885360211848837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-46355675894258811442011-04-02T15:49:10.212-04:002011-04-02T15:49:10.212-04:00<3 this post. Also, I'd like to take this o...<3 this post. Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to say that while ~luv at first sight~ novels are obnoxious, ~luv before first sight~ ones are even worse. As in, the couple has been reincarnated over hundreds of years and loves each other automatically because of it. x.xKhyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17601798821880063492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-38549853663294472332011-04-02T09:11:26.009-04:002011-04-02T09:11:26.009-04:00"...or whatever else they can do, AND gets th..."...or whatever else they can do, AND gets the hot guy/girl somewhere along the process."<br />Absolutely this. :)<br /><br />"But whether you're a teen or not, when you're in love, of course you're going to resent anyone who tries to convince you that, uh, you're not really in love, it's just a passing phase."<br />Especially as these comments tend to come invariably from people who couldn't tell true love if it bit them in the... backside.Old Folkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13974128781041813293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-68823192710243209522011-04-01T16:15:28.822-04:002011-04-01T16:15:28.822-04:00You've pretty much said everything I've be...You've pretty much said everything I've been thinking the past few months!<br /><br />I feel like the YA books I read when I was actually a young adult are non-existent nowadays. I think to myself, "What happened? Why is everything revolving around these ideal male figures who are so NOT ideal?". I find myself not buying new YA titles, but hunting down older YA books - because they actually have PLOTS! They aren't simply Harlequin romances for teens! They have SUBSTANCE. Character development! Worlds I can lose myself in!<br /><br />And I'm not trying to say that teen Harlequin-type romance books shouldn't exist - but I wish they'd stop hiding under the labels of different genres. A romance set in a dystopian world is not a dystopian novel - it's a romance with a dystopian backdrop. There is a difference. <br /><br />Anyways, my point is that I wholeheartedly agree with this post. Kudos to you for so eloquently saying what a lot of us have been thinking!Vanessa Di Gregoriohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10508308737532180690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-40841975464825056282011-04-01T14:47:17.102-04:002011-04-01T14:47:17.102-04:00Amen to this! This is exactly what I've been t...Amen to this! This is exactly what I've been thinking about YA dystopians and scifi novels lately.<br /><br />I'd like to think that my books tackle romance other than "tru luv," among other things, because I myself would like to see more of it. BLOODBORN in particular explores what happens after people break up and still have feelings for each other.Karen Kincyhttp://karenkincy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-71988073234041912462011-04-01T12:01:31.215-04:002011-04-01T12:01:31.215-04:00Your post about this came at the perfect time, bec...Your post about this came at the perfect time, because this is something that I've been struggling with, too. More often than not, I find myself wondering what exactly we're supposed to think as readers when we walk away from a story that features teenagers finding what they think is true love. Are we supposed to believe it'll last forever? Are we supposed to think that it'll last until summer, or college, or maybe a little longer?<br /><br />What kind of message does it send to readers, I wonder? What kind of expectations does it set up for real-life first-love (or even lust)?<br /><br />I have a post about this topic scheduled for next week, and I've linked to your post, because yours is way better than mine. Hope that's okay.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's a really articulate, well-structured analysis about what's happening in YA right now.Clementine Bojangleshttp://earlynerdspecial.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-35365453731294291702011-04-01T06:50:04.970-04:002011-04-01T06:50:04.970-04:00I'm seconding the Chaos Walking trilogy for an...I'm seconding the Chaos Walking trilogy for an amazing dystopian-- I saw that you didn't finish The Knife of Never Letting Go on goodreads, but I hope you give it another try someday. The second book is completely different and even more amazing, too imo ;DLinnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11201154182622247940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-24236412028254225432011-04-01T05:47:13.176-04:002011-04-01T05:47:13.176-04:00Someone sent me your link because I've been co...Someone sent me your link because I've been complaining about the SAME things for the last few months. First teen dystopian upset me because I found the worlds so NOT compelling and so UNbelievable...perhaps "shallow" is the word I want. It didn't occur to me that the world-building was weak because the story was about the LOVE and not the WORLD/SOCIETY. Which...kinda defeats the whole point of dystopian (as you so eloquently state yourself).<br /><br />Then I moved to a stack of teen paranormal ARCs, hoping the breather from dystopian (which I used to love!) would help me refocus on why I enjoy YA.<br /><br />BAAAAAH. Wrong. Out of 4 ARCS, all 4 were built on a premise of TRUE LOVE with a stalker-ish, Cullen-ish hero. I was so frustrated I only managed to finish 1 of them.<br /><br />Um, this led to an identity crisis because all I could think was: "Oh NO! What if I can't enjoy YA anymore! What if the novels I write aren't appropriate because the romance is only a subplot!"<br /><br />Honestly, I was worried because I write YA for a living! But then I discovered Saundra Mitchell's amazing YA paranormal, SHADOWED SUMMER. And despite what the dumb Amazon blurb says--"fans of TWILIGHT will love this!"--it is NOT a romance. In fact, the little dabble into romance is so minor, I almost wanted more! But only "almost" because in reality, the ghost story and its characters were *so* vivid and *so* engrossing, I couldn't put the book down.<br /><br />Her book reminded me what READING means to me, what READING can do to me, and what I want to do in my own novels.<br /><br />And then I made a vow to myself that I would, no matter what, only write books I could be proud of--i.e. a book I would enjoy reading. And those kinds of books are filled with adventure, captivating settings, and heroines who save their own butts while learning a lot about themselves along the way. Romance is secondary and usually doesn't even wrap-up until the very end of the series (Tamora Pierce, I'm looking at you).<br /><br />Wow, so I just wanted to say how much I appreciated your post, and it turned into my own rant. Oops!<br /><br />Thanks for saying something that I think needs to be said and shared. Life is about LIFE, and sometimes romantic love happens along the way.Susanhttp://susandennard.com/blog-2/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-7874668650937783522011-04-01T03:53:11.630-04:002011-04-01T03:53:11.630-04:00I love this post so much, I want to have a love tr...I love this post so much, I want to have a love triangle with it and a best friend type who really doesn't stand a chance at winning my affection, because my heart has been lost to this post.<br /><br />My big turn-off is romance as the main driver for a story. Sure, sometimes I'm in the mood for that-- and a romance novel fits the bill. But so many YA novels that appear to be another genre, be it fantasy or sci-fi, or what have you, inevitably become about the love story.<br /><br />What about mentor-mentee relationships? What about sisters? Best friends? Why not all of these things? There are so many compelling forms human affection takes that I just get so tired of the single theme of true love.S.J.Kincaidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14159000802250378161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-102448418337930362011-04-01T00:43:29.728-04:002011-04-01T00:43:29.728-04:00Lol! This is great! I completely agree with you! T...Lol! This is great! I completely agree with you! The "always and forever" is soooo played out. Sure I am not going to deny that I like to read those type of books once in while even though I can never truly buy their absolute necessity to be with each other because one is not going to die if they don't have a soul mate/prince charming or whatever people try to sell to us. I for one would like to see a different ending in which a couple breaks up or realizes that the other isn't what they need, but then I wouldn't want to see a character become sl** either. <br /><br />I guess putting a little romance is okay, but not to the point where they are destined to be together in a happily ever after type. Or maybe have them destined to be together, but one of two does not want to be with the other one at all and still doesn't end up together at the end of the book/series.<br /><br />I don't know maybe ya authors should try something new. Maybe bring in some horror and unhappy endings.xdeexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04952068605719038250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-3466899678209256702011-03-31T23:49:05.549-04:002011-03-31T23:49:05.549-04:00i'm with you sister. and i loved your closing ...i'm with you sister. and i loved your closing line: "I just want the critical and commercial acknowledgment that there is not just one way to tell a teen love story." <br /><br />so here it is. i acknowledge it! and there are books out there that do too. unfortunately, i fear they do NOT get nearly enough press.<br /><br />one of my all time favorite book series just happens to be a dystopian with a perfectly balanced and 100% natural (and still amazing) romance - the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness. seriously - perfect blend. <br /><br />thanks for composing and sharing your thoughts on this!Lisa Schenstedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14394196334860848380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-58380099843632381942011-03-31T23:09:25.142-04:002011-03-31T23:09:25.142-04:00For a good teen dystopia that doesn't focus on...For a good teen dystopia that doesn't focus on love, try X-Isle by Steve Augarde.Rickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05108470370944541128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-41753478980439153762011-03-31T21:29:36.727-04:002011-03-31T21:29:36.727-04:00Interesting analysis, thanks!Interesting analysis, thanks!Jan Markleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08317561950719847803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-18341303047780621632011-03-31T21:12:20.064-04:002011-03-31T21:12:20.064-04:00Very interesting, carefully thought and well expre...Very interesting, carefully thought and well expressed! I agree that some of the best romances in life and literature happen on the way as opposed to being a goal in itself. I found the relationship in TWILIGHT very disturbing because it had many of the attributes of an abusive relationship, however Meyer did a beautiful job in showing how longing for the kiss is more romantic than the kiss itself. <br /><br />What makes romance stale is hearing the same story told over and over. I have little patience for books where the girl’s only aim in life is getting the hot guy who will love her for what’s inside. Still, a book without romance feels stale.<br /><br />What I’d like to see is more realism. So many teen relationships don’t work out and even the ones that do, the kids might still have to go different ways. Teen relationships, especially, can be messy, and they don’t always include love. I’m exploring those different types of relationships in my WIP, and also trying to factor in the male perspective as well. Why is romance almost always considered female?Sarah Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-24738869093973816662011-03-31T20:44:01.147-04:002011-03-31T20:44:01.147-04:00I totally agree with you about dystopians. I can s...I totally agree with you about dystopians. I can see the romance in finding love in a totalitarian/oppressive society, and I'm not saying that there cannot be romance in a dystopian, it just cannot be the main theme. Dystopian are all about the oppression, the hopelessness, not love.Cookienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-61355674002025889902011-03-31T20:31:32.131-04:002011-03-31T20:31:32.131-04:00Why should YA stick to only believable teen romanc...Why should YA stick to only believable teen romance trajectories? Why can't it have it's fill of completely off the wall, high ball romance that the adult genres, like romance in general, have?<br /><br />Just as adult women salivate over soap operas, so do teen girls get giddy about that over the top kind of romance. Why deny it to them?<br /><br />I'm not disagreeing, just trying to look at it from the other side. I don't think bad romance should be perpetrated in YA, or any genre for that matter. But there are just as many adult women that swoon over Edward and Jacob as there are teens. The teens we can excuse away with hormones and easily influenceable minds. But what about the adults? What's they're excuse? Shouldn't they know better?<br /><br />I would like to see many more believable teen romances out there but I wouldn't want the unbelievable ones eliminated either. That just doesn't make any sense to me. And it's not giving teens the credit they deserve to differentiate between what's real and what's a fantasy. Yeah, some don't but I think they're in the minority. I don't think they should be denied they're stories, either.Donna (Bites)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12585421704517898076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-57034119632878035452011-03-31T19:28:26.018-04:002011-03-31T19:28:26.018-04:00Excellent, well-written, sharp, and absolutely won...Excellent, well-written, sharp, and absolutely wonderful. Your post sums up everything I've been explaining to people. Congrats on this one!Tatiana Vilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06043516433934618221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-28305998626183502802011-03-31T19:16:56.555-04:002011-03-31T19:16:56.555-04:00I don't read a lot of paranormal, or I think I...I don't read a lot of paranormal, or I think I'd be more annoyed by this. I do like romances with happy endings, but I don't like unrealistic relationships. I read a lot of YA historicals though, and throughout most of history teenagers were considered adults and old enough to marry and have kids so young romances bother me a lot less in historicals. Since it was realistic to look for someone to marry at that age.Rebecca Hermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-71862254785399865302011-03-31T19:05:10.919-04:002011-03-31T19:05:10.919-04:00This was an amazing post and you nailed down my bi...This was an amazing post and you nailed down my biggest problem with the young adult genre. I'm okay with some "true love" teen romances here and there, but the thing is that EVERYONE is doing them now and very few does it right! There's very little variation anymore and that bugs me.<br /><br />I would love to see more young adult novels that get some variation. The one variatoion I would like to see most? Young adult paranormals with less focus on the romance and more on plot and characters. Maybe these are already out there, but if they are, they're hidden. All the popular ones are about love.Ashleighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209033229829019388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214401809446305406.post-73342414213622210412011-03-31T17:14:21.479-04:002011-03-31T17:14:21.479-04:00Fantastic post. You hit it on the head perfectly. ...Fantastic post. You hit it on the head perfectly. I'm getting tired of seeing YA with "love at first sight" romances. There are too many out there that don't portray it realistically. And, nearly all of the time they're rocky and don't last. Thanks for posting.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01677563505368503476noreply@blogger.com