Ah, love is in the air, Roomies. The cards are cheesy, the chocolate is on special, and our palms are sweaty. Okay, so maybe Valentine’s Day isn’t for everyone. We don’t know about you, but we’d much rather cheer for the budding romances in a good novel, experience the ups and downs of love through the eyes of a YA protagonist. So, to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’ve compiled some of our favourite YA romances!
Bianca
Cristina, Mark, and Kieran from The Dark Artifices
The amount of love between these three characters makes my heart melt. I love how organically each fell for the other two, from Mark and Kieran’s time in Faerie, to Cristina and Kieran’s gradual affection. Cristina is definitely the glue between them (she’s described as the piece Mark and Kieran were missing – swoon) and her kind and caring nature makes this polyamorous relationship incredibly wholesome and honest. And the boys are good fun, too!
Jackson and Tomas from The Boy From the Mish
Speaking of wholesome relationships, how can I go past the main characters in this recent release? Set over just a week or so, Jackson and Tomas explore their new relationship – learning about themselves in the process – in such a raw and honest way that you’ll be transported straight back to your own first love. I was left feeling so warm and fluffy at the happiness the boys found.
Jaron and Imogen from The Ascendance Trilogy
While you don’t actually see a lot of physical affection between Jaron and Imogen, their love for each other is incredibly strong and it’s evident in everything they do. What I love most about this pairing is how slowly but surely their relationship formed, and how deeply they care for each other, even as just friends in the beginning. Sometimes it’s nice to see a pairing’s love beyond all the physical stuff, y’know? I also love how Imogen doesn’t put up with Jaron’s crap – she’ll call him out on it, and trust me, he needs that.
Gansey and Blue from The Raven Cycle
Is there anything more romantic than not being able to kiss your true love because, if you do, he’ll die? Well, this is the small damper over Blue and Gansey’s relationship. But for a long time, it doesn’t matter, because Blue has no plans of falling in love – at first. Despite their initial dislike for each other, Blue and Gansey get to know each other over the course of four books, seeing the real version of the other and falling head over heels. I love it so much. Shame about the kiss and die thing, though. (I also can’t go past Adam and Ronan’s relationship, and I hope we see more of them in the next installment of Call Down the Hawk!)
Sarah
Nishat and Flávia from The Henna Wars
There’s nothing I love more than the rivals-to-lovers trope, so these two queer girls quickly won over my heart! When Nishat’s childhood friend comes back into her life and starts at her high school, she falls hard and fast. But then her teacher announces a business project, and suddenly the pair find themselves in competition. While the rivalry had me second-guessing whether these two girls would end up together, their eventual romance had me feeling all gooey inside. It was just adorable! I’m so excited to pick up Adiba Jaigirdar’s next book.
Nick and Charlie from Heartstopper
Alice Oseman owns my heart. Full stop. She’s my favourite author of all time, and Nick and Charlie are just the cutest. Plus, we’re getting a TV show adaptation real soon with these two cuties! Heartstopper is such an incredible coming-of-age graphic novel that you’ll fall in love with as soon as you start reading. It also tackles some tough topics, like bullying and mental illness, but that doesn’t serve as a hinderance to the adorable romance that just leaps off the page. If anything, it gives their relationship more depth and authenticity.
Gabby and Jordi from The Summer of Jordi Perez
This book is just so much fun! It follows the life of Abby, who’s interning at her favourite boutique store. But when she finds out the other intern she’s crushing on is in competition with her to win the job at the end of their placement, the two become reluctant rivals. This is all set against the backdrop of the vibrant L.A., which almost serves as an additional character in the story. It’s such a fun, heartwarming story about body positivity, burgers, and summer love. Can’t recommend it enough!
Alex and Henry from Red, White & Royal Blue
If you haven’t had the chance to read Red, White & Royal Blue yet, AKA the book everyone’s constantly raving about, you have to add it to your TBR! It’s hilarious and heartfelt, and it will make you want to stay up way past your bedtime reading about these two hopeless boys. If you’re a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, then you’re in luck! Alex and Henry are sure to melt your heart in this hilarious, sometimes-steamy New Adult novel.
Who are some of your favourite fictional romances? Which YA character did you spend Valentine’s Day with? We’d love to know, tell us all about it! However you celebrate – or if you celebrate at all – we hope you had a wonderful day!
The YA Room 