As it's known in the reader popular culture, at least for regular romance readers, a novel is categorized as romance when the characters have a happy ending. If there's no happy ending but there's romance as part of the plot, even if the book isn't tragic, then I believe it's categorized as simply fiction.
I've been reading romance for a while now, and I have noticed that while some romances can be sweet and entertaining, some main characters absolutely do not belong together. Whether it is due to personalities or to outside situations, these couples in romance books are not shelved in the "happy ever after." For some, I think that their story shouldn't have developed at all in the way that it did, or I think that they broke up soon after the book ended.
There will be spoilers, obviously. Read carefully if you see a book that you have in your TBR.
This book was HOT, as in, insanely HOT. But the protagonists really have nothing to carry their relationship besides a desire the horniness of a phone call. Yes, it started over a phone call (that I'm sure was against policy or something). I get it, it's fiction, but they never got to know each other well enough to decide if they're right for each other. I'm sure that once they moved forward, they'd figure out that a relationship goes beyond dirty talk with a stranger. This is another one that could've been a one-night-stand and be done with it.
I can't believe I'm having this book here. Actually, I can. The couples in Emily Henry books are fun to read about (like Christina Lauren's books) but I know that this couple specifically will not last. A relationship formed out of spite and confusion? That's not healthy nor is it a strong foundation. The protagonists were not bad people, but they both needed someone who fit with them, not just a random person who also got dumped. Funny Story feels more like a rebound story than a HEA romance.
Angelika Frankenstein did not make her match. I'm sorry, but I won't elaborate beyond this: she should've let him go. Love is patient, love is kind, love is not holding your partner in a painful situation because you have abandonment and superiority issues. Every time I remember this book I want to scream.
Another relationship founded on lies, degradation, and being condescending. Delusional is one way to describe it, although I feel like it could've been worse. Overall, I enjoyed the book, despite not enjoying the relationship. A person who makes fun of your interests, no matter how temporary they might be, is not a good romantic partner. This gave me strong vibes of men who make fun of women for being interested in Astrology, but are obsessed with their own thing and don't you dare say anything about it.
I like to think that after the novelty of getting two dicks at once, the FMC realized that these guys are TOXIC and that the situation was never going to end well. The deceit, the continuous lying, the half-assed apologies and the pity party. A cute book cover, not a fun relationship to support. Fun for a fling, but the lies snowballed until the point of no return. She should've taken the L and moved on.
This woman was being stalked not only by the creepy unknown person, but also by the romance interest. He installed cameras "for her protection" but was using them to spy on her and on her child, under the excuse that since he paid for the cameras, he could watch them anytime he wanted. This woman was escaping abuse, new in a strange town, stressed out from being a single mother, the last thing she needed was a creepy cowboy throwing himself against her until she said yes. Is it consent if they've drilled the "yes" out of a person? Unapologetically, I can say that these two people do not belong together.
Lastly, I'm not sure if the characters in this manga series actually ended up together or not. I hope they didn't, because if one of the people in a relationship is just unable to express their feelings and communicate what's bothering them, it's not the other person's responsibility to beg for communication. "What's wrong? what's wrong? what's wrong? why is this relationship feeling so forced? I'm ignoring the red flags, shouldn't it work itself out?" Red flags (or club lights, since the characters spent a lot of nights clubbing) were set up all around them, but the characters were wearing pink shades.
I don't know. I'm a salty bitch today. I just know that some stories with alleged HEA can cloud impressionable readers' perception into accepting toxic situations. Sometimes I prefer to read about a fun, sexy adventure with a third-act breakup, than to finish a book and have a nasty taste in my mouth because of how the couple ended up together.
I'd love to hear what you think. Are there any book couples that you think should not have ended up together?
