tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post8346568402892578068..comments2023-11-05T03:56:14.971-06:00Comments on Book Bloggers International: Charleen Talks Overdone RomanceBeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02706544792110129160noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-79335741987761131732014-03-01T12:00:37.784-06:002014-03-01T12:00:37.784-06:00Exactly. I like a romance when I'm reading for...Exactly. I like a romance when I'm reading for the romance, but more often than not I just wish there were more options.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-87596707144047577822014-03-01T11:57:59.525-06:002014-03-01T11:57:59.525-06:00Harry and Hermione are a great example, pretty muc...Harry and Hermione are a great example, pretty much the only one I can think of that doesn't turn into more in later books.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-24067052581151011562014-02-26T19:59:16.613-06:002014-02-26T19:59:16.613-06:00I would love to see more platonic relationships an...I would love to see more platonic relationships and less focus on romance all the time. We don't have romantic relationships with each person we meet so why does every book we read have them "tacked" on? I love romance when I'm in the mood for it but I'm not always in the mood... And don't want to have to read gory horror just to read something without romance... And that's not reliable LOL But I read over 200 books a year so it's not like I'm able to just not read and dry technical books can only "entertain" for so long. O_oAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039139421361895786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-86584067095437566962014-02-25T10:12:34.752-06:002014-02-25T10:12:34.752-06:00I think one of the best examples of a well done pl...I think one of the best examples of a well done platonic relationship is Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. JK could have easily had them end up together, and a lot of people wished they did, but she didn't have to rely on the romance to show how much they cared for each other. Granted, JK has recently stated that she thought they should have ended up together, but I'm just going to ignore that and go with the real story. A perfect example of platonic love!Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13423770221586692916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-3997362051823271312014-02-13T13:50:38.383-06:002014-02-13T13:50:38.383-06:00The overabundance of romance is the main reason I ...The overabundance of romance is the main reason I don't read more YA. So many of the stories sound fascinating, but I know the romance will bog it down for me.<br /><br />Divergent, for example. I enjoyed it (the first book more than the others), but I think I would have liked the whole series a lot more if Four had taken on more of a mentor/big brother role for Tris. I feel like the world-building and the rest of the plot can only develop so much when so much page-time is devoted to a romance (that may or may not work for me).<br /><br />I don't need a book to be romance free, it just frustrates me that it seems to be the default, when there are so many other options.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-26858936064374261772014-02-13T13:44:44.731-06:002014-02-13T13:44:44.731-06:00Exactly! Is it crucial to the story that the chara...Exactly! Is it crucial to the story that the characters have a romance? Often the answer is NO! And I wish authors would consider other options instead of treating the romantic sub-plot like a default.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-2228574945208159602014-02-13T13:39:19.671-06:002014-02-13T13:39:19.671-06:00Right, it's the fact that it's EVERYWHERE,...Right, it's the fact that it's EVERYWHERE, at the expense of other possibilities, that I don't like. I do enjoy a good romance now and then, but there are so many cases where it feels obligatory... and the book suffers, because time spent on the romance is time not spent on other things.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-84664728645154539642014-02-13T13:35:36.865-06:002014-02-13T13:35:36.865-06:00I'm definitely exhausted by all the romance. I...I'm definitely exhausted by all the romance. I would love to get to the point where it's not a pleasant surprise to not have one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-92024726942991273002014-02-13T13:35:29.364-06:002014-02-13T13:35:29.364-06:00One thing I really liked in The Seers was the plat...One thing I really liked in The Seers was the platonic relationship between two of the characters. Although there is a sideline romantic interest, so it's not romance free. But it stands out as something different in YA, which is where I think the main problem lies. Even Roomies, which is about friendship, has these extra romantic relationships tacked on. People need to know it's OK not to have romance!Elliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377404526123600035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-64815776417055822762014-02-13T13:33:50.552-06:002014-02-13T13:33:50.552-06:00It was great. The book as a whole didn't quite...It was great. The book as a whole didn't quite grab me the way I'd hoped it would, but I LOVED the relationship between those two.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-55372242233430938992014-02-13T13:32:32.128-06:002014-02-13T13:32:32.128-06:00I feel like that too. It seems to be the only way ...I feel like that too. It seems to be the only way to explain the over-abundance of romance in books that don't need one... and might even be stronger without one!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-16725119653915030912014-02-13T13:31:42.437-06:002014-02-13T13:31:42.437-06:00Absolutely. It's refreshing to come across a b...Absolutely. It's refreshing to come across a book that doesn't have a romance, but it's the ones that strongly feature another type of relationship instead - and, yes, do it well - that I get really excited about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-58722638184772721562014-02-13T13:30:38.706-06:002014-02-13T13:30:38.706-06:00No, it doesn't belong in every book. I'd b...No, it doesn't belong in every book. I'd be a lot more excited about the occasional romance if it was in fact occasional!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-22674602501190033662014-02-13T09:38:53.284-06:002014-02-13T09:38:53.284-06:00Great post! I absolutely agree -- it seems like so...Great post! I absolutely agree -- it seems like some books I've read recently have a romance you can see coming a mile away, like fulfilling some sort of perfunctory obligation to have a love interest. And sometimes, it's just not necessary!<br /><br />LisaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-603822841619196062014-02-13T08:39:22.001-06:002014-02-13T08:39:22.001-06:00samathatule ... Do you have recommendations on som...samathatule ... Do you have recommendations on some titles? I would love to have you share them!Tif Sweeneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06015299390676538748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-69468784646552971722014-02-13T08:38:32.471-06:002014-02-13T08:38:32.471-06:00I don't mind a bit of romance, but I don't...I don't mind a bit of romance, but I don't think it is realistic to have it all the time. I too want to see more platonic relationships and the celebration of all forms of love!<br /><br />Great article Charleen! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us today!Tif Sweeneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06015299390676538748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-16089040107167984942014-02-13T07:03:21.801-06:002014-02-13T07:03:21.801-06:00Haha, I share your feeling about platonic relation...Haha, I share your feeling about platonic relationships! I'm always excited to see a great friendship in a book, but that might just be because I'm exhausted by how many books have a romance.DoingDeweyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09902496432225294188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-18893353485676839392014-02-12T19:24:00.985-06:002014-02-12T19:24:00.985-06:00I'd love to see more books that deal with frie...I'd love to see more books that deal with friendships as a valid and important kind of love. I thought Code Name Verity was great for that reason too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-21433287932483789372014-02-12T17:19:12.734-06:002014-02-12T17:19:12.734-06:00I totally agree. I like a good romance, don't ...I totally agree. I like a good romance, don't get me wrong...but I really like to see other types of relationships, too. Siblings, male/female friendships without romance, but just a strong bond...I think sometimes, writers think the readers NEED romance, but they're underestimating us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-43492432668978320692014-02-12T15:35:26.858-06:002014-02-12T15:35:26.858-06:00I have to admit the books that I read and give fiv...I have to admit the books that I read and give five stars to tend to have more of the non-romantic relationships. Maybe part of that is because it's more rare (and therefore a bigger surprise when it's really done right).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-2507539223925909692014-02-12T12:46:58.560-06:002014-02-12T12:46:58.560-06:00I like some romance, but I totally agree that it d...I like some romance, but I totally agree that it does not belong in every book -- every story does not need that element thrown in. What's worse, if you ask me, is realizing two characters probably will end up together, but then it gets dragged out FOREVER, as if we don't all know how it's going to turn out. More books with strong friendships would be awesome -- or if they're already out there, someone point me in the right direction!Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03215797870829907924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929369424588700011.post-26636643219913411282014-02-12T07:45:12.259-06:002014-02-12T07:45:12.259-06:00Thanks for having me!Thanks for having me!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com