Why I Don't Like Love Triangles

I actually have pretty intense feelings regarding love triangles. Intense, as you know by the title, in a bad way. I don't like to write them. If I read them, then there's a list of things that I like to have checked off. I'm picky. Very. (In fact, I should probably chill a little bit).

Before I begin the bashing, I should say that in a cute, fluffy contemporary, I don't mind love triangles. If that's the focus of the book and the MC is growing and finding who she is as a result of it, then I don't mind it at all. It's just that I think there are way too many love triangles out there that don't really have a reason to exist.

Since many of my reviews/posts include little hints at how much I don't like them, here's a list of why:

It should be noted that I am referring to YA. 

1. It's cliche. In my opinion, this is a bad reason-- I don't like to judge a book by what comes before it. However, if 9/10 of the books I read have the exact same love story, I am not pleased. You know what I mean by exact same. There are 2 options for what story the "good" guy will have. The first is childhood friend, trusted by the MC, but she just doesn't feel the same way. He's more like her big brother, and she doesn't want to break his heart. Option the second-- he brings out the good in her and makes her feel safe and loved. It's all butterflies and rainbows in this relationship. And the bad boy... does he really need a description?
2. I always like the wrong guy. This isn't a legitimate reason but I needed to say that. Moving on.
3. It's unnecessary. By unnecessary, I mean: Is this really contributing to the plot? Or what kind of person the MC becomes? Does it help the story grow and gain depth? A lot of the time, the answers to those questions are gonna be no. (Particularly in dystopian YA). 
4. It's unrealistic. For this one, I'm pretty much focusing on dystopian YA (though it can apply to various other genres as well), because I feel like dystopian should have the least love triangles while it has the most. About 99% of the time, the main character in a dystopian novel has her hands full. She's trying to save the world-- or her world. She's busy. And yet, she is falling in love with two separate guys-- so much so that it's all she can think about while a war rages on her doorstep. 
5. No effort at all was put into creating the love triangle. Sometimes, the love interests are two-dimensional. They're flat. They're echoes of hundreds of other characters, with no personality and no purpose other than adding drama. Sometimes, the main character already loves one of them, yet another character is thrown in last minute-- even though there is no reason for them to be there. 

I'm not a big fan of the The Hunger Games, but I do appreciate the love triangle. Katniss handles it well. She realizes that she does not need either guy to survive and that she is completely fine on her own. She puts love aside at the moment, because she's literally the symbol that started a war. 

Of course, it's different if it's a fantasy novel or a contemporary novel. However, I think that regardless of the book, if there is a war/fight/greater evil in a book then that should be the focus. 

All this aside, I do understand why love triangles are so popular. A lot of people like them. God knows the media loves them. What is more suitable to focus on in a book series than the love triangle?

End rant.

5 Things that Really Bother Me in Literature

Yeah. This is a ranty post. You probably guessed.

I've read a lot of books over the years. I've barely scratched the surface in some genres, barely even scratched the surface in the genres I love, but I've come across a lot of things that bother (in some cases, infuriate) me in literature. I've read stuff that's really stereotypical, hurtful, or promotes unhealthy relationships.

1. Stalking, over-possessiveness, etc. in relationships.

It is not okay if the guy you date regularly stalks you, or stands outside your window while you sleep, or thrashes any guy who dares be friendly to you. It is not okay if he acts like this is a completely normal, sane thing to do. It is not okay if he acts like he knows it's wrong but does it anyway "because he cares about you." No. Just, no. A guy who really cared about you would respect your boundaries. He would trust you-- and I don't get why this isn't addressed more often in YA.

It is also not okay if he is super controlling. A person should be able to make their own decisions. If he cannot be accepting of that, then he needs to leave.

While it is incredibly rare that the woman in the relationship is the controlling/possessive one, the same goes. It is not okay. 

2. What makes a "strong" character.

Saying that a girl is only strong when she doesn't need anyone is so wrong-- everyone needs a hand eventually. The people who push others away under the claim that they don't need help because they're strong are the ones who cry when they're all alone and eventually cave in on themselves from the pressure to be tough. As time passes, they feel like they can't voice how they feel, can't reach out. So they stop trying all-together.

This isn't just for girls. Guys are constantly told that they're "weak" or "feminine" if they get emotional. THIS MAKES ME SO UPSET. Guys have emotions, too. It's okay to cry sometimes! It's okay to let yourself go because you just can't hold it in anymore. It's not okay to bash someone who is crying when they've probably been holding it in for a long time. People don't just cry over nothing-- they have a reason (not always a good one, but still). And until you know what that reason is, shut up and back off.

3. Parents that are always MIA/parents that just don't care.

I get it. It's hard to have adventures with your parents around. But it's so not a good explanation to have them up and gone from the story.

My parents love me, and I know for sure that if something super scary happened to me, the first thing I would do is tell them. And I know that they would worry about me, they would be protective of me-- because that's what parents do. 

4. Hiding info on what's happening to protect someone.

More often than not, telling your friend/parent/significant other what's going on will help them be protected, because that way they can protect themselves. While I do understand that explaining it is something that would be hard to explain-- "Hey, there's this person that wants to kidnap/kill you because of me"-- seriously, imagine the questions. Imagine the rage/terror at someone endangering your life like that. But, in the end, wouldn't you be grateful that they told you? Ignorance is bliss, but if it also gets you killed, I'd much rather know.

5. Insta-love.

Yeah. I really don't like insta-love. Unfortunately, it happens in a ton of books. Yeah, some try and pass it off as non-insta by having them have either visions of each other or meeting when they were teeny children, but no.

I (quite clearly) do not believe insta-love exists. I do believe in insta-crush, but not love. Love is something that can only be achieved once you know someone. If you don't truly know someone, then you don't love them, you love the version that they are around you.