Top Ten Favorite Romances

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/meme created by The Broke and the Bookish, where bloggers share their top ten answers every week.

This is my very first time participating in Top Ten Tuesday and I'm pretty excited about it! Since Valentine's Day is coming up (not that I really care about the holiday), I thought it would be fun to talk about favorite bookish romances. Of course once I actually tried to come up with a list - it turned out to be a lot harder than I expected. A lot of my faves are from books I've read in the last few years, so I made a point to throw in one oldie. It's funny because a lot of the couples I did like when I was in high school were older than me. And now that I'm older, a lot of my favorite couples are a lot younger than me. But that's a story for another day. 

Here's the list I came up with: 

1.  Jace and Clary from City of Bones - This was one of the first YA series that I read and I still have a soft spot for it. But I really do love them as a couple. His (arrogant) charm, her feisty personality and their intense dedication to each other in spite of the odds. I enjoy that sort of thing.

2.  Jase and Sam from My Life Next Door - First of all, I want to know if guys like Jase exist in real life. Two, their relationship was so refreshing. Mature and angst-free but passionate in a way that only first loves are.

3.  Will and Lou from Me Before You - I've been pretty vocal in my love of this book and now that everyone is talking about it, it's got me thinking about this couple all over again. (Not that I ever really forgot.)  They're unconventional but they have these subtle breathtaking moments that completely took me by surprise.

4.  Hazel and Augustus from The Fault In Our Stars - When I look back at this book, I remember how it made me laugh and cry and just how these two people managed to find love and joy despite their circumstances. It's a quirky romance but still gut-wrenching.

5.  Aria and Perry from Under the Never Sky - This book/series is a new favorite and yeah it's well-written, the world-building is awesome and it's the kind of book you can't put down once you start, etc etc. But seriously, Aria and Perry together = my favorite parts. I just love all their moments.

6.  Mac and Barrons from the Fever series - Their relationship isn't like the others on my list. It's volatile. They're both stubborn and distrustful but also intensely passionate. They're two people who would never be together under normal circumstances but once they meet, the chemistry is undeniable.

7.  Meghan and Ash from The Iron Fey - Between this relationship and the one I just mentioned, I have no desire to read about fairies anymore. Because these two got it SO right in my mind. There's definitely a Romeo and Juliet thing going on here but I was rooting for them (and swooning) from the moment they met.

8.  Anna and Etienne from Anna and the French Kiss - This is the kind of relationship where you get to see it develop every step of the way. No insta-love here (just immediate attraction). But there's a real friendship between them. Granted with lots of tension but that's what it makes fun (for us).

9.  Tiger Lily and Peter Pan from Tiger Lily - I wasn't sure if I would put this on my list because as much as I loved them together,  it was the end of their relationship that had the biggest impact on me.  There was a realness to their first love heartbreak that made my own heart ache along with them.

10.  Anne and Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables - Here's my oldie! Gilbert Blythe was my book boyfriend before that phrase even existed. He was so perfect to me when I read this series. He had me from the moment he called Anne "Carrots" and she broke her chalkboard over his head.