YA and love triangles

Why do you think love triangles are so popular? I'm getting sick of seeing them in YA novels. Do you think it's because there are so many series these days and that's the only way they think they can add relationship drama? Are you a fan of them?

 

I think that their target audience likes having romances, and they like being able to "ship" couples and get aggressive about people who "ship" the other couple. I personally blame Stephenie Meyer, but I'm sure it was happening long before her. That was just the first time I really saw "Team [name]" crap everywhere. As is often the trend, when one person finds an immense amount of success, others will try to copy the formula. I think you've hit the nail on the head with your comment about it being seen as necessary in a series to create relationship drama. It's a little lazy in some instances, but there have been several books where I thought it was done well. I can handle them just fine as long as the triangle doesn't dominate the plot.

 

Love triangles in stories have been around for centuries and probably for the same reasons that they exist today.

Drama! Excitement! Difficult Choices! and because love is one of those emotions that touches us all, so it is very easy to relate to someone going through the same predicament. However, the choices always tend to be of the same type, someone choosing between a safer, steady version and a more exciting, dangerous version of a relationship. I have seen a few different ones between varying degrees of exciting, but I will be honest in that I have yet to see someone trying to decide between two different types of boring before now.

The people they are choosing represent the life choice that person has to make, and it can become much more involving than just who they love. If it is well written, I hasten to add, in which case they can make for a fine story in their own right.

Unfortunately, as it has become a very popular trope, a lot of that meaning has vanished and it had become as shallow a choice as to what cereal the protagonist decided to have for breakfast that morning.

 

Yes, love triangles are hardly anything new, but I do feel as though they happen across a lot more genres than they used to. Of course, it could simply be that I'm just more exposed to it all now. Ha, that's true. You really only see them making choices between the exciting one full of passion and mystery or the secure, safe choice. It would be interesting to see a story with someone choosing between two safe options, but, then again, it really might not make for that great of a story. We know that's what matters most in the end.

It's very unfortunate that's happened. It's also frustrating when you know what choice the protagonist is going to make from the beginning. The stories where, essentially, they're using it as plot-filler more than anything else.

 

I know what you mean, like the ones where its the new guy vs. the series regular. Sometimes they build the new guy up so much the heroine looks stupid for going back to the old guy Give a reason that isn't just cos the series has to reset for the next book, OK?

 

Well, it is an easy way to add what they call 'relatable' drama to a romance. (And some authors can even avoid adding character to the main protagonist to make it easier for readers to put themselves in her place... Naming no names).

Yes, but I think she can be safely blamed for all the vampire/werewolf/teenager ones. Making necrophilia and bestiality the in-thing for a generation. (I'm not sure if that comment comes from sarcasm or despair).